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Eighth Person Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

Susan Holloman, 58, of Washington, pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging her with unauthorized computer access.



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Justice Department Sues to Close Dallas-area Tax Preparer

The government complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Dallas alleges that Travis Nicholas Stenline of Seagoville, Texas, operates a business he calls Nick Tax or Nick’s Taxes that prepares fraudulent returns for customers.



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Settlement Reached to Clean up Idaho’s St. Maries Creosote Superfund Site

Two companies and the city of St. Maries, Idaho, have agreed to clean up a superfund site in St. Maries at a cost estimated more than $12 million.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Wilmington, North Carolina, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The agreement was reached under “Project Civic Access,” a Justice Department initiative to bring state and local governments into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



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Korean Businessman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in $206 Million Contract Fraud Scheme

A South Korean businessman was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in a bribery conspiracy involving a $206 million telecommunications contract and employees of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES).



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Connecticut Investor Frederic Bourke Sentenced to Prison for Scheme to Bribe Government Officials in Azerbaijan

Frederic A. Bourke Jr., of Greenwich, Conn., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to one year and one day in prison.



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Oregon Hospice Pays U.S. $1.83 Million to Settle False Claims Act Liability

Kaiser Foundation Hospitals - Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest and Northwest Permanente P.C., Physicians & Surgeons (collectively, Kaiser NW) has agreed to pay the United States $1,830,322.41 to settle False Claims Act liability.



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Former Willbros International Consultant Pleads Guilty to $6 Million Foreign Bribery Scheme

A former consultant for Willbros International Inc. (WII), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), pleaded guilty today to engaging 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.



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Former Missouri Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing a Teenage Girl While She Was Detained

Steven W. Burgess, a former Jackson County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy, pleaded guilty in federal court today to violating the civil rights of a teenage girl whom he sexually assaulted in his patrol car.



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Two Individuals Sentenced to Prison for Offering to Bribe U.S. Army Contracting Official in Afghanistan

Rohullah Farooqi Lodin and Hashmatullah Farooqi were each sentenced today in Alexandria, Va., to four years in prison for their roles in a scheme to offer $1 million in bribes to a U.S. Army contracting official in Afghanistan.



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Justice Department and USDA Set Dates for Workshops to Explore Competition and Regulatory Issues in the Agriculture Industry

The all-day workshops, which will begin in March 2010, will be held in Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin.



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City of Akron, Ohio, Agrees to Improve Sewer System to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations

“The federal Clean Water Act requires that cities act to eliminate or reduce their sewage overflows into the nation’s rivers, lakes and oceans,” said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division.



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Florida Man Sentenced to 87 Months for Receiving Child Pornography

Jeffrey Robert Libman, 42, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., was sentenced to 87 months in prison today for receiving child pornography.



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Virginia Resident Pleads Guilty to Bribing Panamanian Officials for Maritime Contract

Charles Paul Edward Jumet of Fluvanna County, Va., pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a conspiracy to pay bribes to Panamanian government officials to secure a maritime contract.



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Former Congressman William J. Jefferson Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Bribery and Other Charges

Former U.S. Congressman William J. Jefferson, 62, of New Orleans, La., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for using his office to corruptly solicit bribes.



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Attorney General Announces Forum Decisions for Guantanamo Detainees

"Today we announce a step forward in bringing those we believe were responsible for the 9/11 attacks and the attack on the USS Cole to justice."




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Attorney General Eric Holder at the Installation of Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez

"When I returned to the Department earlier this year, I pledged that the work of the Civil Rights Division would be one of my highest priorities. That was true in February. It is true today."




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U.S. Joins False Claims Act Lawsuit Against Kuwait-Based Companies That Supplied Food to U.S. Troops in Middle East

The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleges that since 2003, defendants have violated the False Claims Act.



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Australian Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Solicit Kickbacks in Connection with Government Contract in Afghanistan

Scott Anthony Walker, 36, of Australia, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to one count of conspiracy to solicit a kickback.



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New Jersey Man Sentenced on International Sex Tourism and Child Pornography Charges

Wayne Nelson Corliss, 60, of Union City, N.J., was sentenced to 235 months in prison today in Newark, N.J., on three charges of traveling in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and a single count each of producing and possessing child pornography.



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Arizona Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Travel with Intent to Engage in Sex with Minors

Richard Hendryx, 79, of Morristown, Ariz., was sentenced today to two years in prison and lifetime supervised release to follow his prison term for travel with intent to engage in sex with minors.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Fargo, North Dakota, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The agreement was reached under “Project Civic Access,” a Department initiative to bring state and local governments into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



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Attorney General Eric Holder at the ENRD Centennial Celebration

"Today, the Division is bringing its expertise to help our nation meet new challenges, such as addressing the carbon pollution that threatens our climate."




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Attorney General Eric Holder at the Brennan Center for Justice Legacy Awards Dinner

"Let us ensure that we further Justice Brennan’s legacy by maintaining the most basic constitutional protection—the right to have truly effective defense counsel."




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Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 121 Months in Prison for Her Participation in an Organization That Forced Young Mexican Women into Sexual Slavery in New York

Consuelo Carreto Valencia, a member of the Carreto family sex trafficking ring that operated between Mexico and Queens, N.Y., was sentenced to 121 months in prison for benefitting financially from her participation in the organization, which transported young Mexican women to the United States and forced them into prostitution.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Press Conference

"We will be relentless in our investigation of corporate and financial wrongdoing, and will not hesitate to bring charges, where appropriate, for criminal misconduct on the part of businesses and business executives."




