To him, it is a symbol that the American way of life needs an army of defenders.

That earnest conviction has led Candelmo, 45, to a life of chasing spies and terrorists, money launderers and gang members. As an assistant U.S. attorney in Raleigh, he has prosecuted thousands of people, from scam artists who empty the bank accounts of the elderly to high-ranking military officials accused of selling secrets to the KGB.

He came to Raleigh in 2000 and now leads many of the federal government's investigations of terrorist activity, illegal immigration and other issues affecting national security in North Carolina's 46 eastern counties.

"I always talk about 'us' and 'them' in the world," Candelmo says. "We can't forget what separates 'us' from 'them.' We're a nation of laws."

For almost 20 years, Candelmo has done the vast majority of his work behind closed doors. He has a classified computer and phone in his office, and he often must keep investigations secret even from his wife.

But recently, he has been thrust into the spotlight by an internationally watched case. In 2006, Candelmo successfully prosecuted David Passaro, a CIA contractor who was accused of beating an Afghan prisoner who later died. The victim, Abdul Wali, was a sheep herder suspected of launching rocket attacks.

Passaro is now serving eight years in prison for assault.

The case fell to Candelmo's jurisdiction because Passaro lived in Lillington.

In recent weeks, Candelmo has won two major awards for his work on the case. This weekend, he will accept the Department of Justice's National Security Litigation Award, and in October he got the CIA's Agency Seal Medal.

"It's not about me," Candelmo says, visibly uncomfortable with the spotlight the awards have brought.

Secrets kept safe

Those who worked on the case, however, say that a lesser attorney would not have won a case against Passaro. Candelmo faced a huge obstacle from the start: the victim's family refused to turn over his body to the U.S. government. That meant Candelmo had no chance of proving that Passaro's beating caused his death.

Beyond that, the case was extraordinarily complex, involving reams of classified documents. Candelmo needed the documents to convict Passaro, but he couldn't allow them to become public.

He finagled an agreement with the judge in which classified documents were used but kept tightly guarded. He arranged the building of a secure room in Raleigh's courthouse where defense lawyers could look at classified information.

During the August 2006 trial, CIA agents testified in disguise, wearing sunglasses and fake mustaches.

"It took a hell of an attorney to guard the government's secrets and make sure justice got done," said Andy Thomure, an FBI special agent who worked on the case. "Even the judge gave him praise about how well done it was."

90% conviction rate

Candelmo said the Passaro case is indicative of what his job is about: making sure that the United States remains a nation of laws, no matter what the circumstance, and assuring that no person is too poor or powerless to get justice.

He said Passaro's actions endangered the lives of American troops struggling to gain public trust in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he felt compelled to show the world that these kinds of abuses will be prosecuted.

"People told me I couldn't do it," Candelmo said this week. "People told me I was going to lose. They said, 'You're in the heart of Fort Bragg, and you're accusing a guy who's a former Green Beret of beating up a terrorist?' ... But Abdul Wali, when he's in a cell getting beaten, he's not below U.S. Constitutional protections."

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