United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown announced that the Western District of Louisiana’s United States Attorney’s Office Annual Training and Leadership Development Conference will be held September 20-22, 2023, at the Bossier Parish Sheriff Substation in Bossier City, LA. The district is headquartered in Shreveport with approximately 50 employees and has a branch office in Lafayette with roughly another 40 employees. The annual conference is the only time over the course of each fiscal year when the District’s employees convene in one location and the conference usually rotates between the Shreveport and Lafayette areas.
Sheriff Julian Whittington assisted U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown with the opening of the conference. The remainder of the agenda for the conference included presentations by: Chief District Judge Terry Doughty, General Counsel for the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) Jay Macklin, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Marvin Richardson EOUSA White Collar Crime & Covid-19 Fraud Coordinator Mandy Riedel and EOUSA Attorney Advisor Cristina Burbach. Additionally, Britney Green, Susette Bryant and retired Assistant United States Attorney William J. Flanagan will conduct leadership development sessions and renowned trial attorney, Roger Dodd of the Dodd Trial Skills Clinic will instruct on cross examination strategy and techniques.
The conference also included several team building exercises and for the first time a district award’s luncheon. During the luncheon, US Attorney Brown recognized the exceptional work of federal, state and local law enforcement officers, Assistant United States Attorneys and members of the district’s professional staff for their efforts in outstanding investigations, prosecutions, appellate advocacy and leadership over the last fiscal year. “Over the years, we have given out awards at our conference, but I wanted to put more of an emphasis on the awardees’ work this year with a luncheon. Every day, the men and women of this district have accepted the calling to show up and give the government an honest day’s work and it is incumbent upon upper management to celebrate them for their achievements. Likewise, law enforcement officers across the district have collaborated with us as partners to help keep our communities safe, hold those accountable who defraud the government and those who violate the civil rights of the citizens of this district,” said United States Attorney Brown. “Today’s awardees exemplify that it takes a team effort from our attorneys, professional staff and our law enforcement partners to support and defend the Constitution of the United States to the best of our ability.”
The following case related awards were announced by U.S. Attorney Brown:
Outstanding Appellate Award
Awarded to the following for outstanding appellate advocacy in the prosecution of United States v. William Holdman.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Michael Shannon
Assistant United States Attorney Forrest Phillips
Legal Assistant Stephanie Stewart
Paralegal Specialist Lisa Alwert
Special Agent Brad Rabalais, U.S. Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
Game Warden Kurt Hatten, LA Department of Wildlife & Fisheries
Outstanding Affirmative Civil Enforcement Award
Awarded to the following for the investigative and prosecutive efforts in a civil action to recover government money lost to fraud and other misconduct in the matter of US ex rel Goodley, Acadiana Management Group, Lafayette Physical Rehabilitation Hospital & Dr. Carolyn Smith.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Missy Theriot
Legal Assistant Tanya Trahan
Special Agent Rita Bergeron, Department of Health & Human Services
Outstanding Defensive Litigation Award
Awarded to the following for the civil defensive employment law litigation on behalf of the United States in the matter of Steven Katz v. Christine Wormuth.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Frederick
Paralegal Specialist Terri Comeaux
Outstanding Civil Rights Prosecution Award
Awarded to the following for superior investigative and prosecutive performance in the hate crime related matter of United States v. Chance Seneca.
Recipients: Deputy Criminal Chief Myers Namie
Former Assistant United States Attorney Robert Abendroth
Legal Administrative Specialist Melissa Morris
Paralegal Specialist Jennifer Broussard
Special Agent Dan English (Ret.), Federal Bureau of Investigation
Outstanding Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force/Narcotics Prosecution Award
Awarded to the following for superior performance in the thwarting of drug/narcotics trafficking in the matter of United States v. Brian Broussard.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Daniel Vermaelen
Paralegal Specialist Denise Duhon
Special Agent Doug Herman, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Special Agent Bobby Bodin, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
Outstanding Public Corruption Prosecution Award
Awarded to the following for an investigation revealing conduct that affected government integrity and/or offenses involving public official misconduct in the prosecution of United States v. Harold Wayne Sanford, Jr.
