WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 21, 2014 - The Peace Corps Office of Inspector General received an award for excellence on October 21, 2014 at the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s (CIGIE) 17th Annual Awards Ceremony.

Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John Warren, Senior Special Agent Douglas Bonaro, Investigator Jeffrey Reichert, and an investigative team received an Award for Excellence for the Investigation of the murder of 37-year-old Peace Corps/Gabon Volunteer Karen Phillips. The team included Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jennifer Dent and Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent Kevin Dolan.

The investigative team was acknowledged for excellence in obtaining unprecedented cooperation from the Gabonese government to solve the 1998 murder. A Gabonese criminal court sentenced Thierry “Rambo” Ntoutoume Nzue to life in prison.

Inspector General Kathy A. Buller stated, “I’m so proud of the investigative team for overcoming several diplomatic hurdles in their pursuit of justice in this case and am grateful to CIGIE for recognizing the team’s efforts in solving this case, more than a decade after Ms. Phillips’ death.”

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, established offices of inspector general (OIGs) within federal agencies to combat fraud, waste, abuse, and to improve the economy and efficiency of program operations. The inspector general (IG) community has more than 14,000 audit, investigation, inspection, and other professionals.

CIGIE is a statutorily established independent entity within the executive branch representing 73 OIGs in the federal government. CIGIE’s mission is to promote integrity, economy, and effectiveness in government agencies as well as to increase the professionalism and effectiveness of personnel in the community of inspectors general. For more information on the IG community, visit http://www.ignet.gov.