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New Jersey Hospital to Pay $3 Million to Resolve Allegations of Medicare Fraud

The United States has entered into a settlement with a New Jersey hospital and filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit against a New York hospital involving allegations that the hospitals defrauded Medicare.



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Former Kentucky Jail Supervisor Sentenced on Charges Related to Abuse of Detainees

Kristine Lafoe was sentenced to serve one year in prison and two years of supervised release for her role in covering up systematic detainee abuse.



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Rhode Island Couple Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi sentenced Albert Martin to 51 months in prison and Lorraine Martin to one year and one day in prison.



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Statoil ASA Satisfies Obligations Under Deferred Prosecution Agreement and Foreign Bribery Charges Are Dismissed

After three years of satisfying obligations under a deferred prosecution agreement, the charges against Statoil ASA for violating the anti-bribery and accounting provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) have been dismissed with prejudice.



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Twenty-six Charged in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud the FCC’s Video Relay Service Program

“The individuals charged in connection with today’s operation are alleged to have stolen tens of millions of dollars from an important government program that is intended to help deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans communicate with hearing persons,” said Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT) Awards Dinner

"I’m honored to participate in ALPACT’s first annual banquet, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss an issue that I care about deeply – fostering collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve," said Attorney General Holder.




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Former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Depriving Motorist of Civil Rights by Kidnapping

“This officer abandoned his law enforcement role and engaged in a bizarre scheme to target innocent victims for his own personal gain. Officers who abuse their power in this way will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Civil Rights Division.



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Indiana Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Transporting and Possessing Child Pornography

A federal jury in Indianapolis convicted William Travis Brown on July 23, 2009, of one count of transportation and one count of possession of child pornography.



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Former General Manager of Texas Business Arrested for Role in Alleged Scheme to Bribe Officials at Mexican State-Owned Electrical Utility

The former general manager of a Sugar Land, Texas-based business was arrested on Nov. 18, 2009, for his alleged role in a conspiracy to bribe Mexican government officials to secure contracts with the Comisión Federal de Electridad (CFE), a Mexican state-owned utility company.



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Tennessee Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Burning Islamic Center

“The right to worship without fear of this kind of violent interference is among our most fundamental civil rights,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



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Two Former Tennessee Corrections Officers Plead Guilty to Civil Rights Violation and Lying

Joshua Ryan Jones and Roger Forrester, former corrections officers at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tenn., pleaded guilty today to violating the civil rights of an inmate and then lying about it during state and federal investigations.



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Arrests Made in Case Involving Conspiracy to Procure Weapons, Including Anti-Aircraft Missiles

A criminal complaint, unsealed today, charged Dani Nemr Tarraf with conspiring to acquire anti-aircraft missiles (FIM-92 Stingers) and conspiring to possess machine guns (approximately 10,000 Colt M4 Carbines).



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Justice Department Sues Chicago Area Landlord for Refusing to Rent to African Americans

The lawsuit alleges that Terence Flanagan refused to rent a single-family house he owns in Orland Park, Ill., to Kamal Alex Majeid, who is African-American, because of his race.



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Arms Dealer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Supply U.S. Fighter Jet Engines to Iran

Jacques Monsieur, a Belgian national and resident of France suspected of international arms dealing for decades, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama to conspiracy to illegally export F-5 fighter jet engines and parts from the Untied States to Iran.



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Arizona Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Mailing Child Pornography

Robert Restuch, 70, of Bullhead City, Ariz., was sentenced today to five years in prison for mailing child pornography.



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Colombian National Pleads Guilty to Role in Defrauding the Export-Import Bank of the United States of More Than $1 Million

Febe Durango-Rueda, 52, a Colombian national, pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2009, to participating in a scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) of more than $1 million.



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Detroit Spammer and Three Co-Conspirators Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar E-Mail Stock Fraud Scheme

Four individuals were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming."



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Four Indicted for Conspiring to Support Hizballah; Six Others Charged with Related Crimes

Ten individuals were indicted today, charged with, among other things, conspiring to export weapons from Philadelphia to the Port of Latakia, Syria.



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Six Individuals Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar E-Mail Stock Fraud Scheme

Six individuals were sentenced today in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming."



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with the City of Poplarville, Mississippi, to Improve Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The agreement was reached under the department’s Project Civic Access initiative to bring localities into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.



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Justice Department to Monitor Election in Georgia

The department will monitor polling place activities for compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 during the Dec. 1, 2009, municipal run-off election in Union Point, Ga.



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Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting a Minor for Illegal Sexual Activity

Mack Gordon Harris Sr., 67, of Social Circle, Ga., pleaded guilty today to transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity.



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United States Transfers Two Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Italy

Both detainees are the subject of outstanding arrest warrants in Italy and will be prosecuted there.



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

The department filed a lawsuit in federal court in West Virginia alleging that MasTec Advanced Technologies willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 by discriminating against a U.S. Army Reserve member on the basis of his military service and by failing to offer Burress an appropriate reemployment position when he returned from military service.



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