News: Dean Polales Honored by the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency

Ungaretti & Harris LLP announced today that litigation partner, Dean J. Polales, was awarded the 2005 Award for Excellence by the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency.  It is the highest honor given by the Inspectors General of the United States.  The award was presented by General Services Administration (GSA) Inspector General Brian Miller at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago on November 3, 2005.

A 22-year veteran of the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Mr. Polales received the award for his participation in Operation Warm Front, a long term investigation into contracting corruption, including bribery and kickbacks, inside the Dirksen Federal Building that resulted in the conviction of 19 contractors and GSA officials including the Building Manager for the U. S. Courthouse, an FBI employee for leaking the investigation, and a former Court Security Officer for leaking the investigation.

The President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) was established by Executive Order 12805, May 11, 1992, to coordinate and enhance governmental efforts to promote integrity and efficiency and to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse in Federal programs.  The PCIE is primarily comprised of the Presidentially appointed Inspectors General.

Mr. Polales has spent his career investigating, coordinating and trying criminal cases in the Federal Courthouse in Chicago.  Returning to private practice one year ago for the first time since 1983, he now focuses his work in the area of white-collar criminal defense, corporate compliance and internal investigations.

Mr. Polales is an adjunct professor of law at Northwestern University School of Law and The John Marshall Law School.  He teaches trial practice and coaches mock trial teams at both schools for national competitions.  Mr. Polales received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Chicago in 1975 and 1979, respectively.