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New York Woman Sentenced for Scheme to Defraud Consumer Product Manufacturers

A New York woman was sentenced to 19 months in prison today for her role in a scheme to defraud consumer product manufacturers.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Internet Installer Sentenced for Hijacking Customer’s Internet to Perpetrate Identity Theft Tax Scheme

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



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Jenny A. Durkan Testifies Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism

"The Department’s approach to 21st Century cyber threats is rooted in three interests: 1) deterring, disrupting, and dismantling the threat; 2) holding bad actors accountable; and 3) protecting our national security, economic interests, and individual privacy," said U.S. Attorney Durkan.




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Deputy Chief of Staff for the Criminal Division Daniel Suleiman Delivers Remarks to the Minnesota State Bar Association’s 37th Annual International Business Law Institute

It is Justice Department policy that no FCPA prosecution can be brought without authorization from the Criminal Division, which distinguishes FCPA prosecutions from most other kinds of federal criminal cases.




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California Jewelry Store Owner Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Conspiracy to Launder the Proceeds of Bank Fraud

Safieh Fard, 52, of Escondido, Calif., was sentenced late yesterday to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney. Fard was also ordered to pay $594,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service for unpaid individual income taxes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Announces Improvements to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program

Attorney General Eric Holder and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary announced several improvements to the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program following the completion of a comprehensive review of the program ordered by the Attorney General in May 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Recognizes Nine Individuals for Child Protection Efforts at Missing Children’s Day Ceremony

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement to Reform the Missoula, Mont. Police Department's Response to Sexual Assault

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Testifies Before the House Committee on the Judiciary

Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of my colleagues – the nearly 116,000 dedicated men and women who serve in Justice Department offices around the world – I’m pleased to report that we’ve established a remarkable record of progress in expanding our nation’s founding promise of equal justice under law, and ensuring the safety and security of our citizens.




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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty for Involvement in a Large Scale Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Glenn Powell Jr. pleaded guilty today in the Middle District of Alabama to his role in a large scale stolen identity refund fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Receives Four Years in Prison in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Larreka Jackson was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison for her role in a multi-million dollar conspiracy to use stolen identities to obtain tax refunds, the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Jackson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $721,519.12. In January 2013, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false claims and one count of aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman Testifies Before the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

The Justice Department is committed to vigorously investigating allegations of wrongdoing at financial institutions and, along with our many law enforcement partners, holding individuals and corporations to account for their conduct.




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Three Defendants Plead Guilty to Participating in Ambush Murder and Attempted Murder of Ice Agents in Mexico

Julian Zapata Espinoza, also known as “Piolin,” 32, pleaded guilty today to the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila in Mexico.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Tax Refund Checks

Rodriquez Thomas, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to conspiring to cash fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty for Involvement in a Large Scale Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Tracey Montgomery, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to her role in a large scale stolen identity refund fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Testifies Before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary

There is, I am convinced, no higher honor nor greater privilege than to serve one’s fellow citizens. Four years ago, this Committee endorsed and the Senate confirmed my nomination to lead the Justice Department’s Civil Division.




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Former Puerto Rico Police Officers Convicted of Extorting a Defendant for $50,000

Two former police officers with the Police of Puerto Rico were convicted of attempting to extort a commonwealth defendant and soliciting bribe payments of $50,000.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Resident Pleads Guilty in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Bridgette Rivers, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty to her involvement in a conspiracy to use stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Lea’Tice Phillips, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Court Approves Orleans Parish Prison Reform Plan

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has mandated systemic reform of unconstitutional conditions at the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP), by entering the proposed consent judgment executed by the United States, class plaintiffs, and Sheriff Marlin Gusman in Jones v. Gusman. The agreement was filed with the court by the parties on Dec. 11, 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Testifies Before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies

Thanks to my dedicated colleagues – the nearly 116,000 employees serving in offices around the world – in recent years, the Department has made tremendous progress in protecting the safety, and the sacred rights, of the American people. Nowhere is this clearer than in our work to ensure America’s national security.




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Former Army National Guard Soldier Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Lead Role in Fraudulent Military Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

A former member of the U.S. Army National Guard was sentenced today to serve 57 months in prison for leading a conspiracy to obtain approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting referral bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Chief Executive of Mortgage Servicing Company Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud for Scheme to Withhold Funds from Wells Fargo Bank

The former president and chief executive officer of U.S. Mortgage, a loan servicing company in Nevada, pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud Wells Fargo Bank out of more than $8 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Hertford County, N.C., Chief Deputy Pleads Guilty for Assault on Inmate

The Justice Department announced today that Timothy Lassiter, the former chief deputy of the Hertford County, N.C., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Elizabeth City, N.C., to violating the civil rights of an inmate during a court appearance



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Chief Executive of Mortgage Servicing Company Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud for Scheme to Withhold Funds from Wells Fargo Bank

The former president and chief executive officer of U.S. Mortgage, a loan servicing company in Nevada, pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud Wells Fargo Bank out of more than $8 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Indicted for Multi-state Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Christopher Cordelle Davis, of Montgomery County, Ala., was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama for his role in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today following Davis’s arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Man Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City yesterday returned an indictment charging Dick Reid Jenkins, a resident of Heber City, Utah with eighteen counts of presenting false claims to the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Philadelphia Drug Kingpin Sentenced to Death, Co-defendant to Face Life in Prison

