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Former Defense Contractor Sentenced to Prison for Theft of Employee Payroll Taxes and Pension Plan Contributions

William P. Danielczyk, theformer head of a Virginia-based defense contracting company, was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison for failing to collect and pay more than $2.2 million in employee payroll taxes and engaging in theft of more than $186,000 from an employee pension plan.



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Owner of Tax Return Preparation Franchise and Health Provider Business Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud, Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering

Claude Arthur Verbal II, formerly of Raleigh, North Carolina, and now of Miami, was sentenced today to serve 135 months in prison for tax fraud, healthcare fraud and money laundering crimes in two separate cases in federal court



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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.



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Hewlett-Packard Russia Pleads Guilty to and Sentenced for Bribery of Russian Government Officials

ZAO Hewlett-Packard A.O. (HP Russia), an international subsidiary of the California technology company Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Co.), pleaded guilty today to felony violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and was then sentenced for bribing Russian government officials to secure a large technology contract with the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.



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Two Men, Including Former Car Salesman at Prominent Los Angeles Dealership, Charged with Conspiring to Roll Back Odometers in Large-Scale Scheme That Defrauded Car Buyers

A former salesman at a prominent Los Angeles car dealership and another Southern California man were charged with odometer tampering, the Justice Department announced today.



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United States Seeks Civil Contempt Against Bayer Corporation for Failure to Substantiate Promotional Claims for Phillips’ Colon Health

The Department of Justice announced today that it filed a motion to show cause why Bayer Corporation should not be held in civil contempt for violating a court order in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.



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Community Oriented Policing Services Outlines Best Practices for Use of Body-Worn Cameras for Police Officers

Today the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) released Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned. The report analyzes some of the costs and benefits of law enforcement using body-worn video technology.



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Federal Court Bars Louisiana Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court in New Orleans has permanently barred Shawanda Nevers, of La Place, Louisiana, from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Wisconsin Pharmacist and Nevada Pharmacologist Charged with Smuggling Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals Using a Costa Rican Internet Pharmacy

A Wisconsin pharmacist and a Nevada pharmacologist were arraigned on an indictment today in Federal Court in Central Islip, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Gary Brown. The defendants are charged with conspiring to supply at least four million misbranded and counterfeit pharmaceuticals to an illegal Internet pharmacy based in Costa Rica that catered to U.S. customers.



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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.



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Federal Court Bars Nevada Corporation from Promoting Alleged Tax Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred Sea Nine Associates Inc. from promoting and selling an alleged nationwide tax scheme that involved using welfare benefit plans to unlawfully increase and accelerate tax deductions and avoid income taxes.



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Episcopal Ministries to the Aging Inc. to Pay $1.3 Million for Allegedly Causing Submission of Claims for Unreasonable or Unnecessary Rehabilitation Therapy at Skilled Nursing Facility

Episcopal Ministries to the Aging Inc., a Maryland not-for-profit corporation that owns skilled nursing facilities, has agreed to pay $1.3 million to the government for submitting false claims to Medicare for unreasonable or unnecessary rehabilitation therapy purportedly provided by RehabCare Group East Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Healthcare Inc.



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U.S. Settlement with Michigan Utility to Reduce Emissions at Its Coal-Fired Power Plants, Fund Projects to Benefit Environment and Communities

In a settlement with the United States, Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation, has agreed to install pollution control technology, continue operating existing pollution controls and comply with emission rates to reduce harmful air pollution from the company’s five coal-fired power plants.



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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.



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Ambulance Company Manager Pleads Guilty to $5.5 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

The general manager of a Southern California ambulance company pleaded guilty yesterday in Los Angeles to conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud, conspiracy to obstruct a Medicare audit, and making materially false statements to law enforcement officers.



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Detroit-Area Doctor Admits to Providing Medically Unnecessary Chemotherapy to Patients

A Detroit-area hematologist-oncologist pleaded guilty today for his role in a health care fraud scheme, admitting that he administered unnecessary chemotherapy to fraudulently bill the Medicare program and private insurance companies. According to court records, the scheme enabled the doctor to submit approximately $225 million in claims to Medicare over six years.



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Rochester Man Indicted on Charges of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS, Attempting to Kill U.S. Soldiers and Possession of Firearms and Silencers

Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin and U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. for the Western District of New York announced today that a federal grand jury in Rochester has returned a seven-count indictment charging Mufid A. Elfgeeh, 30, of Rochester, with three counts of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), aka the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. In addition, Elfgeeh is also charged with one count of attempted murder of current and former members of the United States military, one count of possessing firearms equipped with silencers in furtherance of a crime of violence, and two counts of receipt and possession of unregistered firearm silencers.



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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty in Conspiracy to Illegally Export Restricted Laboratory Equipment to Syria

U.S. Attorney Peter Smith for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge John Kelleghan for Philadelphia, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Special Agent in Charge Sidney M. Simon of the New York Field Office, Office of Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce announced that yesterday Harold Rinko, 72, of Hallstead, Pennsylvania, appeared before Senior District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik in Scranton and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally export laboratory equipment, including items used to detect chemical warfare agents, from the United States to Syria, in violation of federal law



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Hawaii Man Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment for Communicating Classified National Defense Information to Unauthorized Person

Benjamin Pierce Bishop, 60, a former Honolulu, Hawaii, civilian defense contractor and retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to serve 87 months imprisonment and three years’ supervised release for willfully communicating classified national defense information to a person not authorized to receive it and unlawfully retaining classified national defense information at his home.



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Remarks by Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Leslie R. Caldwell at the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Conference

Qui tam cases are a vital part of the Criminal Division’s future efforts. We encourage you to reach out to criminal authorities in appropriate cases, even when you are discussing the case with civil authorities. The sooner we on the criminal side learn about potential criminal conduct, the sooner we can investigate.




