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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Blair County, Pa., Over Polling Place Access for Voters with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced a settlement under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Blair County, Pa., to greatly improve physical accessibility at the county’s polling places for individuals who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids and for individuals who are blind or have vision impairments.



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Two Real Estate Investors Convicted for Roles in Bid-rigging Conspiracy in San Joaquin County, Calif. Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions

Following a four-week trial, a federal jury today convicted two real estate investors for conspiring to rig bids at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in San Joaquin County, Calif. One of the investors was also convicted of obstruction of justice for destroying evidence related to the crimes



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Construction Company Owner Convicted of Two Counts of Filing False Corporate Tax Returns

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service announced today that construction company owner Tomas Olazabal, of Fresh Meadows, N.Y., was convicted of two counts of filing false corporate tax returns for his corporation, Tupac Construction Corporation.



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Leader of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Ring Sentenced to Jail

Christopher Davis, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today to serve 60 months in prison, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.



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Alabama Pest Control Company and Its Owner Plead Guilty to Unlawful Application of Pesticides at Georgia Nursing Homes

Steven A. Murray, 54, of Pelham, Ala., and his company, Bio-Tech Management Inc., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Macon, Ga., to charges of conspiracy, unlawful use of pesticides, false statements and mail fraud in connection with the misapplication of pesticides in Georgia nursing homes.



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California Attorney Sentenced to Prison in Scheme to Hide Millions in Secret Swiss Accounts at UBS AG and Pictet & Cie

California attorney Christopher M. Rusch was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison for helping his clients Stephen M. Kerr and Michael Quiel, both businessmen from Phoenix, hide millions of dollars in secret offshore bank accounts at UBS AG and Pictet & Cie in Switzerland, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced today.



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Justice Department Announces Criminal Charge Against Toyota Motor Corporation and Deferred Prosecution Agreement with $1.2 Billion Financial Penalty

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation Calvin L. Scovel, III, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Acting Administrator David Friedman, and FBI Deputy Assistant Director Joe Campbell announced a criminal wire fraud charge against Toyota Motor Corporation, an automotive company headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, that designs, manufactures, assembles, and sells Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles.



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Webb County Commissioner Charged with Accepting Bribes in Exchange for Official Acts

Kristopher Michael Montemayor, a county commissioner for Precinct 1 of the Webb County Commissioners Court in Texas, was arrested today on charges of bribery.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Press Conference Announcing Criminal Charge and Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Toyota Motor Corporation

Today’s announcement underscores the fact that the Departments of Justice and Transportation remain firmly committed to protecting consumers, ensuring the safety of the American people, and combating fraud in all its forms.




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Texas Chemical Plant Agrees to Cut Harmful Air Pollution in Overburdened Community

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Flint Hills Resources of Port Arthur has agreed to implement innovative technologies to control harmful air pollution from industrial flares and leaking equipment at the company’s chemical plant in Port Arthur, Texas.



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Former President of Russian Steel Producer’s U.S. Subsidiary Indicted for Hiding Assets in Secret Swiss Bank Accounts

Victor Lipukhin was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., for attempting to interfere with the administration of the internal revenue laws and filing false tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service announced today.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at J.O. Wilson Elementary School to Announce Findings from Expansive Survey of Student Discipline Practices at America’s Public Schools

Schools must support children as they learn expectations about behavior and conduct. But a routine school discipline infraction should land a student in a principal’s office – not in a police precinct.




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In New Step to Fight Recidivism, Attorney General Holder Announces Justice Department to Require Federal Halfway Houses to Boost Treatment Services for Inmates Prior to Release

In a new step to further the Justice Department’s efforts towards enhancing reentry among formerly incarcerated individuals, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Monday that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) will impose new requirements on federal halfway houses that help inmates transition back into society.



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U.S. and Canadian Citizens Charged with Using Offshore Accounts and Foreign Nominee Entities to Launder $200,000

Joshua Vandyk, a U.S. citizen, and Eric St-Cyr and Patrick Poulin, Canadian citizens, were indicted for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, the Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service announced today.



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Southern California Man Found Guilty of Health Care Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft for Role in $1.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Southern California man who ran a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company has been found guilty by a federal jury in Los Angeles for his role in a $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks Announcing COPS Office Assistance to the San Diego Police Department

That's why we are all gathered here this morning. Under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder, the U.S. Department of Justice has used a variety of tools to respond when law enforcement misconduct is uncovered. Those include everything from technical assistance provided by our Office of Justice Programs and our COPS Office to full-fledged enforcement actions by our Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney's Offices around the country, and everything in between.




