ic

Departments of Justice and Education Reach Agreement with Tehachapi, California, Public Schools to Resolve Harassment Allegations

The Departments of Justice and Education reached a settlement agreement with the Tehachapi Unified School District in Tehachapi, Calif., to resolve an investigation into the harassment of a middle school student based on his nonconformity with gender stereotypes.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Louisiana Tax Preparers

The United States has filed a lawsuit in federal court in New Orleans seeking to bar two women and their tax preparation companies from preparing federal tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Announces Agreement Protecting the Rights of Chinese and Spanish-Speaking Voters in Alameda County, California

The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced today an agreement with Alameda County, Calif., to ensure compliance with provisions of the Voting Rights Act that require the county to provide election materials and information in Spanish and Chinese.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Settles Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Michigan Mobile Home Operators for Discrimination Against Families with Children

The Justice Department today announced the settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the owner and operators of a Monroe, Mich., mobile home park violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Sues Nation’s Largest Mortgage Insurance Provider for Discrimination Against Women on Paid Maternity Leave

The Justice Department announced today that it has sued the Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC), the nation’s largest mortgage insurance company, and two of its underwriters, Elgina Cunningham and Kelly Kane, for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against women on paid maternity leave.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Louisiana Oil Refinery Vice-President Pleads Guilty to Air Pollution Causing Negligent Endangerment

The vice-president and general manager of the Pelican Refinery in Lake Charles, La., today pleaded guilty to federal negligent endangerment charges under the Clean Air Act before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik in Lafayette, La.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Obtains Comprehensive Agreement Regarding the State of Delaware's Mental Health System

The Justice Department today announced that it has entered into a comprehensive agreement with the state of Delaware that will transform Delaware’s mental health system and resolve violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Coinciding with One-Year Anniversary of “Operation Stolen Dreams,” Three Loan Officers and a Title Agent Charged in $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage and Loan Modification Scheme

The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of a criminal information earlier today, charging four defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving a nation-wide reverse mortgage scam that defrauded elderly borrowers, financial institutions and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

DOJ, FTC Announce Changes to Streamline the Premerger Notification Form

Following a public comment period, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have made changes to reduce the filing burden and streamline the form parties must file when seeking antitrust clearance of proposed mergers and acquisitions under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act and the Premerger Notification Rules.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Armor Group North America and Its Affiliates Pay $7.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Armor Group North America Inc. (AGNA) and its affiliates have paid the United States $7.5 million to resolve allegations that AGNA submitted false claims for payment on a State Department contract to provide armed guard services at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

JPMorgan Chase Admits to Anticompetitive Conduct by Former Employees in the Municipal Bond Investments Market and Agrees to Pay $228 Million to Federal and State Agencies

JPMorgan Chase &s role in anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market and has agreed to pay a total of $228 million in restitution, penalties and disgorgement to federal and state agencies.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Rappahannock, Virginia, on Bailout from the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with Rappahannock County, Va., that will allow for the county and its two political subdivisions to bail out from their status as “covered jurisdictions” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Former Port Isabel Detention Officer Charged with Violating Civil Rights of Detainee

A federal indictment returned by a McAllen, Texas, grand jury on June 7, 2011, charging former Port Isabel Detention Center Lieutenant Raul Leal with using excessive force on a detainee, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal agent was unsealed today following Leal’s arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Iowa Company Pleads Guilty to Participating in Ready-Mix Concrete Price-Fixing Conspiracy

An Iowa-based company pleaded guilty today to participating in a price-fixing conspiracy for the sales of ready-mix concrete.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Co-Owner of Two Health Care Companies Convicted on Multiple Health Care Fraud Charges

The co-owner of two health care companies was convicted late yesterday on multiple health care fraud charges related to his participation in a scheme to defraud Medicare.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Georgia Couple Pleads Guilty to Human Trafficking Charges

Juna Gwedolyn Babb, 56, and Michael J. Babb, 55, both of Ellenwood, Ga., pleaded guilty today in federal court to felony offenses related to a scheme to compel the labor of a young woman from the Kingdom of Swaziland in southern Africa.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Statement of Deputy Attorney General James Cole Regarding Information Requests for Multiple Sales of Semi-Automatic Rifles with Detachable Magazines

“The international expansion and increased violence of transnational criminal networks pose a significant threat to the United States."