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Two Former Rabobank Traders Indicted for Alleged Manipulation of U.S. Dollar, Yen Libor Interest Rates

Two former Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B



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Five Northern California Real Estate Investors Indicted for Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an eight-count indictment against five real estate investors for their role in bid rigging and fraud schemes at foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced



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Eleven Northern California Real Estate Investors Indicted for Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned three multi-count indictments against eleven real estate investors for their role in bid rigging and fraud schemes at foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced



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Defendant In Prior SEC Enforcement Action Arrested And Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Scheme To Hide Assets From Court-Appointed Receiver And The Court

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Diego Rodriguez, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Philip R



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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



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Owner of Three Los Angeles Clinics Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud

The former owner and operator of three medical clinics located in Los Angeles was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for his role in a scheme that submitted more than $4



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Former Idaho Construction Company President Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Scheme

The former president and majority stockholder of a construction company was sentenced to five years in prison today following her plea of guilty to filing a false tax return and her conviction by a jury of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, mail fraud, false statements, interstate transportation of property taken by fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson for the District of Idaho.



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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



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Morgan Stanley Agrees to Pay $2.6 Billion Penalty in Connection with Its Sale of Residential Mortgage Backed Securities

The Justice Department today announced that Morgan Stanley will pay a $2



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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



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Norfolk Man Sentenced to Prison for Mail and Wire Fraud

NEWPORT NEWS, Va



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Former SunTrust Mortgage VP and Loan Officers Sentenced to Prison

ALEXANDRIA, Va



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Former Postal Worker Sentenced to Prison for Workers’ Comp Fraud

NORFOLK, Va



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Navy Senior Chief Indicted in ID Theft and Bank Fraud Scheme

NORFOLK, Va



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Two Former Deutsche Bank Employees Indicted on Fraud Charges in Connection with Long-Running Manipulation of Libor

Two former Deutsche Bank AG (Deutsche Bank) traders—the bank’s supervisor of the Pool Trading Desk in New York and a derivatives trader in London—were indicted for their alleged roles in a scheme to manipulate the U



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Former Director of General Services Administration Division and Husband Indicted for Fraud and Nepotism

ALEXANDRIA, Va



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Three Men Sentenced to Prison for Credit Card Fraud Scheme

RICHMOND, Va



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Former Loudoun County Sheriff’s Deputy Sentenced to Prison

ALEXANDRIA, Va



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Toano Man Pleads Guilty to Impersonating a Federal Agent

NEWPORT NEWS, Va



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New FDA guidance on alternate approaches in premarket notification for Class II medical devices

By Alice Li, MD, MSc, RAC (CAN), Regulatory Scientist, Cato Research FDA issued “The Abbreviated 510(k) Program – Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff” on 13 September 2019. The content of this guidance supersedes the content from 1998 guidance “The New 510(k) Paradigm – Alternate Approaches to Demonstrating Substantial Equivalence in Premarket …

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FDA Approves NASA-Developed Ventilator For Emergency Use

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new high-pressure ventilator developed by NASA to treat coronavirus or COVID-19 patients. The space agency is offering the designs for licensing on a royalty-free basis during the time of the pandemic, hoping to increase the availability of life-saving medical devices.




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Sutro Biopharma Reports Updated Data From Ovarian Cancer Study

Sutro Biopharma Inc.'s (STRO) interim phase I updated clinical data for a dose-escalation study of antibody drug-conjugate STRO-002 in ovarian cancer has been encouraging.




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RedHill Biopharma Provides Update On Compassionate Use Program With Opaganib

Biopharmaceutical company RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (RDHL) on Monday provided an additional update on the compassionate use program with its investigational drug, opaganib (Yeliva, ABC294640)1, in patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (the cause of COVID-19) in Israel.




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FDA Warns Of Risks Related To Use Of Anti-malaria Drugs For COVID-19

Though it issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for anti-malaria drugs to treat or prevent coronavirus (COVID-19), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reiterated its warning about the known side effects of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, including serious and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm problems.




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Gilead's Remdesivir Becomes 1st Drug Allowed For Emergency Use For COVID-19

The FDA has issued emergency use authorization for Gilead Science Inc's (GILD) antiviral drug Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease.




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FDA Decision On BMY's Drug Postponed, ENTA's PBC Study Fails, MGNX Turns Heads

Today's Daily Dose brings you news about the revised FDA decision date for Bristol Myers' CAR T cell therapy for refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Enanta Pharma's primary biliary cholangitis trial results; MacroGenics' anticipated clinical data read-outs and regulatory event for this year and Trovagene's name change.




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Ocean Spray Recalls Pink Lite Cranberry Juice For Undeclared Sulfites

Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. is recalling Pink Lite Cranberry Juice Drink citing potential for undeclared sulfites, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a statement. The recall involves a single production lot of 5.5oz cans of the drink with lot number MH0030LPK4 and Best Before Date of 24JAN21. The product is sold in boxes containing six 5.5oz cans. They were distributed to retail




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FDA Gives Nod To Medtronic's Hemodialysis Device For Pediatric Patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted marketing authorization to Medtronic Inc.'s CARPEDIEM System, a new device for continuous dialysis therapy for use in pediatric patients with certain kidney conditions. The system is indicated to provide continuous hemodialysis or hemofiltration therapy to critically ill pediatric patients weighing between 2.5 and 10 kilograms.




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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.




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FDA Clears 1st Product Derived From Amniotic Fluid To Enter COVID-19 Trial

Organicell Regenerative Medicine Inc. (BPSR.OB) has received FDA clearance to initiate a phase I/II multi-center clinical trial of Organicell Flow in patients diagnosed with moderate to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) due to COVID-19 infection.