Middle District of Georgia Prosecutor Honored with National Director’s Award

MACON, Ga. - The Department of Justice has selected Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison as a 2026 recipient of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) Director's Award for Excellence as a Criminal Assistant United States Attorney. Only 13 criminal Assistant U.S. Attorneys nationwide were recognized with this prestigious honor. Morrison was presented with the award during a ceremony at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on October 28.

U.S. Attorney Will Keyes stands with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison at the Director's Awards Ceremony at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on October 28.

"This recognition is a testament to Mike Morrison's exceptional skill and dedication as a prosecutor, whose efforts have had a profound impact on public safety in this district and beyond," said U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes. "Mike's commitment to justice, his willingness to take on the toughest cases, and his ability to deliver results reflect the very best of the Department of Justice and highlight the collaborative strength between our office and our law enforcement partners. We are proud to see him honored at the national level."

Morrison has led many significant and complex prosecutions that have reached far beyond the Middle District of Georgia. His work includes federally prosecuting three Venezuelan nationals for green card fraud linked to the murder of nursing student Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia, in 2024. For more information about that case, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/three-venezuelans-sentenced-prison-possessing-fake-green-cards.

Morrison served as lead prosecutor to secure justice against a former college football player who shot and killed Elijah Wood, a 23-year-old Oconee County store clerk, during an attempted robbery. He then served as a Special Assistant District Attorney to win an all-counts conviction in the state trial. You can read more about that case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/former-uga-football-player-convicted-all-counts-racetrac-shooting-case.

Morrison has initiated multiple ongoing prosecutions connected to Mexican cartels and organized gangs operating in the United States and has also obtained two life sentences for a methamphetamine trafficker who moved thousands of kilograms of drugs from Mexico in boxes of jalapeños to a conversion lab in Monroe, Georgia, and distributed them from a Rapid Lube in Athens along with nearly a dozen co-defendants. For more information, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/two-life-prison-sentences-major-athens-methamphetamine-dealer-homeland-security-task.

Morrison joined the Middle District of Georgia in 2020 as a noted Gwinnett County prosecutor with a strong track record of trying complex, large-scale drug trafficking and violent criminal street gang cases, including earning a nomination for a national FBI Director's Award. To learn more about Morrison's career, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/criminal-street-gang-prosecutor-joins-us-attorneys-office.