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Twenty-six Charged in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud the FCC’s Video Relay Service Program

“The individuals charged in connection with today’s operation are alleged to have stolen tens of millions of dollars from an important government program that is intended to help deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans communicate with hearing persons,” said Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Advocates and Leaders for Police and Community Trust (ALPACT) Awards Dinner

"I’m honored to participate in ALPACT’s first annual banquet, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to discuss an issue that I care about deeply – fostering collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve," said Attorney General Holder.




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Former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Depriving Motorist of Civil Rights by Kidnapping

“This officer abandoned his law enforcement role and engaged in a bizarre scheme to target innocent victims for his own personal gain. Officers who abuse their power in this way will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Civil Rights Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Former Tennessee Corrections Officers Plead Guilty to Civil Rights Violation and Lying

Joshua Ryan Jones and Roger Forrester, former corrections officers at the Northwest Correctional Complex in Tiptonville, Tenn., pleaded guilty today to violating the civil rights of an inmate and then lying about it during state and federal investigations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Arrests Made in Case Involving Conspiracy to Procure Weapons, Including Anti-Aircraft Missiles

A criminal complaint, unsealed today, charged Dani Nemr Tarraf with conspiring to acquire anti-aircraft missiles (FIM-92 Stingers) and conspiring to possess machine guns (approximately 10,000 Colt M4 Carbines).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Arizona Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Mailing Child Pornography

Robert Restuch, 70, of Bullhead City, Ariz., was sentenced today to five years in prison for mailing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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California Court Permanently Enjoins Developer of the “Derivium” “90% Loan” Tax Scheme

The complex tax scheme involved numerous entities located around the globe and sales of over $1.25 billion in securities



  • OPA Press Releases

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Six Individuals Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar E-Mail Stock Fraud Scheme

Six individuals were sentenced today in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming."



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Signs Agreement with the City of Poplarville, Mississippi, to Improve Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The agreement was reached under the department’s Project Civic Access initiative to bring localities into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Memphis Police Officer Convicted of Excessive Force

Isaac White, formerly an officer with the Memphis Police Department, pleaded guilty today to using excessive force and causing bodily injury. White faces up to 10 years in prison for the civil rights violation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Stericycle Inc.’s Acquisition of MedServe Inc.

The department said the transaction, as originally proposed, would substantially lessen competition in infectious waste collection and treatment services to hospitals and other critical healthcare facilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting a Minor for Illegal Sexual Activity

Mack Gordon Harris Sr., 67, of Social Circle, Ga., pleaded guilty today to transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity.



  • OPA Press Releases

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

The department filed a lawsuit in federal court in West Virginia alleging that MasTec Advanced Technologies willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 by discriminating against a U.S. Army Reserve member on the basis of his military service and by failing to offer Burress an appropriate reemployment position when he returned from military service.



  • OPA Press Releases

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North Carolina Poultry Processing Plant and Manager Indicted for Violations of Clean Water Act

A federal grand jury in Greensboro, N.C., returned an indictment today charging a poultry processor and a plant manager with multiple violations of the Clean Water Act for illegally discharging wastewater from its Raeford, N.C., based facility



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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).



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.”



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Roles in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving Online Sales

Two Bulgarian nationals have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia for their roles as money launderers for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Releases Video Explaining Federal Protections Against Immigration-Related Discrimination in the Workplace

The Department released a new video aimed at educating employers about worker rights and employer responsibilities under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Florida Executives, One Florida Intermediary and Two Former Haitian Government Officials Indicted for Their Alleged Participation in Foreign Bribery Scheme

Two Florida executives of a Miami-Dade County-based telecommunications company, the president of Florida-based Telecom Consulting Services Corp., and two former Haitian government officials were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged roles in a foreign bribery, wire fraud and money laundering scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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District of Columbia Seafood Company, Two Employees Charged with Purchasing Illegally Harvested Striped Bass

A Washington, D.C., fish wholesaler and two of its employees have been charged in U.S. District Court in Maryland for the purchase of illegally harvested striped bass, commonly referred to as rockfish, from the Potomac River from 1995 through 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Four Arkansas Men Sentenced on Civil Rights Charges in Cross Burning Conspiracy

Jacob Wingo, Clayton Morrison, Darren McKim and Richard Robins were sentenced today and yesterday in federal court in Hot Springs, Ark., on federal civil rights and obstruction of justice charges related to a conspiracy to drive a woman and her children from their home in Donaldson, Ark., because the victims associated with African-Americans.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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).



  • OPA Press Releases

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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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Department Issues FOIA Annual Report in More Accessible Format as Part of the President’s Initiative on Transparency and Open Government

As a result of the new format, members of the public, including public interest organizations, scholars, and the media, will be able to more easily track FOIA performance.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Georgia Couple Charged with Human Trafficking and Immigration Violations for Exploiting Woman from Swaziland

A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted an Ellenwood, Ga., husband and wife, Juna Gwendolyn Babb, 54, and Michael J. Babb, 53, on charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude, which is confiscating someone’s passport and visa, and harboring an alien for financial gain, the Justice Department announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Ft. Worth, Texas, Couple Charged with Holding Nigerian Woman in Domestic Servitude

A federal grand jury has indicted a Ft. Worth, Texas, husband and wife, Emmanuel and Ngozi Nnaji, on charges 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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Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Police Officer Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charges

A federal grand jury in Providence, R.I., has indicted an officer with the Woonsocket Police Department, charging him with violating the civil rights of a 16 year-old juvenile by physically assaulting him, as well as obstruction of justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, Men and Four Police Officers Indicted for Hate Crime and Related Corruption

A federal grand jury has returned multiple indictments arising out of a fatal racially motivated beating and related police corruption in Shenandoah, Pa.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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University of Phoenix Settles False Claims Act Lawsuit for $67.5 Million

University of Phoenix has agreed to pay the United States $67.5 million to resolve allegations that its student recruitment policies violated the False Claims Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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."



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases