v

Associate Attorney General West Delivers Remarks at the International Conference on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems

And equally important, I want to thank all of you -- the gathered Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Attorneys General, Supreme Court Justices, and criminal legal aid providers and experts -- for participating in this conference. Your presence here epitomizes the dual truths that all free people, wherever they may live, lay valid claim to equality in the eyes of the law, and that the majesty of the law finds its best and highest use in the service of justice.




v

Justice Department and State of Texas Require Martin Marietta to Divest a Quarry and Two Rail Yards to Proceed with Acquisition of Texas Industries

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Martin Marietta Materials Inc. to divest one Oklahoma quarry and two Texas rail yards in order to proceed with its proposed $2.7 billion acquisition of Texas Industries Inc.



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Department of Justice and Office of the Director of National Intelligence Announce Declassification of Renewal of Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

The Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released the following statement Friday



  • OPA Press Releases

v

California Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud Internal Revenue Service and Wire Fraud

Kathryn Darlene Coryell, a Fresno, California, resident, pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and wire fraud, announced Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ronald A. Cimino for the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Former Army Soldier Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of His Five Year Old Daughter

Army Soldier Naeem Williams, 34, will receive a life sentence for murdering his five-year-old daughter, Talia Williams, after a federal jury in Honolulu, Hawaii, reported today it was unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether to impose the death penalty



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Denso Corp. Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Automobile Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

An executive of Japan-based Denso Corp. has agreed to plead guilty and to serve one year and one day in a U.S. prison in connection with the Antitrust Division’s investigation into a conspiracy to fix the prices of instrument panel clusters, also known as meters, installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

v

U.S. Bank to Pay $200 Million to Resolve Alleged FHA Mortgage Lending Violations

U.S. Bank has agreed to pay the United States $200 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet applicable requirements, the Justice Department announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Press Conference Announcing Significant Law Enforcement Action

Today, the Department of Justice submitted to the United States District Court a criminal information against BNP Paribas, one of the largest banks in the world, for conspiring with other entities to deliberately and repeatedly violate longstanding U.S. sanctions against Sudan, Cuba, and Iran.




v

Justice Department Sues Los Angeles Pharmaceutical Company Over Feminine Health Drug Products

The Department of Justice today announced the filing of a civil lawsuit against Laclede Inc. and its president, Michael A. Pellico, seeking to stop the distribution of over-the-counter vaginal drug products that the company makes and sells nationwide



  • OPA Press Releases

v

U.S. Postal Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud

Aaron H. Kelly, a U.S. Postal Service employee, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to aiding and assisting in filing a false tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced today. Kelly was indicted on Feb. 24, 2014, for allegedly engaging in a scheme to defraud the IRS, the Thrift Saving Plan and the Educational Systems Federal Credit Union by sending fictitious financial instruments to fraudulently extinguish the debts he owed to them, and for aiding in filing false tax returns with the IRS



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Justice Department and Howard University to Host Program Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act of 1964

The Department of Justice announced today that it will be co-hosting the historic program and celebration, “The 50 th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: Preserving Progress, Charting the Future,” with Howard University on July 15, 2014. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964, the groundbreaking act outlawed discriminatory voting requirements and segregation in schools, employment and places of public accommodation. Attorney General Eric Holder has made protecting civil rights a top priority of his administration of the Department of Justice



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Seven Colombian Nationals Charged in Connection with the Murder of a DEA Agent Extradited to the United States

Seven Colombian nationals were extradited to the United States to face charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Racially-Motivated Assault on Hurricane Relief Workers

Josh Jambon, 52, a resident of Grand Isle, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today in front of U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan to two counts of federal civil rights violations, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite Jr. for the Eastern District of Louisiana



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Member and Associate of Lucchese Organized Crime Family Convicted of Racketeering and Other Crimes

A member and an associate of the Lucchese organized crime family and two Texas brothers were convicted today of racketeering and other charges after a six-month trial



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Former U.S. Navy Officer Pleads Guilty in International Bribery Scandal

