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United States Transfers a Guantanamo Bay Detainee to France

Late last night, Sabir Lahmar, a native of Algeria, was transferred to the government of France.



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United States Transfers a Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Hungary

Late last night, a detainee originally from the West Bank was transferred to the government of Hungary.



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Virginia Investment Firm Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy with Attorney and KPMG Tax Partner in Tax Shelter Case

Michael Parker of Baltimore, who was the chief operating officer of TransCapital Corporation, a tax-advantaged investments company based in Northen Virginia, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Newark, New Jersey, Public Schools to Enforce the Employment Rights of U.S. Naval Reservist

The department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with the Newark Public Schools (NPS) that will resolve its lawsuit on behalf of George Lawton, a naval reservist, against NPS alleging it violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Los Angeles’ Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Pays $3 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations

The Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, a sports medicine clinic in Los Angeles, has agreed to pay the United States $3 million to settle allegations that it received illegal kickbacks from HealthSouth Corporation.



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Justice Department Asks Court to Authorize Service of a John Doe Summons Seeking the Identities of U.S. Clients of R. Allen Stanford’s Investment Companies

The department has filed papers seeking a federal court order authorizing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to serve a “John Doe summons” on Ralph Janvey, the court-appointed receiver of the Stanford Group Company (SGC) and related entities.



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Army Officer, Wife and Relatives Sentenced in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to DOD Contracts in Support of Iraq War

John L. Cockerham, 43, a major in the U.S. Army, was sentenced to 210 months in prison.



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Attorney General Holder, Secretary Duncan Meet with Youth Leaders, Parents on Teen Dating Violence

“We must engage the broadest spectrum of community partners in order to stem youth violence, and a cornerstone of that partnership is young people themselves,” said Attorney General Holder. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with young people to develop innovative solutions to help prevent teen dating abuse.”



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Deputy Attorney General David Ogden to Leave Department of Justice

“It has been a singular privilege to work alongside the Department’s dedicated career professionals, whose commitment to the national interest and the cause of justice is an inspiration to me," said Deputy Attorney General Ogden.



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Birmingham Man Sentenced to Prison for False Tax Refund Scheme

Cardale Leon Bates of Birmingham, Ala., was sentenced to 57 months in prison today by U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler.



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Tewksbury, Mass., Health Care Provider and Its CEO Permanently Enjoined Relating to Failure to Comply with Federal Employment Tax Requirements

A federal court in Boston issued a judgment against Excel Home Care Inc. in the amount of $473,510.76 for unpaid federal employment and unemployment taxes after its owner Diane E. Porter consented to the entry of an order of permanent injunction that prohibits her or anyone else from operating this Tewksbury, Mass., home health care provider.



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Chicagoan Charged with Conspiracy in 2008 Mumbai Attacks in Addition to Foreign Terror Plot in Denmark

A Chicago man who was arrested in October for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and two of its employees is alleged to have also conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years preceding the November 2008 terrorist attack on India’s largest city that killed approximately 170 people, including six Americans, and injured hundreds more.



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Three South Carolina Men Plead Guilty to Federal Civil Rights and Carjacking Charges

Thomas Howard Blue Sr., Thomas Howard Blue Jr. and Judson Hartley Talbert pleaded guilty today in federal court in Florence, S.C., to charges relating to the assault of an African-American man and two white men in December 2007.



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U.S. Settles with Itochu Corp. and Itochu International Regarding Defective Bullet-Proof Vests

The United States has reached a $6.75 million settlement with Itochu Corp. of Japan and its American subsidiary, Itochu International Inc., to resolve claims under the False Claims Act in connection with the companies’ importation and sale of defective Zylon fiber used as the key ballistic material in bullet-proof vests purchased by the United States for federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.



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Attorney General Holder, Secretary Salazar Announce Settlement of Cobell Lawsuit on Indian Trust Management

“Over the past thirteen years, the parties have tried to settle this case many, many times, each time unsuccessfully,” said Attorney General Holder.



