Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Honors Department of Justice Employees, Including Western District of Pennsylvania Assistant United States Attorney, with Attorney General’s Awards

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the recipients of the 70th and 71st Attorney General’s Awards, honoring Justice Department employees and others for extraordinary contributions to the enforcement of our nation’s laws. Recipients from both 2022 and 2023 were selected from a group of more than 800 nominees.

“Each of today’s recipients has served with distinction, and in so doing, they have enabled the Justice Department to advance its work on behalf of the American people,” said Attorney General Garland. “Their exceptional leadership, heroism, and dedication have benefited people and communities across the country.”

Jessica Lieber Smolar, Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, was part of a group that received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for the group’s outstanding work in U.S. v. Toebbe et al. Jonathan Toebbe and his wife, Diana Toebbe, of Annapolis, Maryland, were sentenced last year after pleading guilty to conspiracy to communicate restricted data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships to a foreign government. Read more about the case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/maryland-nuclear-engineer-and-his-wife-sentenced-espionage-related-offenses.

Along with Assistant United States Attorney Smolar, the Distinguished Award was presented to Trial Attorneys Matthew J. McKenzie and S. Derek Shugert of the National Security Division; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas for the Northern District of West Virginia; FBI Special Agents Jason Serone, Justin Van Tromp and Peter L. Olinits; FBI Supervisory Special Agent Andrew Bass Gray; FBI Unit Chief Andrew Thomas Mitchell; Special Agent John C. Nocella of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service; FBI Intelligence Analyst Brent Cronce; FBI Staff Operations Specialist Vicky Mineard; FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Brassini; FBI Supervisory Investigative Specialist Keith Smith; and FBI Intelligence Analyst Sean Cottington.