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department and EPA Officials Focus on Environmental Justice in Newark, New Jersey

Senior environmental enforcement officials from the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) toured sites in Newark, N.J., today and met with federal partners and with environmental and community organizations to discuss mutual efforts to address environmental challenges and enforce environmental laws, and in particular efforts to achieve environmental justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Louisiana Alleging Violations of the National Voter Registration Act

The complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, alleges that Louisiana has violated the NVRA by failing to provide voter registration services at offices providing public assistance and serving persons with disabilities in Louisiana.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Three Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty to Participating in $200 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Three Miami-area residents pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for their roles in a fraud scheme that resulted in the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Florida Telecommunications Company, Two Executives, an Intermediary and Two Former Haitian Government Officials Indicted for Their Alleged Participation in Foreign Bribery Scheme

Cinergy Telecommunications Inc., Cinergy’s president and director, the president of Florida-based Telecom Consulting Services Corp. and two former Haitian government officials have been charged in a superseding indictment for their alleged roles in a foreign bribery, wire fraud and money laundering scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Armor Holdings Agrees to Pay $10.2 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Armor Holdings Inc. has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to pay a $10.29 million penalty to resolve violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Sues to Stop Nationwide “Welfare Benefit Plan” Tax Scheme

The Justice Department is seeking to block a husband and wife from operating a scheme that allegedly helps high-income individuals attempt to improperly avoid income taxes by funneling money through purported “welfare benefit plans.”



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Washington Business Owner Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Participating in Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Making False Claims on Government Contract

A founder and president of a Washington-area design firm was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for her role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States in the award of a government contract for U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Final Co-conspirator Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in Texas Homicide

A New Caney, Texas, woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for her role in a homicide that took place in Nacogdoches, Texas, in August 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Pennsylvania Man Indicted for Soliciting Jihadists to Kill Americans

Emerson Winfield Begolly, 22, of New Bethlehem, Pa., was indicted by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., today for allegedly soliciting Islamic extremists to engage in acts of terrorism within the United States and posting bomb-making instruction materials online.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Owner of Fraudulent Physical Therapy Company Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Miami-area resident and owner of a fraudulent physical therapy company in Lakeland, Fla., pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Files a Lawsuit Alleging Employment Discrimination by a Georgia Poultry Processing Plant

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against Mar-Jac Poultry Inc., a poultry processing plant in Gainesville, Ga., alleging that Mar-Jac requires all newly hired non-U.S. citizens to present documents issued by the Department of Homeland Security in order to secure their jobs, but the company does not require U.S. citizens to show any specific documentation.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Maryland Man for FACE Act Violation at a Planned Parenthood

The Justice Department today filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Richard Retta for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Statement of Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli Before the Committee on Indian Affairs on Violence Against Native American Women

"In anticipation of this year’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Department has been engaging in comprehensive discussions, including formal consultations with Indian tribes, about how best to protect the safety of Native women."




ic

Former President of Lee Dynamics International Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Bribery Related to Department of Defense Contracts in Iraq

The former president of Lee Dynamics International, a defense contractor providing services to the U.S. military in Iraq, pleaded guilty today to an indictment charging him with a scheme to bribe military officials in order to obtain government contracts, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Internet Communications Firm Owners Plead Guilty to Employment Tax Fraud and Failure to Pay Tax

Frank G. Bivings and Isabelle Blanco of Washington, D.C., co-owners of The Bivings Group Inc., pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from the failure to pay more than $2 million in employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

D.C. Federal Court Bars Company from Promoting Alleged Tax Scheme Involving Improper Easements on Historic Buildings

A District of Columbia federal court has entered a permanent injunction order against Steven McClain and the Trust for Architectural Easements Inc. (formerly known as the National Architectural Trust).



