Three Individuals In District Of New Jersey Receive Attorney General Awards

NEWARK, N.J. – Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch recognized 376 department employees for their distinguished public service today at the 64^th Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony.  Forty-seven other individuals outside of the department were also honored for their work.  This annual ceremony recognizes individuals for their outstanding service and dedication to carrying out the missions of the Department of Justice. 

In the District of New Jersey, three individuals – Counsel to the U.S. Attorney John M. Fietkiewicz and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis C. Carletta and Peter W. Gaeta – were honored with awards.

“The Attorney General’s Awards provide us with a rare opportunity to honor the efforts of outstanding department employees and our invaluable partners across the federal government and at the state and local levels,” Attorney General Lynch said.  “Their work has made our nation – and our world – stronger, safer and more just, and I am proud of and inspired by each and every one of them.”

“I’m enormously proud of the three attorneys from our office who are being honored with these awards,” U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, District of New Jersey, said. “John, Dennis and Peter exemplify the outstanding professionalism and commitment to justice we strive for every day. These awards honor them, but also all of the men and women in our office, who work so hard every day on behalf of the people of New Jersey and across the country.”

In the District of New Jersey, the following individuals were recognized for the following awards:

The Claudia J. Flynn Award for Professional Responsibility recognizes a department attorney who has made significant contributions in the area of professional responsibility by successfully handling a sensitive and challenging professional responsibility issue in an exemplary fashion and/or leading efforts to ensure that department attorneys carry out their duties in accordance with the rules of professional conduct.

Fietkiewicz is recognized for his sustained, outstanding leadership and invaluable contributions to ensure that department prosecutors carry out their duties in compliance with the highest ethical standards.  With superior dedication and effort, he has gone to extraordinary lengths to advise and train innumerable department prosecutors, providing the tools and resources necessary to perform their work in the most ethical and professional way possible.  With his considerable experience and exceptional judgment, he is leading the district in successfully addressing the overlap between the legal and ethical duty of disclosure, one of the most important professional responsibility issues facing federal prosecutors in decades.  His unfailing commitment to upholding and inspiring others to the highest standards of professionalism has been a model to his peers within and outside the department.  He worked closely with Claudia Flynn during her service at the department, and he embodies the integrity, professionalism and strength of character that marked Flynn’s life and work.

The Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement recognizes outstanding professional achievements by law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice.

The award recognizes, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of New Jersey, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carletta and Gaeta.

In December 2011, the FBI opened a five-year investigation into ABN Universal Inc.  Early investigative techniques revealed the U.S.-based owner and operator of ABN was Alexander Brazhnikov.  Through an exhaustive use of human sources, video surveillance, forensic reconstruction, grand jury subpoenas, search warrants, Title III surveillance of emails and computer analysis, the investigation revealed that ABN was procuring dual-use microelectronics from U.S.-based manufacturers on behalf of Russian companies directly associated with the Russian military and intelligence services.  Moreover, employees of ABN were devaluing the price of exported products to Russia and using front company addresses in Moscow, an offshore virtual private network and an international network of shell companies to conceal the intended end-users from U.S. law enforcement.  The investigative team worked diligently to overcome each of these obfuscation techniques to ultimately reveal the totality of Brazhnikov’s criminal offenses.  As a result of the investigation, in June 2014, an arrest warrant for Brazhnikov was issued for his illegal smuggling of export controlled U.S.-sourced goods to Russia and for conducting $65 million in money laundering.  In June 2015, Brazhnikov pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods from the U.S., conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  Brazhnikov also admitted to smuggling microelectronics to Russian defense contractors known to supply the Russian military and intelligence services, to include two Russian nuclear warhead design institutes.  As a result of his guilty plea, the District Court of New Jersey issued a money judgment against Brazhnikov for $65 million.