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Justice Department Settles with Bank of America and Saxon Mortgage for Illegally Foreclosing on Servicemembers

The Justice Department today announced settlements with two lenders under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to resolve allegations that the lenders wrongfully foreclosed upon active duty servicemembers without first obtaining court orders, in violation of the SCRA.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New England Commercial Fisherman Charged with Lacey Act Crimes for Illegally Harvesting Striped Bass

Daniel B. Birkbeck, 46, of North Stonington, Conn., was charged today in federal court with trafficking in and falsifying records for illegally harvested Atlantic Striped Bass.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New England Commercial Fisherman Charged with Lacey Act Crimes for Illegally Harvesting Striped Bass

Daniel B. Birkbeck, 46, of North Stonington, Conn., was charged today in federal court with trafficking in and falsifying records for illegally harvested Atlantic Striped Bass.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Tennessee Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racially-Motivated Killing

The Justice Department announced today that Dale Mardis, 57, was sentenced today to life in prison, with no possibility of parole, for the racially-motivated killing of Shelby County, Tenn., Code Enforcement Officer Mickey Wright.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General and DHS Secretary Announce Largest U.S. Prosecution of International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children

Attorney General Holder and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Napolitano announced today the unsealing of three indictments and one complaint charging a total of 72 individuals for their participation in an international criminal network dedicated to the sexual abuse of children and the creation and dissemination of graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse throughout the world.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Peace Corps Volunteer Charged with Sexually Abusing Children in South Africa

A Peace Corps volunteer was arrested today and charged in a federal criminal complaint with traveling from the United States to South Africa to engage in illicit sexual conduct with multiple children who were all younger than six years of age.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Men Plead Guilty to Racially-Motivated Assault in New Mexico

Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford of Farmington, N.M., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, N.M., to federal hate crime charges related to a racially-motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Washington Man Sentenced for Racially Motivated Hate Crime

Zachary Beck was sentenced to 51 months in prison for civil rights crimes related to his participation in a racially-motivated attack on an African-American man in Vancouver, Wash., in January 2010.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking in Illegally-Imported Sperm Whale Teeth

Richard M. Ertel, of Spotsylvania, Va., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., to the illegal importation and illegal trafficking of sperm whale teeth.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Buffalo Developer Indicted for Illegally Filling Over 90 Acres of Wetlands in Amherst, N.Y.

William L. Huntress and his companies, Acquest Transit LLC and Acquest Development LLC, were charged in the Western District of New York for illegally filling wetlands in Amherst, N.Y., as detailed in the seven count indictment.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New Jersey Solid Waste Management Facility Sentenced After Illegally Dumping in Upstate New York

Eagle Recycling was sentenced to pay a $500,000 criminal fine and more than $70,000 in restitution and cleanup costs.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Kentuckians Convicted of Lacey Act Crimes for Illegally Harvesting and Making False Records for Ohio River Paddlefish

Steve Kinder, along with his wife, Cornelia Joyce Kinder, both of Owenton, Ky., owned and operated Kinder Caviar Inc. and Black Star Caviar Company. Those companies were in the business of exporting paddlefish eggs as caviar to customers in foreign countries.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Announces Grant Solicitation for Funding to Federally-Recognized Tribes and Tribal Consortia

The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that the comprehensive grant solicitation for funding to support improvements to public safety, victim services and crime prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native communities will be posted at 3:00 p.m. EST today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Men Sentenced for Racially-Motivated Assault in New Mexico

Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford of Farmington, N.M., were sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Santa Fe, N.M., on federal hate crime charges related to a racially-motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Active Duty Army Recruiter Pleads Guilty in Texas for Role in Scheme to Illegally Obtain Military Recruiting Bonuses

A U.S. military recruiter pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to obtain approximately $190,000 in fraudulent recruiting bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Soldier and Contract Military Recruiter Pleads Guilty in Texas for Role in Scheme to Illegally Obtain Military Recruiting Bonuses

– A former soldier who also served as a contract military recruiter pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to obtain more than $200,000 in fraudulent recruiting bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Soldier Pleads Guilty in Texas for Leading Role in Scheme to Illegally Obtain Military Recruiting Bonuses

A former soldier pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to obtain a total of at least approximately $240,000 in fraudulent recruiting bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor, and to one count of aggravated identity theft for unlawfully using the means of identification of a potential soldier.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Louisiana Hunting Outfitter Pleads Guilty to Illegally Killing Protected Alligator