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that voted in favor of death for a North Philadelphia drug kingpin, Kaboni Savage, today voted in favor of life for a co-defendant, Steven Northington. Savage was sentenced to death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Seeks to Shut Down Texas Tax Preparer Whose Customers Work Overseas for Defense Contractors

The United States sued a Southlake, Texas woman last night, seeking to bar her from preparing federal tax returns for others



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling Resentenced to 168 Months for Fraud, Conspiracy Charges

Former Enron Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey K. Skilling has been resentenced to 168 months in prison on conspiracy, securities fraud, and other charges related to the collapse of Enron Corporation. In addition to the prison sentence, Skilling, 59, was ordered to forfeit approximately $42 million to be applied toward restitution for the victims of the fraud at Enron.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy in Tax Refund Identity Theft Scheme

Scottie Alice Johnson of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States for her role in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Supreme Court Ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act

Attorney General Eric Holder today issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Resident Charged with Submitting False Claims for Tax Refunds and Ficticious Financial Instruments

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today returned an indictment charging a resident of Sandy, Utah, with five counts of presenting false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the United States, and three counts of passing fictitious obligations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Man Previously Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Indicted for Additional Charge of Passing a Fictitious Financial Instrument

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today returned a superseding indictment charging a resident of Heber City, Utah, with 18 counts of presenting false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the United States and one count of passing a fictitious obligation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Sinovel Corporation and Three Individuals Charged in Wisconsin with Theft of Amsc Trade Secrets

A manufacturer and exporter of wind turbines based in the People’s Republic of China, two employees of that manufacturer and a former employee of a subsidiary of AMSC, a United States-based company formerly known as American Superconductor Inc., were charged today with stealing trade secrets from AMSC causing an alleged loss of more than $800 million to the company.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Los Angeles-Area Doctor and Patient Recruiter Plead Guilty to Participating in a Power Wheelchair Scheme That Defrauded Medicare of Over $10.1 Million

A Los Angeles-area doctor and a patient recruiter pleaded guilty today for their roles in a power wheelchair fraud scheme that defrauded Medicare of over $10.1 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S.Postal Service Mail Carrier Convicted for Involvement with Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

A jury found Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., guilty of one count of conspiring to file false claims, eight counts of mail fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of embezzlement from the U.S. mail.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Shell Oil to Spend Over $115 Million to Reduce Harmful Air Pollution at Houston Area Refinery and Chemical Plant

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Shell Oil and affiliated partnerships (Shell) have agreed to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at a large refinery and chemical plant in Deer Park, Texas, by spending at least $115 million to control harmful air pollution from industrial flares and other processes, and by paying a $2.6 million civil penalty.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Seven Defendants in Mortgage Origination Fraud Scheme Indicted for Bank Fraud Conspiracy Along with Other Charges

The Justice Department announced that seven defendants were arrested and arraigned today for their roles in a mortgage fraud conspiracy that operated in Detroit.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Enters into Far-reaching Agreement with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to Reform the Puerto Rico Police Department

he Justice Department today entered into a sweeping civil rights agreement with the commonwealth of Puerto Rico to modernize and reform the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Los Angeles-area DME Company Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud Medicare and Medi-Cal

The owner of a Los Angeles-area durable medical equipment (DME) supply company has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Medicare and Medi-Cal of more than $650,000.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Louisiana Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Defendant Sentenced to Federal Prison

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Angela Myers, a resident of Baton Rouge, La., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Louisiana to 132 months in federal prison for wire fraud, making false claims, subscribing to false tax returns and aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Owner of Two Florida Airline Fuel Supply Companies Charged for Role in Scheme to Defraud Illinois-Based Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of two Florida-based airline fuel supply service companies made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in West Palm Beach on charges of participating in a scheme to defraud Illinois-based Ryan International Airlines.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Florida Residents Indicted on Charges of Scheming to Defraud and Threaten Spanish-Speaking Consumers

A grand jury in the Southern District of Florida issued an indictment for two individuals on charges of conspiracy, fraud and extortion alleging they operated a series of fraudulent businesses targeting Spanish-speaking consumers.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supply Company Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud Medicare

The owner and operator of a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company was sentenced today to serve 24 months in prison for conspiring to submit nearly $1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice Sues Bank of America for Defrauding Investors in Connection with Sale of Over $850 Million of Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities

Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Anne M. Tompkins announced today that the United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Bank of America Corporation and certain of its affiliates, including Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner &Bank of America”).



  • OPA Press Releases

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California Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the Internal Revenue Service

The Justice Department announced today that Gary Mach, a Palm Desert, Calif. resident who operated Crystal Springs Pool Service (CSPS), pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Heber City, Utah, Resident Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that April J. Rampton, 42, formerly of Heber City, Utah, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for filing false claims for income tax refunds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Ninth Individual Sentenced in Connection with Costa Rica-based Business Opportunity Ventures That Defrauded Americans

Michael Kerry Deevy, a Canadian citizen, was sentenced today in connection with a series of business opportunity fraud ventures based in Costa Rica, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced. Beginning in 2006, Deevy and his co-conspirators in Costa Rica are alleged to have fraudulently induced purchasers in the U.S. to buy business opportunities from companies known as Cards-R-Us Inc., Premier Cards Inc. and Nation West. The business opportunities cost purchasers thousands of dollars each, with most paying at least $10,000. Today’s sentencing forms part of the government’s continued nationwide crackdown on business opportunity fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama State Employee Sentenced to Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Chequlia Motley of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced yesterday to serve 36 months in prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr. Motley pleaded guilty to those charges in May 2013.



  • OPA Press Releases