v U.S. Leads Multi-National Action Against “Gameover Zeus” Botnet and “Cryptolocker” Ransomware, Charges Botnet Administrator By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 12:21:08 EDT The Justice Department today announced a multi-national effort to disrupt the Gameover Zeus Botnet – a global network of infected victim computers used by cyber criminals to steal millions of dollars from businesses and consumers – and unsealed criminal charges in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Omaha, Nebraska, against an administrator of the botnet. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Former Utah Certified Public Accountant Convicted of Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Totaling More Than $8 Million and Presenting a $300 Million Fictitious Financial Instrument By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 13:22:14 EDT Dick Reid Jenkins, of Heber City, Utah, was convicted today, in U.S. District Court for the District of Utah, of eighteen counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds and one count of presenting a fictitious financial instrument, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Former CEO and CFO of Arthrocare Corporation Convicted for Orchestrating $400 Million Securities Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 18:21:21 EDT A federal jury today convicted the former chief executive officer and the former chief financial officer of ArthroCare Corporation, a publicly traded medical device company based in Austin, Texas, for orchestrating a fraud scheme that resulted in shareholder losses of over $400 million. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell Delivers Remarks for the Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker Operations and Related Criminal Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 12:37:15 EDT Evgeniy Bogachev and the members of his criminal network devised and implemented the kind of cyber crimes that you might not believe if you saw them in a science fiction movie. By secretly implanting viruses on computers around the world, they built a network of infected machines – or “bots” – that they could infiltrate, spy on, and even control, from anywhere they wished. Full Article Speech
v Deputy Attorney General James Cole Delivers Remarks at Press Conference for Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker Operations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Jun 2014 14:05:29 EDT Today, we are here to announce that, over the weekend, the Department disrupted two extremely damaging cyber threats – the financial botnet known as Gameover Zeus and the malicious software known as Cryptolocker. Full Article Speech
v Justice Department Announces Investigation of Detention Center in Hinds County, Mississippi By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 13:13:46 EDT The Justice Department announced today that it is opening a pattern or practice investigation of Hinds County Detention Center including both the Hinds County facility in Raymond, Mississippi, and the Jackson Detention Center, in Jackson, Mississippi. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Iowa Company and Top Executives Plead Guilty in Connection with Distribution of Adulterated Eggs By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 3 Jun 2014 12:06:28 EDT Quality Egg LLC (Quality Egg), Austin “Jack” DeCoster and Peter DeCoster pleaded guilty today in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa, in connection with the distribution of adulterated eggs in interstate commerce. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Conspiracy Charge Filed Against Former Convergex Trader By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 4 Jun 2014 15:52:41 EDT A former trader for ConvergEx Global Markets Limited (CGM Limited) — a former securities broker-dealer registered in Bermuda — has been charged in the District of New Jersey with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Former Top Executive of Japanese Automotive Parts Manufacturer Indicted for Role in Conspiracy to Fix Prices By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 11:39:22 EDT A Detroit federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against a former top executive of a Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts for his participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Discharging Waste into Potomac River By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 12:04:10 EDT Patrick Brightwell, 48, of Bogart, Georgia, pleaded guilty today to federal charges that he orchestrated the discharge of waste into the Potomac River at East Potomac Park from 2009 through 2011. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v District Court Approves Selection of Arnaldo Claudio as Technical Compliance Advisor to Oversee Critical Reforms of Puerto Rico Police Department By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 14:26:19 EDT Today, U.S. District Judge Gustavo A. Gelpí approved the selection of Arnaldo Claudio to serve as Technical Compliance Advisor (TCA), overseeing the implementation of sweeping civil rights reforms under the Agreement for Sustainable Reform of the Puerto Rico Police Department. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Florida State University By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 16:09:38 EDT The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with the Florida State University Board of Trustees, acting for and on behalf of Florida State University (FSU), in Tallahassee, Florida. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Detroit Tax Preparer, Previously Convicted on Tax Charges, Found Guilty of Failing to Appear at 2013 Bond Hearing By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 17:25:17 EDT The Justice Department, the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration announced that Matthew Bender, of Detroit, was convicted yesterday following a jury trial of failing to appear at a bond hearing on July 2, 2013. