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Northern California Real Estate Investor Indicted on Additional Charge

A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento today returned a superseding indictment charging Andrew B. Katakis, of Danville, Calif., with obstruction of justice related to a federal investigation into conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in San Joaquin County, Calif.



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Departments of Justice and Education Reach Settlement to Address and Prevent Sexual Assault and Harassment of Students at the University of Montana in Missoula

The Department of Justice and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights obtained a comprehensive resolution agreement today with the University of Montana-Missoula in Missoula, Mont., to ensure that it responds swiftly and effectively to allegations of sexual assault and harassment by students.



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Former Middle School Employee Sentenced in Texas to 30 Years in Prison for Producing and Distributing Child Pornography

A Texas man was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for producing and distributing material relating to the sexual exploitation of children.



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Former President of Port Arthur Company Guilty of Federal Crimes Related to Employee Deaths

The former president of Port Arthur Chemical and Environmental Services, LLC (PACES) has pleaded guilty in federal court to occupational safety crimes which resulted in the death of an employee.



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Reputed Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Leader Pleads Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

An alleged general of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang (ABT) pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges related to his membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise.



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Convicted Terrorist Sentenced to Life in Prison for Plotting to Kill Witnesses in His Terrorism Trial

At a hearing today in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina, Hysen Sherifi, 29, of Raleigh, N.C., was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge W. Earl Britt to life in prison. Sherifi’s co-defendants, Shkumbin Sherifi, 23, and Nevine Aly Elshiekh, 48, were also sentenced to 36 months and 42 months in prison, respectively, both followed by three years of supervised release.



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Federal Court in Georgia Shuts Down Tax Return Preparer

A federal court permanently barred Larry J. Heath, a Cartersville, Ga., area tax preparer who operated Heath’s Income Tax, Heath &s Income Tax II, from preparing tax returns for others.



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Detroit Area Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 60 Months for Role in $13 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area home health care agency owner was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for causing the submission of over $1 million in false and fraudulent billing to Medicare as part of a $13.8 million health care fraud conspiracy.



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Las Vegas Physician Sentenced for Tax Evasion and Failing to File Income Tax Returns

Robert David Forsyth, of Las Vegas, was sentenced late Friday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to 27 months in prison for income tax evasion and failing to file income tax returns.



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High Ranking Gulf Cartel Member Sentenced in Washington, D.C., to 35 Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking

Aurelio Cano Flores, a Mexican national and high ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, was sentenced today to serve 35 years in prison for conspiring to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.



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Detroit-Area Clinic Owner Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Role in $19 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area adult day care center owner was sentenced today to serve 40 months in prison for billing for unnecessary psychotherapy services, or services that were not provided, as part of a health care fraud conspiracy which led to more than $19 million in fraudulent Medicare billings.



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Idaho Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

Michael George Fitzpatrick, 51, of Hope, Idaho, was sentenced to 42 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns.



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California Jewelry Store Owner Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Conspiracy to Launder the Proceeds of Bank Fraud

Safieh Fard, 52, of Escondido, Calif., was sentenced late yesterday to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Fard was also ordered to pay $594,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid individual income taxes.



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Community Mental Health Center Program Coordinator Sentenced to 70 Months for Role in $63 Million Fraud Scheme

A former program coordinator at the defunct health provider Health Care Solutions Network Inc. (HCSN) was sentenced in Miami to 70 months in prison today for her role in a $63 million fraud scheme.



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Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 89 Individuals for Approximately $223 Million in False Billing

Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that a nationwide takedown by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in eight cities has resulted in charges against 89 individuals, including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $223 million in false billings.



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Michigan Physician Pleads Guilty for Role in Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today to making fraudulent referrals for home health care as part of a $1.6 million home health care fraud scheme.



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Michigan Man Sentenced for Tax Fraud

Steven Kern, of Marine City, Mich., was sentenced to serve one year and one day in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan.



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Former Construction Company Owner Indicted in Nevada for Income Tax Evasion

A federal grand jury in Nevada today returned an indictment against a former construction company owner for evading federal income and employment taxes.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Medicare Fraud Strike Force Press Conference

As a result of Strike Force operations conducted since 2007, we’ve filed charges against more than 1,500 individuals in connection with schemes involving over $5 billion in false billings.




