Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division issued the following statement today on changes to the division’s carve-out practice regarding corporate plea agreements.

The Department of Justice and the Council of State Governments (CSG) highlight 17 states that have cut corrections costs while reducing recidivism and improving public safety. With funding from the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), staff from the CSG Justice Center – in partnership with the Pew Center on the States – worked with lawmakers, policymakers, and a wide range of justice system professionals and stakeholders from each state to identify crime and corrections trends and formulate strategies that would save money and improve safety.

"Today, I am firmly committed – as I know everyone here is committed – to keep the promises we’ve made to the American people, and especially to survivors and victims’ families in communities like Newtown," said Attorney General Holder.

The Justice Department filed suit today asking the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida to permanently bar Osvaldo J. Diaz from preparing federal tax returns for others.

The United States has asked a federal court in Charleston, S.C., to permanently bar Stacy Middleton of Charleston, and George Jenkins of Blythewood, S.C., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.

"We use our tools—criminal and civil enforcement, together with focused and effective competition advocacy—to ensure that consumers get the full advantage of our free-market economy," said Assistant Attorney General Baer.

"Five decades have passed since Dr. King laid down those immortal words. Yet, as we come together today, his work remains our common pursuit," said Attorney General Holder.

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a complaint alleging that the County Employees’ and Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Cook County and Cook County willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by failing to allow U.S. Army Reserve Member Latoya Hayward to lawfully contribute to her pension for the time she was serving in the armed forces.

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement with Apple Tree Children’s Center of Norwalk, Iowa, to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Justice Department announced today that Marcus Manly Magee III, Ina Magee and their company, M.M. and S. Inc., have agreed to pay $27,000 to settle a lawsuit involving violations of the Fair Housing Act.

"The issues you’re discussing here at this summit – the intersection of drugs and crime, gang and youth violence, the future of juvenile justice – are all issues the Department of Justice and my office, the Office of Justice Programs, are working diligently to address," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"In the days ahead – as my Justice Department and FBI colleagues continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners to investigate the tragedy that took place in Boston on Monday – your continued support will be more critical than ever," said Attorney General Holder.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (ABI) and Grupo Modelo S.A.B. de C.V. that requires the companies to divest Modelo’s entire U.S. business to Constellation Brands Inc., in order to go forward with their merger.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the city of Jacksonville, Fla., to improve access for people with disabilities to civic life in Jacksonville.

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced a revised version of the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations (SAFE Protocol, 2d.) The SAFE Protocol is a voluntary best practices guide to conducting sexual assault medical forensic examinations protocols.

"The goal of Vision 21 is to create a framework to address these enduring and emerging challenges – in short, to re-define the role of victim services in the 21st century," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary

"We’re doubling down on our support for victims because the challenges they and their advocates face continue to be significant, and they’re growing," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement agreement with the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township, Ind., to prevent and respond to peer on peer harassment in schools.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with the city of Falls Church, Va., that will allow for the city, a covered jurisdiction under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act, to bail out from coverage under these provisions.

As the United States concludes its recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman announced that the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program has returned more than $1.5 billion in forfeited assets to more than 400,000 crime victims since January 2012.

New guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice reinforces the Fair Housing Act requirement that multifamily housing be designed and constructed so as to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

"This is our time – to fulfill the mission, and hold true to the values, that have always defined this Department – not by winning cases or securing convictions, but by seeing that justice is done," said Attorney General Holder.

The Justice Department announced today that, as part of its Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, it has reached a settlement agreement with another health care provider, Medical Facilities of America XXIX Limited Partnership, t/a Burke Health and Rehabilitation Center in Burke, Va., to ensure that they provide effective communication to people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on May 7, 2013, in the towns of Clarksdale, Como and Ruleville, Miss., and in Charleston County, S.C., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement today with DeKalb County, Ga., school district to resolve the department’s investigation into allegations of religious and national origin harassment of a Sikh middle school student.

Corey Thompson was sentenced today to serve 30 months in prison for his involvement in a sophisticated stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy.

Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division, announced today that she will be leaving the Department of Justice on June 7, 2013.

The Department of Justice announced today the settlement of its lawsuit against the Golden Corral restaurant in Westland, Mich., which alleged that the owners and operators of the Golden Corral violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by denying service to a mother and her minor children based on the appearance of the children’s skin due to a genetic skin disorder.

The Justice Department announced today that Oregon developer David Montagne and others affiliated with him have agreed to pay $80,000 and remove accessibility barriers at Gateway Village, a 275 unit apartment complex in Salem, Oregon, to settle a lawsuit alleging that they had violated the Fair Housing Act by building the complex with steps and other features that made it inaccessible to persons with disabilities.

The United States has asked a federal court in St. Louis, Mo., to permanently bar Joseph Burns, d/b/a Electronic Tax Service, Joseph Thomas and International Tax Service Inc. (Thomas’s business), from preparing federal tax returns for others.

The Department of Justice and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights obtained a comprehensive resolution agreement today with the University of Montana-Missoula in Missoula, Mont., to ensure that it responds swiftly and effectively to allegations of sexual assault and harassment by students.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Stewart County, Ga., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.

"We have covered extraordinary ground in the last year—not only concluding a comprehensive investigation of the University’s response to sexual assault, but also reaching two agreements to remedy the problems we found— this would not have been possible without the cooperation and dedication that the University demonstrated throughout," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Austin.

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor municipal elections on May 11, 2013, in the cities of Corrigan, Farmers Branch, Irving and Orange, Texas, to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Justice Department announced today that the Civil Rights Division will monitor the election on May 14, 2013, in Douglas County, Neb.

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit against Niagara County, N.Y., alleging that Niagara County discriminated against Carisa Boddecker, a corrections officer with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department, when it forced her to take a leave of absence during her pregnancy.

The Justice Department today paid tribute to nine individuals for their extraordinary efforts to recover missing children, rescue children from abuse and prosecute sexual predators during its annual commemoration of National Missing Children’s Day.

The Department of Justice today reached a comprehensive agreement with the Missoula, Mont., Police Department to ensure that the police department fairly and effectively responds to reports of sexual assault.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a final settlement with the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, to resolve the department’s claim that the city violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination against female applicants for entry-level police officer positions.

I want to take this opportunity not only to congratulate our honorees, but to thank all of you – everyone here – for your commitment to finding missing, abducted, and exploited children.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement with the architects and civil engineers involved in the design and construction of multifamily housing complexes located in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.

These ongoing struggles are why Asian Americans and Pacific Islander leaders in our economic, academic, and social institutions are so important. These are the leaders who are working tirelessly each day to create positive change for the AAPI community, their neighbors, and our Country.

Indian national Kaushik Jayantibhai Thakkar and Brazilian national Fabiano Augusto Amorim were each sentenced today to serve 36 months in prison for their roles in smuggling undocumented migrants to the United States for private financial gain.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Cinemark Holdings Inc. and Rave Holdings LLC (Rave Cinemas) that requires Cinemark to divest movie theaters in Kentucky, New Jersey and Texas, in order to proceed with its $220 million acquisition of Rave Cinemas movie theaters.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division issued a letter detailing the findings of its investigation into conditions of confinement at Escambia County Jail, a jail located in northwest Florida, housing roughly 1,300 prisoners.

A federal complaint has been unsealed charging Dante Phearse, 32, of Houston, with calling in bomb threats to two synagogues located in Houston.

The owner and sole operator of an environmental laboratory was found guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi of all counts of a federal indictment charging falsification of records and obstructing a federal criminal investigation.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with ISS Facility Services Company resolving allegations that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Attorney General Eric Holder delivered keynote remarks after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas administered the Oath of Allegiance to 70 new citizens today during a special naturalization ceremony at the Department of Justice’s Great Hall.

The Department of Justice released today a report to Congress entitled Indian Country Investigations and Prosecutions which provides a range of enforcement statistics required under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010.