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Army Soldier Sentenced on Bribery Charges for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan

A former U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison for her role in stealing fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty, Afghanistan.



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Indiana Law Enforcement Human Trafficking Task Force Announces First Federal Charges

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced the filing of a nine count federal indictment this afternoon against Jerry Mitchell, aka Tre da Great, age 24, of Indianapolis.



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Owner and Managers of Illinois Mobile Home Park for Discriminating Against African-Americans and Families with Children

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the owner and those responsible for the management of a 126-space mobile home park in Effingham, Ill., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against African-Americans and families with children.



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JPMorgan Chase to Pay $614 Million for Submitting False Claims for FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed Mortgage Loans

The Department of Justice today announced that JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) will pay $614 million for violating the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting non-compliant mortgage loans submitted for insurance coverage and guarantees by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).



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Court Bars N.C. Tax Return Preparer from Preparing Returns for Others

Today, a federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina permanently barred Sharon D. Rhodes and her businesses, R&S Freedom Tax Service and Changing Faces Annoited Tax Services, from preparing tax returns for others.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Testifies Before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee

We have benefited from the consideration of these difficult issues by the PCLOB and the PRG and it is a pleasure to appear with them today. In his speech on January 17th, the President laid out a series of measures to reform our surveillance activities that draw upon many of the core recommendations issued by the PCLOB and Presidential Review Group.




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Testimony as Prepared for Delivery by Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Mythili Raman Before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary on the Topic, “Privacy in the Digital Age”

At the Department of Justice, we are devoting significant resources and energy to fighting computer hacking and other types of cybercrime. The recent revelations about the massive thefts of financial information from large retail stores have served as a stark reminder to all of us about how vulnerable we are to cyber criminals who are determined to steal our personal information. The Justice Department is more committed than ever to ensuring that the full range of government enforcement tools is brought to bear in the fight against cybercrime.




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Former Tennessee Police Officer Sentenced for Assaulting an Arrestee

Christopher Eugene Reynolds, 39, a former police officer of the Selmer, Tenn., Police Department (SPD), was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen to serve one year and one day in prison following his conviction for violating the civil rights of an arrestee, the Justice Department announced.



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California Woman Sentenced in Fraudulent Tax Refund Scheme

U.S, District Judge D. Lowell Jensen sentenced Noemi Rubio Baez, of Salinas, Calif., to serve 30 months in prison for her involvement in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally for the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California announced that today.



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Former Chiropractor Convicted of Tax Fraud

Following a trial that began on Jan. 29, 2014, a federal jury convicted David Moleski, formerly of Neptune, N.J., of 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede Internal Revenue laws and three counts of submitting false claims for tax refunds.



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New Mexico Farmer Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud, Fraudulently Collecting Farm Subsidies

Bill Melot, a farmer from Hobbs, N.M., was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison today to be followed by three years of supervised release for tax evasion, program fraud and other crimes, the Justice Department, Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General announced.



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Sanborn Map Co. Pays $2.1 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Claims for Map Work Related to United States Military Convoy Routes in Iraq and Marine Corps Bases in United States

Sanborn Map Company Inc. has agreed to pay $2.1 million to the U.S. government to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims in connection with U. S. Army Corps of Engineers contracts.



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Former Bank of America Executive Pleads Guilty for Role in Conspiracy and Fraud Involving Investment Contracts for Municipal Bonds Proceeds

A former Bank of America executive pleaded guilty today for his participation in a conspiracy and scheme to defraud related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.



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Government Settles False Claims Act Allegations Against Kentucky Addiction Clinic, Clinical Lab and Two Doctors for $15.75 Million

SelfRefind, a chain of addiction treatment clinics, PremierTox LLC, a clinical laboratory that performs urine testing and Drs. Bryan Wood and Robin Peavler, the owners of SelfRefind and PremierTox, have agreed to pay $15.75 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare and Kentucky’s Medicaid program for tests that were medically unnecessary, more expensive than those performed or billed in violation of the Stark Law.



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Former Guatemalan Special Forces Officer Sentenced for Covering up Involvement in 1982 Massacre

A former Guatemalan Special Forces officer was sentenced today to serve 10 years in prison for covering up his involvement in a 1982 massacre at Dos Erres, Guatemala.



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Former Executive of Power Generation Company Charged with Fraud and Money Laundering

Asem Elgawhary, the former principal vice president of Bechtel Corporation and general manager of the Power Generation Engineering and Services Company (PGESCo), was indicted by a grand jury in Maryland today on charges that he defrauded his former employers, laundered the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme and violated federal tax laws.