Gregory K. Dupont, 38, of Plaquemine, La., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to one felony count of illegally guiding out-of-state sport hunters to unauthorized areas to hunt American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in violation of the Lacey Act, the U.S. Endangered Species Act and Louisiana law.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Individuals Charged with 1998 Racially-Motivated Murders of Two Men in Las Vegas

The Justice Department announced today that Ross Hack, 40, Leland Jones, 31, and Melissa Hack, 37, have been charged with first degree murder and firearms offenses in relation to the 1998 deaths of Lin Newborn and Daniel Shersty.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Brandon, Miss., Men Plead Guilty for Their Roles in the Racially Motivated Assault and Murder of an African-American Man

Deryl Paul Dedmon, John Aaron Rice and Dylan Wade Butler, all from Brandon, Miss., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Jackson to federal hate crime charges in connection with an assault culminating in the death of James Craig Anderson.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Corrections Officer at Shiprock, N.M., Detention Center Charged for Sexually Abusing a Female Inmate

A federal grand jury in Albuquerque indicted Sylvester Bruce, 44, a former corrections officer with Navajo Nation’s Shiprock, N.M., Detention Center, on charges related to the sexual abuse of an inmate during the summer and fall of 2010.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Welcomes Confirmation of Kathryn Keneally and Michael E. Horowitz

Attorney General Eric Holder today welcomed the confirmation of Kathryn Keneally as Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division and Michael E. Horowitz as Inspector General for the Justice Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

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North Hollywood, Calif., Man Sentenced in Los Angeles to 20 Years in Prison for Participating in International Child Pornography Ring

Harout Hagop Sarafian was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Dreamboard Member Found Guilty in Louisiana for Participating in International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children

John Wyss, aka “Bones,” 55, of Monroe, Wis., was found guilty of one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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President of South Carolina-Based Firm Charged with Illegally Exporting Goods to Iran

Markos Baghdasarian, the president of Delfin Group USA, was arrested on Saturday, May 19, 2012, at the Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, just prior to boarding an international flight to the United Arab Emirates.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former National Guard Recruiter Pleads Guilty for Leading Role in Bribery and Fraud Scheme to Illegally Obtain Military Recruiting Bonuses

A former Army National Guard recruiter pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas for his lead role in a bribery and fraud conspiracy that caused more than $90,000 in losses to the National Guard Bureau, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Louisiana Hunting Outfitter Sentenced to Prison for First Felony Conviction for Illegally Hunting Protected Alligators

Gregory K. Dupont, 38, of Plaquemine, La., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to serve six months in prison, to be followed by four months in a half-way house and two years of supervised release for the first ever felony conviction and prison sentence resulting from the illegal hunting of American alligators.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Peace Corps Volunteer Pleads Guilty in Connecticut to Sexually Abusing Children in South Africa

Jesse Osmun, 32, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to one count of traveling from the United States to South Africa and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with children.



  • OPA Press Releases

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US Announces Clean Air Act Settlement with Wisconsin Utility – Dairyland Power Cooperative to Reduce Emissions by More Than 29,000 Tons Annually

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a Clean Air Act settlement with Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) that will cover the utility’s three power plants in Alma and Genoa, Wis. DPC has agreed to invest approximately $150 million in pollution control technology that will protect public health and resolve violations of the Clean Air Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Obtains $855,000 Judgment Against Cincinnati Landlord for Sexually Harassing His Tenants

Cincinnati landlord Henry E. Bailey agreed to the entry of an $855,000 civil judgment against him, after admitting that he violated the Fair Housing Act as alleged in a complaint filed by the Justice Department in federal court.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Former Soldiers Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Illegally Obtain Fraudulent Recruiting Referral Bonuses

former soldiers pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. military and its contractor of at least approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting bonuses.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention 2012 Summit

"We must continue to work because today, somewhere, there’s a child who will feel the sting of a punch because the clothes he’s wearing aren’t cool; who will believe her difference is a detriment as she eats alone in a crowded school cafeteria; who will skip school another day to avoid a terrifying confrontation; or will contemplate suicide because nothing seems like it can hurt more than this moment of humiliation right now," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




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Owner of Pavement Painting Business Pleads Guilty in Alaska to Illegally Disposing Hazardous Waste

