rt

Thirteen Alleged Latin Kings Members in North Carolina Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges

“The indictment unsealed today alleges a pattern of violent criminal activity by Latin Kings members in North Carolina,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Settles with Kentucky Apartment Complex Involving Allegations of Disability-based Housing Discrimination

The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit against the owners, developers, architect and civil engineers of Park Place Apartments, a 276-unit complex in Louisville, Ky., resolving allegations that those involved in the design and construction of the complex discriminated against people with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Virginia Man Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Conceal Pakistan Government Funding for His U.S. Lobbying Efforts

Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, 62, a U.S. citizen and resident of Fairfax, Va., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy and tax violations in connection with a decades-long scheme to conceal the transfer of at least $3.5 million from the government of Pakistan to fund his lobbying efforts in America related to Kashmir.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Statement of Acting Assistant Attorney General Sharis A. Pozen Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet

"The pillars of the division’s work are civil merger and non-merger enforcement, criminal enforcement, competition advocacy, and international activities and we have been active in all those areas," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Pozen.




rt

Four Romanian Nationals Charged with Allegedly Participating in Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Hack into and Steal Credit Card Data from U.S. Merchants

Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea, 27, of Constanta, Romania; Iulian Dolan, 27, of Craiova, Romania; Cezar Iulian Butu, 26, of Ploiesti, Romania; and Florin Radu, 23, of Rimnicu Vilcea, Romania, were charged in a four-count indictment filed in the District of New Hampshire with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, wire fraud and access device fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Peruvian Artifact Repatriated

A gold Moche monkey head was returned to the government of Peru today in a repatriation ceremony at the Peruvian Embassy in Washington, D.C., announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III for the District of Delaware.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department and States Address Prisoner Recidivism

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) today sponsored a forum of policymakers from all 50 states to focus on improving success rates for people released from prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Tennessee Construction Company and Georgia Department of Transportation Agree to Pay $1.5 Million Penalty to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations

Wright Brothers Construction Co., of Charleston, Tenn., and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) have agreed to pay a $1.5 million penalty and spend more than $1.3 million to offset environmental damages to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Longtime Associate of the New England La Cosa Nostra Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Extortion and Racketeering Conspiracy

Thomas Iafrate, 70, of Johnston, R.I., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I., to 30 months in prison for participating in an extortion and racketeering conspiracy involving “protection” payments from several Rhode Island businesses.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Three Hitachi-LG Data Storage Executives Agree to Plead Guilty for Participating in Bid-Rigging and Price-Fixing Conspiracies Involving Optical Disk Drives

Three Korean Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. (HLDS) executives have agreed to plead guilty and to serve prison time in the United States for their participation in a series of conspiracies to rig bids and fix prices for the sale of optical disk drives.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Enters into a Consent Decree with Bolivar County, Miss., Sheriff

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a consent decree that, if approved by the court, will resolve the department’s claims that H.M. Grimmett, sheriff of Bolivar County, Miss., retaliated against Robert E. Brown, a former employee of the sheriff.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Retired Army Major Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Engaging in Money Laundering Related to Contracting in Support of Iraq War

Charles Joseph Bowie Jr., 45, of Georgetown, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Resolves Citizenship Status Discrimination Charge Against Pennsylvania Employer Sernak Farms

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with S.W.J.J. Inc., or Sernak Farms, based in Weatherly, Penn., to settle allegations that Sernak engaged in discrimination on the basis of citizenship status by preferring to hire temporary visa holders over U.S. citizen applicants and adversely treating its U.S. citizen employees.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Former Police Officer of Puerto Rico Convicted for Role in Providing Security for Drug Transactions

Javier A. Diaz Castro, 30, was convicted on Dec. 12, 2011, of two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, two counts of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds Settle with Justice Department Over Tobacco-Industry Document Databases

The country’s two biggest tobacco companies have agreed to improve public access to internal tobacco-industry documents and to pay $6.25 million into a court fund that will go to support the country’s largest online collection of tobacco documents.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Bridgeport, Conn., Man Involved in 2005 Triple Murder Sentenced to Life in Prison

