Scranton –United States Attorney John C. Gurganus recently honored eight individuals for their outstanding contributions to public safety. These awards are made each year to a select group of individuals who perform in an exceptional manner and who make significant contributions to our Office’s efforts to promote public safety.
United States Marshal Martin J. Pane received the United States Attorney’s Award for Exemplary Lifetime Service as Law Enforcement Officer. Marshal Pane’s remarkable career exemplifies the Marshals Service’s motto, “Justice, Integrity, Service.” He has served the United States and the citizens of Pennsylvania over a distinguished 34-year career marked by sound judgment, integrity, and unwavering dedication. The award honors his expertise and leadership, and his steadying presence in our law enforcement community.
Chief Detective Michael Dessoye, of the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office received the United States Attorney’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Cooperative Law Enforcement. This award recognizes Chief County Detective Michael Dessoye’s exceptional work in promoting cooperation among law enforcement agencies. During more than 50 years as a law enforcement officer, Chief Detective Dessoye has vigorously worked to create strong working relationships between federal, state, and local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute criminals who pose a danger to the citizens of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Law enforcement agencies in the region have greatly benefited from his keen investigatory skills and his unique ability to forge partnerships that bring the necessary resources to investigations and thereby securing successful outcomes.
Three individuals received the United States Attorney’s Award for Distinguished Service as a Law Enforcement Officer for their exceptional work in multiple significant criminal prosecutions:
- DEA Special Agent Philip A. Klemick
This award recognizes Agent Philip Klemick’s remarkable ability to work on large scale drug trafficking cases that produce outstanding results. As a recognized expert in his field, Special Agent Klemick is often consulted by his colleagues and other agency partners and provides invaluable assistance with his unique ability to utilize the appropriate investigatory techniques to gather compelling evidence against significant large-scale drug law violators. He is a master at drafting applications for the interception of wire and electronic communications. In most instances, Special Agent Klemick has been able to trace the drugs in the Middle District of Pennsylvania to their source of supply. In his career, he has been the lead case agent in numerous Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force cases.
- Luzerne County Drug Task Force Coordinator Daniel Mimnaugh
This award recognizes Daniel Mimnaugh’s 26-year career of distinguished service as a law enforcement officer in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. His law enforcement career includes positions as a Pennsylvania State Trooper, an FBI Task Force Officer, the Laflin Chief of Police, and the Coordinator of the Luzerne County Drug Task Force. In those positions, he initiated and led numerous complex drug trafficking, organized crime, and gang related investigations. His efforts resulted in the prosecution of hundreds of individuals and forfeiture of millions of dollars in illegally obtained assets. This award pays tribute to his tenacious work in the field, but also his more recent leadership of the members of the Drug Task Force.
- FDA Special Agent Michael Sullivan
This award recognizes Agent Michael Sullivan’s exceptional work in US v. Jonathon Clark Baird, 1:20-CR-00244 (MDPA), a case that involved a licensed attorney who instructed his co-conspirators on methods used to fraudulently conceal the true nature of their illegal sale of prescription drugs in the U.S. marketplace that put consumers’ health at risk. Baird, of Louisville, Kentucky marketed his law firm as focusing on steroid, nutritional supplements law and FDA regulations. He retained a nationwide client base that included individuals and companies involved in the illicit internet marketing and sale of FDA regulated drugs to the body building and enhancement community. Over about two-year period, two of Baird’s clients, Total Trading LLC of Lebanon, Pennsylvania and L&P, LLC of Schaumberg, Illinois grossed more than $5,500,000 in connection with the illegal internet sale of prescription drugs. Baird assisted these companies by reviewing their business models, websites and drafting a bogus disclaimer that the drugs sold on the website were for research purposes only and not for human use. He instructed his clients that the website check out procedure had to require that the customer acknowledge the disclaimer before he could complete the purchase of drugs. To ensure the business practices did not undermine the “research purposes only” ruse, Baird also reviewed and provided instructions about drug ordering procedures, payment procedures, drug packaging labels and advertising. Agent Sullivan’s work in bringing this case to justice was of the highest caliber.
Bureau of Prisons Attorney Erin Frymoyer received the United States Attorney’s Award for Distinguished Service in Civil Litigation. This award recognizes the outstanding legal support Attorney Frymoyer provided to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in McCreary v. Federal Bureau of Prisons, et. al., a class action suit by USP Lewisburg inmates that challenged the constitutionality of mental health treatment provided to inmates in the institution’s Special Management Unit (SMU). The award also recognizes Attorney Frymoyer’s exemplary work in the production of documentary evidence for COVID-19 compassionate release litigation. Attorney Frymoyer’s rapid response to requests for documents and policies enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to effectively respond to approximately 100 compassionate release motions.
Two individuals received the United States Attorney’s Award for Distinguished Service in Civil Rights Litigation:
- Department of Justice Civil Rights Trial Attorney Anne Langford
- Department of Justice Civil Rights Trial Attorney Joy Welan
These two awards recognize the recipients’ exceptional assistance to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to negotiate a settlement with Rite Aid that enabled those with visual and mobility impairments to gain access to the Rite Aid online vaccination portal. This settlement is now a model for other pharmacies and retailers offering vaccination scheduling on-line ; ensuring individuals with disabilitites have the ability to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination independently and privately.
“We are so pleased to recognize the achievements of our colleagues who have made significant contributions to the mission of the United States Attorney’s Office to protect the safety and well-being of our communities, said United States Attorney John C. Gurganus. “The exemplary work of these eight individuals deserves this special recognition, and I thank them for their service.”
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