The Department of Justice today announced the federal government’s first lawsuit filed against owners and servicers of student loans for violating the rights of servicemembers eligible for benefits and protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).

Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that a nationwide takedown by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in six cities has resulted in charges against 90 individuals.

Late yesterday, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted a physician and a home health agency manager for their participation in a $3 million Medicare fraud conspiracy.

"By requiring Sallie Mae to compensate its victims, we are sending a clear message to all lenders and servicers who would deprive our servicemembers of the basic benefits and protections to which they are entitled: this type of conduct is more than just inappropriate; it is inexcusable. And it will not be tolerated."

In today’s nationwide takedown, scores of defendants were arrested across the country for engaging in health care fraud – to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent bills to Medicare. Among the defendants charged today were doctors, home health care providers, doctor’s assistants, pharmacy owners and medical supply company executives.

As difficult as times may be – and as wrenching as every loss we mark this evening – we affirm this week that our work must go on. Each of us is called to serve, to protect, and to help forge a society worthy of the passion, the dedication, and the sacrifices made by each of our fallen heroes. To create not merely a monument to their stories, but a living memorial. And to build a country dedicated to preserving and perpetuating their memories by reaching for the better and brighter future that all of our citizens deserve.

“For 27 years, Gina Talamona has been a tremendous asset to the Department of Justice and an exceptionally dedicated public servant. She’s been the backbone of our dedicated Office of Public Affairs team, providing leadership and sound guidance to Attorneys General and other leaders from administrations of both parties."

The Justice Department’s Civil Division announced today that Electrolux Home Products Inc., of Charlotte, North Carolina, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $750,000 to settle allegations that it knowingly failed to report immediately to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission a safety hazard associated with certain wall ovens sold to consumers.

Today, the Department of Justice and Office of the Director of National Intelligence released, in redacted form, a previously classified series of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court filings and orders from 2009-2010 concerning the collection of bulk telephony metadata under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act. These documents relate to a robust interaction that occurred between the Department of Justice and a telecommunications service provider that included the provider’s review of prior FISC applications, orders and opinions, regarding lawful compliance with those orders.

Speaking in a video message posted on the Justice Department’s website, Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday called for an end to the excessive use of solitary confinement for youth that suffer from mental illness. Attorney General Holder said the practices can have lasting, substantial effects on young people that could result in self-harm or, in some cases, even suicide.

Today, Attorney General Eric Holder met with campus leadership from eight Washington, D.C.-area colleges and universities: American University; Catholic University of America; Gallaudet University; Georgetown University; George Washington University; Howard University; Trinity University; and University of the District of Columbia, to discuss how administrations are addressing sexual assault on campus.

Titanium Metals Corporation (TIMET), one of the world’s largest producers of titanium parts for jet engines, has agreed to pay a record $13.75 million civil penalty and perform an extensive investigation and cleanup of potential contamination stemming primarily from the unauthorized manufacture and disposal of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) at its manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada.

The owner and operator of a Tennessee salvage and demolition company, A&E Salvage Inc., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Greeneville, Tennessee, for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.

A federal grand jury returned a two count indictment against Brice Johnson, 19, of Springtown, Texas, charging him with willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of that person and with kidnapping.

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Reginald Martin, formerly an officer at Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Maryland, to serve 12 months and one day in prison for his role in the assault of inmate Kenneth Davis.

A Phoenix man convicted after a jury trial last December of conspiracy and racketeering offenses for his involvement in a sophisticated cybercrime organization was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison.

The United States filed a complaint today to bar Laquanda O. Gilmore (aka Laquanda Garrott) and her company, L&g Associates LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced.

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company was sentenced today to serve 50 months in prison for participating in a scheme to defraud Illinois-based Ryan International Airlines.

Steven Joshua Dinkle, 28, former Exalted Cyclops of the Ozark, Alabama, chapter of the International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins to serve 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a cross burning in 2009.

Since 1940, LDF has performed critical work to rally Americans from all backgrounds to the unifying cause of justice – standing on the front lines of our fight to guarantee security, advance opportunity, and ensure equal treatment under law.

A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries.

Former WellCare Chief Executive Officer Todd S. Farha, 45, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced today in the Middle District of Florida to serve 36 months in prison for defrauding the Florida Medicaid program.

Credit Suisse AG pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to aid and assist U.S. taxpayers in filing false income tax returns and other documents with the Internal Revenue Service.

Attorney General Eric Holder, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will hold a press conference to announce a major law enforcement action.

Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today in response to a federal jury in Manhattan’s unanimously reaching a guilty verdict against Abu Hamza al-Masri.