Azikiwe Aquart, aka “Z” and “Ziggy,” 32, pleaded guilty on Aug. 26, 2011, to three counts of murder in aid of racketeering.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Federal Court Bars Operator of New Jersey Tax Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Carmen Gonzalez from preparing federal tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Department of Justice Releases Investigative Findings on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings in the ongoing civil rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Court Enters Consent Decree Resolving Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act Allegations Against Idaho Dairy

The government’s action results from a series of inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of G&s farms from 2009 to 2011.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

CEO of Comcast Brian Roberts to Pay $500,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Premerger Notification Requirements

Comcast Corporation’s CEO Brian L. Roberts will pay a $500,000 civil penalty to settle charges that he violated premerger reporting and waiting requirements when he acquired Comcast voting securities.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Will Not Challenge Worker Rights Consortium's Designated Suppliers Program for Collegiate Apparel

Based on the representations made by the Worker Rights Consortium, the department said that the proposal is unlikely to lessen competition in the collegiate apparel sector.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings on the Seattle Police Department

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the Constitution and federal law.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Alleging Employment Discrimination by Florida Home Health Care Company

The Justice Department filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit yesterday against Home Care Giver Services Inc., a Florida corporation that provides home health aides, certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses to customers who seek home-based care givers.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Seattle Police Department Investigative Findings Announcement

"Our attorneys, investigators and experts conducted extensive interviews with command staff and rank-and-file officers; participated in ride-alongs with officers; and reviewed thousands of pages of documents," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




rt

Justice Department Recovers $3 Billion in False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2011

The $3 billion total for fiscal year 2011 includes a record $2.8 billion in recoveries under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which is the government’s primary civil remedy to redress false claims for federal money or property, such as Medicare benefits, payments on military contracts, and federal subsidies and loans.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the 2011 Preliminary Uniform Crime Report

Attorney General Eric Holder today issued the following statement on the release of the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report showing a continued decrease in violent crime nationwide. The results show that the number of violent crimes reported in the first six months of 2011 declined 6.4 percent when compared with figures from the first six months of 2010.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

US, Canada and Mexico Antitrust Officials Participate in Trilateral Meetings in Mexico to Discuss Antitrust Enforcement

The heads of the antitrust agencies of the United States, Canada and Mexico met today to reaffirm their commitment to effective enforcement cooperation.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Department of Justice Releases Investigative Findings on the East Haven, Connecticut, Police Department

The investigation found that EHPD intentionally targets Latinos for traffic enforcement and treats Latino drivers more harshly after traffic stops in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI and the Safe Streets Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Florida Loan Officer Sentenced in Connection with $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage and Loan Modification Scheme

John Incandela, 25, of Palm Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 41 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay over $1.9 million in restitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Issues Statements Regarding AT&T Inc.'s Abandonment of Its Proposed Acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc.

“This result is a victory for the millions of Americans who use mobile wireless telecommunications services,” said Deputy Attorney General Cole.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Roy L. Austin Jr. Speaks at the East Haven Police Department Investigative Findings Announcement

"Based on our investigation, we find that the East Haven Police Department engages in discriminatory policing against Latinos," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Austin.




rt

Federal Court Bars Alabama Woman from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal court in Mobile, Ala., has permanently barred Delois Warren from preparing federal tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Fort Lauderdale, Florida-Area Halfway House Operator Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Kickback Scheme

Butler Moultrie, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry L. Garber in Miami to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

United States Seeks Forfeiture of Property Related to Federal Firearms Smuggling and Money Laundering Charges

The complaint alleges that, between April 2010 and July 2011, property associated with New Deal Shooting Sports was used in connection with, among other things, a conspiracy to make false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms and to illegally export firearms to Mexico, a conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and a conspiracy to facilitate the trafficking of narcotics.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Chinese Perfume Importer Sentenced in Brooklyn to 12 Months in Prison for Trafficking in Counterfeit Perfume

