Chikenna D. Jones, 36, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James J. Brady of the Middle District of Louisiana to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

"Across the country, public defender offices and other indigent defense providers are underfunded and understaffed. Too often, when legal representation is available to the poor, it’s rendered less effective by insufficient resources, overwhelming caseloads, and inadequate oversight," said Attorney General Holder.

William H. Nurick, of Camarillo, Cal., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay $286,443 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer in Los Angeles, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Rodney D. Taylor, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James J. Brady of the Middle District of Louisiana to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

Seafood Solutions Inc., a California corporation, was sentenced in federal court in Los Angeles today to pay $1 million in fines and community service payments for its role in the false labeling of frozen fish fillets.

Austin Galvan, 30, was charged in a two-count indictment unsealed on Aug. 29, 2011, with wire fraud and obstruction of justice.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Hayes sentenced James Lee Wallis Jr. to eight months in prison, Tony L. Johnson to six months in prison and Brian Wallis to five months in prison.

An eight-member jury has unanimously found that a former Jackson Hewitt tax preparer, Frances Carlson of Bradenton, Fla., prepared 27 federal tax returns that she knew would understate her customers’ tax liabilities, the Justice Department announced today.

Three Northern California real estate investors have agreed to plead guilty today for their roles in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.

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.

Capmark Finance LLC in Horsham, Pa., has agreed to pay the United States $3.9 million, to settle a False Claims Act lawsuit, the Justice Department announced today.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania awarded summary judgment to the government on a finding that Daniel Allgyer, dba Rainbow Acres Farm and Rainbow Valley Farms, violated the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Services Act, the Justice Department announced today.

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a consent decree with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LDPSC) that resolves allegations of sexual harassment of an office administrator in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII).

Massoud Habibion, 49, aka “Matt Habibion” and “Matt Habi,” a U.S. citizen and co-owner of a Costa Mesa, Calif., company, Online Micro LLC, pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates.

Five Rhode Island men previously identified as leaders or associates of the New England organized crime family of the La Cosa Nostra have agreed to plead guilty to racketeering-related charges, according to documents filed today with the U.S. district court in Providence, R.I.

A federal court has permanently barred Maria Teresita Viray from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.

MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC has agreed to settle its liability in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in a settlement with the United States valued at $90 million, announced the Department of Justice, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today.

Amine El Khalifi, an immigrant from Morocco who is illegally present in the United States, was charged today by criminal complaint with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction against property that is owned and used by the United States.

The Justice Department announced today a 14-count indictment charging Wilcox County, Ga., Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth; his son, Austin Bloodsworth; former Wilcox County Jailer Casey Owens; and former inmate Willie James Caruthers, for violating the rights of an inmate.

Michael Schoenwald of Hollywood, Fla., has pleaded guilty before Judge Herman Weber in Cincinnati to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a drug diversion scheme in which he was involved, the Justice Department announced.

Total Fina S.A., Total Minatome Corporation, Total Exploration Production USA Inc., Fina Oil and Chemical Company, Elf Exploration Inc., Total E&P USA Inc. and their affiliates have agreed to pay the United States $15 million to resolve claims that the companies violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and Indian leases, the Justice Department announced today.

Two financial investors pleaded guilty today for conspiring to rig bids for the sale of tax liens auctioned by municipalities throughout New Jersey.

Seven people have been arrested on charges of trafficking in endangered black rhinoceros horn over the past week in Los Angeles, Newark, N.J., and New York.

" Here on this campus, my interest in the law, my understanding of its remarkable power for good, and my desire to serve our nation’s justice system first took hold. And although more than 35 years have passed since I completed my law degree – and started my “dream job” as a prosecutor in the United States Department of Justice – my time at Columbia shaped and enriched my life in ways that I am still realizing, and continue to appreciate," said Attorney General Holder.

“Tony and Stuart have served the department with professionalism, integrity and dedication, and both bring a wealth of experience to their new positions,” said Attorney General Holder. “I’m confident they will provide invaluable leadership and will play a critical role in furthering the department’s key priorities and fulfilling its traditional missions.”

