Two alleged members of the Philadelphia organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (LCN) were arrested today on racketeering charges contained in a second superseding indictment.

Integrated Production Services Inc. (IPS), a Houston-based natural gas and oil drilling contractor, was sentenced today in federal court in Muskogee, Okla., to pay a criminal fine of $140,000 for violations of the Clean Water Act at its hydraulic fracturing operation in Atoka County, Okla., the Justice Department announced.

"The Department of Justice has an important legal and moral responsibility to prosecute violent crime in Indian country, because under current law, in much of Indian country, we alone have the authority to seek an appropriate sentence when a serious crime has been committed. Our role as the sole prosecutor for serious violent crime makes our responsibility to citizens in Indian country unique, and we take it seriously," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

"This month is an invitation. It’s an invitation for us to stand together and confront the enormity of sexual violence; to re-dedicate ourselves to bringing justice to victims and their families; to break the silence and to redouble our efforts to hold perpetrators of sexual assault accountable," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"Over the past couple of years OVW has made a concerted effort to prioritize sexual violence by providing grants to address the gap in services and resources for victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence," said Acting Director Hanson.

"The racial disparities in the treatment of African-American children raise serious constitutional concerns under the equal protection clause," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"Every day, Legal Aid attorneys are in the courtroom – standing up for survivors of domestic violence; helping families facing eviction, and veterans who have been denied their benefits; and making sure adults and children alike have an understanding of the rights and protections to which they are entitled. And, because of your consistent focus on pro bono work, you are helping to rally the entire bar to this cause," said Attorney General Holder.

"Over the past three years, the President and federal agencies throughout the government have taken crucial steps to support LGBT individuals and their families," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Delery.

National Express Corporation and Petermann Partners Inc. will divest several school bus contracts and associated assets in the states of Washington and Texas in order to proceed with their proposed merger.

Earlier today, following a four-week trial, Adis Medunjanin, 28, a Queens, N.Y., resident who joined al-Qaeda and plotted to commit a suicide terrorist attack, was found guilty of multiple federal terrorism offenses.

"The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether the University and the law enforcement agencies acted promptly, adequately, and fairly to protect the safety of women and whether the university, the police, and the county attorney have comprehensive and integrated systems in place to do so," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"As of today, as part of a coordinated, nationwide takedown, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force – a joint initiative led by the Departments of Justice and HHS that’s comprised of federal, state, and local investigators and law enforcement officials from across the country – has charged 107 defendants in seven different cities for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $452 million in false billings. This is the highest amount of alleged false Medicare billings involved in a single takedown in the Strike Force’s 5-year history," said Attorney General Holder.

"From Los Angeles, to Chicago, to Miami, these defendants allegedly submitted over $450 million in fraudulent claims to the Medicare program. This represents the largest Medicare fraud takedown in Department history, as measured by the amount of alleged fraudulent billings," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.

Beau Michael Guidry of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana to three counts of odometer tampering.

"Sex trafficking is a big money-maker for criminals and a scourge to society. Traffickers callously seek to furnish their market with women, girls, and boys who have been cast out by society and whose options are few. In many cases, they are young people – not even teenagers – who are looking for the home they’ve never had. What they find, instead, are betrayal, cruelty, and abuse. And sadly, too often our systems of support and justice have offered no quarter," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"Know this: times of difficulty, of novel questions and new tests, are the most exciting, and consequential, times to be a lawyer. Since our nation's earliest days, the service and contributions of attorneys - and, very often, of young attorneys - have kept the great and unique American experiment in motion," said Attorney General Holder.

"Across the Administration, we’re working in a range of other innovative ways to achieve fairness and expand opportunity – from successfully advocating for the reduction of the unfair and unjust 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses – to launching a new, Department-wide Diversity Management Initiative. And our determination to build on these efforts has, quite simply, never been stronger," said Attorney General Holder.

"As today’s announcement shows, we are committed to combating health care fraud in all its forms – from fly-by-night operations to some of the nation’s largest companies pursuing sophisticated schemes targeting government health care programs," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

"These agreements provide an example of the kind of resolution we will seek from companies that misguidedly put profits over patients," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"As Attorney General – and as the father of three teenagers – protecting the safety, and the potential, of our nation’s young people has long been both a personal and professional priority," said Attorney General Holder.

Pharmacia Corporation and Bayer CropScience Inc. have agreed to pay $4.25 million to federal and state natural resource trustees to resolve claims for natural resource damages connected with the Industri-plex Superfund site located in Woburn, Mass.

Vice Lords gang member Jessie Lobbins was sentenced today in Nashville, Tenn., to life in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell.

"Today, the Department of Justice did something it has done only once before in the 18-year history of our civil police reform work; we filed a contested lawsuit to stop discriminatory and unconstitutional law enforcement practices," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"Class of 2012, you now stand at a crossroads in our history. And it’s time to begin making some important choices," said Attorney General Holder.

"Tonight’s ceremony commemorates another year that has been distinguished by extraordinary achievements – but that has also, sadly, been marked by great tragedy," said Attorney General Holder.

