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U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Scheme

Stephen Schultz entered a guilty plea in federal district court in Miami to 12 counts of an indictment pending against him.



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Justice Department Announces Release of New Information Online as Part of President’s Open Government Initiative

As part of the Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative, and in compliance with the Open Government Directive issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli today announced the online publication of three high-value sets of data not previously made available by the Department of Justice.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the National Sheriffs’ Association’s 2010 Winter Conference

"Over the years, I’ve been privileged to work with many of you, and, today, I’m proud to stand alongside each of you in answering our nation’s call to attain justice," said Attorney General Holder.




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Westar Energy to Spend Approximately $500 Million to Settle Clean Air Act Violations

Westar Energy has agreed to spend approximately $500 million to significantly reduce harmful air pollution from a Kansas power plant and pay a $3 million civil penalty, under a settlement to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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United States Transfers Three Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Slovakia

The United States is grateful to the Government of Slovakia for its willingness to support U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Requires Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. to Make Significant Changes to Its Merger with Live Nation Inc.

The Department will require Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc. to license its ticketing software, divest ticketing assets and subject itself to anti-retaliation provisions in order to proceed with its proposed merger with Live Nation Inc.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Los Angeles Medical Center Owners Agree to $10 Million Consent Judgment for Medicare and Medi-Cal Fraud Scheme

The United States has obtained a $10 million consent judgment against Los Angeles businessman Robert Bourseau and Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam for a Medicare and Medi-Cal fraud scheme arising from their former ownership of the Los Angeles City of Angels Medical Center.



  • OPA Press Releases

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United States Transfers Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Switzerland

The Swiss Government, with the support of the Canton of Geneva, accepted an Uzbek national for resettlement and his transfer was carried out according to arrangements between the governments of the United States and Switzerland.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Six Members of MS-13 Gang Convicted of Racketeering, Murder, Drug and Firearms Charges

Six members of a racketeering enterprise, called La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were convicted today by a jury in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, N.C., of criminal charges that include racketeering, murder, attempted murder, assault, cocaine trafficking and numerous related federal firearms offenses



  • OPA Press Releases

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Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans Agrees to Reinstate Program to Improve Sewage System Damaged by Hurricane Katrina

The Sewerage & stalled for several years in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – to make extensive improvements to reduce or eliminate sewage overflows into the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and its storm drainage canal system.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settlement with Nashville, Tennessee, Public Schools Will Improve Security on School Buses for Students with Disabilities

The Department has entered into a settlement agreement with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Tenn., and Davidson County, Tenn., to enhance the security of students with disabilities on public school buses.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Businessman Convicted for Evading $1.9 Million in Taxes on Sales of Ozone-Depleting Greenhouse Gases

Dov Shellef, a businessman from Great Neck, N.Y., was convicted today on 86 counts, following a five-week jury trial, for conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service in the collection of approximately $1.9 million in excise taxes due on sales of the ozone-depleting greenhouse gas known as CFC-113.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Los Angeles Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Submitting Nearly $1 Million in False and Fraudulent Claims to Medicare

The owner and operator of a Los Angeles durable medical equipment (DME) company pleaded guilty today to submitting nearly $1 million in false claims to Medicare.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Associate Attorney General Perrelli, Senators Announce Passage of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Resolution

"For the first time, this crime is being commemorated as ‘National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month,’ instead of a week. This is no small feat, and I commend the Senate for its unanimous passage," said Associate Attorney General Perrelli.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Holder, Secretary Sebelius Convene National Summit on Health Care Fraud, Unveil Historic Commitment to Fighting Fraud in President’s FY 2011 Budget

“Health care fraud affects all Americans and demands a coordinated, national response,” said Attorney General Holder.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Federal Court Permanently Blocks Tennessee Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has issued a permanent injunction barring Karen Liane Miller of Nashville, Tenn., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination in Davenport, Iowa

