sin Owner of Pavement Painting Business Pleads Guilty in Alaska to Illegally Disposing Hazardous Waste By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:18:18 EDT William Duran Vizzerra Jr. pleaded guilty today to illegally disposing of hazardous waste, a felony criminal offense, at a storage lot in Anchorage, Alaska. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Sinclair Oil to Pay $3.8 Million Penalty and Install Pollution Controls at Wyoming Refineries to Resolve Violations of 2008 Consent Decree By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:16:04 EDT The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with two subsidiaries of Sinclair Oil Corporation to resolve alleged violations of air pollution limits established in a 2008 consent decree at refineries in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin North Carolina Poultry Processing Plant Convicted for Knowing Violations of Clean Water Act By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:55:51 EDT A federal jury today found House of Raeford Farms Inc., the owner and operator of a poultry slaughtering and processing facility located in Raeford, North Carolina, guilty of 10 counts of knowing violations of the Clean Water Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Wisconsin Neurosurgeon Convicted of Filing False Tax Return and Failing to File Report of Foreign Bank Accounts By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:48:59 EDT A jury convicted Arvind Ahuja yesterday on federal tax charges stemming from his failure to disclose offshore bank accounts maintained in India and the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Trial began on Aug. 15, 2012 before U.S. District Judge Charles N. Clevert, Jr., in Milwaukee. Ahuja, a prominent neurosurgeon in Milwaukee, was convicted of one count of filing a false 2009 individual income tax return and one count of failing to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin North Carolina Businessman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Payroll Tax Fraud By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 17:00:15 EDT Bruce Gregory Harrison III of Greensboro, N.C., was sentenced today to 144 months in prison following his December 2011 conviction for payroll tax fraud and other crimes, announced Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division; Ripley Rand, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina; and Richard Weber, Chief of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Criminal Investigation. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Belize By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 6 Sep 2012 19:03:49 EDT Roland J. Flath, 72, of Fond du Lac, Wis., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin by Judge J.P. Stadtmueller. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Reaches Settlement Agreement with Massachusetts Business Resolving Allegations of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:02:29 EDT The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with Grand Circle LLC, based in Boston, doing business as Grand Circle Travel, to resolve alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ensure that persons with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids, are afforded full and equal access to the company’s travel services and facilities. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin New York Business Owners Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:54:11 EDT Mendy Gorodetsky and Shalom Rabkin, both residents of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York to tax evasion, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Targeting Casinos Across the United States By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 28 Sep 2012 17:15:28 EDT Van Thu Tran was sentenced today in San Diego to 36 months in prison for her role in a scheme to cheat casinos across the country out of millions of dollars. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Canadian Citizen Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Purchasing Pharmaceuticals Online By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 17:52:31 EDT Andrew Strempler, a Canadian citizen, pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of Florida for his role in a scheme to defraud consumers purchasing pharmaceuticals online, the Justice Department announced. Strempler faces up to five years in prison, a forfeiture of $300,000, a fine and restitution. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Ten Individuals Indicted in National Business Opportunity Fraud Scam By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:39:37 EDT The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging 10 individuals in connection with a vending machine “business opportunity” that defrauded thousands of victims across the country. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Florida Homeowners Association and Management Company for Discrimination Against Families with Children By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:05:36 EDT The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the homeowners association and former manager of a 249-townhome community in Gibsonton, Fla., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Las Vegas Casino for Unfair Documentary Practices By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:21:12 EDT The Justice Department today reached an agreement with Tuscany Hotel and Casino LLC in Las Vegas resolving a lawsuit alleging that the company discriminated in the employment eligibility verification and re-verification process. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires employers to treat all authorized workers equally during the hiring, firing and employment eligibility verification process, regardless of their national origin or citizenship status. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Former U.S. Navy Seaman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:17:42 EDT James Driver, 24, of Midland, Mich., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington in the Eastern District of Michigan. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Man Pleads Guilty in New York to Conspiring with Iranian Military Officials to Assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:51:12 EDT Manssor Arbabsiar, aka Mansour Arbabsiar, pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Southern District of New York to participating in a plot to murder the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States while the Ambassador was in the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Massachusetts Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion and Conspiracy to Obstruct and Impede the IRS By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:15:26 EDT A federal judge in Boston sentenced Gary Alcock today to 14 months in prison for tax evasion, for conspiring to defraud the United States, and for willfully failing to file tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor also ordered Gary Alcock to pay restitution in the amount of $515,518. Alcock pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 9, 2011, and provided substantial assistance to the government in prosecuting the case against the remaining defendants, which Judge Saylor cited, among other factors, as a basis for a reduced sentence. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Alabama Woman Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:38:45 EDT Jacqueline Slaton was sentenced to 70 months in prison and order to pay restitution of over $100,000 for her involvement in stolen identity refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Barbados National Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 7 Nov 2012 14:16:41 EST Andrew J. Watts, a Barbados national, was sentenced in Chicago by U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of just under $1.7 million for devising and executing a stolen identity federal income tax refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Announces Sweep of Criminal and Civil Business Opportunity Cases By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:13:54 EST The Justice Department announced today the filing of several criminal and civil business opportunity fraud cases, initiated as part of a joint sweep with the Federal Trade Commission and several states. Business opportunity fraud schemes take advantage of people looking for work by luring them in with false promises of big profits and leaving them worse off than they started. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Al-Qaeda Operative Sentenced to Life in Prison in One of the Most Serious Terrorist Plots Against the United States since 9/11 By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:50:54 EST Earlier today, Adis Medunjanin, age 34, a Queens, N.Y., resident who joined al-Qaeda, then plotted and attempted to commit suicide terrorist attacks, was sentenced in the Eastern District of New York to life in prison for multiple federal terrorism offenses. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Former Executive at Florida-Based Lender Processing Services Inc. Admits Role in Mortgage-Related Document Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 20 Nov 2012 17:15:34 EST A former executive of Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS) – a publicly traded company based in Jacksonville, Fla. – pleaded guilty today, admitting her participation in a six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently signed and notarized mortgage-related documents with property recorders’ offices throughout the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Sussex County, Delaware, for Blocking Affordable Housing By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:36:08 EST The Justice Department announced today that it has settled a lawsuit against Sussex County, Del., and the Planning and Zoning Commission of Sussex County for race and national origin discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Wisconsin Landlord and Former Manager for Discriminating on the Basis of Race By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:33:01 EST The Justice Department announced today that the manager and owner of the Geneva Terrace Apartments Inc. in La Crosse, Wis., have agreed to pay $57,500 to settle a lawsuit alleging they violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against African-Americans who were seeking to rent apartments at the complex. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Kentucky-Based Defense Contractors, Owners Agree to Pay $6.25 Million to Resolve Allegations That They Submitted False Statements and Claims to Obtain Army Contracts Intended for Small Businesses By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 14:59:08 EST Kentucky-based Lusk Mechanical Contractors and Commonwealth Technologies, and their owners, Harry Lusk and Wendell Goodman, have agreed to pay $6.25 million to resolve allegations that they submitted false statements to the Small Business Administration and false claims to the Army, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Individual Arrested in Connection with Costa Rica-based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:35:02 EST A dual United States and Costa Rican citizen charged in connection with the operation of a series of fraudulent business opportunities was arrested today in Chicago following his indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 29, 2011, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today. Sean Rosales was arrested based on charges that he and his co-conspirators purported to sell beverage and greeting card business opportunities, including assistance in establishing, maintaining and operating such businesses. The charges in the indictment form part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Manalapan, N.J., Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Girl, Streaming Assault Live Over the Internet By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 18 Dec 2012 18:16:17 EST A New Jersey woman was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for producing child pornography through the sexual exploitation of a 5-year-old girl on more than one occasion and streaming footage of a sexual assault over the Internet. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Owner of Pavement Painting Business Sentenced in Alaska for Illegally Disposing Hazardous Waste By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:49:05 EST The former owner of a road and parking lot painting and striping business in Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced today for illegally disposing of more than 200,000 pounds of highly flammable hazardous waste in Anchorage. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Several Retailers Agree to Resolve Allegations Concerning the Unlawful Advertising and Selling of Rayon Products as Being Made from Bamboo By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 3 Jan 2013 17:08:12 EST Amazon.com; Leon Max Inc., d/b/a Max Studio; Macy’s Inc.; and Sears, Roebuck and Co., Kmart Corporation and Kmart.com (collectively, Sears) have agreed to settle civil lawsuits concerning alleged violations of the Textile Fiber Product Identification Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin U.S. Announces Clean Air Act Settlement with Wisconsin Utility By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 13:11:41 EST The Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) will invest approximately $300 million in pollution control technology, pay a civil penalty of $1.2 million, and spend $6 million on environmental mitigation projects to resolve violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA), according to the terms of a settlement with the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Former Owner of Employee Leasing Company Pleads Guilty in Salt Lake City to Federal Employment Tax Crime By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 4 Jan 2013 17:22:03 EST Richard R. Whatley, a former owner of Alliance Staffing Management Inc., pleaded guilty today for willfully failing to account for and pay over employment taxes. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Canadian Citizen Sentenced in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Purchasing Pharmaceuticals Online By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Jan 2013 15:31:34 EST A Canadian citizen was sentenced to 48 months in prison today for his role in a scheme to defraud consumers purchasing pharmaceuticals online, the Justice Department announced. Andrew J. Strempler was also ordered to pay a forfeiture of $300,000, a fine of $25,000 and restitution. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Idaho Businessman Convicted of Income Tax Evasion By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:50:32 EST A Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, jury convicted Michael George Fitzpatrick, 51, of Hope, Idaho, of two counts of income tax evasion after a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Obtains Judgment Against Maine Landlord for Sexually Harassing Tenants By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:51:32 EST The Justice Department today announced that property manager Rudy Ferrante agreed to a $15,000 civil judgment against him, to resolve allegations that he sexually harassed female tenants in Portland, Maine. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Interference with Persons Exercising Right to Seek or Provide Reproductive Health Care By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:23:30 EST The Department of Justice today settled a civil complaint against Richard A. Retta, of Rockville, Md, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Cordele, Georgia, Resident Indicted for Using Stolen Identities on False Tax Returns By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:32:56 EST A federal grand jury in Macon, Ga., returned an indictment charging Kimberly Michelle Banks, a resident of Cordele, Ga., with crimes involving the use of stolen identities on false federal income tax returns in order to obtain refunds to which Banks was not entitled. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Former Alabama Officer Indicted for Using Excessive Force By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:31:07 EST A federal grand jury today indicted a former Town Creek, Ala., police officer for violating an individual’s civil rights during the course of an arrest. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Florida-Based Lender Processing Services Inc. to Pay $35 Million in Agreement to Resolve Criminal Fraud Violations Following Guilty Plea from Subsidiary CEO By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:40:39 EST Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS), a publicly traded mortgage servicing company based in Jacksonville, Fla., has agreed to pay $35 million in criminal penalties and forfeiture to address its participation in a six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently signed and notarized mortgage-related documents with property recorders’ offices throughout the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Singapore-Based Shipping Company to Pay $2.2 Million for Covering up Oil Pollution By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:46:11 EST Pacific International Lines, a Singapore-based container ship company, was sentenced today in D.C. federal court under the terms of a plea agreement that requires the company to pay $2.2 million in criminal penalties. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Two Virginia Businessmen Plead Guilty to Illegally Reimbursing Campaign Contributions By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:47:18 EST William P. Danielczyk Jr. and Eugene R. Biagi pleaded guilty today to reimbursing $186,600 in contributions to the Senate and Presidential campaign committees of a candidate for federal office. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Edmund Pettus Bridge Crossing Jubilee By www.justice.gov Published On :: Sun, 3 Mar 2013 14:23:55 EST "At its core, this is the struggle exemplified in the moment we remember today, when – in the first days of March, 1965, hundreds of peaceful activists, protesting to secure the right to vote, set out from Selma along the road to Montgomery," said Attorney General Holder. Full Article Speech
sin Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the “Taking Care of Business” Capitol Hill Briefing By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 5 Mar 2013 11:20:31 EST "But ultimately, our success will come, not because the federal government removes red tape, or improves policy, or even provides more funding; no, our success will come because those with the greatest stake in the outcome – local leaders, community and faith groups, and citizens – they take action," said Acting Associate Attorney General West. Full Article Speech
sin Department of Justice Antitrust Division Statement on the Closing of Its Investigation of the T-Mobile / MetroPCS Merger By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:26:02 EDT After a thorough review of the proposed transaction, the Antitrust Division has determined that the combination of T-Mobile and MetroPCS is unlikely to harm consumers or substantially lessen competition and has closed its investigation. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Owner of Tax Preparation Business Sentenced in Alabama to Federal Prison By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:26:23 EDT Bruce King, the founder and operator of Premier Tax, was sentenced today in Montgomery, Ala., to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $781,305 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for orchestrating a tax fraud scheme at his business. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Security Contractors Plead Guilty in Virginia to Illegally Obtaining $31 Million from Contracts Intended for Disadvantaged Small Businesses By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:22:47 EDT Executives at two Arlington, Va.-based businesses have pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining more than $31 million in government contract payments that should have gone to disadvantaged small businesses. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Dual U.S.-Costa Rican Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with Costa Rica-based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:03:06 EDT Sean Rosales pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to one count of an indictment pending against him, charging conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Files Motion to Dismiss Antitrust Lawsuit Against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan After Michigan Passes Law to Prohibit Health Insurers from Using Most Favored Nation Clauses in Provider Contracts By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:54:06 EDT The Department of Justice today filed a motion to dismiss its antitrust lawsuit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan after the state of Michigan passed a law that prohibits health insurers from using most favored nation clauses in contracts with health care providers. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Justice Department Issues Business Review Letter to Intellectual Property Exchange International By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:08:37 EDT The Department of Justice today declined to state its enforcement intentions regarding the implementation of a proposal submitted by IPXI Holdings LLC and its wholly-owned subsidiary Intellectual Property Exchange International Inc. (IPXI) to develop an exchange for the trading of unit license rights (ULRs) to sets of patents. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Honeywell Resins and Chemicals to Pay $3 Million Penalty, Upgrade Air Pollution Controls at Hopewell, Virginia, Plant By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:47:59 EDT Honeywell Resins and Chemicals LLC has agreed to pay a $3 million civil penalty for alleged Clean Air Act violations at its Hopewell, Va., plant, and improve the facility’s air pollution control equipment and processes. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Chinese Business Executive Convicted for Illegal Trade in Rhino Horn By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 5 Apr 2013 18:26:29 EDT Shusen Wei, 45, a citizen of China, pleaded guilty today in Miami federal court to charges stemming from his involvement in the smuggling of a carved rhinoceros horn from the United States to China. Full Article OPA Press Releases
sin Fifty-Seven Charged with Operating Illegal Online Sports Gaming Business By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:44:39 EDT Thirty-four individuals and 23 entities have been indicted and accused of operating an illegal sports bookmaking business that solicited more than $1 billion in illegal bets. Full Article OPA Press Releases