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Associate Attorney General Tony West to Visit Alaska By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 11:32:19 EDT Associate Attorney General Tony West will visit Alaska next week to discuss the Department of Justice’s efforts to protect civil rights and strengthen public safety in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Justice Department and CNCS Announce New Partnership to Enhance Immigration Courts and Provide Critical Legal Assistance to Unaccompanied Minors By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 14:06:50 EDT The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers AmeriCorps, and the Department of Justice today announced “justice AmeriCorps,” a strategic partnership to increase national service opportunities while enhancing the effective and efficient adjudication of immigration proceedings involving certain children who have crossed the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Campaign Worker Pleads Guilty to Buying Votes in a Donna, Texas School Board Election By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 6 Jun 2014 16:04:26 EDT Guadalupe Escamilla, 72, of Weslaco, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of vote-buying before Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa in the Southern District of Texas, McAllen Division. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Holder Suggests New Proposal to Boost Voting Access for American Indians and Alaska Natives By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 9 Jun 2014 12:37:13 EDT "As a nation, we cannot, and we will not, simply stand by as the voices of Native Americans are shut out of the democratic process. I am personally committed to working with tribal authorities – and with Congress – to confront disparities and end misguided voting practices once and for all.” Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Department of Justice Reaches Landmark Agreement to Improve Missoula County Attorney’s Office’s Response to Reports of Sexual Assault By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:11:08 EDT The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a comprehensive agreement with the Missoula County Attorney’s Office, as well as Missoula County, Montana, and the Montana Attorney General’s Office, to resolve the department’s investigation of alleged gender bias in the prosecution of sexual assaults by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office (MCAO). Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Justice Department Urges U.S. Sentencing Commission to Make Certain Individuals Incarcerated for Drug Offenses Retroactively Eligible for Reduced Sentences By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:12:54 EDT Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday that the Justice Department would formally support a proposal under consideration by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to allow certain individuals serving time in federal prison for nonviolent drug offenses to be eligible for reduced sentences. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Virginia Businessman Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Fraud and Theft from Employee Benefit Plan By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:14:17 EDT William P. Danielczyk Jr., formerly of Oakton, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of willful failure to collect and pay over employment taxes for the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2010, and one count of theft or embezzlement from an employee benefit plan for the calendar year 2010, the Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus on Black Men and Boy’s Father’s Day Event By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 09:47:39 EDT When I think about what it means to be an engaged citizen and a role model, I think of – and am thankful for – my own wonderful father, whom I loved, admired and miss every day. Full Article Speech
v Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the 2014 LGBT Pride Month Celebration By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 09:48:27 EDT Today, we have the privilege of hearing from two of the tenacious legal advocates who made last year’s landmark Supreme Court decision possible. First, it’s my pleasure to hand things over to our keynote speaker, Roberta Kaplan – who argued the Defense of Marriage Act challenge on behalf of Edith Windsor. Full Article Speech
v Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the 14th Annual Lambda Legal Reception By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 09:49:57 EDT And it’s not enough until the circle of opportunity and equality is so wide – and so accessible – that the American Dream is available to everyone with the heart to dream it. Full Article Speech
v Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the “Pills to Needles: the Pathway to Rising Heroin Deaths” Event By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 09:55:16 EDT As the Attorney General recently observed, heroin and opiate addiction and abuse “is impacting the lives of Americans in every state, in every region, and from every background and walk of life.” Full Article Speech
v Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Agreement with Missoula County Attorney’s Office By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 13:14:13 EDT "Today’s groundbreaking agreement represents another important step forward in our ongoing effort to ensure that survivors of sexual assault in Missoula are treated with dignity and respect and have the full protection of the criminal justice system" Full Article Speech
v Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Pamela Karlan Speaks at the 2014 LGBT Pride Month Celebration By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 13:24:37 EDT ..."the velocity of the change should not blind us to the fact that if other civil rights struggles in America are any lesson, we have decades to go and we may need to fight as hard to preserve the gains we’ve won as to achieve new ones." Full Article Speech
v Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence Holds Final Public Hearing By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:22:10 EDT The Advisory Committee of the Attorney General’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence convenes its final public hearing in Anchorage, Alaska, today and tomorrow Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Associate Attorney Tony West Speaks at the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence Hearing By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 16:33:01 EDT "We have come to Anchorage to lessen the number of suffering children. We come to continue the important work we began six months ago when this Advisory Committee held its first hearing in Bismarck," said Associate Attorney General West Full Article Speech
v Former Ku Klux Klan Officer Pleads Guilty to Committing Perjury During Investigation into Cross-Burning By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:30:11 EDT Pamela Morris, former secretary of a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Ozark, Alabama, pleaded guilty today to committing perjury during a grand jury’s investigation into a racially motivated cross-burning in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Focus: Hope “Heroes for Hope” Event By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 15:52:46 EDT Ultimately, as your history reminds us, these efforts will be successful only if we take responsibility not just for ourselves, but for our families, our neighbors, our friends, and our fellow citizens. Among them are the future “heroes for hope” that this city, this state, and this country desperately need. Full Article Speech
v Federal Inmate Convicted of Murder By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:38:24 EDT Federal inmate Kevin Marquette Bellinger, a former resident of Washington, D.C., and an inmate at the United States Penitentiary in Hazelton, West Virginia, was convicted this week for the murder of another inmate after a 5-day federal jury trial before U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley of the Northern District of West Virginia Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Holder Delivers Statement on the Arrest of Ahmed Abu Khatallah for His Role in Attack in Benghazi, Libya By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:41:25 EDT Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Tuesday regarding the arrest of Ahmed Abu Khatallah for his role in the attack on the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach Nearly $1 Billion Agreement with SunTrust to Address Mortgage Loan Origination as Well as Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:42:54 EDT The Justice Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), along with 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general have reached a $968 million agreement with SunTrust Mortgage Inc. (SunTrust) to address mortgage origination, servicing, and foreclosure abuses Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Former Maryland Division of Corrections Lieutenant Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:44:23 EDT Edwin Stigile III, formerly a lieutenant at the Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge James K. Bredar to serve 36 months in prison for obstruction of justice in connection with his involvement in a series of assaults against an inmate, Kenneth Davis, at RCI Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Credit Repair Company Agrees to Pay $400,000 Civil Penalty and Halt Illegal Credit Repair Practices By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:53:36 EDT The Justice Department’s Civil Division announced today that RMCN Credit Services Inc. (RMCN), of McKinney, Texas, and the Texas residents who own it, Doug and Julie Parker, have agreed to settle a federal court case charging them with falsely disputing negative information on consumers’ credit reports and collecting illegal upfront fees from customers Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Reach $169 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Credit Card Lending Discrimination by GE Capital Retail Bank By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:57:51 EDT The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced a settlement to resolve allegations that GE Capital Retail Bank, known as of this month as Synchrony Bank, engaged in a nationwide pattern or practice of discrimination by excluding Hispanic borrowers from two of its credit card debt-repayment programs Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Holder Delivers at the ONDCP Summit on Heroin and Prescription Drugs By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 09:34:45 EDT You know as well as anyone that the challenges we face are daunting. You’ve shown us that, as we seek to address the problem of substance abuse, it makes sense to focus on the most dangerous types of drugs. And right now, few substances are more lethal than prescription opioids and heroin. Full Article Speech
v Remarks by Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels at GE Capital Retail Bank Press Conference By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 13:25:34 EDT The settlement resolves claims that the bank discriminated against Hispanic borrowers by excluding them from two credit card debt-repayment programs. It is the federal government’s largest credit card discrimination settlement in history. Full Article Speech
