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Retired Army Major Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Engaging in Money Laundering Related to Contracting in Support of Iraq War

Charles Joseph Bowie Jr., 45, of Georgetown, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.



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Justice Department Resolves Citizenship Status Discrimination Charge Against Pennsylvania Employer Sernak Farms

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with S.W.J.J. Inc., or Sernak Farms, based in Weatherly, Penn., to settle allegations that Sernak engaged in discrimination on the basis of citizenship status by preferring to hire temporary visa holders over U.S. citizen applicants and adversely treating its U.S. citizen employees.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks on a Press Conference Call Regarding the Campaign to Cut Waste

"The fraud recoveries that make up that $5.6 billion run the gamut – from healthcare fraud to grant fraud, from mortgage fraud to procurement fraud," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library & Museum

"Nearly half a century has passed since a national tragedy catapulted Lyndon Johnson to the Presidency, and at the same time 'launched a new chapter in America’s story. Those of us who lived through those painful days will never forget LBJ’s first Presidential speech – to a nation in mourning, and in desperate need of strong and steady leadership," said Attorney General Holder.




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Former Police Officer of Puerto Rico Convicted for Role in Providing Security for Drug Transactions

Javier A. Diaz Castro, 30, was convicted on Dec. 12, 2011, of two counts of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, two counts of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction.



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Bridgeport, Conn., Man Involved in 2005 Triple Murder Sentenced to Life in Prison

Azikiwe Aquart, aka “Z” and “Ziggy,” 32, pleaded guilty on Aug. 26, 2011, to three counts of murder in aid of racketeering.



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CD and DVD Counterfeiter and Supplier Both Sentenced in Atlanta to Prison

Charles Ndhlovu, 34, was sentenced on Dec. 12, 2011, by U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr. to 51 months in prison and Scott Ahn, 42, was sentenced yesterday by Judge Duffey to 19 months in prison.



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Owners of Houston Mental Health Company and Assisted Living Facility Indicted for Alleged Roles in $90 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Mansour Sanjar, 78, Cyrus Sajadi, 64, and Chandra Nunn, 33, all of Houston, were arrested today in Houston and are expected to make their initial appearances in federal court today and tomorrow.



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Three Patient Recruiters for Miami Home Health Companies Sentenced to Prison in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard in Miami sentenced Oscar Martinez, 54, to 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered Martinez to pay $390,000 in restitution. Judge Lenard sentenced Lesder Casanova, 40, to 12 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered Casanova to pay $195,000 in restitution.



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Department of Justice Releases Investigative Findings on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings in the ongoing civil rights investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.



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California Building Materials Manufacturer Agrees to Pay $1.4 Million to Settle Clean Air Act Violations

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that CalPortland Company (CPC), a major producer of Portland cement and building materials in the United States, has agreed to pay a $1.425 million penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its cement plant in Mojave, Calif.



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Texas Oil Company Sentenced to Pay $12 Million for Clean Air Act and Obstruction Crimes in Louisiana

Pelican Refining Company LLC, was sentenced today to pay $12 million for felony violations of the Clean Air Act and obstruction of justice charges in federal court in Lafayette, La.



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Court Enters Consent Decree Resolving Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act Allegations Against Idaho Dairy

The government’s action results from a series of inspections by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of G&s farms from 2009 to 2011.



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Three Pittsburgh Crips Members Sentenced to Prison on Racketeering Charges

Jamar Pharr, 27, aka “Brownway,” was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond to 10 years in prison.



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Former America’s Most Wanted Fugitive Sentenced in Virginia to 105 Years in Prison for Leading International Conspiracy to Defraud the Military

Roger Charles Day Jr., a former America’s Most Wanted fugitive, was sentenced today to 105 years in prison for his role in leading an international conspiracy to defraud the Department of Defense (DOD) of more than $11.2 million by supplying nonconforming and defective parts for military aircraft, vehicles and weapons systems.



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CEO of Comcast Brian Roberts to Pay $500,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Premerger Notification Requirements

Comcast Corporation’s CEO Brian L. Roberts will pay a $500,000 civil penalty to settle charges that he violated premerger reporting and waiting requirements when he acquired Comcast voting securities.