The Department announced the settlement of a lawsuit alleging that those involved in the design and construction of two multifamily housing complexes in Davenport, Iowa, violated the Fair Housing Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Attorney Convicted for Role in Pump-and-dump Stock Manipulation Schemes

Phillip Windom Offill Jr., 51, of Dallas, was indicted on March 12, 2009, and today was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit registration violations, securities fraud and nine counts of wire fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Willbros International Executives Sentenced to Prison for Their Roles in $6 Million Foreign Bribery Scheme

Two former executives of Willbros International Inc. (WII), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), were sentenced today for their roles 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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files for Immediate Relief Regarding Conditions in Georgia’s Hospitals

The Civil Rights Division has filed a motion for immediate relief to protect individuals confined in seven state-run psychiatric hospitals in Georgia from the imminent and serious threat of harm to their lives, health and safety.



  • OPA Press Releases

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First Extradition from El Salvador to the United States Brings Salvadoran National Back to Serve Prison Sentence on Texas State Sexual Assault Charges

“Today’s extradition brings a criminal to justice and paves the way forward in our law enforcement partnership with El Salvador,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice FY 2011 Budget Request

“The budget provides the department with the means necessary to protect our national security, bolster our traditional missions, and prevent and reduce crime in tandem with our state, local, tribal and community partners,” said Attorney General Holder.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Six Individuals with Alleged Ties to Aryan Brotherhood Arrested and Charged with Murder of Two People in Nacogdoches County, Texas

Six alleged members or associates of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been indicted and arrested for their alleged roles in the 2007 murder of two people in Nacogdoches County, Texas.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Redding, Calif., Man Convicted of Child Pornography Offenses

Elden Ray Cibart, 60, was found guilty of one count of possessing and three counts of receiving child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owners of Los Angeles-area Medical Equipment Company Sentenced to Prison for Medicare Fraud

Gevork Kartashyan, 45, and Eliza Shubaralyan, 42, were each sentenced to serve two years in prison by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the Central District of California.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice Officials, Actress Mariska Hargitay Urge Team Response to End Violence Against Women

President Obama’s FY2011 budget request provides $461 million for OVW to provide communities with resources to combat sexual assault and violence against women.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Atricure to Pay U.S. $3.76 Million to Resolve Medicare Fraud Allegations

Atricure Inc., a medical device manufacturer, has agreed to pay the United States $3.76 million to resolve civil claims in connection with the alleged promotion of its surgical ablation devices.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Arlington, Texas, Couple Convicted of Forced Labor and Other Crimes for Holding Nigerian Woman in Domestic Servitude

A federal jury has convicted an Arlington, Texas, husband and wife, Emmanuel and Ngozi Nnaji, of engaging in a nine-year scheme to compel the labor of a Nigerian victim as their domestic servant.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Serial Sex Offender Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison on Sex Tourism and Failure to Register Charges in Delaware

Thomas S. Pendleton, 66, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Gregory M. Sleet in Wilmington, Del., to the statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for traveling to Germany to have sex with a minor.



  • OPA Press Releases

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NFL Players Association Joins Justice Department Effort to Raise Awareness Around Violence Against Women

The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has joined its year-long campaign to commemorate the 15 year anniversary of President Bill Clinton signing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) into law.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Taiwan Exporter Arrested on Charges of Exporting Missile Components from the United States to Iran

Yi-Lan Chen, aka "Kevin Chen," 40, a Taiwan passport holder, was arrested on Feb. 3, 2010, on charges of illegally exporting commodities for Iran’s missile program.