Recipients: Special Counsel to United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook
Legal Assistant Kristi Viola
Paralegal Specialist Emily Favrot
Legal Administrative Specialist Ginger Green
Legal Administrative Specialist Melissa Morris
Secretary to USA Tanya’ Porter
Victim Witness Coordinator Vicki Chance
Special Agent Raquel Mobley, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Outstanding Violent Crime/Domestic Terrorism Prosecution Award
Awarded to the following for outstanding performance in an investigation leading to the arrest and prosecution of an individual who committed acts of violent crime in the prosecution of United States v. Daniel Aikens.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla Bynog
Assistant United States Attorney Daniel McCoy
Assistant United States Attorney LaDonte Murphy
Paralegal Specialist Emily Lanphier
Legal Administrative Specialist Melissa Morris
Victim Witness Coordinator Vicki Chance
Special Agent Theresa Mesa, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
Special Agent Andrew Erdmann, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
Outstanding White Collar Fraud Prosecution Award
Awarded to the following for outstanding performance in white collar crime involving bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion in the prosecution of United States v. Joseph Boswell.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Cytheria Jernigan
Criminal Chief Earl Campbell
Paralegal Specialist Emily Lanphier
Legal Administrative Specialist Laura Borque
Victim Witness Coordinator Vicki Chance
Special Agent Cory Moton, Internal Revenue Service
Special Agent Holly Deshotel, Internal Revenue Service
Outstanding White Collar Fraud Prosecution Award
Awarded to the following for outstanding performance in white collar crime involving Cares Act (Covid-19) fraud in the prosecution of United States v. Michael A. Tolliver.
Recipients: Assistant United States Attorney Seth Reeg
Legal Assistant Kristi Viola
Special Agent Darrin Heusel, Internal Revenue Service.
Additional federal, state and local law enforcement officers were also recognized for overall exemplary performance in violent crime investigative efforts and they are as follows: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms Special Agent Christina Curtis, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Travis Coyman, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Heath White, Deputies Steven Shankle and Erik Wikstrom of the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Brent Young of the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, Detective Anthony Cowan of the Monroe Police Department, and Shreveport Police Department officers/analysts Stacy Coleman, Sara Gilmour, Erin Heflin, Donald Henry and Brent Ouzts.
Lastly, in late 2022, US Attorney Brown convened a community advisory group called “Focusing on the Future” that U.S. Attorney Brown meets with on a monthly basis. This group will be recognized for their contributions to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in an advisory role in terms of violent crime prevention strategies and civil rights awareness matters. Members of that group are: Mario Chavez, MersaTech; Dr. Jerome Cox, We Care Ministries Outreach Program; Dr. Lamar Goree, Caddo Parish Schools; Dr. John Henson, Church for the Highlands; Dr. Theron Jackson, Morning Star Baptist Church; Ms. Von Jennings, City of Shreveport; Rev. Lee Jeter, Bossier Parish NAACP; Mansfield Mayor Thomas Jones, Ms. Debbie Martin, Roberts & Murphy, Inc.; Dr. Russell Minor, Community Renewal; Dr. Heath Peloquin, Summer Grove Baptist Church; Oil City Mayor James Sims; Clay Walker, Caddo Parish Assistant Administrator; Billy Wayne, Urban Support Agency, Inc.; and Ryan Williams, Seedlinks Behavioral Management. “I have learned a great deal this year from this group, and they have educated me on ways prosecutors, law enforcement and the community can work together for the common good. Simultaneously, my goal was to educate the group on how the Department of Justice and our local district functions so that citizens will start to have a better understanding of what our purpose is and why we exist,” said U.S. Attorney Brown.
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