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16 AINS Customers Recognized in 25th Annual CIGIE Awards Ceremony

November 10, 2022 / #Leave a Legacy
Congratulations to our CIGIE Award Recipients

The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) awards program recognizes exceptional work across the Inspector General (IG) community that has a government-wide or significant impact within a particular agency. The program is intended to complement awards programs administered by individual Offices of Inspector General (OIGs).

This October, CIGIE awarded 16 AINS customers for their exemplary work on audits and investigations. We proudly congratulate and commend them for their hard work and valuable contributions to the IG community.

AINS supports the role of IGs in promoting efficiency and effectiveness and addressing fraud, waste, and abuse through our audit and investigations solutions. Learn more about our solutions here.

Congratulations to this year’s awardees:
  • AmeriCorps – Hawaii Multi-Agency Investigative Team – Investigation Award for Excellence
    in recognition of exemplary skill and dedication in protecting the integrity of national service, safeguarding pandemic relief funds for the people of Hawaii, and holding Hawaii public officials accountable for fraud in an investigation of embezzlement from AmeriCorps programs. Awardees include Eric Tarnovsky, Special Agent in Charge, AmeriCorps OIG; George Rivera, Special Agent, AmeriCorps OIG; Leslie Goemaat, Assistant United States Attorney, Department of Justice; Heather Cowles, Special Agent, FBI; Jeff Morales, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, AmeriCorps OIG; Darren Takiue, Forensic Accountant, FBI; Amanda Vaughn, Assistant United States Attorney, Department of Justice; and Peter Lallas, Assistant United States Attorney, Department of Justice.
  • US Department of Education – Dream Center Education Holdings Inspection Team – Inspections Award for Excellence in recognition of exemplary inspection efforts that identified critical issues of significant interests to Congress and the US Department of Education surrounding the sale of postsecondary schools to Dream Center Education Holdings. Awardees include Gregory Bernert, Auditor-in-Charge; Jolanta Biskup Biskup, Auditor; Gary Forbort, Auditor, Technology and Analytic Services; Robert Janney, Student Financial Assistance Advisory and Assistance Team; Carolyn McShannon, Auditor; Jeffrey Nekrasz, Director, Student Financial Assistance Advisory and Assistance Team; Kristin Reinhard, Student Financial Assistance Advisory and Assistance Team; Lisa F. Robinson, Audit Supervisor, Assistant Regional Inspector General for Audit; Howard Sorensen, Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General; Gary D. Whitman, Audit Manager, Regional Inspector General for Audit; and Jillisa Milner, Managing Editor.
  • US Department of Education – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Award for Excellence in recognition of exemplary support for the Council of the Inspectors General Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Work Group. Awardees include Jillisa H. Milner, Managing Editor and Multimedia Services Liaison.
  • US Department of Justice – Administrative Support Award for Excellence in recognition of unparalleled acquisition skills and innovative thinking in establishing government-wide Blanket Purchase Agreements for specialized auditing software services, saving taxpayers more than $4 million and 18 months of acquisition lead time. Awardees include Erica Marcotte, Supervisory Contracting Officer.
  • US Department of Justice – Evaluations Award for Excellence in recognition of the team’s exceptional performance in alerting DOJ leadership to significant correctional issues stemming from a 20-month period in which the Federal Bureau of Prisons suspended formal policy negotiations with its national union.
    Management Advisory Memorandum: Impact of the Failure to Conduct Formal Policy Negotiations on the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Implementation of the FIRST STEP ACT and Closure of Officer of the Inspector General Recommendations – Awardees include Jan Davis Hamm, Chief Inspector; James Ludwig, Inspector; and JP Abon, Inspector.
  • US Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Adjudication Process for Misconduct Investigations Review Team – Evaluations Award for Excellence in recognition of exemplary work in examining the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s management of misconduct adjudications. Awardees include Kathleen Flanagan, Senior Inspector; Jan Davis Hamm, Chief Inspector; and Fei Yin Luk, Inspector.