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Justice Department Will Not Challenge Worker Rights Consortium's Designated Suppliers Program for Collegiate Apparel

Based on the representations made by the Worker Rights Consortium, the department said that the proposal is unlikely to lessen competition in the collegiate apparel sector.



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Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty in Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

Ollie Futrell, 56, of Garland, Texas, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle in the Northern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Iraqi National Pleads Guilty to 23-Count Terrorism Indictment in Kentucky

Iraqi citizen Waad Ramadan Alwan pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges today in U.S. District Court before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell.



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Members and Associates of Barrio Azteca Gang Plead Guilty and Are Sentenced in El Paso, Texas, for Roles in Racketeering Conspiracy and Related Crimes

An associate of the Barrio Azteca (BA) gang was sentenced today for her participation in a money laundering conspiracy. Yesterday, a BA gang member pleaded guilty, and three additional gang members and associates were sentenced to prison for their respective roles in a racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracy.



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Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings on the Seattle Police Department

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today announced its findings that the Seattle Police Department (SPD) has engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the Constitution and federal law.



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Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Alleging Employment Discrimination by Florida Home Health Care Company

The Justice Department filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit yesterday against Home Care Giver Services Inc., a Florida corporation that provides home health aides, certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses to customers who seek home-based care givers.



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Justice Department Recovers $3 Billion in False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2011

The $3 billion total for fiscal year 2011 includes a record $2.8 billion in recoveries under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which is the government’s primary civil remedy to redress false claims for federal money or property, such as Medicare benefits, payments on military contracts, and federal subsidies and loans.



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Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the 2011 Preliminary Uniform Crime Report

Attorney General Eric Holder today issued the following statement on the release of the FBI’s Preliminary Uniform Crime Report showing a continued decrease in violent crime nationwide. The results show that the number of violent crimes reported in the first six months of 2011 declined 6.4 percent when compared with figures from the first six months of 2010.



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Department of Justice Releases Investigative Findings on the East Haven, Connecticut, Police Department

The investigation found that EHPD intentionally targets Latinos for traffic enforcement and treats Latino drivers more harshly after traffic stops in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI and the Safe Streets Act.



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Illinois Company to Pay $500,000 Fine for Violating Do Not Call Provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule

Americall Group Inc. (AGI), a Naperville, Ill., telemarketing company specializing in sales for financial service and insurance companies, has agreed to settle charges that AGI violated “do not call” provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule.



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Florida Loan Officer Sentenced in Connection with $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage and Loan Modification Scheme

John Incandela, 25, of Palm Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 41 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay over $1.9 million in restitution.



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Justice Department Issues Statements Regarding AT&T Inc.'s Abandonment of Its Proposed Acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc.

“This result is a victory for the millions of Americans who use mobile wireless telecommunications services,” said Deputy Attorney General Cole.



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Nurse, Administrator and Two Recruiters for Miami Home Health Companies Sentenced to Prison in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Two patient recruiters, a nurse and an administrator for two Miami home health care companies were sentenced today for their participation in a $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).



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Three Operators of Miami Home Health Company Plead Guilty in $60 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Roberto Gonzalez, 61, Olga Gonzalez, 57, and their son, Fabian Gonzalez, 39, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Aon Corporation Agrees to Pay a $1.76 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Aon Corporation, a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Chicago and one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the world, has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to pay a $1.76 million penalty to resolve violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.



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United States Seeks Forfeiture of Property Related to Federal Firearms Smuggling and Money Laundering Charges

The complaint alleges that, between April 2010 and July 2011, property associated with New Deal Shooting Sports was used in connection with, among other things, a conspiracy to make false statements in connection with the acquisition of firearms and to illegally export firearms to Mexico, a conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and a conspiracy to facilitate the trafficking of narcotics.



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Chinese Perfume Importer Sentenced in Brooklyn to 12 Months in Prison for Trafficking in Counterfeit Perfume

Shaoxiong Zhou, 42, of Shantou, Guangdong, China, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sandra L. Townes in the Eastern District of New York. Judge Townes also ordered Zhou to pay $20,000 in restitution.



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Attorney Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Stock Fraud

An attorney for a South Carolina health care device company, Signalife, was arrested on Dec. 18, 2011, at Los Angeles International Airport on charges related to his alleged role in a multi-million dollar market manipulation fraud scheme.



