Rogelio Hackett Jr., 26, of Lithonia, Ga., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga in Alexandria, Va., to trafficking in counterfeit credit cards and aggravated identity theft.

Cardinal Health Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $8 million to resolve claims that it violated the False Claims Act by making payments to induce referral orders for its prescription drugs in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

One individual and his company in New York and two others and their company in California were indicted today in the District of Columbia on charges of illegally exporting millions of dollars worth of computer-related equipment from the United States to Iran via the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A seven-count federal indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging a Washington, D.C., criminal defense attorney and two criminal investigators for their alleged roles in a scheme to obstruct an ongoing criminal case, including, among other things, manufacturing evidence and tampering with a witness.

Eric Bernard Caldwell, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States.

A New York stock broker has pleaded guilty in federal court in Detroit to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud in connection with the Alan Ralsky spamming organization’s stock pump-and-dump scheme/

An Alabama businessman pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wallace Capel Jr. to his role in conspiring to bribe legislators in exchange for their favorable votes on pro-gambling legislation.

The United States has settled a whistleblower lawsuit against DynCorp International LLC and The Sandi Group.

Wajdi Waked, 25, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today before Judge Philip M. Pro of the U.S. District Court in Nevada, to one count of violating the Clean Air Act by falsifying emissions test results.

Two Miami-area medical assistants and a physician assistant were sentenced to prison today for their roles in a $23 million Medicare fraud scheme involving HIV infusion therapy.

"Boundless, too, are the opportunities now before us. So, today, as we look toward the future, we will take action in four key areas to fulfill one core mission: protecting the American people. These priorities will allow us to build on the record of success that we’ve established, and they will guide our future efforts."

The Justice Department announced today its participation in two related settlement agreements involving the accessibility of the Law School Admission Council’s online application service, which is used by law schools nationwide for their application processes.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) announced $6.9 million in awards to 23 projects in the Engaging Men in Preventing Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence and Stalking Grant Program.

A Chicago grand jury returned an indictment today against two former executives of Paris-based Société Air France (Air France), for participating in a conspiracy to fix and coordinate rates and surcharges on air cargo shipments and to refuse to pay commissions on surcharges on air cargo shipments.

After a thorough investigation, the Antitrust Division determined that the proposed merger between Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways is not likely to substantially lessen competition.

Two former humanitarian aid workers were each sentenced today to 142 months in prison for defrauding the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of approximately $1.9 million that was intended to assist impoverished people and towns in Liberia.

Cynthia Peters was sentenced to 27 months in prison based on her plea of guilty to one count of willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false income tax return.

An Oakland, Calif., woman was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for her role in a scam to bill Medicare for more than $1.2 million in claims for expensive, high-end power wheelchairs and other durable medical equipment (DME) that were not medically necessary.

A Lufkin, Texas, woman was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone to 180 months in prison for her role in a double homicide that took place in Nacogdoches, Texas, in August 2007.

Thomas Robert Turner, a resident of Prince George’s County, Md., pleaded guilty to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws.

A federal jury this week found that the Clean Water Act applied to the filling of wetlands and other waters at two properties in Carver, Mass., owned by Charles Johnson, Genelda Johnson, Francis Vaner Johnson, and Johnson Cranberries Limited Partnership.

CommunityONE Bank N.A. with 45 offices throughout the state has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice related to its failure to file a suspicious activity report and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program.

Under a settlement between the United States, state of Connecticut, and the town of Greenwich, Conn., the town will pay a $200,000 penalty and rehabilitate a critical wastewater collection system that serves three of the town’s major wastewater pump stations.

"Protecting the safety and security of the American people; protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud; and protecting consumers from financial fraud and other health and safety threats – these imperatives have driven the Civil Division’s work over the last two years, and, as Attorney General Edward Levi reminded us almost 40 years ago, “the agenda of the Justice Department is inevitably unfinished,” these priorities guide us still as we continue to tackle new challenges."

