United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers held an awards ceremony recently at which numerous individuals with varying degrees of investigative and support expertise were honored for their tireless efforts in a multitude of federal criminal investigations. Among those honored were two veteran Indiana State Police investigators.
Lieutenant Lester M. Norvell was honored with the Investigative Excellence Award in a Criminal Case for his work on a case involving a free bankruptcy program scheme which saw numerous victims from around the country surrendering their vehicles, which then became part of larger series of sham auctions. In all, approximately $1 million was taken in over a three-year period by two men, who have since been convicted and sentenced to federal prison for wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering.
Sergeant Jennifer E. Barnes was honored with the Outstanding Collaborative Criminal Investigation Award for her work in which five defendants and their co-conspirators targeted and exploited elderly victims in an elaborate grandparent scheme which saw nearly 70 victims scammed out of more than $683,000 over an 11-month time frame. All five were convicted and sentenced to a combined 24 years in federal prison and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution in this nationwide “Grandparent Scam”.
“The pace, complexity and scope of the investigations brought in the Southern District of Indiana are a true testament to the quality of our partners in federal, state and local law enforcement agencies”, said Myers. “These awards are given…and recognize the very high level of commitment and professionalism of an entire prosecution team”, he concluded.
U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers (L) and Indiana State Police Lieutenant Lester M. Norvell (R).
U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers (L) and Indiana State Police Sergeant Jennifer E. Barnes (R).