William Duran Vizzerra Jr. pleaded guilty today to illegally disposing of hazardous waste, a felony criminal offense, at a storage lot in Anchorage, Alaska.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Third Dreamboard Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Participating in International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children

John Wyss, aka “Bones,” 55, of Monroe, Wis., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Maurice Hicks in the Western District of Louisiana.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Bay Area Bullying Prevention Summit

"Together, we can create atmospheres of tolerance, climates of trust, environments both virtual and real where people young and old can feel welcome to be who they truly are," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Former New Mexico Corrections Officer Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Inmate

Sylvester Bruce, 45, a former corrections officer with Navajo Nation’s Shiprock Detention Center (SDC) in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court on charges related to the sexual abuse of an inmate during the summer and fall of 2010. In July 2012, Bruce pleaded guilty to one count of violating the victim’s civil rights when he touched her breasts against her will. Bruce also pleaded guilty to making material false statements to the FBI when he denied taking pictures of inmates inside the cells of the SDC.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Pakistani Nationals Indicted for Conspiring to Illegally Ship Pharmaceuticals into the US

Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges alleging that they operated Internet sites that illegally shipped pharmaceuticals from Pakistan and the United Kingdom to customers in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Real Estate Developer Charged with Illegally Filling Protected Mississippi Wetlands

William R. “Rusty” Miller, a real estate developer from Fairhope, Ala., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jackson, Miss., for the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., in violation of the Clean Water Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former California Police Officer Indicted and Arrested on Civil Rights Charges for Sexually Assaulting Woman While Transporting Her to Jail

Bryan Benson, a former Anderson, Calif., police officer, was arrested today on charges of deprivation of civil rights for sexually assaulting a woman while transporting her to jail and of trying to conceal his criminal conduct, announced the Justice Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Announces Availability of Funding to Federally-Recognized Tribes and Tribal Consortia

The Department of Justice today announced the opening of their comprehensive grant solicitation period for funding to support public safety, victim services and crime prevention improvements for American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pfizer Agrees to Pay $55 Million for Illegally Promoting Protonix for Off-Label Use

Pfizer Inc. will pay $55 million plus interest to resolve allegations that Wyeth LLC illegally introduced and caused the introduction into interstate commerce of a misbranded drug, Protonix, between February 2000 and June 2001, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New Jersey Man Arrested for Illegally Importing Narwhal Tusks and Money Laundering

A New Jersey man was arrested today for crimes related to the illegal importation and illegal trafficking of narwhal tusks (whale tusk) and associated money laundering crimes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Manalapan, N.J., Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Girl, Streaming Assault Live Over the Internet

A New Jersey woman was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for producing child pornography through the sexual exploitation of a 5-year-old girl on more than one occasion and streaming footage of a sexual assault over the Internet.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Pavement Painting Business Sentenced in Alaska for Illegally Disposing Hazardous Waste

The former owner of a road and parking lot painting and striping business in Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced today for illegally disposing of more than 200,000 pounds of highly flammable hazardous waste in Anchorage.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Attorneys Loretta E. Lynch and Sally Yates to Lead Attorney General’s Advisory Committee

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the appointment of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Loretta E. Lynch as chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Dreamboard Member Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Participating in International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children

A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to serve 45 years in prison for his participation in an international criminal network, known as Dreamboard, dedicated to the sexual abuse of children and the creation and dissemination of graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse throughout the world.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Obtains Judgment Against Maine Landlord for Sexually Harassing Tenants

The Justice Department today announced that property manager Rudy Ferrante agreed to a $15,000 civil judgment against him, to resolve allegations that he sexually harassed female tenants in Portland, Maine.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Maryland’s St. Joseph’s Medical Center Agrees to Pay $4.9 Million for Medically Unnecessary Hospital Admissions

St. Joseph’s Medical Center, a hospital located in Towson, Md., has reached a settlement with the United States to pay $4.9 million in connection with its submission of false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Virginia Businessmen Plead Guilty to Illegally Reimbursing Campaign Contributions

William P. Danielczyk Jr. and Eugene R. Biagi pleaded guilty today to reimbursing $186,600 in contributions to the Senate and Presidential campaign committees of a candidate for federal office.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Colorado Aircraft Painting Company Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Treating Hazardous Waste

Norman Teltow, owner of Gold Metal Paint Co. LLC (GMP), pleaded guilty late yesterday in Denver to a criminal information charging him with illegally treating hazardous waste at the company’s facility.



  • OPA Press Releases