Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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Four local U.S. Department of Justice officials were recognized nationally at the annual Executive Office for United States Attorneys Director’s Awards ceremony today for their work in relation to an Internet pharmacy case.
Those honored were First Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Murphy, paralegal specialist Brenda Nietert, Drug Enforcement Administration investigator Sarah Boblenz and newly-named U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa Stephanie Rose, who was an assistant U.S. Attorney during the investigations and prosecutions.
“These award recipients have been honored for their service and commitment to our country, as well as to their local communities,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “each of these dedicated servants has carried out the important mission of the Department of Justice. Their accomplishments have advanced the interests of justice on behalf of the American people.”
Rose, Nietert and Boblenz each received an award for superior performance by a litigating team for their investigation and prosecution of the largest Internet pharmacy case in the department’s history. The case involved two Internet pharmacies responsible for the illegal distribution of millions of dosage units of controlled substances throughout the country. Their efforts led to 29 convictions of doctors and others in connection with the schemes and resulted in the forfeiture of more than $6.9 million.
Murphy received his award for superior performance in a managerial or supervisory role for his work as criminal chief and first assistant U.S. attorney. While he served as criminal chief, he was an active member of the department’s Criminal Chiefs Working Group, and served as chairman during his last two years. He absorbed additional duties and was instrumental in responding to the June 2008 floods that closed the main local office for five months. He also helped to lead coordination efforts with numerous federal agencies in preparation for the execution of a May 2008 immigration enforcement operation at Agriprocessors in Postville.
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