  • US Department of Justice – OIG Investigative Team of the FBI’s Handling of Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Former USA Gymnastics Physician Larry Nassar – Alexander Hamilton Award in recognition of their outstanding achievements in improving FBI operations by conducting an extraordinary investigation and analysis of the FBI’s mishandling of sexual abuse allegations of USA Gymnastics child athletes by Larry Nassar. This is the highest recognition awarded by CIGIE, chosen by the CIGIE Executive Committee. Awardees include Matthew Nutt, Assistant Special Agent in Charge; Mark Gray, Program Manager; Kenneth Dieffenbach, Special Agent in Charge
    Rolando Ortiz, Special Agent; and Karen Rich, Senior Counsel to the IG.
  • US Department of Justice – Prosecution and Investigative Team Responsible for Apprehending and Convicting a Child Sexual Predator – Investigation Award for Excellence in recognition of the team members who identified, apprehended, and successfully prosecuted a child sexual predator who was employed with the Drug Enforcement Administration in New York, NY.
    Awardees include Kerwin John, Special Agent; Frank Adamo, Special Agent; Harry Lidsky, Special Agent in Charge; Philip Adaszewski, NYPD Detective; J Doe, NYPD Undercover; Nicholas Chiuchiolo, SDNY Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA); Daniel Nessim, SDNY AUSA; and Robert Levine, SDNY AUSA.
  • US Department of Labor – Office of Investigation (OI) and the Office of Audit’s (OA) Collaboration DOL – Gaston J. Gianni, Jr. Better Government Award in recognition of the Office of Investigation (OI) and the Office of Audit’s (OA) outstanding collaboration in furtherance of the DOL-OIG’s mission in combating fraud, waste, and abuse in the Unemployment Insurance program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chosen by the CIGIE Executive Committee, the work of the individual or group demonstrates courage, determination, and integrity that contributed to the public’s confidence in Government. Further, the recipient’s efforts, accomplishments, or actions enhance the public’s confidence and exemplify the highest ideals of Government service. Awardees include Brooks Abramson, Special Agent; Nicholas Cumby, Audit Manager
    Hilda Gil, Auditor; Matthew Grimm, Special Agent; Lawrence Alli, Audit Manager; Heather Dotson, Special Agent; Nickia Alli, Supervisory Investigative Analyst; Timothy Eagle, Supervisory Investigative Analyst; John Collins, Assistant Special Agent in Charge; Dwight Gates, Audit Director; Amber Potts, Special Agent; Jonathan Heinz, Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General; Christy Powell, Auditor; Steven Johnson, Auditor; Thomas Price, Auditor; Michael Kostrzewa, Audit Director; Lea Rawls, Senior Special Agent; Le Nguyen, Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General; Troy Reyes, Special Agent; Betty Norwood, Audit Manager; Jaimie Richardson, Audit Manager; Lorenzo Thornton, Auditor; Michael Roberts, Auditor; William Tippens, Special Agent; Lynda Sanford, Audit Manager; Olga Vaclavik, Auditor; Syreeta Scott, Special Agent in Charge; Travis Williams, Auditor; Christopher Silvern, Senior Special Agent; David Yip, Special Agent; Joseph Grossman, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Law fellow; and Kilsie Colon, Special Agent.
  • US Department of Labor – Nebraska Railcar Cleaning Services (NRCS) Investigation and Prosecution Team – Investigation Award for Excellence in recognition of the outstanding work of the NRCS Prosecution Team, whose efforts resulted in criminal convictions related to the investigation of an industrial explosion involving NRCS, which took the lives of two. Awardees include Donald Klein, AUSA – Nebraska; Catherine Holston, Assistant Special Agent in Charge EPA-CID; Krishna Dighe, Senior Counsel; William Griffitt, Senior Special Agent DOL-OIG; Nate Borrelli, Law Clerk; Yolanda Holden, Regional Enforcement Counsel; and Staci Gurin, Assistant Special Agent in Charge EPA-OIG.
  • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – The FDIC’s Sharing of Threat Information to Guide the Supervision of Financial Institutions Audit Team – Audit Award for Excellence in recognition of exceptional teamwork in auditing and making recommendations to enhance the FDIC’s Sharing of Threat Information to Guide the Supervision of Financial Institutions. Awardees include Joe Nelson, IT Audit Manager; Judy Hoyle, Auditor-in-Charge; Chi (Billy) Cheng, Audit Specialist; Abby Woods, Auditor; Danietta Asugo, Referencer; Melissa Mulhollen, Referencer; Tom Ritz, Referencer; Regina Sandler, Associate Counsel; and Cynthia Hogue, Senior Advisor.