The United States has intervened in a whistleblower suit pending under the False Claims Act against American Commercial College Inc. (ACC), a chain of for-profit colleges located in west Texas.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Valdosta City Schools in Georgia to ensure that the school district complies with its obligations to recruit, hire and assign faculty and staff in a nondiscriminatory way in furtherance of its obligations to desegregate its schools.

"“In response to my call to identify savings across the department, almost $700 million in savings have been developed – funds that are being reinvested in critical mission areas. I also want to note that, in the department’s FY 2013 budget of $27.1 billion, proposed spending increases have been exceeded by proposed cuts," said Attorney General Holder.

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.

An Australian man and his company have been indicted today by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for conspiring to export sensitive military and other technology from the United States to Iran, including components with applications in missiles, drones, torpedoes and helicopters.

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after reaching an agreement with King George County, Va., that will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

Two Barrio Azteca (BA) gang members and one BA associate pleaded guilty this week for their participation in a racketeering conspiracy and money laundering.

Enrique Gomez De Molina, 48, of Miami Beach, Fla., was sentenced in federal court in Miami today to 20 months in prison for illegal trafficking in endangered and protected wildlife.

Italian-based shipping company Giuseppe Bottiglieri Shipping Company S.P.A., owner and operator of the Motor Vessel Bottiglieri Challenger, and Vito La Forgia, the vessel’s chief engineer, have been charged in a four-count indictment with the illegal dumping of waste oil and oil-contaminated waste water in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, conspiracy and two counts of obstruction of justice.

"Today’s most urgent challenges continue to bring us together. Some of us are collaborating on critical public safety and consumer protection initiatives. Some of us are working together to strengthen our courts and corrections systems – and to find ways to cut costs and share resources," said Attorney General Holder.

The former associate director of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy in Hines, Ill., his wife and their temporary staffing company were sentenced today for their participation in a conspiracy to defraud the VA and the Small Business Administration.

"As the 2011 enforcement record illustrates, the Division’s Fair Lending Unit uses every possible tool to address the range of abuses seen in the market, in both mortgage and non-mortgage lending," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"Then – and now – he stands as a model of what it means to be a true advocate for, and defender of, justice," said Attorney General Holder.

Suspected fraudulent activity pertaining to relief efforts associated with the recent series of tornadoes in the Midwest and South should be reported to the NCDF hotline at 866-720-5721.

The Justice Department announced today that Charles Wilhelm, 23, of Independence, Mo., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., to federal hate crime charges in connection with the vandalism and arson of a bi-racial man’s home in 2006.

"Despite the significant fiscal constraints the federal government has faced in recent years, the 116,000 dedicated employees who serve in Department offices around the world have made significant – and, in many cases, historic – progress in safeguarding our citizens from terrorism, violent crime, financial fraud, and a range of threats that often disproportionately threaten the most vulnerable members of society," said Attorney General Holder.

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after reaching an agreement with Prince William County, Va., that will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

Devon Energy Corporation and its affiliates have agreed to pay the United States $3,492,463 to resolve claims that PennzEnergy, a predecessor to Devon, violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and Indian lands, the Justice Department announced today.

Jean Rene Duperval, a former director of international relations for Telecommunications D’Haiti S.A.M. (Haiti Teleco), a Haitian state-owned telecommunications company, has been convicted by a federal jury on all counts for his role in a scheme to launder bribes paid to him by two Miami-based telecommunications companies.

The United States has entered a consent decree against ATF Fitness Products Inc., Manufacturing ATF Dedicated Excellence Inc. (MADE), and the owner and president of both companies, James G. Vercellotti, the Justice Department announced today.

A federal jury in San Francisco today convicted the largest Taiwan liquid crystal display producer, its subsidiary and their two former executives for their participation in a conspiracy to fix the prices of thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display panels sold worldwide.

Mathis Moore, 56, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry L. Garber in Miami to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks.

The former director of corporate maintenance and renovations at Medical Facilities of America Inc. pleaded guilty today to accepting kickbacks and evading taxes.

A Miami-area resident pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a fraud scheme that resulted in the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

The Justice Department announced today that former Thomas County Sheriff’s Deputy Julian Scott Law pleaded guilty today to assaulting a detainee inside of the Thomas County Jail in Thomasville, Georgia, thereby depriving the detainee of his civil rights.