Shaoxiong Zhou, 42, of Shantou, Guangdong, China, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sandra L. Townes in the Eastern District of New York. Judge Townes also ordered Zhou to pay $20,000 in restitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Washington Man Sentenced to 32 Years for Attempted Bombing of Martin Luther King Unity March

Kevin William Harpham, 37, of Colville, Wash., was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the placement of the improvised explosive device alongside the planned Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March held on Jan. 17, 2011, in Spokane, Wash,



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation by the Town of Rome, Wisconsin

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a consent decree with the town of Rome, Wis., to resolve allegations that the town retaliated against an employee after she made a complaint of discrimination based on sex.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Brockton, Mass., to Enforce Employment Rights of U.S. Army Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that the city of Brockton, Mass., promoted U.S. Army Reservist Brian Benvie on Dec. 16, 2011, to the position of lieutenant in the city’s police department.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Requires Divestiture in $7.9 Billion Merger of Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy Group

The Department of Justice requires Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy Group Inc. to divest three electricity generating plants in Maryland in order to proceed with their $7.9 billion merger.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

North Carolina Businessman Guilty of Failing to Pay More Than $15 Million in Payroll Taxes for Temporary Staffing Companies

Bruce Gregory Harrison III was convicted yesterday following a jury trial in federal court in Winston-Salem, N.C.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Defendant Charged with Alleged Participation in the Murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the Attempted Murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila Is Extradited from Mexico to the United States

Julian Zapata Espinoza, also known as “Piolin,” has been extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges for his alleged participation in the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Reaches $335 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by Countrywide Financial Corporation

The Department of Justice today filed its largest residential fair lending settlement in history to resolve allegations that Countrywide Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries engaged in a widespread pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in their mortgage lending from 2004 through 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Requires Deutsche Börse to Divest Its Interest in Direct Edge in Order to Merge with NYSE Euronext

The Department of Justice will require Deutsche Börse AG to direct its subsidiary International Securities Exchange Holdings Inc. to sell its 31.5 percent stake in Direct Edge Holdings LLC and agree to other restrictions in order for Deutsche Börse to proceed with its planned $9 billion merger with NYSE Euronext, one of the two largest and most prestigious stock exchange operators in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Principal and Co-Owner of North Carolina Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Commodities Trading Investors

– The principal and co-owner of Integra Capital Management LLC, a North Carolina company, pleaded guilty today for his role in a commodities trading investment scheme that allegedly raised more than $3.2 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

California Federal Court Blocks Bogus Tax Credit Scheme

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred Lamar Ellis of Brea, Calif., from promoting a scheme involving sales of bogus federal tax credits.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Virginia-Based BAE Systems Ship Repair Inc.

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement with BAE Systems Ship Repair Inc., a leading provider of ship repair services, to settle allegations that its subsidiary, BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards Alabama LLC, engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by imposing unnecessary and additional documentary requirements on work-authorized non-U.S. citizens when establishing their eligibility to work in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Former Navajo Police Department Officer Indicted in New Mexico on Civil Rights Charges

A federal grand jury in Albuquerque, N.M., today indicted a former police officer with the Navajo Police Department on charges related to the sexual abuse of a woman who was in his custody on Jan. 25, 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Justice Department Settles Allegations of Citizenship Status Discrimination and Retaliation Against Georgia Rug Manufacturer

The Justice Department announced a settlement today with Garland Sales Inc., a Georgia rug manufacturer, resolving allegations that it engaged in discrimination by imposing unnecessary documentary requirements on individuals of Hispanic origin when establishing their eligibility to work in the United States, and that it retaliated against a worker for protesting his discriminatory treatment.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Former Department of Defense Employee Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Submitting False Travel Claims Totaling Nearly $500,000

John R. Brock, 52, of Crofton, Md., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert L. Wilkins in the District of Columbia.



  • OPA Press Releases

rt

Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson Announces Departure from Office of Justice Programs

The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Laurie Robinson, announced today that she would be leaving her position at the end of February



  • OPA Press Releases