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Michigan Businessman Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Defrauding the Federal E-Rate Program

The president and part owner of a Michigan-based Internet and technology services company was sentenced today to serve 15 months in prison for defrauding the federal E-Rate program.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Installation of James Cole as Deputy Attorney General

"Over the last seven months, the entire Department has seen something that I’ve known for decades – that Jim is an extremely talented attorney, as well as a consummate professional."




ic

Richmond, Virginia, Businessman Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Role in Investment Fraud Scheme Causing Millions in Losses

Julius Everett “Bud” Johnson, 62, a resident of Richmond, Va., was sentenced today to 97 months in prison for his role in an investment scheme resulting in millions of dollars in losses.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Executive of Taiwan Aftermarket Auto Lights Manufacturer Arrested and Indicted for Participation in Price-Fixing Conspiracy

An executive of a Taiwan manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights was indicted today for participating in a global conspiracy to fix the prices of aftermarket auto lights.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Pennsylvania Anesthesiologist Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Document with the Internal Revenue Service

Eliseo Roquiz of Erie, Penn., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin of the Western District of Pennsylvania to charges of filing a false document with the Internal Revenue Service.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the National District Attorneys Association Summer Conference

"As prosecutors, we occupy a unique role in the criminal justice system. Our job is not just to win cases, but also to do justice in every case."




ic

Attorney General Holder, Secretary Duncan Announce Effort to Respond to School-to-Prison Pipeline by Supporting Good Discipline Practices

Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the launch of the Supportive School Discipline Initiative, a collaborative project between the Departments of Justice and Education that will address the “school-to-prison pipeline” and the disciplinary policies and practices that can push students out of school and into the justice system.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Patient Recruiter for Miami Health Care Agency Pleads Guilty in $25 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A patient recruiter of a Miami health care agency pleaded guilty today for his participation in a $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Justice Department Settles Allegations of Employment Discrimination by Louisiana Industrial Services Company

The Justice Department today reached a settlement with Brand Energy and Infrastructure Services and its subsidiary, Industrial Services LLC, resolving allegations that ISI, which provides craft services to industry, engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against non-citizens in the hiring and employment eligibility verification process.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Department of Justice Proposes Legislation to Help Tribes Combat Violence Against Native Women in Indian Country

Today the Department of Justice proposed legislation that would significantly improve the safety of women in American Indian tribal communities and allow federal and tribal law-enforcement agencies to hold more perpetrators of domestic violence accountable for their crimes.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Swiss International Bank's Former Head of North America Offshore Banking, Others Charged with Conspiracy

Markus Walder, former head of North America Offshore Banking at an international bank headquartered in Zurich; Susanne D. Rüegg Meier, a former manager with the international bank; Andreas Bachmann, a former banker at a subsidiary of the international bank; and Josef Dörig, the founder of a Swiss trust company, have been charged with conspiring with other Swiss bankers to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor Announce Selection of Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams

The Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Labor announced today the selection of Pilot Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams (ACTeams) as part of a nationwide Human Trafficking Enhanced Enforcement Initiative designed to better coordinate federal criminal investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking offenses.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Announcement of the Transnational Organized Crime Strategy

"It is a privilege to join with you – and with so many other key leaders and critical partners, as we unveil a cutting-edge, comprehensive strategy that will take our nation’s fight against transnational organized crime to the next level."




ic

Chevron Puerto Rico LLC Agrees to Improve Leak Detection at Puerto Rico Gas Stations

A settlement announced today between the United States and Chevron Puerto Rico LLC resolves Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) violations at approximately 100 of Chevron’s underground storage tank facilities in Puerto Rico.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Former Northern Virginia Resident Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion and Impeding the Internal Revenue Service

Thomas J. Ernst, formerly a resident of McLean and Arlington, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of corruptly endeavoring to impede and impair the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and one count of tax evasion for 2005.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Phoenix Men Convicted in Money Laundering and Tax Scheme

Gino Carlucci and Wayne Mounts, both residents of Arizona, have been convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Justice and IRS announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

ic

Alabama Man Indicted for Lacey Act Wildlife Crimes

A Scottsboro, Ala., man was indicted today for the illegal possession, transportation and sale of protected reptiles in violation of the Lacey Act.



  • OPA Press Releases