federal

Federal Court Bars Missouri Lawyer from Promoting Tax Schemes That Cost the U.S. at Least $100 Million in Lost Taxes

A federal court in Kansas City, Mo, has permanently barred Missouri lawyer A. Blair Stover Jr. from promoting a variety of improper tax schemes.



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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Issue Revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued today revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines that outline how the federal antitrust agencies evaluate the likely competitive impact of mergers and whether those mergers comply with U.S. antitrust law.



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Dominion & Marathon Oil to Pay $6.9 Million to Resolve Allegations of Royalty Underpayments from American Indian and Federal Lands

Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc. and Marathon Oil Company have agreed to pay the United States $2,219,974.98 and $4,697,476.57, respectively, to resolve claims that the two companies separately violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal and Indian leases.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Georgia Tax Preparers from Preparing Taxes for Others

A federal district judge in Atlanta has permanently barred Saloum A. Njie and his company, MIAAS Associates LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Employee of Federal Contractor Charged with Disclosing National Defense Information to National News Reporter

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned an indictment charging Stephen Jin-Woo Kim with unlawfully disclosing national defense information to a reporter for a national news organization and making false statements to the FBI.



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Federal Inmate Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison for Obstructing DOJ Office of the Inspector General

A federal inmate was sentenced today in Kansas City, Mo., to 96 months in prison for obstructing justice by making false statements and creating false evidence in connection with another criminal case in which the inmate was charged.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Orlando, Florida, Tax Preparer

A federal district judge in Orlando, Fla., has permanently barred Elisa Veronica Barron of Orlando from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Federal Court Bars Missouri Lawyer from Promoting Individual Retirement Account Tax Arrangements

A federal judge in St. Louis has permanently barred a Missouri attorney and his law firm from promoting any Individual Retirement Account-based arrangement.



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federal

Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Bar Allegedly Fraudulent Stock Loan Scheme

The United States has filed a complaint asking a Virginia federal court to permanently bar three firms and three men from promoting a nationwide “HedgeLoan” scheme that the complaint alleges involves the disguised sale of more than $268 million in securities.



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federal

Federal Court Orders Another South Florida Tax Preparer to Comply with Homebuyer Credit Rules

A federal court in Miami has permanently barred Alberto Camejo and his business, ABCY Star Service LLC, from claiming the First-Time Homebuyer Credit on returns they prepare unless ensuring that the taxpayer is entitled to claim the credit.



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Federal Court Bars Multi- Million Dollar Tax Fraud Scheme Operating in Southern California

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred three Huntington Beach men from preparing federal tax returns for customers.



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Federal Agencies Host National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention

At the direction of President Obama, the Departments of Justice and Education officially launched the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention (the forum) along with participating localities and other federal agencies.



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Justice Department Concludes No Federal Criminal Violation in the Death of Imam Abdullah in Dearborn

The Justice Department announced today that the evidence does not reveal a violation of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute or warrant further federal criminal investigation in the death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a Detroit Muslim cleric, who was shot during an Oct. 28, 2009, arrest by FBI agents in Dearborn, Mich.



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Massachusetts Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Burning African-American Church

Benjamin Haskell was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael A. Ponsor in Springfield, Mass., to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in the 2008 burning of the Macedonia Church of God in Christ, a predominately African-American Church, on the morning after President Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the United States.



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federal

Federal Court Bars Texas Man and His Corporations from Pyramiding Employment Taxes

A federal court Tuesday issued a memorandum opinion and a preliminary injunction against Arthur Piner Grider, III; Asgard Avionics Corp. of Florida; and 14 other corporate defendants who operate as employee leasing companies, from violating the Internal Revenue Code.



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Ruston, Louisiana, Man Sentenced for Federal Hate Crime

Robert Jackson, 37, of Ruston, La., was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for placing a hangman’s noose under the carport of the home of a Honduran immigrant who moved to Ruston from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.



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federal

Federal Court Bars Owner and Employees of Providence, Rhode Island, Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal judge in Providence, R.I., entered a preliminary injunction against Michael Brier, individually, and doing business as Refunds Now Inc., RNTS Inc., FTIRS Inc., POTIRS Inc. and IHIRS Inc. from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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federal

Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit in Iowa Against Owner and Managers of Federally-subsidized Property for Sex Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today that it has sued the owners and managers of Park Towers Apartments, a federally-subsidized apartment complex in Waterloo, Iowa, alleging a pattern or practice of sexual harassment in violation of the Fair Housing Act.



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Three Men Charged in Albuquerque, N.M., with Federal Hate Crimes Related to Assault of Disabled Navajo Man

A federal grand jury indicted three men in Albuquerque, N.M., on federal hate crime charges related to a racially-motivated assault of a 22-year-old man of Navajo descent who has a significant cognitive impairment.



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Bureau of Prisons Implements Key Provision of Tribal Law and Order Act with Pilot Program to Incarcerate Tribal Prisoners in Federal Prisons

The Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons today implemented a key provision of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 by launching a four-year pilot program to begin accepting certain tribal offenders sentenced in tribal courts for placement in Bureau of Prisons institutions.



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Federal Courts Order Seizure of 82 Website Domains Involved in Selling Counterfeit Goods as Part of DOJ and ICE Cyber Monday Crackdown

Seizure orders have been executed against 82 domain names of commercial websites engaged in the illegal sale and distribution of counterfeit goods and copyrighted works as part of Operation In Our Sites v. 2.0, Attorney General Eric Holder and Director John Morton of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today.



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Former Federal Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violation and Obstruction of Justice

Benjamin Montgomery, a former correctional officer at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta pleaded guilty today to a two-count information charging him with civil rights crimes for assaulting an inmate and for subsequently writing a false report about the incident.



