Today, Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz was honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). The Cressey Award is considered the ACFE’s highest honor and is awarded each year to an individual for a lifetime of achievement in the detection and deterrence of fraud. The ACFE’s announcement of the award states, “With a decades-long career practicing law, Mr. Horowitz embodies the commitment, consistency, and dedication that are core values for a long, successful career in the anti-fraud profession.”
In 2012, Mr. Horowitz was sworn in as the Inspector General of the Department of Justice, following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. He leads a nationwide workforce to detect and deter waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within the Department of Justice. Since 2020, Mr. Horowitz has also led the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, overseeing more than $5 trillion in pandemic-related programs and spending. From 2015 to 2020, he served as Chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency.
Mr. Horowitz began his legal career as a law clerk for a federal District Court judge and then as a law firm associate. From 1991 to 1999, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York investigating police corruption, where he became the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit and a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, and where in 1995 he was awarded the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service for his work on a complex police corruption investigation. Thereafter, he worked in the DOJ Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. from 1999 to 2002, first as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General and then as Chief of Staff. Mr. Horowitz worked from 2002 to 2012 as a partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham, & Taft LLP, where he focused his practice on white collar defense, internal investigations, and regulatory compliance. He also was a board member of the Ethics Resource Center and the Society for Corporate Compliance and Ethics. Mr. Horowitz was previously confirmed by the Senate in 2003 to serve a six-year term as a Commissioner on the U.S. Sentencing Commission.