[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               TRIBUTE TO THREE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 1997

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
excellent work of Assistant United States Attorneys Paula J. DeGiacomo 
and Despena F. Billings and of FBI Special Agent Thomas J. Daly, Sr. in 
investigating and prosecuting Paul E. Lowe for carjacking, kidnapping, 
and transportation for illegal sexual activity.
  On December 10, 1995, Lowe abducted a 21-year-old medical secretary 
at gunpoint after helping her push her vehicle out of a snowbank at the 
end of her driveway in Lowell, MA. Lowe commandeered the victim's car 
and drove north to a remote area of New Hampshire, where he hit her in 
the face and sexually assaulted her. Lowe eventually returned to Lowell 
with the victim, at which time he threatened her with death were she to 
call the police.
  This case was investigated jointly by the Lowell Police Criminal 
Bureau and the FBI. It was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court, 
District of Massachusetts, because Lowe was charged with carjacking, a 
federal crime. The case broke new legal ground in Massachusetts, as it 
was the first time that DNA evidence was admitted in a federal criminal 
case. Lowe was convicted in November 1996, and Judge Patti B. Saris 
sentenced him to 36 years in prison in March 1997.
  The investigation and prosecution of Lowe was a model law enforcement 
effort. Special Agent Daly, the FBI, and the Evidence Recovery Team 
[ERT] worked in cooperation with local law enforcement officials to 
apprehend Lowe and build a strong case against him. Assistant U.S. 
Attorneys DeGiacomo and Billings worked tirelessly at developing an 
extremely effective trial strategy. At the same time, they displayed a 
sincere and much appreciated concern for the victim.
  The efforts of Paula DeGiacomo, Despena Billings and Tom Daly, Sr. 
should not go unnoticed. Massachusetts residents are safer in and 
outside their homes due to the arrest and conviction of Paul Lowe. The 
individuals who brought Lowe to justice deserve our recognition and 
thanks.

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