Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Honors Department of Justice Employees and Partners for the 2022 and 2023 Attorney General’s Awards

MINNEAPOLIS – 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. Two prosecution teams from the District of Minnesota were awarded the Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service.

“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.”

“The Attorney General’s David Margolis Award is the Justice Department’s highest award for employee performance,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. “The prosecutors, agents, paralegals, victim/witness and litigation support specialists on these teams showed exceptional skill and professionalism in their work on two monumental civil rights cases, cases that will have a lasting impact for years to come. I am so proud of these individuals and their outstanding work and commitment in service of justice.”

The 2022 Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service is presented to the investigation and prosecution team in United States v. Chauvin, et al., a prosecution involving four former police officers who violated George Floyd’s civil rights, resulting in his death.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen Slaughter, Evan Gilead, LeeAnn Bell, Manda Sertich, and Samantha Bates for the District of Minnesota; Paralegal Stefnie Braun for the District of Minnesota; Victim/Witness Specialists Selina Kolsrud and Christina Busse for the District of Minnesota; Litigation Support Specialist Daniel Czapko for the District of Minnesota, FBI Special Agent Blake Hostetter; Special Litigation Counsel Samantha Trepel of the Civil Rights Division; Trial Attorney Tara Allison of the Civil Rights Division; and Paralegal Henry Fronk for the Civil Rights Division.

The 2023 Attorney General’s David Margolis Award for Exceptional Service is presented to the investigation and prosecution team in United States v. Sumalee Intarathong, et al. and United States v. Michael Morris, et al., a prosecution involving an international sex trafficking organization that was responsible for coercing hundreds of Thai women to engage in commercial sex acts across the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melinda Williams, Laura Provinzino, Craig Baune, and David Genrich for the District of Minnesota; Paralegal Stefnie Braun for the District of Minnesota; Victim/Witness Specialist Selina Kolsrud for the District of Minnesota; Litigation Support Specialist Daniel Czapko for the District of Minnesota; Supervisory Litigation Support Specialist Mark Zeitz for the District of Minnesota; HSI Supervisory Special Agent Tonya Price; IRS Special Agent John Tschida; Special Agent Kevin Sullivan of the Minnesota Department of Commerce; Director Hilary Axam of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit; and Deputy Director William Nolan of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.

For details on all of today’s award recipients, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-honors-justice-department-employees-and-partners-70th-and