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Washington Man Sentenced to 32 Years for Attempted Bombing of Martin Luther King Unity March

Kevin William Harpham, 37, of Colville, Wash., was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the placement of the improvised explosive device alongside the planned Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity March held on Jan. 17, 2011, in Spokane, Wash,



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Twelve Charged in Cleveland for Assaulting Practitioners of the Amish Religion

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a seven-count indictment charging 10 men and two women, all residents of Ohio, with federal crimes arising out of a series of religiously-motivated assaults on practitioners of the Amish religion.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation by the Town of Rome, Wisconsin

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a consent decree with the town of Rome, Wis., to resolve allegations that the town retaliated against an employee after she made a complaint of discrimination based on sex.



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Former Des Moines, Iowa, Police Officers Indicted for Civil Rights Violations and Obstruction of Justice

A federal grand jury in Des Moines, Iowa, returned an indictment today charging two former Des Moines Police Department Officers Mersed Dautovic and John Mailander with violations of federal criminal laws related to an incident involving an alleged assault against a civilian on Sept. 13, 2008.



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U.S. Bureau of Prisons Employee Pleads Guilty in Florida to Sexual Abuse of a Ward

Bureau of Prisons employee Jack Chris Jackson, 45, pleaded guilty today to the charge of sexual abuse of a ward.



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Florida-Based Defense Contractor Pays US $4.75 Million to Resolve Allegations Related to Defective Bomb Fuzes

Kaman Precision Products Inc., an Orlando, Fla., defense contractor, will pay the United States $4.75 million to resolve allegations that the company submitted false claims for non-conforming fuzes sold to the U.S. Army for use in “bunkerbuster” bombs.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Brockton, Mass., to Enforce Employment Rights of U.S. Army Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that the city of Brockton, Mass., promoted U.S. Army Reservist Brian Benvie on Dec. 16, 2011, to the position of lieutenant in the city’s police department.



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Justice Department Requires Divestiture in $7.9 Billion Merger of Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy Group

The Department of Justice requires Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy Group Inc. to divest three electricity generating plants in Maryland in order to proceed with their $7.9 billion merger.



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North Carolina Businessman Guilty of Failing to Pay More Than $15 Million in Payroll Taxes for Temporary Staffing Companies

Bruce Gregory Harrison III was convicted yesterday following a jury trial in federal court in Winston-Salem, N.C.



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Defendant Charged with Alleged Participation in the Murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the Attempted Murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila Is Extradited from Mexico to the United States

Julian Zapata Espinoza, also known as “Piolin,” has been extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges for his alleged participation in the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.



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Attorney General Holder Announces New Federal Bureau of Prisons Director

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of Charles E. Samuels Jr. as the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.



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Justice Department Reaches $335 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by Countrywide Financial Corporation

The Department of Justice today filed its largest residential fair lending settlement in history to resolve allegations that Countrywide Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries engaged in a widespread pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in their mortgage lending from 2004 through 2008.



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Alabama Woman Sentenced to 94 Months in Prison for Stealing Identities of Student Loan Borrowers

Janika Fernae Bates, a resident of Millbrook, Ala., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama to 94 months in federal prison for stealing identities of student loan borrowers and providing them to a co-conspirator, who used them to file false tax returns.



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Chinese National Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Economic Espionage and Theft of Trade Secrets

Kexue Huang, a Chinese national and a former resident of Carmel, Ind., was sentenced today to 87 months in prison and three years of supervised release on charges of economic espionage to benefit components of the Chinese government and theft of trade secrets.



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Two Las Vegas Men Sentenced to 20 and 25 Years in Prison for Cocaine Distribution and Money Laundering Conspiracy

U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro sentenced Jose Lopez-Buelna, aka “Miguel,” 51, to 20 years in prison, and Erik Dushawn Webster, 47, to 25 years in prison.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Countrywide Financial Corporation Settlement Announcement

"In today’s settlement with Countrywide Financial Corporation, we resolved the government’s allegations that Countrywide and its subsidiaries – which are now owned by Bank of America – engaged in discriminatory mortgage lending practices against more than 200,000 qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers from 2004 through 2008," said Attorney General Holder.