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Member of the Cherokee Nation Pleads Guilty to Selling Bear Gall Bladders

Clement Calhoun of Cherokee, N.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Asheville, N.C., to federal charges for unlawfully trafficking in bear gall bladders.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with City of Atlanta to Ensure Civic Access for Persons with Disabilities

“Civic access is a basic and critical civil right, and it ensures individuals with disabilities can play productive, fulfilling roles in their communities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.



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Former U.S. Army Officer Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in Bribery Conspiracy in Al-hillah, Iraq

Curtis Whiteford, a former colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, was sentenced today to five years in prison for his participation in a wide-ranging bribery conspiracy in Al-Hillah, Iraq.



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Syracuse Mortgage Underwriter to Pay United States Nearly $679,000 to Resolve Mortgage Fraud Allegations

Robert Corp, a mortgage underwriter in Syracuse, N.Y., has agreed to pay the United States close to $679,000 to settle allegations that he defrauded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).



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Attorney General Holder at the Announcement of Cobell V. Salazar Settlement

"Thank you Secretary Salazar. Today marks another significant step forward in the government’s work to fulfill our trust obligation for hundreds of thousands of individual Native Americans. Cobell v. Salazar is one of the largest class actions ever brought against the U.S. government."




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Associate Attorney General Perrelli at the Announcement of Cobell V. Salazar Settlement

"Thank you to the Attorney General, and thank you to Secretary Salazar and Deputy Secretary Hayes for the extraordinary commitment of their Department of the Interior to bring this case to a resolution."




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Polembros Shipping Ltd. Sentenced for Crimes Related to Pollution from Cargo Ship Traveling to New Orleans

Polembros Shipping LTD., a ship management company headquartered in Greece, was sentenced today in federal court in New Orleans to pay a $2.7 million criminal fine for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws, and making false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Theotokos, the Justice Department announced.



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Taiwan LCD Producer Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay $220 Million Fine for Participating in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy

Companies directly affected by the LCD price-fixing conspiracy are some of the largest computer and television manufacturers in the world, including Apple, Dell and HP.



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United States Transfers One Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Kuwait

Fouad Mahmoud al-Rabiah, a Kuwaiti national, has been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the control of the government of Kuwait.



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Largest Environmental Bankruptcy in U.S. History Will Result in Payment of $1.79 Billion Towards Environmental Cleanup & Restoration

As a result of the largest environmental bankruptcy in U.S. history, $1.79 billion has been paid to fund environmental cleanup and restoration under a bankruptcy reorganization of American Smelting and Refining Company LLC (ASARCO).



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Former DOD Contracting Officer Sentenced to 110 Months in Prison for Filing False Tax Returns

Tijani Ahmed Saani was also ordered to pay a $1.6 million fine and serve one year of supervised release following his prison term.



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Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Joint Study on School Crime and Safety

“Eradicating youth violence is a priority of this administration and a priority of both these agencies," said Attorney General Holder and Education Secretary Duncan.



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Statement of Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli Before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee of Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Entitled "H.r. 1924, the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2009"

"The challenges facing law enforcement in tribal communities are enormous. The basic level of police protection that most Americans take for granted simply does not exist in many parts of Indian Country. We have a duty to change that."




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Former Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Participating in Scheme to Steal Large Quantities of Fuel from U.S. Army in Iraq

Robert Jeffery, 55, a former master chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, was sentenced today to four years in prison for his participation in a scheme to steal approximately 10 million gallons of fuel from the U.S. Army in Iraq, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride.



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Ninth Person Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

A ninth individual pleaded guilty today to illegally accessing numerous confidential passport application files, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced.



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Attorney General Eric Holder at the Installation Ceremony for Assistant Attorneys General Laurie Robinson and Ronald Weich

"Laurie and Ron are not only valued colleagues, they are leaders in the Department and throughout this Administration," said Attorney General Holder.




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North Dakota Executive Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

Micheal Fisher, a former co-owner of Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. Inc. (FSG) based in Dickinson, N.D., was sentenced to 37 months in prison.