When a foreign nation uses military or intelligence resources and tools against an American executive or corporation to obtain trade secrets or sensitive business information for the benefit of its state-owned companies, we must say, ‘enough is enough.’

At the Department of Justice, we have repeatedly pledged that we would do more to hold accountable those that engage in these actions. Today, we begin to fulfill that pledge.

Progress can be achingly slow – but in this country, as a courtroom full of men and women was reminded six decades ago, our destiny is of our own design.

"This case shows that no financial institution, no matter its size or global reach, is above the law. When the Department of Justice conducts investigations, we will always follow the law and the facts wherever they lead."

"While today’s action is a significant milestone in our law enforcement efforts, our work in the offshore area is far from done, and we expect additional public actions in this area in the coming months."

"The central mission of the Tax Division is to enforce our nation’s tax laws fairly and consistently. This is a responsibility that we owe to every honest taxpayer who pays his or her fair share. As part of this mission, we are committed to using all enforcement tools against those who seek to avoid their legal obligations, and their responsibilities to their fellow citizens and taxpayers, by hiding their assets in foreign bank accounts."

U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Daniel Layug pleaded guilty in the Southern District of California today to accepting more than $10,000 in cash, consumer electronics and travel expenses from a foreign defense contractor in exchange for classified and internal Navy information.

Jordan-based Arab Ship Management Ltd. pleaded guilty today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, to one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Justice Department and the U.S. Coast Guard announced.

A total of 19 individuals were arrested across the United States and internationally on charges brought by federal prosecutors in Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia.

At the end of the day, if by working together we do change behavior at financial institutions, it will result in better returns for its investors, a safer environment for its depositors, better operations in the corporate boardrooms, and a better, more stable economy. Unfortunately, it may also result in less business for you.

Today, we pay tribute to this remarkable leader. We thank her for bearing these burdens, and leading these efforts, with grace and with poise.

The work of these honorees in rescuing missing and exploited children – and in bringing perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice – is exceptional. It takes very special people to perform such difficult – and in many cases heart-wrenching and life-changing – duties.

Sixteen current and former Puerto Rico police officers have been indicted for their alleged participation in a criminal organization, run out of the police department, that used their affiliation with law enforcement to make money through robbery, extortion, manipulating court records and selling illegal narcotics.

Following a collaborative and thorough review, Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday announced a new policy for the Department of Justice that creates a presumption that statements made by individuals in federal custody, following arrest but prior to their first appearance in court, will be electronically recorded. Attorney General Holder said that the new policy will help to ensure accountability and promote public confidence in the institutions and processes that guide the nation’s law enforcement efforts.

Zahir Yousafzai, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen in the Eastern District of Michigan. In addition to his prison term, Yousafzai was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $4,131,135 in restitution, jointly and severally with his co-defendants.

An owner and operator of community mental health centers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as a patient recruiter for a related facility in Houston, Texas, were convicted on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, for their roles in a $258 million Medicare fraud scheme.

Two Florida men were sentenced today in the Middle District of Florida for their roles in a fraud scheme involving the submission of more than $10 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for physical therapy.

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service announced today that a federal grand jury in Anchorage, Alaska, returned a superseding indictment yesterday charging Michael D. Brandner, an Anchorage physician specializing in plastic surgery, on three counts of tax evasion.

Scott B. Miserendino, Sr., 55, a former government contractor who performed work for the United States Navy Military Sealift Command, and Timothy S. Miller, 57, a businessman whose company sought contracting business from the Military Sealift Command, were indicted today on charges including conspiracy and bribery.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Mississippi-based developer Dawn Properties Inc. and its affiliated companies for violating the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act., alleging that the defendants violated these laws when they designed and constructed five or more residential properties with barriers that make them inaccessible to persons with disabilities

Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division, will leave her post at the Department of Justice effective June 5, 2014, she announced today.

Attorney General Holder issued this statement on the passing of Maya Angelou.

Zhifei Li, the owner of an antique business in China, was sentenced today to serve 70 months in prison for heading an illegal wildlife smuggling conspiracy in which 30 rhinoceros horns and numerous objects made from rhino horn and elephant ivory worth more than $4.5 million were smuggled from the United States to China.

Ashland Hospital Corp. d/b/a King’s Daughters Medical Center (KDMC) has agreed to pay $40.9 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid programs for medically unnecessary coronary stents and diagnostic catheterizations.

A Las Vegas jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday against Alan Rodrigues, a former casino owner from Henderson, Nevada, Weston Coolidge, a former businessman from Las Vegas, and Joseph Prokop, a former National Football League punter from Upland, California, for conspiracy and fraud related to their promotion of a fraudulent tax product through the now-defunct National Audit Defense Network.