v Joint Statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Justice on the Declassification of Renewal of Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 12:11:02 EDT The Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released the following joint statement Friday Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Holder Vows Justice Department Will Continue to Look at Banks That Help Payment Processors Carry out Consumer Scams, Says More Cases to Be Resolved Soon By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:00:43 EDT Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday said that the Justice Department will continue to investigate financial institutions that knowingly facilitate consumer scams, or that willfully look the other way in processing such fraudulent transactions. He acknowledged that multiple investigations were ongoing in this area, and said he expected several of those cases to be resolved in the coming months Full Article OPA Press Releases
v District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against California-Based Firm and Individuals to Prevent Distribution of Adulterated Dietary Supplements By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:01:45 EDT The Justice Department announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Otis D. Wright II of the Central District of California entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against GM Manufacturing Inc. (GMM) and Mao L. Yang, Mary Chen and David Yang on Friday, June 20, 2014, to prevent the distribution of adulterated dietary supplements Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Three Former Georgia Correctional Officers Convicted for Offenses Related to Beating of Inmate and Ensuing Cover-Up By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:02:53 EDT The Justice Department announced that Christopher Hall, a former sergeant for the Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) at Macon State Prison (MSP) in Oglethorpe, Georgia, and two former CERT officers, Ronald Lach and Delton Rushin, were convicted on Friday night by a federal jury on federal offenses related to the beating of an MSP inmate in 2010 and the cover-up that followed Full Article OPA Press Releases
v 168 Juveniles Recovered in Nationwide Operation Targeting Commercial Child Sex Trafficking By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:04:06 EDT During the past week, the FBI, its local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) conducted Operation Cross Country VIII, a week-long enforcement action to address commercial child sex trafficking throughout the United States Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Former Chesapeake, Virginia Subcontractor Sentenced for Conspiracy to Commit Bribery By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:53:37 EDT Roderic J. Smith, 50, the co-founder and former president of a government contracting company, was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, for conspiracy to bribe public officials. Smith was ordered to forfeit $175,000 Full Article OPA Press Releases
v New Jersey School District to Adopt Service Animal Policies and Pay Fine to Resolve Justice Department Investigation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:55:06 EDT The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement with the Delran Township School District in New Jersey under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Rhino and Ivory Smuggling Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:56:27 EDT Ning Qiu, a resident of Frisco, Texas, and an appraiser of Asian art, pleaded guilty today in federal court to participating in an illegal wildlife smuggling conspiracy in which rhinoceros horns and objects made from rhino horn and elephant ivory worth nearly $1 million were smuggled from the United States to China Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Former Louisiana State Corrections Official Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:57:58 EDT Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Walt Green for the Middle District of Louisiana announced today that a third former state corrections official has pleaded guilty to civil rights violations related to the beating of an inmate at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Attorney General Holder Pledges Support for Legislation to Provide E.U. Citizens with Judicial Redress in Cases of Wrongful Disclosure of Their Personal Data Transferred to the U.S. for Law Enforcement Purposes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:42:23 EDT Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Obama administration, as part of successfully concluding negotiations on the E.U.-U.S. Data Protection and Privacy Agreement (DPPA), would seek to work with Congress to enact legislation that would provide E.U. citizens with the right to seek redress in U.S. courts if personal data shared with U.S. authorities by their home countries for law enforcement purposes under the proposed agreement is subsequently intentionally or willfully disclosed, to the same extent that U.S. citizens could seek judicial redress in U.S. courts for such disclosures of their own law enforcement information under the Privacy Act Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Criticizing Wisconsin’s Voter Id Statute, Attorney General Holder Pledges Aggressive Enforcement of Remaining Parts of Voting Rights Act By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:43:54 EDT On the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act, Attorney General Eric Holder pledged Wednesday that the Justice Department would remain aggressive in using Section 2 of the law—which was left intact by the Court’s decision—to guard against unjust voting restrictions Full Article OPA Press Releases
v Nation’s Largest Nursing Home Pharmacy Company to Pay $124 Million to Settle Allegations Involving False Billings to Federal Health Care Programs By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 15:45:39 EDT Omnicare Inc., the nation’s largest provider of pharmaceuticals and pharmacy services to nursing homes, has agreed to pay $124.24 million for allegedly offering improper financial incentives to skilled nursing facilities in return for their continued selection of Omnicare to supply drugs to elderly Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, the Justice Department announced today Full Article OPA Press Releases