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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Detroit Tax Preparer

The United States has sued Crystal Ireland and her business, Master Mind Preparation, to bar them from preparing tax returns for others.



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Former Executive of Auto Parts Retailer Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Fraud Scheme

Don W. Watson, 55, of Gilbert, Ariz., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton in the District of Arizona in Phoenix.



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Bloomfield, Michigan, Business Owner Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

John Walter Kaber, a resident of Bloomfield, Mich., was sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax evasion.



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Deportation Order Upheld Against Detroit-Area Man Who Shot Jews as Nazi Policeman During World War II

The Board of Immigration Appeals has dismissed the appeal of John (Ivan) Kalymon of Troy, Mich., who was ordered removed from the United States earlier this year because of his participation in lethal acts of Nazi-sponsored persecution of Jews during World War II.



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Former Milwaukee Police Officer Indicted for Sexual Assault While on Duty

Former Milwaukee Police Officer Ladmarald Cates, 43, was indicted today by a federal grand jury for sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the 2011 International Law Enforcement Intellectual Property Crime Conference

"Conferences like this one serve the important purpose of raising global awareness about the negative consequences of IP crime, and showing those who need convincing how critically important it is that we work together to stop IP crime, and punish those who commit it," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks to the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

"Over the years, by working together – in common cause, in good faith, and with mutual respect and shared commitment to reciprocity – we have built a safer world," said Attorney General Holder.




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Philadelphia Woman Convicted for Role in Fraudulent Commercial Driver’s Licenses Scheme

After a five-day trial, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found Irina Rakhman, 54, guilty of conspiracy to produce fraudulent identification documents.



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Justice Department Sends to Congress Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Existing Laws Protecting Servicemembers

Late yesterday, the Justice Department sent to Congress a package of legislative proposals that will significantly enhance the department’s ability to protect the rights of members of the military and their families.



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Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Lawsuit in Waterloo, Iowa

The lawsuit alleges that Michael Nieman, the former on-site manager of Park Towers, sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.



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Virginia Store Owner Arrested for Selling Counterfeit Goods

Belal Amin Alsaidi, 30, of Petersburg, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury yesterday in Richmond, Va., with one count of conspiracy and three counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods.



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Federal Court Shuts Down South Florida Tax Return Preparer

A federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has permanently barred Danesa Webb from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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NASA Contractor to Pay U.S. to Resolve False Claims Act Liability Concerning Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Fraud

Lydia Demski, the owner of Deerpath Corp., has agreed to pay the United States $800,000 to resolve allegations that she and her companies knowingly caused false claims to be submitted relating to a contract to provide re-furbishment of equipment at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Plumbrook facility in Sandusky, Ohio.



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Member of Rhode Island La Cosa Nostra Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Role in Murder-For-Hire Case

Anthony St. Laurent Sr., 70, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his role in an attempted murder-for-hire.



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Last of 10 Las Vegas Defendants Sentenced for Falsifying Emissions Test Records

William Joseph McCown, 49, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today before District Judge Lloyd D. George of the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.



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Professional Illinois Duck Hunter Jeff Foiles Sentenced to More Than One Year in Jail and Fines for Illegal Hunting and Guiding Activities

Professional duck hunter and guide Jeffrey B. Foiles was sentenced today by a federal judge in Springfield, Ill., to 13 months in prison.



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Alabama Defense Contractor and Its President to Pay $200,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Future Research Corp., located in Huntsville, Ala., and its president, Jesse Nunn, have agreed to pay the United States $200,000 to settle claims that they inappropriately obtained contracts from the Navy.



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Ten Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Ten Miami-area residents pleaded guilty today and yesterday in U.S. District Court in Miami for their participation in a $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.



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Second Californian Sentenced on False Tax Refund Conspiracy

Haroon Amin of Upland, Calif., was sentenced to 30 months in prison today for conspiracy to defraud the United States.



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Justice Department Charges South Carolina Landlord with Discrimination Against Families with Children

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against a Charleston, S.C.-area landlord for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.



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Former Texas Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Using Excessive Force

Raymond Quintero, 33, pleaded guilty to willfully depriving a detainee of his constitutional right to be free from excessive force amounting to punishment.



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Prepared Statement of Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism

"Our common objective is to deploy the counter terrorist financing tools available to the United States in a coordinated, integrated fashion to effectively disrupt the flow of funds and other material support to terrorist organizations," said Assistant Attorney General Monaco.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks to the Institute of International and European Affairs

"As surely as our values are shared – and our histories intertwined -- the future progress of our nations is clearly, and permanently, connected,"




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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Michigan Promoters of Alleged Tax Fraud Scheme

The United States has asked a federal court in Detroit to bar Damian Jackson and his wife, Holly Jackson, from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Rochester, New York, Asbestos Abatement Contractor Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Environmental Crimes and False Statements to OSHA

After a two day hearing in federal court in Rochester, N.Y., that ended late yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa sentenced Keith Gordon-Smith, 54, of Rochester, to six years in prison for knowingly violating the Clean Air Act and making false statements to a federal inspector.



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Florida Manufacturer of Skin Products Agrees to Consent Decree to Resolve Allegations of FDCA Violations

The complaint and consent decree were filed today in accordance with an agreement with the defendants resolving numerous violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.



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Investment Club Manager Pleads Guilty to $40 Million Fraud

– Alan James Watson, 46, of Clinton Township, Mich., pleaded guilty today to fraudulently soliciting and accepting $40 million from more than 750 members of his investment club and losing nearly all of it through non-disclosed, high-risk investments.