  • FDIC – Stephen Calk Investigation Team, Investigation Award for Excellence in recognition of excellence in the high-profile investigation and prosecution of Stephen Calk, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Federal Savings Bank. Awardees include James Greczek, Special Agent, FDIC-OIG, New York; Hagan Scotten, AUSA, Southern District of New York; James Hilliard, Special Agent, FBI, New York; Melissa Baccari, Special Agent, FBI, New York; Paul Monteleoni, AUSA, Southern District of New York; Benet Kearney, AUSA, Southern District of New York; Alexandra Rothman, AUSA, Southern District of New York; and Carmen Cacioppo, Special Agent, FBI, New York.
  • Federal Housing Finance Agency – First Mortgage Company Investigation Team, Investigation Award for Excellence in recognition of remarkable investigative efforts leading to the successful prosecution of a multi-million dollar mortgage lending and servicing fraud scheme. Awardees include Korey Brinkman, Senior Special Agent, FHFA-OIG; Timothy Schmitz, Special Agent (Retired), FBI; Anand Ramlall, Special Agent in Charge, FDIC-OIG; Clarice Bramley, Special Agent, FDIC-OIG; Julia Barry, Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Oklahoma; and Jane Eagleston, Paralegal Specialist, USAO-WDOK.
  • General Services Administration (GSA) – White Oak Audit Team – Audit Award for Excellence in recognition of outstanding efforts to identify significant deficiencies in the General Services Administration’s management and oversight of the US Food and Drug Administration’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. Awardees include Michael Lamonica, Regional Inspector General for Auditing and Dana Johnson, Auditor.
  • GSA – Facility Security of a High-Risk Building Team – Inspections Award for Excellence in recognition of outstanding efforts in inspecting the security controls of a high-risk building essential to federal organizations, which revealed pervasive deficiencies in site security and security operations and administration. Awardees include Karla Myers, Deputy Director, Office of Inspections; Kristina Mack, Auditor; Matthew Moore, Auditor; and Jennifer Francis, Assistant Counsel.
  • US Department of Housing and Urban Development – US v. Joseph Centanni – Investigation Award for Excellence in recognition of your extraordinary efforts, integrity, and leadership in the successful litigation of United States vs. Joseph Centanni. Awardees include Khela D. Vazquez, Special Agent, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General; Michael E. Campion, Chief, Civil Rights Unit, US Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey
    Erin Meehan Richmond, Trial Attorney, Sexual Harassment Counsel & Coordinator, Housing & Civil Enforcement S Erin Meehan Richmond, Trial Attorney, Sexual Harassment Counsel & Coordinator, Housing & Civil Enforcement Section, US Department of Justice; Susan Millenky, Assistant US Attorney, Civil Rights Unit, US Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey; Sheila Bethea, Investigator, Civil Rights Unit, US Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey; Kathryn Legomsky, Trial Attorney, Housing & Civil Enforcement Section, US Department of Justice, Housing & Civil Enforcement Section, US Department of Justice; Natasha Babazadeh, Attorney, Appellate Section, US Department of Justice; and Alice Hung, Paralegal Specialist, Housing & Civil Enforcement Section, US Department of Justice.
  • US Postal Service – Valuscript – A Compounded Topical Cream Investigation – Investigation Award for Excellence in recognition of the outstanding interagency investigative partnership leading to the prosecution of a major interstate health care provider fraud scheme that defrauded private health insurance providers and DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Program (OWCP) Programs. Awardees include Dave White, Special Agent, USPS OIG; Cindy Cho, Assistant United States Attorney, SDIN; Carmen Gomez, Special Agent, DOL OIG; Beth Carlson, Special Agent, FBI; Mike Mannix, Special Agent, IRS CI; Paul Smith, Special Agent, USPS OIG; and Breck Nowlin, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, USPS OIG.
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