By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish organization in Washington, will honor law enforcement heroes who have protected the public from hate crimes and terrorist threats.
The fourth annual ADL SHIELD Awards will be held on Monday, Sept. 23rd in Washington and the recipients will include members of the FBI Washington Field Office. The ADL works closely with agencies like the FBI and ATF to battle hate crimes and terrorism.
“The Award gives us an opportunity to publicly recognize and express our appreciation to those who protect our nation and its values,”Elise Jarvis, ADL’s Associate Director for Law Enforcement Outreach and Communal Security, said in a statement.
The 2013 ADL SHIELD Award recipients will include:
- Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia for the year-long investigation and subsequent prosecution of Amine El Khalifi, who attempted to bomb the U.S. Capitol building. On June 22, 2012, El Khalifi pled guilty to using a weapon of mass destruction in a terrorist operation and he was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
- Leonardo Johnson and Members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Evidence Response Team, and Violent Crimes Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for their response to and investigation and prosecution of Floyd Lee Corkins, II, who on August 15, 2012, opened fire at the Family Research Council and shot Leonardo Johnson. On February 6, 2013, Corkins pled guilty to charges of committing an act of terrorism while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition. Leonardo Johnson will be attending and speaking at the ceremony.
- Special Agents Mia Winkley and Kevin Comiskey of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Baltimore Field Office and United States Department of Justice Trial Attorney AeJean Cha for the investigation into and prosecution of individuals responsible hanging a dead raccoon by a noose on the porch of a black family in Maryland. They identified five suspects, all of whom plead guilty to civil rights charges for their involvement in the conspiracy to commit a hate crime.
- Members of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division, Foreign-deployed Advisory and Support Team, and Kabul Country Office, and the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division, Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section for the investigation and prosecution of Haji Bagcho, one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers whose proceeds helped fund the Taliban. On June 12, 2012, Bagcho was sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment and ordered to forfeit more than $250,000,000 in drug proceeds and his property in Afghanistan.
