Oneida County District Attorney Scott D. McNamara announced today that Oneida County First Assistant District Attorney Michael A. Coluzza was awarded the prestigious Robert M. Morgenthau Award.

The Robert M. Morgenthau Award was created in honor of Manhattan’s legendary District Attorney, Robert Morgenthau, who retired in 2009 after 35 years as New York County’s chief law enforcement officer. Each year, the award is presented to four assistant district attorneys, one from four designated regions of the state, each of whom exemplify Mr. Morgenthau’s high standard of honesty, integrity, and commitment to justice.

Coluzza is the first assistant district attorney to win the award from Oneida County. Coluzza was presented the award by the current President of the District Attorneys Association of New York State, New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance, on Friday, January 25, 2013 at the annual New York State District Attorney’s conference.

At the time the award was presented D.A. Vance stated:
“Michael A. Coluzza has dedicated more than 20 years of his life serving the cause of justice as an Assistant District Attorney in Oneida County. He worked his way up through the ranks from local court prosecutor to First Assistant District Attorney, handling in excess of 1500 felony cases along the way. He has successfully prosecuted numerous homicide cases and has been involved in all three of the only dual-jury murder trials in Oneida County history. Mike is not only a skilled trial attorney, he also generously shares his trial knowledge and experience as a presenter for the New York Prosecutors Training Institute. And as those of you who sat in the CLE earlier today saw, he is an outstanding source of information that is useful to the most seasoned in our profession. Mike was also a key contributor to DAASNY’s “The Right Thing: Ethical Guidelines for Prosecutors” and has built his career practicing the virtues outlined therein. Mike has always been the stalwart and deliberate voice of reason reminding all that our ethical duty to zealously prosecute is to seek justice, not merely to secure convictions. In this trait in particular, Michael has personified the ideal of the Morgenthau Award and earned our recognition and respect.”

When making this announcement D.A. McNamara stated that “Over the past 21 years Mike has prosecuted many high profile cases in our county, the most recent being the Aggravated Murder of Oneida County Deputy Sheriff Kurt Wyman. Mike exemplifies what a prosecutor should be and he is an honor to our office and his profession.”