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Former Virginia Department of Social Services Employee Sentenced for Preparing False Tax Returns and Stealing Identities

Sybil Marshall Coles, 45, of Pamplin, Virginia, was sentenced today to serve five years in prison for aggravated identity theft and preparing a false tax return.



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Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Nebraska

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on May 13, 2014, in Colfax and Douglas Counties, Nebraska, to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting rights statutes.



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Justice Department, Health and Human Services and Other Law Enforcement Officials to Announce Significant Medicare Fraud Strike Force Actions

Officials from the Justice Department, Health and Human Services and other law enforcement partners will hold a press conference today, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. EDT, to announce Medicare Fraud Strike Force law enforcement actions in Miami and throughout the nation.



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Attorney General Holder and Secretary Duncan to Announce Law Enforcement Action to Protect Military Servicemembers from Unfair Lending Practices

Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will hold a press conference to announce a major law enforcement action to protect military servicemembers from unfair lending practices today, Tuesday, May 13, 2014, at 1:15 p.m. EDT.



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Justice Department Reaches $60 Million Settlement with Sallie Mae to Resolve Allegations of Charging Military Servicemembers Excessive Rates on Student Loans

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).



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Dallas-Based Physician and Home Health Agency Director of Nursing Convicted in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

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.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Law Enforcement Action to Protect Military Servicemembers from Unfair Lending Practices

"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."




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Remarks by Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. O’Neil for the Medicare Fraud Strike Force Takedown

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.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund 26th Annual Candlelight Vigil

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.




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Statement By Attorney General Holder on the Planned Departure of Deputy Director of Public Affairs Gina Talamona

“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."



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Electrolux Agrees to Pay $750,000 Civil Penalty for Delay in Reporting Oven Hazard

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.



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Statement from the Department of Justice and Office of Director of National Intelligence on the Declassification of Additional Documents Regarding the Collection of Bulk Telephony Metadata Under Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act

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.



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Attorney General Holder Criticizes Excessive Use of Solitary Confinement for Juveniles with Mental Illness

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.



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Readout of the Attorney General’s Meeting with D.C.-area College Campus Leadership on Addressing Campus Sexual Assault

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.



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Patient Recruiter Sentenced in Detroit for Role in $14.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A patient recruiter who participated in a Medicare fraud scheme that totaled almost $14.5 million was sentenced in Detroit yesterday to serve 86 months in prison.



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Two Idaho Men Indicted for Hate Crime

Jonathan Lynn Henery, 28, and Beau Edward Hansen, 30, both of Boise, Idaho, were indicted May 13, 2014, on federal hate crime charges for their racially motivated assault of an African-American man, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson for the District of Idaho announced.



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Tennessee Salvage Company Owner and Operator Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate the Clean Air Act

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.



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Texas Man Indicted for Federal Hate Crime and Kidnapping Charges for Assault Based on Victim’s Sexual Orientation

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.



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Marubeni Corporation Sentenced for Foreign Bribery Violations

Marubeni Corporation, a Japanese trading company involved in the handling of products and provision of services in a broad range of sectors around the world, including power generation, was sentenced today for its participation in a scheme to pay bribes to high-ranking government officials in Indonesia.



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Former Officer Is 12th Sentenced in Connection with Series of Assaults on Inmate at Roxbury Correctional Institution

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.



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Member of Organization That Operated Online Marketplace for Stolen Personal Information Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

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.



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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Montgomery, Alabama, Tax Return Preparer

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.



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Four Ohio Businessmen Associated with Cadillac Ranch Restaurants Plead Guilty to Tax Charges

Four businessmen involved in the development, operation and ownership of restaurants, including Cadillac Ranch restaurants, in Ohio and elsewhere in the United States, pleaded guilty today to tax charges, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service announced.



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Six Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty to Mortgage Fraud Scheme Involving Four Condominium Developments

Six Miami-area residents, including three former loan officers, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida this week to participating in a fraudulent scheme designed to enrich real estate developers.



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Former Owner of Airline Fuel Supply Company Sentenced to Prison for Role in Scheme to Defraud Illinois-Based Ryan International Airlines

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.



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Former Alabama KKK Leader Sentenced to Prison for Cross Burning and Obstruction of Justice

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.



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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund for the 60th Anniversary of Brown V. Board of Education

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.




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Former Wellcare Chief Executive Sentenced for Health Care Fraud

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.



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Attorney General Holder, Deputy Attorney General Cole and IRS Officials to Hold Press Conference Announcing Major Law Enforcement Action

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.



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Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder on the Conviction of Abu Hamza al-Masri

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.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Press Conference Announcing U.S. Charges Against Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage

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.’




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Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin Speaks at the Press Conference Announcing U.S. Charges Against Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage

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.




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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Morgan State University Commencement Ceremony

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.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Announces Guilty Plea in Credit Suisse Offshore Tax Evasion Case

"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."




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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Guilty Plea in Credit Suisse Offshore Tax Evasion Case

"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."




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Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Guilty Plea in Credit Suisse Offshore Tax Evasion Case

"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."




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Justice Department Requires ConAgra, Cargill, CHS, Horizon Milling to Divest Four Significant Flour Mills to Go Forward with Ardent Mills Joint Venture

The Department of Justice will require ConAgra Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., CHS Inc. and Horizon Milling LLC to divest four competitively significant flour mills in order to proceed with the formation of Ardent Mills, a flour milling joint venture.



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Law School Admission Council Agrees to Systemic Reforms and $7.73 Million Payment to Settle Justice Department’s Nationwide Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

The Justice Department filed a joint motion today for entry of a landmark consent decree to resolve allegations that the Law School Admission Council engaged in widespread and systemic discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.



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President of Higher Education Software Provider Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Hack into Competitors’ Computer Systems

The president and chief executive officer of Virginia-based Symplicity Corporation pleaded guilty today to conspiring to hack into the computer systems of two competitors to improve his company’s software development and sales strategy.



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South Florida Man Sentenced to Jail for Tax Fraud

Paul F. Wrubleski, a resident of Weston, Florida, was sentenced to serve 55 months in prison on tax fraud charges, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced today.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole at the Government Enforcement Institute at the University of Texas School of Law

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.




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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Dedication of the Ethel Kennedy Bridge

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




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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the National Missing Children’s Day Ceremony

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.




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Sixteen Current and Former Puerto Rico Police Officers Indicted for Allegedly Running Criminal Organization out of Police Department

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.



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Attorney General Holder Announces Significant Policy Shift Concerning Electronic Recording of Statements

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.



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Tennessee Man Indicted for Cross Burning

A federal grand jury in Nashville, Tennessee, returned a three count indictment yesterday against Timothy Flanagan, 33, formerly of Giles County, Tennessee, currently residing in Hudson, Florida, charging him with federal offenses for his role in a cross-burning in front of an interracial family’s home in Minor Hill, Tennessee.



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$20 Million Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Ring Indicted

Tracy Mitchell, Dameisha Mitchell, Latasha Mitchell, Keisha Lanier, Tameka Hoskins, Sharondra Johnson, Cynthia Johnson, Mequetta Snell-Quick, Talarious Paige and Patrice Taylor were indicted for their roles in a $20 million stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) conspiracy.



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Detroit-Area Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for His Role in $13.8 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

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.



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Army Soldier Sentenced for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan

United States Army soldier Albert Kelly III of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for his role in stealing fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Salerno in Afghanistan.



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Owner and Recruiter for Louisiana and Texas Mental Health Clinics Convicted as Part of $258 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

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.



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