  • OPA Press Releases

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

The Department has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against MasTec Advanced Technologies on behalf of Eugene C. Burress, a U.S. Army Reserve member, alleging that MasTec willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two New Jersey Executives Each Sentenced to 27 Months in Jail for Roles in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud the Federal E-rate Program

Benjamin Rowner and Jay H. Soled, former owners of DeltaNet Inc., were also each sentenced to pay $271,716 in restitution, jointly and severally, to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Resident of India Pleads Guilty in International Online Brokerage “Hack, Pump and Dump” Scheme

Jaisankar Marimuthu, a native of Chennai, India, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, computer fraud and aggravated identity theft, and to one count of aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New Jersey Man Indicted for Threatening Employees of Latino Civil Rights Organizations

A federal grand jury in Trenton, N.J., has charged Vincent Johnson of Brick, N.J., with threatening employees of five civil rights organizations that work to improve opportunities for and challenge discrimination against Latinos in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Virginia Resident Pleads Guilty to Bribing Former Panamanian Government Officials in Connection with Maritime Contract

A Virginia resident pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a conspiracy to pay bribes to former Panamanian government officials.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Canadian Firm and U.S. Subsidiary to Pay $4 Million to Settle Lawsuit in Connection with Sale of Defective Bullet-Proof Vests

Lincoln Fabrics Ltd., a Canadian weaver of ballistic fabrics, and its American subsidiary, have agreed to pay the United States $4 million to settle the United States’ lawsuit against Lincoln for violations of the False Claims Act in connection with their role in the weaving of Zylon fabric used in the manufacture and sale of defective Zylon bullet-proof vests.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Announces New Intellectual Property Task Force as Part of Broad IP Enforcement Initiative

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the formation of a new Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property as part of a Department-wide initiative to confront the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property (IP) crimes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Unveils Plan of Action for Consultation and Coordination with Tribes

The Justice Department’s plan identifies the steps it will take to develop a comprehensive consultation and coordination policy with tribal nations, after robust tribal input.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

"Let me be clear, we enhance public safety by incarcerating those who harm our neighbors and our communities. This is a fact. But in our work to protect the American people, incarceration cannot be our only law enforcement strategy," said Attorney General Holder.




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Attorney General Holder Welcomes Judge Susan B. Carbon as Director of Office on Violence Against Women

“I am pleased to welcome Judge Carbon to the Justice Department and to the Office on Violence Against Women,” said Attorney General Holder.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Sean Bell

There is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers involved in the fatal shooting of Sean Bell.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Italian Subsidiary of U.S.-Based Company Agrees to Plead Guilty for Participating in International Price-Fixing Conspiracy

Parker ITR S.r.l. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $2.29 million criminal fine for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settles Fair Housing Lawsuit in Nebraska Against the Latvian Tower Condominium Association and Its Former President

The Civil Rights Division reached an agreement with the Latvian Tower Condominium Association Inc. and its former president, Karl Tegtmeyer, to settle allegations of discrimination against families with children.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Announces Streamlined Grant Solicitation for Tribal Communities

"This is a direct result of what we heard from tribal leaders at the department's listening session. Tribal leaders have made it clear that a single application would significantly improve their ability to apply and receive critical federal funding, which so many of their communities depend on," said Associate Attorney General Perrelli.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Guyanese National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States

Annita Devi Gerald, a Guyanese national, pleaded guilty today to bringing an alien into the United States for commercial gain.



  • OPA Press Releases

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West Palm Beach, Florida, Resident Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Cramming Scheme

Willoughby Farr, 46, of West Palm Beach, Fla., has been charged with perpetrating what is known as a cramming scheme, which was designed to place charges on consumers’ telephone bills for collect calls that were not made, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Miami Field Office announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Investiture of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade

"Today, we celebrate a milestone in Barb McQuade’s remarkable career," said Attorney General Holder.




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Two Former Executives of Video Relay Services Company Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program

Irma Azrelyant and Joshua Finkle, the former co-owners of New York and New Jersey-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services Inc. (DHIS), pleaded guilty today to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service (VRS) program of more than $7 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settles with Ohio Child Care Center to End Discrimination Against Children with Asthma

The Department announced a settlement agreement with The Children’s House Inc. of Broadview Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to provide services for children with asthma as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



  • OPA Press Releases