ATLANTA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Georgia, Northern), published as received.

ATLANTA – Last week, Attorney General Todd Blanche recognized six employees of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia as recipients of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) Director’s Award during a Washington, D.C. ceremony. The Atlanta-based office was the only U.S. Attorney’s Office in the country to receive multiple team awards. 

“I am tremendously proud of my outstanding prosecutors and support staff who received this well-deserved national recognition,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Their exceptional talent, unwavering dedication, and commitment to pursuing justice exemplify the highest ideals of public service and help to make our district safer.”

The Director’s Awards recognize employees of the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide who have distinguished themselves through extraordinary professional achievements and excellence. The Northern District of Georgia personnel were recognized for Superior Performance by a Litigation Team and Superior Performance by an Administrative Team. 

Superior Performance by a Litigation Team

(From left to right: Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter, Child Victim Witness Program Administrator Nicole E. Borrello, Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Bryce T. Wolford, FBI Special Agent Will M. Mauk, FBI Unit Chief Johanna M. Norman, EOUSA Director Francey Hakes, Trial Attorney Eduardo A. Palomo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leanne Marek, Litigation Support Specialist Kimberly C. Layton, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr.)

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leanne Marek and Gabriel A. Mendel, and Litigation Support Specialist Kimberly C. Layton, were recognized alongside partners from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division for the successful prosecution of Edward Zappey, a child predator and former elementary school teacher who was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after sexually abusing four students on an American military base in Germany nearly 20 years ago. The trial team overcame significant obstacles, including locating witnesses and evidence abroad; secured justice for four vulnerable victims; and forever removed a child abuser from society.

Superior Performance by an Administrative Team

(From left to right: Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter, Senior Litigation Counsel Jennifer Bockhorst, EOUSA Director Francey Hakes, Secretary Paulette C. Samuels, Giglio Specialist Andrea L. Schulke, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward, Jr.)

Senior Litigation Counsel Charysse L. Alexander, Giglio Specialist Andrea L. Schulke, Secretary Paulette C. Samuels, and an attorney from the Western District of Virginia were recognized for their multi-year effort to conceptualize, develop, and roll out a technology platform to aid the disclosure of potential impeachment information affecting the credibility of government witnesses. Based on their extensive experience advising districts and training prosecutors on Department of Justice policy, the administrative team developed a database designed to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and ensure consistent positions throughout the U.S. Attorney community.

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.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.