A retired Navy official who started a second career working for defense contractor Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA) pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he and others overcharged the Navy by up to $2.5 million for port services to American ships and then used some of the proceeds to treat Navy officials to lavish dinners, cocktails and entertainment



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Associate Attorney General West Delivers Remarks at Mount Vernon Naturalization Ceremony

George Washington himself conceived and designed them, but it was Mount Vernon’s other residents -- the hundreds of men and women who worked for Washington -- it was their hands that built and tended this splendor. Like you, those men and women had origins that stretched around the globe. They were Christians and Muslims; Africans and Europeans.




v

Virginia-Based Move Management Company Pays More Than $500,000 to Settle Overbilling Claims in Connection with Transportation of Personal Property in Relocating Federal Employees

RE/MAX Allegiance Relocation Services, a Virginia-based move management company, has agreed to pay the government $509,807 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by overbilling for transportation services, the Department of Justice announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Medical Device Inventor Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

Ashvin Desai, of San Jose, California, was sentenced yesterday to serve six months in prison and six months and one day of home confinement for concealing more than $8 million in foreign bank accounts, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Prior to yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Desai filed with the court a document indicating that the IRS has assessed and demanded payment of a Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) penalty against him for $14,229,744



  • OPA Press Releases

v

District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Joint King Dietary Supplement Maker to Prevent Distribution of Adulterated Supplements

The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Triceutical Inc. and its president, Liqun Zhang, of Farmingdale, New York, to prevent the distribution of adulterated dietary supplements



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Justice Department, Health and Human Services Call for Action to Address Abuse of Older Americans

Today, leaders in the fight against elder abuse announced a framework for tackling the highest priority challenges to elder abuse prevention and prosecution, and called on all Americans to take a stand against the serious societal problem of elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation



  • OPA Press Releases

v

BNP Paribas Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate U.S. Economic Sanctions in Manhattan Federal Court

BNP Paribas S.A. (BNPP), a global financial institution headquartered in Paris, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in the Southern District of New York to a one-count information charging the bank with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA), for its role in processing billions of dollars of U.S. dollar transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Sudanese, Iranian, and Cuban entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions from 2004 through 2012



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Georgia Police Officials and Former Deputy Indicted by Federal Grand Jury on Charges of Excessive Force and Obstruction of Justice

The Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia returned indictments charging four law enforcement officers with civil rights violations and obstruction of justice in connection with an incident that occurred at Bainbridge BikeFest in 2012. A seven count indictment was returned charging former Grady County Sheriff’s Deputy Wiley Griffin IV and Decatur County Sheriff’s Office Captain Elizabeth Croley with violating an individual’s civil rights. Additionally, Croley, Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Kines and former Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Wade Umbach were charged with obstructive conduct relating to the investigation into the civil rights violation



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Puerto Rico Police Officers and Civilians Charged with Federal Crimes in Connection with July 2012 Robbery in Bayamon, Puerto Rico

Three Police of Puerto Rico (POPR) officers and two civilians were charged with robbery, firearms violations, drug conspiracy and civil rights violations for their involvement in a July 2012 robbery in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and an additional POPR officer was charged with lying to federal agents



  • OPA Press Releases

v

U.S. Branch of Canadian Company to Pay $2.5 Million Penalty for Shreveport, La., Wastewater Plant

Houston-based CCS (USA) Inc. and several of its operating subsidiaries will pay a $2.5 million civil penalty relating to operations at its Shreveport, Louisiana, industrial wastewater treatment plant, the Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of Louisiana announced today. The settlement will resolve violations of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the hazardous waste law known as RCRA



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Four patient recruiters pleaded guilty in connection with a $20 million health care fraud scheme involving Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care), a defunct home health care company

Jose Rodrigo Arechiga-Gamboa, also known as “Chino Antrax,” was formally extradited to the United States by the Netherlands today



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Bureau of Justice Statistics Releases Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2014

This fourth annual report to Congress describes efforts to collect and improve data on crime and justice in Indian country, as required by the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. The report details the number of tribal law enforcement agencies reporting crime data to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program. It describes BJS’s first National Survey of Tribal Court Systems which will collect data on tribal courts in the lower 48 states and Alaska covering 566 tribes



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Department of Justice Provides Update on Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker Disruption

The Justice Department today filed a status report with the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania updating the court on the progress in disrupting the Gameover Zeus botnet and the malicious software known as Cryptolocker



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Two Former Chesapeake, Virginia, Subcontractors Sentenced for Bribery, Conspiracy

Dwayne A. Hardman, 44, co-founder of two government contracting companies that sought business from the United States Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC), and Adam C. White, 40, former vice president and co-owner of one of Hardman’s government contracting companies, were sentenced for bribery and conspiracy. On July 9, 2014, Hardman was sentenced to 96 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Caribbean-Based Investment Advisors and Attorney Plead Guilty to Using Offshore Accounts to Launder and Conceal Funds

Joshua Vandyk, a U.S. citizen, and Eric St-Cyr and Patrick Poulin, Canadian citizens, have each pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder monetary instruments, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Attorney General Eric Holder to Deliver Keynote Address at Justice Department and Howard University Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Act of 1964

Attorney General Eric Holder will deliver the keynote address at the Department of Justice’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Deputy Attorney General James Cole, Associate Attorney General Tony West, Ambassador Andrew Young and Howard University Interim President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick will also deliver remarks at the event co-hosted by Howard University, on TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2014, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, to honor the civil rights movement and celebrate the groundbreaking act



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Justice Department, Federal and State Partners Secure Record $7 Billion Global Settlement with Citigroup for Misleading Investors About Securities Containing Toxic Mortgages

The Justice Department, along with federal and state partners, today announced a $7 billion settlement with Citigroup Inc. to resolve federal and state civil claims related to Citigroup’s conduct in the packaging, securitization, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) prior to Jan. 1, 2009



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Former University of Virginia Dean Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges

A Crozet, Virginia man who previously pleaded guilty to child pornography charges was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville for distribution and possession of child pornography



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Holder at the Community Relations Service 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Ceremony

"We must recommit ourselves to the legacies of visionary leaders and courageous citizens who made the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the creation of this agency, possible. And we must resolve to keep moving forward together – as one nation and one people – driven by the needs that remain unfulfilled, determined to transcend the barriers that still divide us, and dedicated to the enduring promise of equal justice under law."




v

Justice Department and the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General Require Divestiture from Sinclair Broadcast Group in Order to Proceed with Its Acquisition of Perpetual Corp.

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Sinclair Broadcast Group and Perpetual Corp. to divest their interests in WHTM-TV, an ABC affiliate in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in order to proceed with Sinclair’s proposed $963 million acquisition of Perpetual



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Utah Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Religiously-Motivated Attack on Synagogue and Gun Charges

Macon Openshaw, 22, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell for the District of Utah to serve 60 months in prison for a bias-motivated attack at a local synagogue and for two unlawful gun possession charges



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Justice Department Releases Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-Specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically-Supported Factors

The Justice Department announced today that it has released a Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-Specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically-Supported Factors . This guide provides technical assistance regarding state laws that criminalize engaging in certain behaviors without disclosing known HIV-positive status



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Howard University for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Civil Rights Act

That, at its core, is what defines us as Americans: a people born of revolution and tested by civil war. A nation founded on equality but built by those in chains. A country first imagined, centuries ago, by imperfect people driven by a near-perfect vision – a vision conceived by patriots who dared to reach beyond themselves and defended later by activists who fought for equal justice – and who challenge us, even today, to make this promise real.




v

Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at Howard University for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Civil Rights Act

Today, we are privileged to be joined by two national leaders who have worked tirelessly to "pay it forward" by devoting their lives to promoting justice, fairness, and equality.




v

Long Island Fish Dealer Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Falsifying Federal Records, and Lacey Act Violations

