Attorney General Recognizes Southern District Of Florida Trial Team

Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announces that today in Washington, D.C. Attorney General Eric Holder and Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director Monty Wilkinson presented the Director’s Award of Superior Performance by a Litigative Team to those responsible for the prosecution of United States v. Pikerson Mentor, et.al. at the 30th annual Director’s Awards Ceremony held in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building. The Southern District of Florida was one of 44 districts represented at the ceremony.

The recipients of the Superior Performance by a Litigative Team include, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony W. Lacosta, Roy Altman and Marlene Rodriguez. These Assistant U.S. Attorneys were among 243 members of the Department of Justice recognized; from the United States Postal Inspection Service, Juan Vargas, Otto Fernandez and Delfin Alvarez; from the Miami-Dade Police Department, Michael Brajdic and Douglas McCoy; and from the Internal Revenue Service, Roberto Lopez.

In his prepared remarks to awardees, Attorney General Holder said, “Locally, nationally, and internationally, you represent the very best that this Department has to offer. Your work embodies our ongoing commitment – not merely to win cases, but to do justice; to protect our fellow citizens from crime, violence, and terrorism; to empower the most vulnerable among us; and to uphold the rule of law.”

EOUSA Director Monty Wilkinson echoed those sentiments, saying to the recipients, “You have persevered, and remained focused and motivated – achieving remarkable results in work that makes a difference in the lives of citizens across our great country. The vast scope of your collective accomplishments is nothing short of exceptional.”

The litigative team was recognized for the successful identification, arrest and prosecution of Pikerson Mentor for the murder of Bruce Parton, a United States Postal Service (USPS) Letter Carrier. On December 6, 2010, Bruce Parton was murdered by Mentor while delivering mail. Mentor fled from the scene in Parton’s postal truck and was followed by two accomplices in a getaway car. The conspirators made off with Parton’s USPS Arrow Key and, during the next six months, used that stolen key to facilitate a massive identity theft and tax fraud scheme. After collecting, reviewing, and organizing thousands of pages of phone, debit card, and tax records over a span of two years, the team successfully identified the defendants involved in the murder and identity theft. Following a two-week trial involving approximately 40 witnesses, Mentor was convicted on all 14 counts of the indictment and sentenced to life in prison. His accomplices, Saubnet Politesse and Wilfred Georges, were sentenced to 21 years and 15 years in prison, respectively. Four other members of the identity theft ring received prison sentences of up to three years.

U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Wifredo A. Ferrer said, “I am very proud of the extraordinary talent and dedication of this year’s award recipients. It was because of the collective efforts of these committed public servants that Pikerson Mentor and his conspirators were brought to justice for the senseless and ruthless murder of Bruce Parton, a hard-working and dedicated mail carrier. I am honored to count them as colleagues.”

EOUSA provides oversight, general executive assistance, and direction to the 94 United States Attorneys’ offices around the country. For more information on EOUSA and its mission, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.