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Los Angeles Area Tax Preparer Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Violating Injunction

James A. Mattatall of Torrance, Calif., was sentenced to six months in prison for violating a permanent injunction.



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Medicare Fraud Strike Force Expands Operations into Brooklyn, N.Y.; Tampa, Fla.; and Baton Rouge, La.

Thirty people have been charged in three cities for their alleged roles in schemes to submit more than $61 million in false Medicare claims as part of the continuing operation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.



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Parent Company of Two New Jersey Hospitals to Pay U.S. $7.95 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Our Lady of Lourdes Health Care Services Inc., the parent company of two New Jersey hospitals, has agreed to pay the United States $7.95 million to resolve allegations that the hospitals defrauded Medicare.



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Attorney General Eric Holder at the Fatherhood Town Hall

"I’m honored to be joined here this evening by fellow dads and leaders focused on fatherhood," said Attorney General Holder.




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Virginia Resident Charged with Conspiring to Bribe Former Panamanian Government Officials for Maritime Contract

A federal grand jury has charged a Virginia Beach, Va., resident with conspiracy to pay bribes to former Panamanian government officials to secure maritime contracts.



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Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Christine Varney, Issues Statement on European Commission Microsoft Settlement

“The Antitrust Division commends the efforts of the European Commission and Microsoft Corporation, which have announced that they have reached a comprehensive settlement resolving their disputes under European competition law."



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Retired Army Major Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Bribery Scheme Involving DOD Contracts in Kuwait

Christopher Murray pleaded guilty in January 2009 to four counts of bribery and one count of making a false statement.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Santa Rosa, California, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The department announced an agreement with Santa Rosa, Calif., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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Credit Suisse Agrees to Forfeit $536 Million in Connection with Violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and New York State Law

The forfeiture is the largest ever entered against an entity for IEEPA violations.



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Former Kansas Businessman Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Scheme to Defraud Federal E-rate Program

Leonard Douglas “Doug” LaDuron also was ordered to pay $238,607 in restitution.



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Attorney General Eric Holder at a Press Conference Announcing the Credit Suisse Resolution

"The U.S. financial system is built on trust and transparency. Our banks must know what payments they are processing and for whom. Credit Suisse’s decades-long scheme to flout the rules that govern our financial institutions robbed our system of the legitimacy that is fundamental to it success."




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Guyanese National Charged with Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States

Annita Devi Gerald, aka Annita Rampersad, 52, was charged in a nine-count indictment returned yesterday by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas.



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Former FBI Contract Linguist Pleads Guilty to Leaking Classified Information to Blogger

Shamai Kedem Leibowitz, aka Samuel Shamai Leibowitz, 39, of Silver Spring, Md., pleaded guilty in federal court in Greenbelt, Md., to a one-count information charging him with knowingly and willfully disclosing to an unauthorized person five FBI documents classified at the "secret" level that contained classified information concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States.



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Three New York City Home Health Agencies Pay $9.7 Million to the United States to Settle False Claims Act Claims

The United States and the state of New York have entered into settlement agreements with three home health agencies to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to the New York Medicaid and Medicare programs.



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Texas Man Sentenced to 292 Months in Prison for Advertising and Possessing Child Pornography

Mark Edwin Cairnes, 51, was sentenced today to 292 months in prison and lifetime supervised release following his prison term for advertising and possessing child pornography.



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Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Kickback Scheme Involving Government Contract in Afghanistan

Bryan Lee Burrows admitted that he conspired with others to solicit kickbacks from private security vendors in return for favorable treatment for those potential bidders in connection with the award of a subcontract.



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Three Detroit-Area Residents Plead Guilty to Health Care Fraud

Jackson, Mich., resident Terrence Hicks and Detroit residents Muhammed Al Mahdi and John Saunders pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan this week for their roles in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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United States Transfers 12 Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Afghanistan, Yemen and the Somaliland Region

These transfers were carried out under individual arrangements between the United States and relevant foreign authorities to ensure the transfers took place under appropriate security measures.



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