Jones Inlet Seafood Co., Inc., a federally-licensed fish dealer located in Point Lookout, New York, its company president, Michael G. Mihale, and the company vice-president, Bruce Larson, Jr. pleaded guilty today in federal court in Central Islip, New York., to federal felonies stemming from their role in systematically underreporting fluke (summer flounder) that was being harvested as part of the federal Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Washington, D.C., Mother and Son Charged with Conspiring to Defraud Internal Revenue Service

Sherri Davis and her son, Andre Davis, were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and with aiding and assisting in the preparation of false individual income tax returns, the Justice Department and IRS announced today. Sherri Davis was also charged with filing her own false individual income tax returns for tax years 2007 to 2009



  • OPA Press Releases

v

North Carolina Recycling Business and Owner Sentenced to Unlawful Handling of PCB-Contaminated Oil, Tax Violations, and False Statements

Benjamin Franklin Pass, 61, and P&W Waste Oil Services Inc. (P&W), of Leland, North Carolina were sentenced today in federal court in Raleigh, North Carolina. Pass was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $21,373,143.38 for clean-up costs associated with the environmental contamination at his business and an additional $538,857 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for federal income taxes he failed to pay between 2002 and 2011



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Alabama Woman Convicted of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

A jury found a Dothan, Alabama, woman guilty of conspiring to defraud the government through the filing of false tax returns, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Ronald A. Cimino of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Four Mississippi Men and Women Indicted for Racially Motivated Hate Crimes Spree in Jackson, Mississippi

Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis for the Southern District of Mississippi announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted John Louis Blalack, 20, of Brandon, Mississippi, Sarah Adelia Graves, 21, of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, Robert Henry Rice, 23, of Brandon, and Shelbie Brooke Richards, 20, of Pearl, Mississippi, for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to commit federal hate crimes against African-American people in Jackson, Mississippi



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Howard University Event

History is not just a series of events; it is the people who create those events. It is the impact of the stories—told and untold—of the many trailblazers and unsung heroes whose tireless sacrifices and relentless dedication have resulted in justice, equality, opportunity, and freedom for all.




v

Attorney General Holder Announces Plans to Send Seven Additional ATF Agents to Chicago

Following his recent visit to Chicago where he participated in a roundtable discussion with Mayor Emanuel on recent reductions in youth violence, Attorney General Eric Holder today announced plans to send seven additional Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), agents to the field division office in Chicago



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Orange County Clerk of Courts in Florida to Ensure Equal Access to Court Records for Blind Individuals

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with the Orange County Clerk of Courts in Florida to remedy violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The settlement resolves allegations that the Orange County Clerk of Courts failed to provide a blind attorney with electronic court documents in an accessible format readable by his screen reader technology, despite repeated requests. Indeed, a motion filed in one of his cases included over 20 exhibits, the majority of which were not provided in an accessible format for over four months



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Former Executive of French Power Company Subsidiary Pleads Guilty in Connection with Foreign Bribery Scheme

A former senior executive of a subsidiary of Alstom SA, the French power and transportation company, pleaded guilty today for his participation in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Violations of Federal Law and Executive Order by Federal Contractor

The Justice Department announced the filing of a lawsuit today against Entergy Corporation for violating Executive Order 11246, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Government Files Suit Against Missouri Neurosurgeon and Medical Device Supplier for Violations of the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a complaint against Midwest Neurosurgeons L.L.C. and its owner, Dr. Sanjay Fonn, M.D., and DS Medical L.L.C. and its owner, Deborah Seeger, for allegedly violating the Medicare Anti-Kickback Statute and the False Claims Act by conspiring to solicit and receive commissions from medical device manufacturers related to the purchase of spinal implants and supplies used during spinal fusion surgeries performed by Dr. Fonn



  • OPA Press Releases

v

Testimony by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Before the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

We recognize the Committee’s interest in this matter. We share that interest and are conducting a thorough and complete investigation and analysis of the allegations of targeting by the IRS. While I know you are frustrated by the fact that I cannot at this time disclose any specifics about the investigation, I do pledge to you that when our investigation is completed, we will provide Congress with detailed information about the facts we uncovered and the conclusions we reached in this matter