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Press Release

U.S. Attorney General Recognizes New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office With Two Director’s Awards

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey



NEWARK, N.J. – New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman J. Gross and Health Care and Government Fraud Unit Chief Jacob T. Elberg are two of 154 Department of Justice members recognized by Attorney General Eric Holder and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director H. Marshall Jarrett with a 2013 Director’s Award.

The New Jersey recipients were awarded at a ceremony this afternoon in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark.

 “I am proud to celebrate these extremely talented members of our staff,” said U.S. Attorney Fishman. “And I’m delighted that the Department of Justice recognizes the important contributions our Office makes to law enforcement nationwide.”

In a personalized letter to the recipients, Attorney General Holder thanked the recipients for their “exceptional efforts to promote the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.”

“Each day the members of the US Attorneys’ community go to work for the citizens of this country with one goal in mind – to do everything they can to protect the rights of all Americans,” said EOUSA Director Jarrett. “I am continually humbled by their resiliency, dedication and unparalleled work ethic to accomplish this noble mission. Today’s awardees exemplify what it truly means to be a patriot and it is an honor to recognize them for their extraordinary service.”

Gross was honored with the Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney – Appellate for his outstanding appellate advocacy in United States v. Duka. Among many issues argued in this high profile terrorism appeal was the constitutionality of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), as amended by the Patriot Act. This first impression issue, heard before U.S Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, was critical to the Department’s continued efforts to protect against terrorism.

As a result of Gross’ work, defendants’ convictions were affirmed, FISA was upheld, and the Third Circuit established favorable precedent that Department of Justice attorneys will rely on for years to come. Gross’s advocacy was commended at oral argument by the Honorable Theodore H McKee, Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, who praised him for acting “in the best spirit of professionalism…in representing the government as its attorney.”

Elberg was honored with the Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney - Criminal. Over the course of three years, Elberg worked tirelessly to investigate and prosecute Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc., resulting in a Deferred Prosecution Agreement and the recovery of more than $150 million on behalf of Medicaid programs nationwide – the largest settlement ever for home health care fraud. His efforts also led to the felony conviction of nine individuals – including three senior executives – in six states.

As a result of Elberg’s synthesis of scores of witnesses and tens of thousands of documents, as well as his remarkable coordination of the nationwide investigation, Elberg and his law enforcement partners were able to take a complaint alleging fraud by individuals at a single office in New Jersey and reveal a nationwide healthcare fraud scheme involving hundreds of offices and a more than $61 million fraud.     

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Updated March 18, 2015