WIFLE Presents Top Prosecutor Award To Middle District Of Florida Attorney

AUSA Rachelle DesVaux Bedke (center) accepts Top Prosecutor Award from WIFLE Foundation, Inc.

WIFLE Foundation President Catherine W. Sanz (left) and Vice President Sheree Mixell presented the award.

TAMPA, FL – Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle DesVaux Bedke was presented with the Top Prosecutor Award by the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE) Foundation earlier this month at a ceremony in Tampa.

Ms. DesVaux Bedke received the award in recognition of her outstanding case-handling and exceptional written and oral advocacy on behalf of the United States in two related cases (United States v. Paul Robert Gunter, et al. and United States v. Roger Lee Shoss, et al.) that resulted in the conviction of six individuals who had defrauded thousands of victim-investors worldwide out of more than $137 million. Ms. DesVaux Bedke was lauded for her ability to present complex and technical information about a sophisticated investment fraud and money laundering scheme to federal jurors in a clear, concise, and understandable way, and for securing the convictions of four defendants in two separate trials. She was praised for her superior work in working with law enforcement agencies and securities regulators in multiple countries, analyzing massive amounts of evidence, drafting detailed indictments, and negotiating plea agreements.

United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III, who attended the ceremony, said, “Ms. DesVaux Bedke is most deserving of this honor. She is without doubt one of the top federal prosecutors in the country, and her work on these cases was nothing short of amazing.”

Ms. DesVaux Bedke serves as Chief of the Criminal Division (South) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. She has been an Assistant United States Attorney with the office since February 1997 and has prosecuted a multitude of offenses involving narcotics, firearms, child exploitation, bank robbery, kidnapping and, most often, frauds involving investments, taxes, mortgages, health care, federal programs, and money laundering.

In addition to Ms. DesVaux Bedke, more than 20 other women were recognized by WIFLE for their exceptional courage, outstanding accomplishments, and significant contributions that have advanced the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women in federal law enforcement. For more information about WIFLE, visit http://www.wifle.org/.