Marking the eighth annual Earth Day Service Celebration today, Deputy Attorney General James Cole and Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno commended volunteers from the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division as they began work on a future Community Greening Center near Marvin Gaye Park in Northeast Washington, D.C.

The Justice Department announced today that Johnny Mathis, 47, of Lecompte, La., pleaded guilty to two federal crimes for shooting at the home of three Hispanic men living across the street from him because of the victims’ race and national origin.

Alchico Grant and Melinda Clayton were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of charges stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud scheme.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the city of Independence, Kan., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for people with disabilities.

Mark John Walker of Eugene, Ore., pleaded guilty today to charges related to his engaging in sexual contact or aggravated sexual abuse with female offenders who were under his direct supervision as a federal probation officer from 2006 to 2009.

Four members of a Pittsburgh Crips street gang pleaded guilty this week in federal court to charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise.

Flavio Ricotti, a former executive of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based valve company Control Components Inc. (CCI), has pleaded guilty for his participation in a conspiracy to secure contracts by paying bribes to officials of foreign state-owned companies as well as officers and employees of foreign and domestic private companies.

Alberto Benjamin Arellano-Felix, an alleged leader of the Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was extradited today by the government of Mexico to the United States to face racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of California.

The Justice Department announced today that Brian Lewis, Abel Mark Gonzalez and Andrew Kerber were sentenced for their roles in violating the civil rights of congregants of several houses of worship in Modesto, Calif.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the approval by the U.S. District Court of the settlement of a class action lawsuit filed against USDA by Native American farmers alleging discrimination by USDA.

“All individuals have a right to go to the hospital and communicate with medical staff without having to sign a waiver of liability, and hospitals have a responsibility to ensure that individuals get effective communication,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

After a thorough review of the evidence, the Antitrust Division concluded that the facts did not support challenging the proposed transaction between Perdue and Coleman Natural Foods.

In a motion filed with the court today, the United States alleges that the school district has failed to dismantle the vestiges of segregation in its schools, and that schools that were racially segregated by law in 1969, when the district was originally ordered to desegregate, remain so today.

Three stock promoters have been indicted for their roles in a stock manipulation scheme that defrauded investors.

Two Miami-area corporations, American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC) and Medlink Professional Management Group Inc., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for a fraud scheme that resulted in the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. (BP Alaska) will pay a $25 million civil penalty and carry out a system-wide pipeline integrity management program as part of a settlement for spilling more than 5,000 barrels of crude oil from the company’s pipelines on the North Slope of Alaska in 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today.

Bryant Mathis, who served in a leadership role as a member of a Pittsburgh Crips street gang, was sentenced today in federal court in Pittsburgh to 20 years in prison on charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise.

"As I have stated often, no aspect of our work is more important – or more urgent – than protecting the American people. This is our top priority – and our most fundamental responsibility."

The United States has sued Dorthea Alexander of Leola, Pa., seeking to bar her from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers Serono Laboratories Inc., EMD Serono Inc., Merck Serono S.A, and Ares Trading S.A. have agreed to pay $44.3 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations in connection with the marketing of the drug Rebif.

John Walter Kaber, a resident of Bloomfield, Mich., pleaded guilty to tax evasion.

UBS AG has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market and has agreed to pay a total of $160 million in restitution, penalties and disgorgement to federal and state agencies.

Dimitrios Grifakis, 57, of Kallithea, Greece, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Baltimore to obstructing a Coast Guard inspection that took place aboard the M/V Capitola from May 3 to May 11, 2010.

Three Colorado-based gasoline distributors have agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve claims that they illegally mixed and distributed more than one million gallons of gasoline that did not meet Clean Air Act emissions and fuel quality requirements.

A federal jury in Houston convicted four defendants today in connection with a $5.2 million Medicare fraud scheme that operated from April 2006 to August 2009, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered that John C. Kroack must adhere to a 25-foot buffer zone around a Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Services Clinic in Lynnwood, Wash.