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Pennslyvania Inmate Sentenced to Life in Prison for Violent Murder of Fellow Inmate

A federal inmate was sentenced today to life in prison for the violent murder of a fellow inmate in Pennsylvania’s Allenwood Correctional Complex



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Mississippi Corporation Pleads Guilty and Agrees to $ 1 Million Fine for Illegally Filling Protected Wetlands

Mississippi-based Hancock County Land LLC (HCL) pleaded guilty today to the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., and agreed to pay a $1 million fine and take remedial measures for two felony violations of the Clean Water Act/



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Smuggling Ring Sentenced in Los Angeles for Criminal Trafficking of Endangered Rhinoceros Horn

Vinh Chuong “Jimmy” Kha, 50, and Felix Kha 26, were sentenced today in federal district court in Los Angeles to serve 42 and 46 months, respectively, in prison for crimes related to illegal international trafficking of rhinoceros horn.



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Tennessee Man Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charge Related to Desecration of Religious Paraphernalia

The Justice Department today announced that a federal grand jury in Memphis, Tenn., has returned a one-count indictment charging Justin Shawn Baker, 25, of Jackson, Tenn., with violating the civil rights of students and faculty of the Margolin Hebrew Academy.



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Statement Regarding Inspector General Report on the Handling of Former Known or Suspected Terrorists Admitted into the Federal Witness Security Program

For more than 40 years, the federal Witness Security (WitSec) Program has enabled the government to bring to justice the most dangerous criminals by providing critical protection for witnesses fearing for their safety.



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Oregon Man Indicted for Alleged Role in $50 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

An Oregon man has been charged with allegedly orchestrating a $50 million securities fraud scheme



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Florida Husband and Wife Indicted for Federal Tax Crimes

Drs. David Leon Fredrick and Patricia Lynn Hough, of Englewood, Fla., were indicted by a federal grand jury in Fort Myers, Fla., for conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in offshore bank accounts at UBS and other foreign banks.



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Boise Man Arrested; Terrorism Charges Filed in Idaho and Utah

Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested Thursday morning in Boise, Idaho, as part of a federal terrorism investigation. Federal terrorism charges were filed Thursday afternoon in Boise and Salt Lake City, Utah. Kurbanov, an Uzbekistan national, legally present in the United States, was living in Boise at the time of his arrest.



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Former Dallas Securities Broker Sentenced in Oklahoma to 84 Months in Prison for Role in Stock Manipulation Scheme

A former stock broker was sentenced to prison today for his role in an extensive pump-and-dump stock manipulation scheme.



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Individual Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Id Fraud and Impersonating an Osha Official in Wake of Gulf Oil Spill

Connie M. Knight, 47, previously of Belle Chasse, La., was sentenced to serve 57 months in prison in New Orleans federal court late yesterday for providing fraudulent hazardous waste safety training in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill



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United States Sues Brooklyn Fish Processors in Food Safety Case

The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit and sought a preliminary injunction against N.Y. Fish Inc.; New York City Fish Inc.; Maxim Kutsyk, Pavel Roytkov, Leonid Staroseletesky, and Steven Koyfman under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA).



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Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced in Houston to Prison for Human Smuggling

Indian national Kaushik Jayantibhai Thakkar and Brazilian national Fabiano Augusto Amorim were each sentenced today to serve 36 months in prison for their roles in smuggling undocumented migrants to the United States for private financial gain.



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Army National Guard Captain Charged for Alleged Role in Bribery and Wire Fraud Scheme and Two Former Soldiers Sentenced for Their Roles in a Related Scheme

A Texas Army National Guard captain has been charged for his alleged role in a bribery and wire fraud scheme and two former soldiers in the Texas Army National Guard were sentenced for their roles in a separate scheme to defraud the National Guard Bureau and its contractor.



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Florida Woman Indicted on Conspiracy for Role in Bringing 143 Haitian Nationals to the United States on Fraudulently Obtained Guest Worker Visas

Today, a federal judge unsealed a three-count indictment returned by a grand jury in the Southern District of Florida charging Jetta McPhee, 59, of Tamarac, Fla., for her role in bringing 143 Haitian nationals to the United States on fraudulently obtained guest worker visas that McPhee and her co-conspirator secured based on false representations that there were jobs awaiting those workers.