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Two Men Sentenced for Federal Hate Crime Charges Resulting from 2012 New Year's Eve Attack

The Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced that two Latino men associated with the Compton 155 street gang were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Terry J. Hatter Jr. for their racially-motivated attack on African-American juveniles at a residence in Compton, Calif., on Dec. 31, 2012.



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Former Sailor Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Attempted Espionage

Robert Patrick Hoffman II, 40, of Virginia Beach, Va., was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for attempting to commit espionage against the United States.



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Justice Department Highlights Ongoing Efforts to Protect the Public and Shut Down Fraudulent Tax Return Preparers and Promoters Nationwide

Today, the Justice Department announced the results of its ongoing efforts to combat fraudulent tax-return preparers and promoters of tax-fraud schemes.



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Federal Advisory Committee Examines Juvenile Courts and Justice System Programs for American Indian Children Exposed to Violence

More than 30 tribal leaders, juvenile court judges, child advocates, juvenile justice system experts and community members from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community testified today in the second public hearing of the Advisory Committee of the Attorney General’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence.



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Statements of Associate Attorney General Tony West and Acting Assistant Attorney General of Enrd on the National Strategy for Combatting Wildlife Trafficking

Today, the White House released the National Strategy for Combatting Wildlife Trafficking. The Department of Justice, along with the Departments of State and the Interior, are co-chairs of the U.S. Task Force established by President Obama to lead the implementation of this strategy. On Thursday, Associate Attorney General Tony West will lead the U.S. Delegation’s participation at the London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade.



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Durable Medical Equipment Clinic Owner Sentenced for His Role in $11 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

The former owner of a defunct durable medical equipment (DME) clinic was sentenced today in Miami to serve 70 months in prison for his role in an $11 million health care fraud scheme involving World Class Medical Clinic Corp.



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Minnesota Man and Woman Sentenced for Participating in a Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

Today, the Justice Department announced that Andre James Hertzog, 29, was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison and eight years of supervised release for participating in a sex trafficking conspiracy. Nicole Bramer, 29, was sentenced to serve 21 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks on Criminal Justice Reform at Georgetown University Law Center

From its earliest days, our Republic has been bound together by its extraordinary legal system, and by the enduring values that define it. These values – of equality, opportunity, and justice under law – were first codified in our founding documents. And they are put into action every day by leaders like you – and the talented men and women who learn, at great institutions like Georgetown, what it means to be a steward of the law – and an advocate for those whom it protects and empowers.




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Armenian Power Gang Associate Convicted for His Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

Andranik Aloyan, an associate of the Armenian Power gang, has been convicted at trial for his role in a racketeering conspiracy that included stealing personal and financial information of elderly bank customers who held accounts that were valued at more than $25 million.



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Joint Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on the Declassification of Additional Documents Regarding Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper released the following joint statement Wednesday.



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MPRI Inc. Agrees to Pay $3.2 Million for False Labor Charges on Contract to Support Army in Afghanistan

MPRI Inc. has agreed to pay $3.2 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false labor charges on a contract to support the Army in Afghanistan.



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U.S., Canada and Mexico Antitrust Officials Participate in Trilateral Meeting in Washington to Discuss Antitrust Enforcement

The heads of the antitrust agencies of the United States, Canada and Mexico – Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, Chairwoman Edith Ramirez of the Federal Trade Commission, Canadian Commissioner of Competition John Pecman and President Alejandra Palacios Prieto of the Mexican Federal Competition Commission – met today in Washington, D.C., to discuss their mutual efforts to ensure continued effective antitrust enforcement cooperation in our increasingly interconnected markets.



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Independent Contractor in Afghanistan Pleads Guilty for His Role in Offering $54,000 in Bribes to a U.S. Government Official

Earlier today at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., Akbar Ahmad Sherzai, 49, of Centreville, Va., an independent contractor for a trucking company operating in Afghanistan that was responsible for delivering fuel to U.S. Army installations, pleaded guilty to his role in offering a U.S. Army serviceman $54,000 in bribes to falsify documents.



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Former Georgia Tax Return Preparer Sentenced for Tax Fraud

Irene Tamika Smith, a former professional tax-return preparer, was sentenced yesterday to serve 33 months in prison for conspiring with her co-workers to defraud the United States by filing false tax returns in order to receive fraudulently-inflated refunds for clients.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Ganado School District to Ensure Equal Opportunities for English Language Learner Students

The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Ganado Unified School District in Ganado, Ariz., to ensure that its English Language Learner (ELL) students have equal opportunities to participate in its educational programs, as mandated by federal law.



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Former Virginia Subcontractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery

Dwayne Allen Hardman, 44, of Charleston, W.V., pleaded guilty today to paying bribes to public officials.



