Atlanta Prosecutors Earn Multiple DOJ Director's Awards
Six Northern District of Georgia employees were recognized at a Washington, D.C. ceremony, the only U.S. Attorney's Office nationwide to receive multiple team awards.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Sex Crimes
Attorney General Todd Blanche presented EOUSA Director's Awards to six employees of the Northern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney's Office last week in Washington, D.C. The office was the only one among the 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices nationwide to receive multiple team awards.
Why it matters
The awards recognize the prosecution of Edward Zappey, who was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for sexually abusing four students on a U.S. military base in Germany. The administrative team's new database is designed to improve how impeachment information about government witnesses is disclosed.
The Zappey prosecution has concluded with a life sentence without parole after a trial that required locating witnesses and evidence abroad. The administrative database remains in use across the U.S. Attorney community as a tool to standardize disclosure practices.
The players
Todd Blanche
Todd Blanche serves as the United States Attorney General, overseeing the Department of Justice and its component offices nationwide.
Edward Zappey
Edward Zappey is a convicted sex offender whose case drew national attention for the abuse of students on an American military base in Germany.
The details
The litigation team overcame obstacles including locating witnesses and evidence in Germany to secure the conviction. The administrative team built the database from its experience advising districts and training prosecutors on Department of Justice policy.
Timeline
Nearly 20 years ago: Edward Zappey sexually abused four students on a U.S. military base in Germany.
Last week: Attorney General Todd Blanche presented the Director's Awards in Washington, D.C.
Legal Context
The EOUSA Director's Awards are the Justice Department's annual recognition of work across its 94 U.S. Attorney's Offices. This cycle's recognition of the Atlanta office reflects how the program rewards both trial success in complex cross-border cases and internal infrastructure that supports consistent prosecution.
Residents of Atlanta and the surrounding area benefit from a federal prosecutor's office recognized for complex prosecutions and disclosure practices. The new database may improve how witness credibility information is handled in federal cases affecting the community.
The takeaway
Strong prosecutions often depend on infrastructure that most people never see, from tracking witness credibility to standardizing disclosure. The Atlanta office's recognition shows how that behind-the-scenes work supports convictions like Zappey's.
Further reading
For more on cases like this, browse Sex Crimes coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The United States Department of Justice.
