tm

Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against Staffing Agency

The Justice Department reached an agreement today with Real Time Staffing Services LLC, doing business as Select Staffing, a company based in Santa Barbara, California. The settlement resolves the department’s claims that Select Staffing discriminated against work-authorized non-U.S. citizens in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Statement by Justice Department Spokesman on Latest Developments in Federal Civil Rights Investigation in Ferguson, Missouri

The following statement was released Sunday by Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon concerning the federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Sues to Stop Florida Tax Return Preparer

The United States has asked a federal court in Tampa, Florida, to stop Octavio Cruz and his company, Advantage Accounting Corp., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Grand Rapids Landlords to Pay $550,000 and Terminate Manager’s Responsibilities to Settle Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Filed by Justice Department

The Justice Department announced today that the owners and operators of the Alger Meadows Apartments in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have agreed to pay $550,000 in damages and civil penalties and to terminate property manager Dale VanderVennen’s role in managing the complex to settle a lawsuit alleging that VanderVennen sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Sues to Stop South Florida Tax Return Preparer Engaged in Fraud and Earned Income Credit Schemes

The United States has asked a federal court in Miami to permanently bar a South Florida man and his two Miami businesses, Ebenezer Tax Services Inc. and Primo Tax Service Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. He is alleged to have defrauded the government out of more than $20 million



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with the City of Baltimore to Prevent Disability Discrimination

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached an agreement with the city of Baltimore, Maryland, to end hiring practices that discriminate against people with disabilities. The agreement, filed as a consent decree along with a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, resolves allegations by the department that the city engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title I of the ADA prohibits employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of disability in various aspects of employment, including hiring



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Bank of America to Pay $16.65 Billion in Historic Justice Department Settlement for Financial Fraud Leading up to and During the Financial Crisis

Attorney General Eric Holder and Associate Attorney General Tony West announced today that the Department of Justice has reached a $16.65 billion settlement with Bank of America Corporation – the largest civil settlement with a single entity in American history ­— to resolve federal and state claims against Bank of America and its former and current subsidiaries, including Countrywide Financial Corporation and Merrill Lynch. As part of this global resolution, the bank has agreed to pay a $5 billion penalty



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Announces Successful Resolution of Consent Judgment Involving Detroit Police Department

The Justice Department today announced the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan’s termination of the consent judgment relating to the Detroit Police Department’s (DPD) use of force and arrest and witness detention practices. The Justice Department and the city of Detroit jointly sought the termination of the consent judgment and approval of a Transition Agreement maintaining federal oversight of the DPD for an additional 18 months. The transition agreement starts a new chapter of reform and accountability for the DPD as it works in collaboration with the Justice Department to better ensure constitutional policing, promote community confidence, and improve public safety in the city of Detroit. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan have worked cooperatively throughout the duration of this matter



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Sixteen Former Puerto Rico Police Officers Plead Guilty to Running Criminal Organization from the Police Department

Sixteen former Puerto Rico police officers have pleaded guilty for their roles in a criminal organization run out of the police department. The officers used their affiliation with law enforcement to commit robbery and extortion, to manipulate court records in exchange for bribes, and to sell illegal narcotics



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Former Investment Company Executives Sentenced for Roles in $18 Million Ponzi Scheme

The former Hanover Corporation chief financial officer and a former Hanover salesman were sentenced today to serve 60 months in prison and 70 months in prison respectively, and ordered to pay $14,454,999.19 in restitution, for their roles in an $18 million Ponzi scheme. Hanover’s former chief executive officer was previously sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $14,784,983.75 in restitution in this case



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Sues to Stop Chicago-Area Woman and Her Businesses from Preparing Tax Returns

The United States filed a complaint in federal court in Chicago to bar Laurie G. Helfer, aka Laurie G. Powell, individually and through her businesses Laurie’s Freelance & Tax Preparation Services and Tax Lady Laurie Inc., from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Department of Justice Releases Second Report to Congress on Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions

The Department of Justice released today its second report to Congress entitled Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions, which provides a range of enforcement statistics required under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, as well as information about the progress of the Attorney General’s initiatives to reduce violent crime and strengthen tribal justice systems



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Requires Divestiture in Tyson Foods Inc. Acquisition of the Hillshire Brands Company

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Tyson Foods Inc. to divest Heinold Hog Markets, its sow purchasing business, in order to proceed with its $8.5 billion acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company. The department said that, without the required divestiture, the transaction would have combined companies that account for more than a third of sow purchases from U.S. farmers, thereby likely reducing competition for purchases of sows from farmers.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Files Suit Against City of St. Anthony Village Over Denial of Permit for Mosque

Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota today announced the filing of a lawsuit against the city of St. Anthony Village for an alleged violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA). Specifically, the lawsuit seeks injunctive relief requiring St. Anthony Village to allow the Abu Huraira Islamic Center to maintain a worship space in the basement of the St. Anthony Business Center.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Asks Court to Dismiss Saint Elizabeths Hospital Case After Conditions Improved Under Consent Decree