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Former Puerto Rico Correctional Officer Sentenced for Scheme to Smuggle Heroin into State Prison

A former correctional officer at the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison for attempting to smuggle heroin into the prison where he worked, Bayamón State Penitentiary, in exchange for a $3,000 payment.



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Former Chief Executive Officer of Oil Services Company Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery Charges

The former chief executive officer of PetroTiger Ltd., a British Virgin Islands oil and gas company with operations in Colombia and offices in New Jersey, pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials and to defraud PetroTiger.



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Former Detroit Liquor Store Owner Sentenced for Tax Fraud and for Selling Cutting Agents to Drug Dealers

Bashar Saroki, a resident of Southfield, Mich., was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan to serve 30 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced.



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Army Soldier Pleads Guilty for Role in Stealing Fuel in Afghanistan

U.S. Army Sergeant Albert Kelly III, 28, of Fort Knox, Ky., pleaded guilty today to theft charges for his role in the theft of fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno in Afghanistan.



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Former Denso Corp. Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstructing Automotive Parts Investigation

A former executive of Japan-based Denso Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Antitrust Division’s investigation into a conspiracy to fix the prices of heater control panels installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Alabama Bank Employee Sentenced to Prison for Role in Tax Refund Fraud

LaQuanta Clayton, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., and a former bank teller employed by the Community Bank and Trust, was sentenced on Feb. 19, 2014, to serve 21 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for participating in a fraudulent tax refund scheme.



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Alabama Family Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft Scheme

Mary Young and her husband, Christian Young were sentenced today, and her son, Octavious Reeves, was sentenced late yesterday, for their involvement in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme.



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Former Maryland Corrections Officer Convicted for Beating Inmate and Ensuing Cover-Up

The Justice Department announced that James Kalbflesh, a former correctional officer at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Md., was convicted today by a federal jury on three civil rights and conspiracy counts related to his participation in the beating of an RCI inmate in 2008 and the cover-up that followed.



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Two Florida Men Sentenced for Defrauding Thousands of Homeowners in $4 Million Nationwide Home Loan Modification Scam

Two Florida men were sentenced today to serve 84 months in prison for defrauding thousands of homeowners in a $4 million nationwide home loan modification scheme.



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Georgia Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions

A Georgia real estate investor pleaded guilty today for her role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Georgia.



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Texas Man Charged with Hate Crime for Assault Based on Victim’s Sexual Orientation

Brice Johnson, 19, of Springtown, Texas, has been charged with willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of that person in a federal criminal complaint, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas and the FBI Dallas Division announced.



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Endo Pharmaceuticals and Endo Health Solutions to Pay $192.7 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Liability Relating to Marketing of Prescription Drug Lidoderm for Unapproved Uses

Pharmaceutical company Endo Health Solutions Inc. and its subsidiary Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Endo) have agreed to pay $192.7 million to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from Endo’s marketing of the prescription drug Lidoderm for uses not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration.



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Philadelphia Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Deadly Firebombings

Kidada Savage, 31, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to life in prison for her role in the Oct. 9, 2004, firebombing that killed six members of a federal witness’s family. Savage is the sister of Kaboni Savage, who ordered the firebombing and who was sentenced to death for 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering.



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Government Files Enforcement Action Against Four California Companies and Six Individuals to Stop the Importation of Dangerous Children’s Products

The government has asked a federal court in California to issue an injunction shutting down the importation and sales activities of four California companies and six individuals in connection with their imports of illegal children’s products containing, among other things, lead, phthalates and small parts inappropriate for children under age three.



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Justice Department Highlights Efforts to Combat Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud

Today, the Justice Department announced the results of its ongoing efforts to combat tax refund fraud that involves identity theft. The Tax Division, in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, has prioritized the investigation and prosecution of individuals who engage in stolen identity refund fraud.



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Attorney General Holder Urges Congress to Create National Standard for Reporting Cyberattacks

In a video message released today, Attorney General Eric Holder called on Congress to create a strong, national standard for quickly alerting consumers whose information may be compromised by cyberattacks. This legislation would strengthen the Justice Department's ability to combat crime, ensure individual privacy, and prevent identity theft, while also helping to bring cybercriminals to justice.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Missouri National Guard to Enforce Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit against the Missouri National Guard alleging they violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by requiring its dual technician employees to resign from their civilian positions prior to active duty service in the U.S. Army Guard and Reserve.



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Former Employee of Florida Airline Fuel Supply Company Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Federal Investigation

A former employee of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company pleaded guilty today to obstructing an investigation into fraud and anticompetitive conduct in the airline charter services industry.



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