se

Justice Department Announces Release of New Information Online as Part of President’s Open Government Initiative

As part of the Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative, and in compliance with the Open Government Directive issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli today announced the online publication of three high-value sets of data not previously made available by the Department of Justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the National Sheriffs’ Association’s 2010 Winter Conference

"Over the years, I’ve been privileged to work with many of you, and, today, I’m proud to stand alongside each of you in answering our nation’s call to attain justice," said Attorney General Holder.




se

Westar Energy to Spend Approximately $500 Million to Settle Clean Air Act Violations

Westar Energy has agreed to spend approximately $500 million to significantly reduce harmful air pollution from a Kansas power plant and pay a $3 million civil penalty, under a settlement to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Former Los Angeles Medical Center Owners Agree to $10 Million Consent Judgment for Medicare and Medi-Cal Fraud Scheme

The United States has obtained a $10 million consent judgment against Los Angeles businessman Robert Bourseau and Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam for a Medicare and Medi-Cal fraud scheme arising from their former ownership of the Los Angeles City of Angels Medical Center.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Californian Pleads Guilty to False Tax Refund Conspiracy

Haroon Amin of Upland, Calif., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans Agrees to Reinstate Program to Improve Sewage System Damaged by Hurricane Katrina

The Sewerage & stalled for several years in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – to make extensive improvements to reduce or eliminate sewage overflows into the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and its storm drainage canal system.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Settlement with Nashville, Tennessee, Public Schools Will Improve Security on School Buses for Students with Disabilities

The Department has entered into a settlement agreement with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Tenn., and Davidson County, Tenn., to enhance the security of students with disabilities on public school buses.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Businessman Convicted for Evading $1.9 Million in Taxes on Sales of Ozone-Depleting Greenhouse Gases

Dov Shellef, a businessman from Great Neck, N.Y., was convicted today on 86 counts, following a five-week jury trial, for conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service in the collection of approximately $1.9 million in excise taxes due on sales of the ozone-depleting greenhouse gas known as CFC-113.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Los Angeles Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Submitting Nearly $1 Million in False and Fraudulent Claims to Medicare

The owner and operator of a Los Angeles durable medical equipment (DME) company pleaded guilty today to submitting nearly $1 million in false claims to Medicare.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Associate Attorney General Perrelli, Senators Announce Passage of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Resolution

"For the first time, this crime is being commemorated as ‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month,’ instead of a week. This is no small feat, and I commend the Senate for its unanimous passage," said Associate Attorney General Perrelli.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Attorney General Holder, Secretary Sebelius Convene National Summit on Health Care Fraud, Unveil Historic Commitment to Fighting Fraud in President’s FY 2011 Budget

“Health care fraud affects all Americans and demands a coordinated, national response,” said Attorney General Holder.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Federal Court Permanently Blocks Tennessee Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has issued a permanent injunction barring Karen Liane Miller of Nashville, Tenn., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Former Army Staff Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering

A former staff sergeant in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging her with money laundering arising from a scheme involving the fraudulent awarding and administration of U.S. government contracts in Iraq.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Texas Company Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Environmental Crime

Economy Cash & Carry Inc., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in El Paso, Texas, to a criminal violation of the Plant Protection Act related to the falsification of a required certificate stamp.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination in Davenport, Iowa

The Department announced the settlement of a lawsuit alleging that those involved in the design and construction of two multifamily housing complexes in Davenport, Iowa, violated the Fair Housing Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Three Indicted for False Labeling, Smuggling and Misbranding of Seafood Products

A federal grand jury in Mobile, Ala., today returned a 28-count indictment against three individuals for conspiring to falsely label, smuggle and misbrand more than 325,000 pounds of seafood in order to avoid paying tariffs and defraud customers.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Former Willbros International Executives Sentenced to Prison for Their Roles in $6 Million Foreign Bribery Scheme

Two former executives of Willbros International Inc. (WII), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to pay more than $6 million in bribes to government officials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and officials from a Nigerian political party.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

First Extradition from El Salvador to the United States Brings Salvadoran National Back to Serve Prison Sentence on Texas State Sexual Assault Charges

“Today’s extradition brings a criminal to justice and paves the way forward in our law enforcement partnership with El Salvador,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Redding, Calif., Man Convicted of Child Pornography Offenses

Elden Ray Cibart, 60, was found guilty of one count of possessing and three counts of receiving child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Owners of Los Angeles-area Medical Equipment Company Sentenced to Prison for Medicare Fraud

Gevork Kartashyan, 45, and Eliza Shubaralyan, 42, were each sentenced to serve two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the Central District of California.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum

"We need this Civil Rights Museum so that we remember our history, however painful it may be," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




se

Department of Justice Officials, Actress Mariska Hargitay Urge Team Response to End Violence Against Women

President Obama’s FY2011 budget request provides $461 million for OVW to provide communities with resources to combat sexual assault and violence against women.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Man Pleads Guilty to International Child Sex Tourism

Isidro Hinojosa Benavides, 77, a U.S. citizen extradited from Argentina, pleaded guilty today to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Arlington, Texas, Couple Convicted of Forced Labor and Other Crimes for Holding Nigerian Woman in Domestic Servitude

A federal jury has convicted an Arlington, Texas, husband and wife, Emmanuel and Ngozi Nnaji, of engaging in a nine-year scheme to compel the labor of a Nigerian victim as their domestic servant.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Attorney General Letter to Senators on Detention, Interrogation of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter today to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell regarding the detention and interrogation of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Obtains $160,000 Settlement in Discrimination Lawsuit Against Atlanta Area Realtors