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Eighth Individual Sentenced in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

Sean Rosales, a dual United States and Costa Rican citizen, was sentenced today in connection with a series of business opportunity fraud ventures based in Costa Rica, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.



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Two Alabama Real Estate Investors and Their Company Sentenced for Their Roles in Bid-Rigging and Mail Fraud Conspiracies Involving Real Estate Purchased at Public Foreclosure Auctions

Two Alabama real estate investors and their company were sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama in Mobile, for their participation in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in southern Alabama.



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Attorney Convicted in Multimillion-Dollar Stock Fraud

Attorney Mitchell J. Stein, 53, of Hidden Hills, Calif., was convicted by a jury in the Southern District of Florida for his role in operating a five-year, multimillion-dollar market manipulation and fraud scheme.



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Two Denso Corporation Executives Agree to Plead Guilty for Price Fixing and Bid Rigging on Auto Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

Two DENSO Corp. executives – Yuji Suzuki and Hiroshi Watanabe – have agreed to plead guilty for their roles in international conspiracies to fix prices and rig bids of certain automotive components installed in U.S. cars, the Department of Justice announced today.



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Members of International Sex Trafficking Ring Indicted

Arturo Rojas-Coyotl, Odilon Martinez-Rojas, and Severiano Martinez-Rojas, all of Tenancingo in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico have been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and alien harboring.



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Health Care Clinic Director Sentenced in Miami to 111 Months for His Role in $63 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A former health care clinic director and licensed therapist was sentenced in Miami to 111 months in prison today in connection with a health care fraud scheme involving defunct health provider Health Care Solutions Network Inc. (HCSN).



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African Trophy Hunter Indicted for Violating Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act

Charles Kokesh was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola, Florida, for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act by selling two African elephant tusks and for making false accounts of wildlife related to that sale.



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Two Members of Latin Kings Street Gang Sentenced in Indiana for Racketeering Conspiracy and Related Crimes

Two members of the Latin Kings street gang were sentenced today in Hammond, Ind., federal court for racketeering conspiracy.



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Three Defendants Plead Guilty to Participating in Ambush Murder and Attempted Murder of Ice Agents in Mexico

Julian Zapata Espinoza, also known as “Piolin,” 32, pleaded guilty today to the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila in Mexico.



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Houston Man Charged with Threatening to Bomb Synagogues

A federal complaint has been unsealed charging Dante Phearse, 32, of Houston, with calling in bomb threats to two synagogues located in Houston.



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Former Texas Police Officer Ordered to Federal Prison for Deprivation of Civil Rights

A former officer with the Laredo, Texas, Police Department (LPD) has been sentenced to prison following his conviction for violating the civil rights of an arrestee.



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Missouri Woman Indicted for Violating Civil Rights of Family by Setting Fire to Their Home

An Independence, Mo., woman was indicted by a federal grand jury today for violating the civil rights of an African-American family by setting fire to their residence.



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Former Chicago Police Officer and Two Members of Latin Kings Street Gang Sentenced in Indiana for Racketeering Conspiracy and Related Crimes

A former Chicago police officer and two members of the Latin Kings street gang were sentenced to prison today in Hammond, Ind., federal court for racketeering conspiracy and related crimes.



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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Tax Refund Checks

Rodriquez Thomas, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to conspiring to cash fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks.



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ISTA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Pleads Guilty to Federal Felony Charges; Will Pay $33.5 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability and False Claims Act Allegations

Pharmaceutical company ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. pled guilty earlier today to conspiracy to introduce a misbranded drug into interstate commerce and conspiracy to pay illegal remuneration in violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute.



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One of the World’s Largest Digital Currency Companies and Seven of Its Principals and Employees Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Running Alleged $6 Billion Money Laundering Scheme

Liberty Reserve, a company that operated one of the world’s most widely used digital currency services, and seven of its principals and employees were charged with money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.



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Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Coercing and Enticing a Minor to Perform in an Online Sex Show

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today to serve 12 years in prison for coercing and enticing a minor and possessing child pornography.



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