Today, the Justice Department asked a federal court to dismiss the injunction to address civil rights violations at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C., because the District of Columbia and the Department of Behavioral Health have significantly improved the care and treatment of persons confined to Saint Elizabeths Hospital. Saint Elizabeths is the district’s facility for treating individuals with mental health conditions. The reforms, which were implemented following requirements under a court order, have ensured that persons at Saint Elizabeths Hospital are discharged to the community with adequate supports to live in integrated settings. Further, the reforms resulted in important improvements in integrated treatment planning, psychological and psychiatric services, nursing care and protection from assault.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Louisiana Crane Company Alleging Discrimination Against Work-authorized Immigrants

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a lawsuit with the Executive Office for Immigration Review against Louisiana Crane Company LLC (Louisiana Crane), which is headquartered in Eunice, Louisiana.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Claim Against a Restaurant Management Company

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Culinaire International, a catering and restaurant management company headquartered in Houston, Texas, resolving a claim that Culinaire engaged in citizenship discrimination during the employment eligibility reverification process in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Seizes an Additional $500,000 in Corrupt Assets Tied to Former President of Republic of Korea

The Department of Justice has seized approximately $500,000 in assets traceable to corruption proceeds accumulated by Chun Doo Hwan, the former president of the Republic of Korea. This seizure brings the total value of seized corruption proceeds of President Chun to more than $1.2 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Attorney General Holder Announces Next Steps to Address Concerns Regarding the City of Ferguson and St. Louis County Police Departments

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Justice Department has launched two initiatives to address concerns about police services in the city of Ferguson and in St. Louis County, Missouri.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Press Conference Announcing Pattern or Practice Investigation into Ferguson Police Department

"These anecdotal accounts underscored the history of mistrust of law enforcement in Ferguson that has received a good deal of attention. As a result of this history – and following an extensive review of documented allegations and other available data – we have determined that there is cause for the Justice Department to open an investigation to determine whether Ferguson Police officials have engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal law."




tm

Justice Department Participates in Child Cyber Safety Night at Nationals Park, Saturday, September 6th

Child Cyber Safety Night at the Ballpark is the latest effort by the Justice Department and its law enforcement and community partners to encourage parents to speak with their children about online and cell phone safety and provide prevention materials.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Caribbean-Based Investment Advisor Sentenced for Using Offshore Accounts to Launder and Conceal Funds

Joshua Vandyk, an investment advisor, was sentenced today to serve 30 months in prison for conspiring to launder monetary instruments, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Kent State University for Discrimination Against Students with Disabilities in University Housing

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the Kent State University, the Kent State University Board of Trustees and university officials for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against students with disabilities in student housing.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Settles Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against School District of Philadelphia

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the School District of Philadelphia that resolves a religious accommodations lawsuit filed in March 2014. In its lawsuit, the United States alleged that the school district violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) by failing to accommodate the religious beliefs, observances and/or practices of Siddiq Abu-Bakr, a school police officer who is Muslim, and similarly-situated employees who maintain a beard longer than one-quarter inch for religious purposes.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Mississippi Tax Return Preparer

The United States has requested that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi permanently bar Nathaniel Kimble, Greenville, Mississippi, man from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Statement by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the Declassification of Documents Related to the Protect America Act Litigation

On January 15, 2009, the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISC-R) published an unclassified version of its opinion in In Re: Directives Pursuant to Section 105B of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 551 F.3d 1004 (Foreign Intel. Surv. Ct. Rev. 2008). The classified version of the opinion was issued on August 22, 2008, following a challenge by Yahoo! Inc. (Yahoo!) to directives issued under the Protect America Act of 2007 (PAA). Today, following a renewed declassification review, the Executive Branch is publicly releasing various documents from this litigation, including legal briefs and additional sections of the 2008 FISC-R opinion, with appropriate redactions to protect national security information. These documents are available at the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), www.dni.gov; and ODNI’s public website dedicated to fostering greater public visibility into the intelligence activities of the U.S. Government, IContheRecord.tumblr.com. A summary of the underlying litigation follows.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department and CNCS Announce $1.8 Million in Grants to Enhance Immigration Court Proceedings and Provide Legal Assistance to Unaccompanied Children

The Department of Justice and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers AmeriCorps national service programs, has awarded $1.8 million in grants to increase the effective and efficient adjudication of immigration proceedings involving certain children who have crossed the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Sign Cooperation Agreement with Colombian Antitrust Agency

Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has signed an antitrust cooperation agreement with the Colombian antitrust agency on behalf of the Department of Justice. The agreement also was signed by Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, and went into effect today with the signature of Pablo Felipe Robledo, Colombia’s Superintendent of Industry and Commerce.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Attorney General Holder Announces Partnership with Department of Housing and Urban Development to Improve Civil Legal Aid for Juveniles

