This is the third of a series of profiles on the nine standout public servants who received Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals (Sammies) honoring their high-impact contributions to the health, safety and well-being of Americans at a Washington, D.C. gala September 15. The awards, presented by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, are among the most prestigious honors given to America’s civil servants. This profile features the winner of the call to service medal, Ann Martin, senior intelligence research specialist for the Office of Trend and Issue Analysis, Department of the Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (photo withheld upon request).

Federal law enforcement authorities have suspected for years that violent Mexican drug cartels routinely smuggle cash from their American narcotics sales into their own country, deposit the funds in local banks and then funnel huge sums of the illicitly gained money back into the United States. Keep reading →