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Five Individuals Charged with Conspiring to Fraudulently Obtain Union Job for Organized Crime Underboss

Five men have been charged in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to defraud the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers’ Union (NMDU) and Hudson News newsstands to obtain a union card and employment at Hudson News newsstands for the son of the alleged underboss of the Colombo family.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the Community Relations Service Transgender Law Enforcement Training Launch

The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to recommit ourselves to breaking the cycle of violence that affects far too many transgender Americans.




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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the Community Relations Service Transgender Law Enforcement Training

This training has been in the works for some time now. For the last several years, the Justice Department at various levels has engaged in a constructive dialogue, animated by common aspirations and common concerns, with LGBT leaders throughout the country. And one of the many ideas we’ve received finds its manifestation in today’s gathering: a transgender law enforcement cultural professionalism training.




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Joint Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on the Declassification of Renewal of Collection Under Section 215 of the Usa Patriot Act (50 U.S.C. Sec. 1861))

“Earlier this year in a speech at the Department of Justice, President Obama announced a transition that would end the Section 215 bulk telephony metadata program as it existed, and that the government would establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk data," said Attorney General Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.



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Antitrust Division Announces New Streamlined Procedure for Parties Seeking to Modify or Terminate Old Settlements and Litigated Judgments

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division today announced a new streamlined procedure that will lower the costs and expedite the review process for parties seeking to modify or terminate old antitrust settlements and litigated judgments.



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Attorney General Holder Announces H. Marshall Jarrett to Retire from Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys; Monty Wilkinson Named as Successor

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the retirement of H. Marshall Jarrett, Director for the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA) as well as the appointment of Monty Wilkinson as the new Director for EOUSA.



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Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin Delivers Remarks at the American University Business Law Review 2014 Symposium

The calculus that many businesses make today is similar to the decisions that the mom and pop stores had to make several decades ago: Does the cost of paying out – that is, failing to tell the authorities about cyber attacks – outweigh the costs of potential retaliation?




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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Stolen Identity Refund Fraud and Firearms Offenses

Deundra Milhouse, an Alabama resident, pleaded guilty today to several charges involving stolen identity refund fraud and firearms offenses.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Clark County, Nev., for Compensation Discrimination and Retaliation

The Department of Justice announced the filing of a lawsuit today against Clark County, Nev., alleging that the county discriminated against Therese Scupi, an African-American woman, on the basis of race and sex and retaliated in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.



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United States Announces $5.15 Billion Settlement of Litigation Against Subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum Corp. to Remedy Fraudulent Conveyance Designed to Evade Environmental Liabilities

The United States has entered into a settlement agreement with the Kerr-McGee Corporation and certain of its affiliates (“New Kerr-McGee”), and their parent Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, in a fraudulent conveyance case brought by the United States and co-plaintiff Anadarko Litigation Trust (the “Trust”) in the bankruptcy of Tronox Inc. and its subsidiaries (Tronox), announced Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resource Division Robert G. Dreher, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Assistant Administrator Cynthia Giles.



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Co-Owner of New Jersey Industrial Pipes Supply Company Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement in Connection with Superfund Investigation

A co-owner of a Middlesex, N.J., industrial pipes, valves and fittings supply company pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false statement.



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Alabama Sheriff’s Investigator Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Handcuffed Man at Macon County Jail

J. Keith McCray, a criminal investigator with the Macon County, Ala., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court today to assaulting a handcuffed man at the county jail, resulting in bodily injury to the victim.



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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the Strengthening the Relationship Between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color Forum

I also come to this discussion as my father's son. He was a man born and raised deep in the Jim Crow south. And when the time came for his eldest child and only son to take up driving lessons, dad was my teacher, imparting all the familiar lessons of keeping my eyes on the road and signaling before I turned.




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As Tax Filing Deadline Nears, Attorney General Holder Calls Stolen Identity Refund Fraud ‘Rising Threat,’ Vows Aggressive Enforcement Against Scams

As the April 15 tax filing deadline approaches, Attorney General Eric Holder warned U.S. tax filers to beware a “rising threat” of scammers seeking fraudulent refunds based on stolen identities, and vowed aggressive enforcement against the practice. Speaking in a recorded video message released on the Justice Department’s website, Attorney General Holder explained that a growing pool of criminals are engaged in the activity, including gangs and drug sellers seeking quick access to cash.



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United States Sues Oyster Bay, N.Y., for Housing Discrimination

Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch for the Eastern District of New York announced today that the United States has filed a complaint against the Town of Oyster Bay in Long Island, N.Y., for violating the Fair Housing Act.



