Army Investigator Brent Pack Honored for Groundbreaking Work on Abu Ghraib Detention Facility Investigation.

Winner, Finalists Announced for 2nd Annual Timothy Fidel Memorial Award at CEIC in Lake Las Vegas

PASADENA, Calif., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Guidance Software, along with AccessData, today announced the winner and finalists of the second annual Timothy Fidel Memorial Award. The honor recognizes excellence in the field of computer forensics, and is presented in memory of Timothy Fidel, a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service who was best known for his tireless efforts to modernize computer forensic standards.

The winner of the 2006 Timothy Fidel Memorial Award is retired Special Agent Brent Pack, honored for his work on the Abu Ghraib Detainee Facility investigation as lead forensic examiner with the Computer Crime Investigative Unit of the US Army Criminal Investigation Command. Using Guidance's EnCase(R) software as his primary tool, Pack reviewed several terabytes of data, including digital photographs, documents and emails, to create a timeline of alleged abuse events at the prison. This timeline was compiled into a visual catalog and presentation, which created an accurate and easily comprehensible display of the alleged individual incidents that took place. The report and timeline were adopted by the Jones/Fay Commission for inclusion in their report to Congress, and have been critical to the 100 percent conviction rate for the four contested prosecutions that have taken place since the Army's special agents opened their investigation in 2004.

Pack will receive the award in-person during a ceremony at the Computer Enterprise and Investigation Conference (CEIC(TM)) in Lake Las Vegas, taking place May 3-6, 2006.

As the Fidel Award winner, a $10,000 donation has been made in his name to his charity of choice. Pack has selected the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children whose mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

"Brent Pack's investigation into the events at Abu Ghraib embodies the principles of modern computer forensics with his ability to accurately collect, condense, analyze and present relevant information in a politically charged environment," said John Colbert, CEO of Guidance Software. "Tim Fidel paved the road for investigators to use the innovative tools and techniques we rely upon today, and successful cases such as Brent's showcase the immense effect that he had."

The elite list of finalists for the 2006 Timothy Fidel Memorial Award include: Jimmy Weg, CFCE, Agent in Charge of the Computer Crime Unit of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation; SSA Glenn Watson from the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Portland, Oregon; Karl Dunnagan, Deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; Detective Larry Core of Maricopa County and the Arizona Attorney's Office, Special Investigations Bureau; and Detective Chad Munroe of the Syracuse, New York Police Department.