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Member and Associate of Barrio Azteca Gang Plead Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

Jesus Espino, 43, of El Paso, Texas, and Lorenzo Espino, 51, aka “Lencho,” and “Oso,” of El Paso, each pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norbert Garney in the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division, to participating in a racketeering conspiracy.



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Colorado-Based CH2M Hill Agrees to Pay United States $1.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act Liability

CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $1.5 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims and paid kickbacks relating to a contract to operate and manage mixed radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Nuclear Site in the state of Washington.



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Former Texas Construction Company Employee Pleads Guilty to Soliciting and Accepting Kickbacks on Federal Contract

A former project manager of a construction company that had substantial business at Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army installation in El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty today to soliciting and accepting kickbacks from subcontractors on a federal contract with the U.S. Army.



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Former Army Contracting Officials and Defense Contractor Indicted for Bribery and Theft of Government Funds

A former member of the U.S. Army employed by a private security firm was arrested at Miami International Airport today on charges of bribery, fraud and theft of government funds, in connection with the award of a contract to provide services to a U.S. government provincial reconstruction team in Farah, Afghanistan.



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Justice Department Resolves Claims Against ServiceMaster 24-Hour and Gregory Tullar to Enforce the Employment Rights of Army Reserve Member

The Justice Department today resolved claims made by U.S. Army Reserve member Kyle A. Sharp against ServiceMaster 24-Hour and Gregory Tullar, ServiceMaster’s owner and operator, alleging that they violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.



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Prepared Statement of Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

I appreciate this opportunity to appear before the Committee on behalf of the Department of Justice to offer the Department’s report on implementation of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, Title II of Public Law 111-211 (TLOA).




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Former Army Reserve Captain Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Soliciting $1.3 Million in Bribes and Conspiring to Traffic Heroin

A former captain in the U.S. Army Reserve stationed in Afghanistan was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for soliciting $1.3 million in bribes from contractors involved in U.S.-funded reconstruction efforts and participating in a conspiracy to traffic heroin from Southeast Asia.



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Four Alleged New England La Cosa Nostra Members and Associates Charged with Racketeering and Other Crimes

Four alleged members and associates of the New England La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including an alleged Rhode Island leader, have been arrested and charged in a second superseding indictment returned yesterday in federal court in Providence, R.I., with crimes involving racketeering and extortion.



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Alabama Woman Convicted of Stealing Identities and Conspiring with Tax Preparer

Janika Fernae Bates Millbrook, Ala., was convicted of identity theft, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to make false claims for tax refunds.



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Federal Court in Los Angeles Shuts Down Tax Preparer

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred Mario Placencia from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Founder of NinjaVideo Pleads Guilty to Criminal Copyright Conspiracy

Matthew David Howard Smith pleaded guilty today for his role in founding a website that provided millions of users with the ability to illegally download copyright-protected movies and television programs.



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Fourth Las Vegas Resident Pleads Guilty in Connection with Scheme to Fraudulently Control Condominium Homeowners' Associations

A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to fraudulently gain control of condominium homeowners’ associations (HOA) in the Las Vegas area so that the HOAs would direct business to a certain law firm and construction company.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Delivers Remarks at Rhode Island La Cosa Nostra Press Conference

"Today’s operations represent the kind of collaborative law enforcement that breeds success," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Boston Scientific Subsidiary Guidant Pays U.S. $9.25 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Guidant LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corp. of Natick, Mass., has agreed to pay the United States $9.25 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations.



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Bloods Gang Member in Nashville Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison

Antonio Washington, 22, aka “T.O.,” of Nashville, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.



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Justice Department Settles Disability Discrimination Suit Against Michigan Developer and Architect

Under the agreement, which must still be approved by the court, developer, Enclave Development LLC, will make extensive modifications to the complex over the next three years to improve accessibility, and Enclave Development and the other defendants will pay $30,000 to compensate persons who have been harmed by the inaccessible design and construction.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at the American Health Lawyers Association and Health Care Compliance Association’s 2011 Fraud and Compliance Forum

"In the Criminal Division, and throughout the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, we devote substantial resources to investigating and prosecuting fraud of all kinds – investment fraud, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, procurement fraud, and, of course, fraud in the health care industry," Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Two Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Maritza Vidal, 44, and Richard Diaz, 26, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Kentucky Doctor Pays U.S. $349,860 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Louisville, Ky., physician Dr. Steven H. Stern and his practice, Kentuckiana Center for Better Bone and Joint Health PLLC have agreed to pay $349,860 to settle allegations of overbilling Medicare.



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President of Virginia-Based Connection Newspapers Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

Peter Labovitz of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.



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Attorney General Holder Convenes Federal Reentry Council

Attorney General Eric Holder today convened the second meeting of the federal interagency Reentry Council to address ways to ensure those returning from prison become productive, law-abiding citizens.



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Massachusetts Takes Steps to Require Sheltered English Immersion Training in Response to Justice Department’s Letter

Today, in response to a letter from the Justice Department, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to grant the Commissioner of Education authority to draft state regulations that will require training of all Sheltered English Immersion teachers who instruct English Language Learner students.



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Former Executives from Panasonic Corp., Whirlpool Corp. Subsidiary and Tecumseh Products Co. Subsidiary Indicted in Compressor Price-Fixing Conspiracy

A Detroit federal grand jury returned an indictment today against three former executives from Panasonic Corporation, a Whirlpool Corporation subsidiary and a Tecumseh Products Company subsidiary for their role in an international conspiracy to fix the prices of refrigerant compressors.



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