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Owner of Tax Return Preparation Franchise and Health Provider Business Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud, Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering

Claude Arthur Verbal II, formerly of Raleigh, N.C., and now of Miami, pleaded guilty to tax fraud, healthcare fraud and money laundering in two separate cases in federal court.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels at the Press Conference to Announce the Albuquerque Police Department Investigative Findings

"This investigation was not an easy task, but through all of these efforts, we made certain to gather the facts and apply the law to the facts to reach our conclusions."




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Hawaii Man Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Claim for Tax Refund and Filing False Retaliatory Liens Against Four Federal Officials

Francis E. Chandler III was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison and ordered to pay $3,066,629 in restitution for filing a false claim for tax refund and false retaliatory liens against four federal government officials.



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Utah Man Pleads Guilty to Religious-Motivated Attack on Synagogue and Gun Charges

Macon Openshaw, 21, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah today to a federal civil rights crime relating to a bias-motivated weapons discharge aimed at a local synagogue and to two unlawful gun possession charges.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at an Interfaith Service of Unity and Hope Honoring the Victims of Last Week’s Tragic Shootings

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.




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Department of Justice Announces University Tour by Administration Officials to Raise Awareness of Campus Sexual Assault

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Department of Justice announced a nationwide university tour by top administration officials to raise awareness of campus sexual assault.



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Two Former S.C. Police Officers Charged with Using Unreasonable Force

A federal grand jury in Florence, S.C., returned a two-count indictment today charging Eric Walters and Franklin Brown, both former police officers with the City of Marion Police Department, with using unreasonable force against a female citizen.



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Announcing New Clemency Initiative, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Details Broad New Criteria for Applicants

As part of the Justice Department’s new clemency initiative, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole announced six criteria the department will consider when reviewing and expediting clemency applications from federal inmates.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole at the Press Conference Announcing the Clemency Initiative

We are launching this clemency initiative in order to quickly and effectively identify appropriate candidates, candidates who have a clean prison record, do not present a threat to public safety, and were sentenced under out-of-date laws that have since been changed, and are no longer seen as appropriate.




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Former Marine Hose Executive Who Was Extradited to United States Pleads Guilty for Participating in Worldwide Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

A former executive of a rubber hose manufacturer, who was extradited from Germany in early April 2014, today pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve two years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Justice Department Announces Joseph F. Klimavicz as New Chief Information Officer

The Department of Justice today announced that Joseph F. Klimavicz will become its new chief information officer (CIO), arriving in late May.



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U.S. Seeks to Recover Over $700,000 in Kleptocracy Proceeds of Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan

The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking to recover more than $700,000 in alleged corruption proceeds of Chun Doo-hwan, the former president of the Republic of Korea.



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Alabama Woman Sentenced for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Ivory Bolen, of Dothan, Alabama, was sentenced to serve 42 months in prison today to be followed by three years of supervised release for committing stolen identity refund fraud crimes.



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Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson Speaks at the District of Columbia’s Women’s Bar Association Foundation Annual Grant Award Reception

"Each of the 2014 grant recipients are doing amazing work – day in and day out they are changing the lives of the most vulnerable residents in the District of Columbia. And they are strengthening our nation’s legal community," said Principal Deputy Director Hanson




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Office on Violence Against Women Announces Two New Grants to Support Prosecutorial and Victim Services in Rural and Tribal Communities in the Bakken Region

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.



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Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Announce the Publication of Additional Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Filings, Opinions and Orders Regarding Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Su

On January 3, 2014, the Director of National Intelligence declassified and disclosed publically that the U.S. government had filed an application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that, the FISC renewed that authority. The Office of the Director National Intelligence also announced that the Administration was undertaking a declassification review of the FISC's January 3 primary order. On February 12, 2014, and following a declassification review by the Executive Branch, the FISC released in redacted form the previously classified January 3 primary order it had issued in Docket Number BR 14-01, along with a number of other documents.



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International Community Mobilizes to Recover Stolen Assets for People of Ukraine

A high-level international meeting to support the Government of Ukraine in recovering stolen assets begins tomorrow in London. The gathering is a landmark for Ukraine in underscoring the rule of law and international cooperation. The international community and the Government of Ukraine are united in their commitment and determination in returning stolen assets to the people of Ukraine.



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Certified Public Accountant Convicted of Preparing False Returns

A federal jury convicted certified public accountant Jeffery Deshon Applewhite, aka Jeffrey Donald Mason, a resident of Los Angeles County, California, of 20 counts of aiding and assisting the preparation and presentation of false tax returns late yesterday.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to Prison for Million Dollar Scheme Using Prisoner Identities to Obtain False Tax Refunds

Harvey James was sentenced today to serve 110 months in prison for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.



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