Atlanta real estate firms Coldwell Banker Joe T. Lane Realty Inc., Coldwell Banker Bullard Realty Company Inc. and Rodney Lee Foreman, one of their former real estate agents, have agreed to pay $160,000 to settle allegations that they illegally steered prospective homebuyers toward and away from certain neighborhoods based on race and color.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Serial Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison on Sex Tourism and Failure to Register Charges in Delaware

Thomas S. Pendleton, 66, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet in Wilmington, Del., to the statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for traveling to Germany to have sex with a minor.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

NFL Players Association Joins Justice Department Effort to Raise Awareness Around Violence Against Women

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has joined its year-long campaign to commemorate the 15 year anniversary of President Bill Clinton signing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against MasTec Advanced Technologies to Enforce the Employment Rights of Army Reserve Member

The Department has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against MasTec Advanced Technologies on behalf of Eugene C. Burress, a U.S. Army Reserve member, alleging that MasTec willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Two New Jersey Executives Each Sentenced to 27 Months in Jail for Roles in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud the Federal E-rate Program

Benjamin Rowner and Jay H. Soled, former owners of DeltaNet Inc., were also each sentenced to pay $271,716 in restitution, jointly and severally, to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Submits Views on Amended Google Book Search Settlement

The Department said that despite the substantial progress reflected in the proposed amended settlement agreement in The Authors Guild Inc. et al. v. Google Inc., class certification, copyright and antitrust issues remain.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Detroit Clinic Manager Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for Role in $2.3 Million Medicare Infusion Fraud Scheme

Miami-Dade County resident Dulce Briceño was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for her role in a $2.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

New Jersey Man Indicted for Threatening Employees of Latino Civil Rights Organizations

A federal grand jury in Trenton, N.J., has charged Vincent Johnson of Brick, N.J., with threatening employees of five civil rights organizations that work to improve opportunities for and challenge discrimination against Latinos in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Canadian Firm and U.S. Subsidiary to Pay $4 Million to Settle Lawsuit in Connection with Sale of Defective Bullet-Proof Vests

Lincoln Fabrics Ltd., a Canadian weaver of ballistic fabrics, and its American subsidiary, have agreed to pay the United States $4 million to settle the United States’ lawsuit against Lincoln for violations of the False Claims Act in connection with their role in the weaving of Zylon fabric used in the manufacture and sale of defective Zylon bullet-proof vests.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Second Californian Pleads Guilty to False Tax Refund Conspiracy

Ather Ali of Diamond Bar, Calif., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

"Let me be clear, we enhance public safety by incarcerating those who harm our neighbors and our communities. This is a fact. But in our work to protect the American people, incarceration cannot be our only law enforcement strategy," said Attorney General Holder.




se

Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Sean Bell

There is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers involved in the fatal shooting of Sean Bell.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Italian Subsidiary of U.S.-Based Company Agrees to Plead Guilty for Participating in International Price-Fixing Conspiracy

Parker ITR S.r.l. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $2.29 million criminal fine for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Settles Fair Housing Lawsuit in Nebraska Against the Latvian Tower Condominium Association and Its Former President

The Civil Rights Division reached an agreement with the Latvian Tower Condominium Association Inc. and its former president, Karl Tegtmeyer, to settle allegations of discrimination against families with children.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Guyanese National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States

Annita Devi Gerald, a Guyanese national, pleaded guilty today to bringing an alien into the United States for commercial gain.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Former U.S. Military Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to Defense Department Contracts in Support of Iraqi War

Former military contractor Terry Hall, 43, of Snellville, Ga., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay more than $3 million in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, and to money laundering conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Signs a Settlement Agreement with North Carolina Company to Ensure Fair Treatment in the Workplace

The Department announced a settlement agreement with Sunlight Inc., doing business as Beauty Smart, of Durham, N.C., to resolve allegations of a pattern or practice of discrimination in recruitment and hiring on the basis of national origin.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Two Former Executives of Video Relay Services Company Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program

Irma Azrelyant and Joshua Finkle, the former co-owners of New York and New Jersey-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services Inc. (DHIS), pleaded guilty today to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service (VRS) program of more than $7 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Justice Department Settles with Ohio Child Care Center to End Discrimination Against Children with Asthma

The Department announced a settlement agreement with The Children’s House Inc. of Broadview Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to provide services for children with asthma as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Department of Justice and USDA Announce Historic Settlement in Lawsuit by Black Farmers Claiming Discrimination by USDA

The settlement agreement reached today, which is contingent on appropriation by Congress, will provide a total of $1.25 billion to African American farmers who alleged that they suffered racial discrimination in USDA farm loan programs.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Statement of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on Its Decision to Close Its Investigation of the Internet Search and Paid Search Advertising Agreement Between Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo! Inc.

"After a thorough review of the evidence, the division has determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the United States."



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the Department of Justice National Symposium on Indigent Defense: Looking Back, Looking Forward, 2000–2010

I have every expectation that our criminal defense system can, and will, be a source of tremendous national pride. And I know that achieving this requires the best that we, as a profession and as a people, have to offer.




se

Massachusetts Hospital Agrees to Pay U.S. $2.79 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Mercy Hospital Inc. of Springfield, Mass., has agreed to pay the United States $2,799,462 to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act between 2005 and 2006 by failing to provide, or failing to document that it provided, the minimum number of hours of rehabilitation therapy required under Medicare guidelines.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Shipping Firm Sentenced to Pay $10 Million for Causing Cosco Busan Oil Spill and Coverup

Fleet Management Ltd. was ordered to pay $10 million today for its role in causing the Cosco Busan oil discharge and a subsequent cover-up after the ship struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge in November 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

se

Indictment Charging Four Individuals Unsealed in Condominium Asbestos Case

An 11-count indictment was unsealed today charging four individuals with conspiracy, violations of the Clean Air Act, and making false statements for their roles in a scheme to improperly remove and dispose of asbestos from multiple condominiums in Florida.



  • OPA Press Releases