Attorney General Eric Holder is set to announce a partnership between the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD will offer new grants to support collaborations between HUD-funded organizations, and civil legal aid programs and public defender offices. The grant funded collaborations will focus on expunging and sealing juvenile records – improving the chances that reentering youth will be able to obtain degrees, find work and secure housing. The announcement is set to be made this evening during the Attorney General’s remarks to the Legal Services Corporation 40th anniversary celebration.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Announces National Effort to Build Trust Between Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the launch of the Justice Department’s National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department and State Partners Secure $1.375 Billion Settlement with S&P for Defrauding Investors in the Lead Up to the Financial Crisis

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Department of Justice and 19 states and the District of Columbia have entered into a $1.375 billion settlement agreement with the rating agency Standard &s Financial Services LLC, along with its parent corporation McGraw Hill Financial Inc., to resolve allegations that S&s 2013 lawsuit against S& true credit risks. Other allegations assert that S&s business relationships with the investment banks that issued the securities.



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Father Of Former Investment Bank Managing Director Pleads Guilty To Insider Trading Conspiracy

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROBERT STEWART, the father of former investment bank managing director Sean Stewart, pled guilty today to participating in a conspiracy to trade on inside information about several mergers and acquisitions announced between 2011 and 2014



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Former California Attorney Pleads Guilty in International Investment Fraud Scheme

A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty today to conspiracy for his role in an investment fraud scheme that promoted fraudulent investment opportunities and caused more than $5 million in losses to investors



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Executives of Swiss and Las Vegas Companies Convicted in International Investment Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Las Vegas convicted two men of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud yesterday for their roles in an approximately $10 million international investment fraud scheme involving numerous victims



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Justice Department Reaches $470 Million Joint State-Federal Settlement with HSBC to Address Mortgage Loan Origination, Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

The Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general, have reached a $470 million agreement with HSBC Bank USA NA and its affiliates (collectively, HSBC) to address mortgage origination, servicing and foreclosure abuses



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Former California Attorney Sentenced to 60 Months for His Role in International Investment Fraud Scheme

A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his role in an investment fraud scheme that promoted fraudulent investment opportunities and caused more than $5 million in losses to investors



  • OPA Press Releases

tm

Vir Biotechnology, Alnylam Identify VIR-2703 Candidate For Treatment Of COVID-19

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALNY) announced Monday that they have selected a development candidate (DC) for VIR-2703 (ALN-COV), an investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) genome.




tm

Medifast Recalls Optavia Oatmeal For Undeclared Milk

Baltimore, Maryland-based Medifast, Inc. is recalling certain Optavia Oatmeal products citing undeclared milk, a known allergen, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. The recall involves around 24,923 boxes of OPTAVIA Essential Old Fashioned Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal. The product is packaged in yellow and white cardboard boxes with the brand name.




tm

Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Jails and Prisons

The most effective therapy for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) involves the use of Food and Drug Administration-approved medications—methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Despite evidence that this approach, known as medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), reduces relapse and saves lives, the vast majority of jails and prisons do not offer this treatment. This brief examines what...




tm

Pew Calls On DEA to Expedite Addiction Treatment Regulation

Pew’s substance use prevention and treatment initiative sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on April 27 encouraging the agency to expedite a final rule that will help opioid treatment programs (OTPs)—federally regulated facilities where patients take medications for opioid use disorder under the supervision of medical staff and receive counseling and other care services—...




tm

America's Opioid Crisis: Outpatient Treatment is Effective and Accessible

More than 2 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder, but only about 25% of people receive any sort of care. For many, inpatient treatment often means leaving a job and loved ones behind to seek recovery.




tm

More Outpatient Treatment Needed for Opioid Use Disorder

The treatment gap continues to be an obstacle in addressing opioid use disorder (OUD) in the U.S. In 2018, an estimated 2 million Americans had OUD but only about 26% received specialty addiction treatment.




tm

​Shire quietly halts new investments coming out of Baxalta Ventures

Today, Shire plc confirmed it won’t make any new investments from Baxalta Ventures, the short-lived venture capital arm of the drug company Shire acquired in June.




tm

FDA approves MenQuadfiTM, the latest innovation in meningococcal (MenACWY) vaccination

Latest innovation in quadrivalent meningococcal vaccination designed for use in persons 2 years of age and older in the U.S.




tm

Ajinomoto to produce potential COVID-19 treatment for CytoDyn

Ajinomoto agrees partnership to manufacture leronlimab, which is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19.




tm

FDA and FTC: Coronavirus Products Are Fraudulent, Could Delay Treatment

March 16, 2020 – Amid rising concerns over “Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019” (COVID-19), the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission took action last week against seven companies for selling fraudulent COVID-19 products. The regulators sent Warning Letters to the companies because these products “are unapproved drugs that pose significant risks to patient […]




tm

'Every parent's nightmare': A child's death brings new coronavirus fears as more states reopen

The U.S. death toll in the coronavirus outbreak surpasses 77,000 as states continue to ease restrictions and President Trump pushes for faster reopening.




tm

Remdesivir approved as Japan's first coronavirus treatment




tm

Achieving atmospheric verification of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions




tm

Achieving atmospheric verification of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions