"Human trafficking is a grave affront to human rights and to our nation’s core values, and there can be no higher calling in our commitment to vindicating the individual rights of all people than eradicating this form of modern-day slavery," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

Restitution trust funds for the benefit of two minor victims of sex tourism in the Philippines were executed and implemented yesterday through the signing of trust documents by Filipino social welfare authorities and a U.S. based trustee.

"Tonight, as we join together to commemorate this year’s National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, it is clear that we are also bound by our common goals, by our shared concerns, and by our collective resolve to do more to protect those at risk and in need – and to support every person, every family, and every community now struggling to overcome the devastating effects of crime."

Attorney General Eric Holder today at an awards ceremony hosted by the Department of Justice recognized seven individuals and three organizations for outstanding work on behalf of crime victims.

"Each of these awardees – and the other government leaders, legal advocates, public servants, and concerned citizens here today – are part of a powerful, national movement – one that inspired the passage of the historic 1994 crime bill and the Violence Against Women Act, as well as the creation of the Crime Victims Fund."

A Bulgarian national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia for his role in laundering money for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe.

"The Defending Childhood initiative seeks to redefine how the Justice Department responds to children who experience violence, witness violence, or suffer ongoing negative ramifications from violence. We hope to harness resources from across the Department - and across other federal agencies and state, local, and tribal partners – to first, prevent exposure to violence when possible; second to mitigate the negative impact of violence when it does occur; and third, to develop knowledge and spread awareness that will ultimately improve our homes, cities, towns, and communities."

CommunityONE Bank N.A. with 45 offices throughout the state has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice related to its failure to file a suspicious activity report and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that he has chosen Sheila L. Birnbaum to head the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund program. Birnbaum, a life-long New Yorker, has decades of experience resolving complicated litigation.

A Romanian national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia for leading a money laundering network for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe.

"I know with all of us working together to shape our future – thinking together in new ways and re-imagining our potential – the victim service field will be stronger, more effective, and better able to ensure a safer and more just world."

One month after assuming the position, September 11th Victim Compensa­tion Fund (VCF) Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum today published draft regulations to govern the VCF, and asked the public to give her feedback on the proposals before victims can begin submitting claims to the fund later this year.

With the 10-year anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, approaching, September 11th Victim Compensa¬tion Fund Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum today announced the final rule governing the fund.

September 11th Victim Compensa¬tion Fund (VCF) Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum today announced that the fund is officially open for claimants.

A federal judge in Arizona has held Mesa, Ariz.-based Business Recovery Services (BRS) and its owner, Brian Hessler, in civil contempt of court for violating the terms of a preliminary injunction.

Larry Lujan, 33, was sentenced today to life in prison for a kidnapping that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old

Attorney General Eric Holder today honored award recipients as part of the 29th observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), April 22-28. This year’s theme, “Extending the Vision: Reaching Every Victim” highlights the importance of ensuring services and support to all victims, their families and communities as they heal and seek a successful future.

"For me, personally, working with victims has been the most rewarding aspect of my career, bar none. Nothing compares with the satisfaction of helping to restore a sense of dignity and safety to a crime victim – and nothing has greater impact," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"This year’s 12 awardees have helped change the course of recovery for survivors of sexual assault; created one of the first state corrections-based victim assistance programs in the nation; and promoted awareness of – and improvements to – federal victims’ rights laws," said Attorney General Holder.

The president of a Costa Rican company that sold reinsurance bonds to life settlement companies was found guilty by a federal jury in Richmond, Va., today for carrying out a half-billion-dollar fraud scheme that affected more than 2,000 victims throughout the United States and abroad.

The $44 million in funds were forfeited to the United States as a result of the 2007 federal conviction of Qwest’s chief executive officer, Joseph P. Nacchio, for securities fraud.

John Bryan Villegas, 21, of Kittery, Maine, was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance today in federal court in New Hampshire.

"There’s still much more we need to do, and it’s incumbent on all of us in the field – and throughout the justice system – to work together to meet the challenges that we – and all victims – continue to face," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

Persons living around the CITGO refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, who suffered immediate negative health effects from emissions from two large tanks at the facility that were operated between January 1994 and May 2003 in violation of the federal Clean Air Act, may be crime victims in United States v. CITGO Petroleum Corporation et al.

Minor Vargas Calvo, 61, a citizen and resident of Costa Rica, is the majority owner of Provident Capital Indemnity (PCI) Ltd., an insurance and reinsurance company registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica and doing business in Costa Rica.

A certified public accountant (CPA) and purported outside auditor for Provident Capital Indemnity Ltd. (PCI) was sentenced today in Richmond, Va., to 54 months in prison for his role in an approximately half-billion-dollar fraud scheme that affected more than 3,500 victims throughout the United States and abroad.

"These realities indicate that stalking is a serious issue for every community across the United States that requires a multidisciplinary approach – Fortunately, many of the agencies that are needed to appropriately address and respond to the crime of stalking are represented on this panel today," said Acting Director Hanson.

"The goal of Vision 21 is to create a framework to address these enduring and emerging challenges – in short, to re-define the role of victim services in the 21st century," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary

"We’re doubling down on our support for victims because the challenges they and their advocates face continue to be significant, and they’re growing," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"I’m very pleased that two of the awards this year are going to tribal victim service providers. Many of you know – and some of you know intimately – that tribal members are disproportionately victimized. Native women, in particular, encounter violence at alarming levels," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"Although none of our awardees sought special recognition for their actions, all of them richly deserve it. And all should be commended for their dedication to helping others, and their determination – even under the most difficult circumstances – to make a positive difference," said Attorney General Holder.

As the United States concludes its recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman announced that the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program has returned more than $1.5 billion in forfeited assets to more than 400,000 crime victims since January 2012.

The Justice Department today unveiled a plan calling for sweeping changes to advance crime victims’ rights and services in the 21st century.

A Maine resident pleaded guilty today in federal court to engaging in a type of cyberstalking known as “sextortion.”

The Justice Department today announced an enhanced online resource designed to support American victims of overseas terrorism.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) today announced a $8,355,648 grant to organizations providing direct support to assist the victims, witnesses and first responders involved in the events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013.

Brice Johnson, 19, of Springtown, Texas, has been charged with willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of that person in a federal criminal complaint, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the FBI Dallas Division announced.

John Bryan Villegas, 23, of Kittery, Maine, was sentenced today in federal court in New Hampshire to serve 33 months in prison for engaging in a type of cyber stalking known as “sextortion.”

Tieu Tran, 59, of Mankato, Minn., pleaded guilty late yesterday to one count of forced labor trafficking in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, the Justice Department announced today.

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole will preside over the National Crime Victims’ Rights Service Awards ceremony 2 p.m. Wed., April 9, honoring ten individuals and programs for exceptional perseverance and innovation in advancing crime victims’ rights.

"You are helping to realize the promise of our justice system by working to give every victim a voice and the help they need and deserve."

A few days ago, many of you observed the beginning of Passover, marking the start of a long and difficult journey from tyranny and persecution toward freedom in the Promised Land. Today, this community begins its own journey of healing. And although the road ahead will not be easy, I promise you that I, and millions of others throughout our nation, will be here to walk alongside you – not only today, but always. We will never stop fighting for justice. And we will never forget the names, or the stories, of those we lost.

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women announced the release of two grant solicitations to launch a new $3 million special initiative for the Bakken Region.

A federal grand jury returned a two count indictment against Brice Johnson, 19, of Springtown, Texas, charging him with willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of that person and with kidnapping.

The Justice Department today announced the payment of more than $1.5 million in damages under a consent decree previously reached with QuikTrip Corporation. The payments were made by QuikTrip to compensate 47 individuals with disabilities who experienced discrimination at QuikTrip gas stations and convenience stores across the country, in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

by Yeganeh Torbati

Democratic members of Congress are urging President Donald Trump to authorize FEMA to reimburse funeral expenses for victims of the coronavirus pandemic, citing ProPublica’s reporting about the administration’s policies.

“Just as with all previous disasters, we should not expect the families of those that died — or the hardest hit states — to pay for burials,” said the statement issued Friday from Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “President Trump needs to step up and approve this assistance so FEMA can pay for the funerals of our fellow Americans so they can be buried in dignity. It is the least he can do.”

ProPublica reported last week that Trump has yet to free up a pool of disaster funding specifically intended to help families cover burial costs, despite requests from approximately 30 states and territories. In lieu of federal help, grieving families are turning to religious institutions and online fundraisers to bury the dead.

Trump has sharply limited the kinds of assistance that FEMA can provide in responding to the coronavirus pandemic. In an April 28 memorandum, he authorized FEMA to provide crisis counseling services but said that authority “shall not be construed to encompass any authority to approve other forms of assistance.”

In a statement last week, a FEMA spokesperson said the approval of assistance programs “is made at the discretion of the President.” A spokeswoman for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget last week referred questions to FEMA, and she and two White House spokesmen did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The administration’s failure so far to pay for funeral costs does not appear to be because of a lack of funds. Congress gave FEMA’s disaster relief fund an extra boost of $45 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in March.

On Sunday, NJ Advance Media reported that as of April 25, FEMA had committed less than $6 billion in disaster relief for the coronavirus pandemic, and it has $80.5 billion in available disaster relief funds. The information was attributed to a FEMA spokesperson. FEMA did not respond to a request to confirm the figures.

Calls for FEMA aid are likely to spike in the coming months, as hurricane season approaches and wildfire activity hits an anticipated peak.

The amount FEMA reimburses for funeral expenses can vary, but a September 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office found that FEMA paid about $2.6 million in response to 976 applications for funeral costs of victims of three 2017 hurricanes, or an average of about $2,700 per approved application. If FEMA provided that amount for every one of the nearly 68,000 people in America reported to have died in the pandemic thus far, it would cost the government about $183 million.

Do you have access to information about the U.S. government response to the coronavirus that should be public? Email yeganeh.torbati@propublica.org. Here’s how to send tips and documents to ProPublica securely.

The New York Times’ profile of celebrated and embattled New York City Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, shows how getting things done in a democracy can be bad for your political future. Sadik-Khan has increased the amount of bike lanes by over 60 percent, removed cars from congested places like Herald and Times squares enabling them…

Michael Warren and Natacha Pisarenko from The Associated Press have a blockbuster piece of reporting on the dozens of ways Monsanto's chemical fertilizers and pesticides are poisoning the people of Argentina.

Good for the Westons, owners of both, for doing the right thing by admitting their use of the factory and their willingness to help out.

Activists everywhere were outraged by their latest public service message.