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Bank of America Agrees to Pay $137.3 Million in Restitution to Federal and State Agencies as a Condition of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Corporate Leniency Program

Bank of America entities have agreed to pay a total of $137.3 million in restitution to federal and state agencies for its participation in a conspiracy to rig bids in the municipal bond derivatives market and as a condition of its admission into the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Corporate Leniency Program.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Texas Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Maritza Villanueva of Irving, Texas, from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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federal

Former Bell, California, Police Officer Sentenced to Nine Years on Federal Civil Rights Charge for Sexual Assault

A judge sentenced Feliciano Sanchez, a former officer with the Bell, Calif., Police Department, to nine years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for sexually assaulting a female motorist and violating her civil rights.



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Former Wealth Manager Pleads Guilty to Causing a Presidential Campaign Committee to Submit False Statements to the Federal Election Commission

A former principal of a wealth management firm pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to causing the Hillary Clinton for President Committee unwittingly to submit false statements to the Federal Election Commission.



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Ludlow Falls, Ohio, Builder Sentenced to 16 Months in Prison for Filing False Federal Tax Return

Roy W. Bradford was sentenced today in federal district court in Dayton, Ohio, for willfully filing a false federal income tax return for 2004.



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Federal Complaint Filed Against Jared Lee Loughner

The United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, Dennis K. Burke, announced today that his office filed a federal complaint against Jared Lee Loughner.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Florida Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Dianelys Armengol Guevara of Pembroke Pines, Fla., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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federal

Federal Court Permanently Bars South Florida Man from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Sony Ducasse of Greenacres, Fla., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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federal

Two Men Plead Guilty to Federal Hate Crime Charge Related to Desecration of Synagogue and Churches in Modesto, California

Brian Lewis of Modesto, Calif., and Abel Mark Gonzalez of Morgan Hill, Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill to conspiring to violate the civil rights of congregants of Congregation Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Modesto, Calif.



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Mobile, Alabama, Man Sentenced on Federal Civil Rights and Weapons Charge Related to Desecration of Synagogue

A judge sentenced Thomas Hayward Lewis to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for violating the civil rights of congregants of the Congregation Tree of Life Messianic Synagogue, as well as possession of an unregistered firearm.



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Michigan Businessman Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Federal E-Rate Program

A Michigan businessman pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with the federal E-Rate program.



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federal

Federal Court Permanently Bars Joliet, Illinois, Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court in Chicago has permanently barred Sidney Dove, a tax-return preparer from Joliet, Ill., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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federal

Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Trey Joyner

The Justice Department announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against U.S. Park Police detectives involved in the fatal shooting of Trey Joyner.



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federal

Third Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime Charge Related to Desecration of Synagogue and Churches in Modesto, California

Andrew Kerber, 22, of Chico, Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill in Fresno, Calif., to violating the civil rights of congregants of Congregation Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Modesto, Calif.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Colorado Tax Preparer

A federal court in Denver has permanently barred Curtis L. Morris of Elizabeth, Colo., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars North Carolina Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Jody S. Ball of Bryson City, N.C., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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federal

Former California Congressional Candidate Sentenced to Federal Prison for Lying During Investigation

Tan Nguyen, 35, from Oceanside, Calif., was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter to one year and one day in federal prison for his conviction last year on a federal obstruction of justice charge stemming from lies he told California investigators about his involvement in a letter sent to Latino voters during his 2006 campaign for U.S. House of Representatives.



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federal

Federal Courts Order Seizure of Website Domains Involved in Advertising and Distributing Child Pornography

Seizure warrants have been executed against 10 domain names of websites engaged in the advertisement and distribution of child pornography.



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federal

Arkansas Woman Barred from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

An Arkansas woman who operates Foster’s Income Tax Service in Knobel, Ark., has been permanently barred from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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federal

Federal Court Bars Florida Woman from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

"A Florida woman has been permanently barred from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Department of Justice announced today."



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federal

Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime in Connection with Mosque Arson in Arlington, Texas

Henry Clay Glaspell, of Arlington, Texas, pleaded guilty today to a hate crime charge stemming from the ethnically-motivated arson of a children’s playground at the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center in Arlington in July 2010.



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Six Alleged Bloods Gang Members and Associates Indicted in Tennessee on Federal Racketeering and Murder Charges

A superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Nashville, Tenn., was unsealed today, charging six alleged members of the violent gang known as the Bloods with various racketeering and murder charges.



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federal

Owner of Illinois Technology Company Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud the Federal E-Rate Program

Barrett C. White was originally charged in U.S. District Court in New Orleans on Nov. 18, 2010, for his role in the conspiracy to defraud the E-Rate program.



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federal

Former Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Charges

A jury in St. Louis today convicted Vernon Wilson, 57, former chief deputy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, of violating the civil rights of four former inmates of the Washington County Jail on four separate occasions by beating two of the inmates and by arranging for the beatings of two other inmates.



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federal

Federal Court Permanently Bars Owner and Employees of Rhode Island Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court in Providence, R.I., has ordered that Michael Brier, the owner of the tax return preparation firm Refunds Now Inc., and his employees, Jeffrey Sroufe, Esther Santiago and Carmen Miranda, be permanently barred from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Maryland Resident Charged with Making False Statements and Submitting False Documents in Applications for Federal Jobs

A Maryland woman has been charged by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., with making false statements and submitting false documents in multiple job applications to U.S. federal government agencies.



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federal

Federal Court Bars Two Los Angeles Residents from Promoting Sham Trust Tax Scheme

A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction barring Gwenn Wycoff and Frank Ozak, both of Los Angeles, from promoting so-called “common-law trusts” that help individuals evade taxes.



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Denton County, Texas, Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking and Related Federal Charges

Marcus Choice Williams, 36, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez to various felony offenses related to a conspiracy to traffic young women for prostitution.



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