The Justice Department, along with U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore, Middle District of Georgia, today announced that a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against former Wilcox County Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth; his son, Austin Bloodsworth; and former Wilcox County Jailer Casey Owens. The superseding indictment charges the defendants with assaulting three different inmates inside of the Wilcox County Jail on July 23, 2009, thereby violating their civil rights. As a result of the assaults, one inmate suffered a broken jaw, and two other inmates sustained bruises and scratches. The indictment also charges the defendants with conspiring to cover up the assaults. In addition, Stacy Bloodsworth and Austin Bloodsworth were charged with lying to the FBI, while Owens was charged with writing a false report about the incident. Stacy Bloodsworth was charged with tampering with one of the victims, as well as two witnesses.

The Justice Department today released a final rule to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse in confinement facilities, in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA).

Nicole E. Luvera, 29, of Newnan, Ga., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg in Atlanta to a criminal information charging her with one count of theft of government property.

"Since its earliest days, this city has been a center of culture and commerce; of revolution and innovation, of political activism and social advancement. Today, I am hopeful – and confident – that St. Petersburg will serve as a meeting ground for thoughtful, respectful discussion; and that this gathering will be a starting point for a new level of international cooperation," said Attorney General Holder.

"The Abbott resolution was the most recent result of the President’s initiative to crack down on health care fraud," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Delery.

Prastana Taohim, 38, the captain of the M/V Gaurav Prem, was found guilty of two counts of obstruction of justice.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the city of Flint, Mich., to make all the city’s polling places more accessible for individuals with mobility impairments. The case was commenced based on a complaint from the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, and was investigated jointly by the Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Donald R. Megginson, a former resident of Alexandria, Va., pleaded guilty to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

"The Attorney General and I are committed to a criminal justice system and a sentencing policy that are both tough and fair; that deter those contemplating serious criminal conduct and that are guided by research that show when non-incarceration is the best sanction," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

Jonathon Felix, formerly of Villanova, Pa., was found guilty by a federal jury of willfully signing and filing false income tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Petrese Tucker presided over the trial in Philadelphia.

"It’s been remarkable to witness the way the issue of reentry has taken root in so many communities across the country. And it’s impressive to see how, thanks to visionary leaders in the Administration, in Congress, and in the states, the topic has become so prominent on the nation’s public safety agenda," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary

"Today, I want to assure each of you that – for me, for President Obama, for leaders across the administration, and for my colleagues at every level of the Justice Department – effective reentry is, and will remain, a top priority," said Attorney General Holder.

BP North America Inc. has agreed to pay an $8 million penalty and invest more than $400 million to install state-of-the-art pollution controls and cut emissions from BP’s petroleum refinery in Whiting, Ind.

Veniamin Gonikman, 56, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Ukraine, was sentenced today in federal court for his role in an international conspiracy to compel Eastern European women to work in exotic dance clubs in the Detroit metropolitan area. U.S. District Court Judge Victoria A. Roberts sentenced Gonikman to 36 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release. He is the ninth and final member of the charged conspiracy to be sentenced.

"For nearly nine decades, ALI has been on the front lines of efforts to improve the strength, integrity, and effectiveness of our justice system," said Attorney General Holder.

"Today, I’m very pleased to announce that we’re awarding almost $27 million to support NCMEC’s great work. The funds will continue all the great programs I just named – and many more, like the national resource center and information clearinghouse," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"I’ve spent much of my career – as a prosecutor, in government, and as head of the National Center for Victims of Crime – working to strengthen our responses to victims of all ages. I never cease to marvel at the incredible devotion and resolve of victim advocates," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"I am so pleased to be here today to honor four individuals for their extraordinary efforts to find and rescue missing and exploited children and bring perpetrators to justice. Their achievements – and the stories behind them – remind us of the special qualities possessed by every single one of you who works to protect our children," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

"And although I may not know anything about creating an Emmy-winning comedy series, or exposing the absurdity of modern politics through a satirical newscast – though I frequently encounter the absurdity of modern-day American politics – I do know something about what you’ve experienced, and about how you feel – right now, in this moment, with so much hard work and so many long nights of studying behind you – and an exciting, but uncertain, future now before you," said Attorney General Holder.

The indictment charges Susan Tomsha-Miguel, 51.

"My colleagues and I across the Justice Department – and the entire Obama Administration – remain deeply committed to expanding this work through funding grants, training, and other forms of assistance. We’re eager to continue partnering with leading jurists like those who serve this Court, tireless advocates like our allies at the PSA and NADCP, and determined drug court participants like each of you," said Attorney General Holder.

Mid-America Pipeline Company LLC (MAPCO), and Enterprise Products Operating LLC, of Houston, have agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $1 million to the United States to settle violations of the federal Clean Water Act related to three natural gasoline pipeline spills in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

Target Ship Management Pte. Ltd., the operator of the M/V Gaurav Prem, pleaded guilty to a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to properly maintain an oil record book as required by federal and international law, as well as making material false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard inspection of the ship at the port of Mobile in September 2011.

"In so many different ways – in classrooms and courtrooms, in houses of worship and halls of justice, and in your own homes and neighborhoods – you are working to protect the progress that has marked our nation’s past, and to strengthen its future," said Attorney General Holder.

"As our nation’s Attorney General, as a prosecutor and former judge, and as the brother of a retired New York-New Jersey Port Authority police officer, I am inspired by your service, and proud to support each of the brave men and women who make up the 'thin blue line' – a line defined by honor, heroism, and valor. Especially today, I am privileged to count the chiefs gathered here as indispensable colleagues and allies," said Attorney General Holder.