on Two Plead Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy in $10.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 15:26:14 EDT Two men from Miami have pleaded guilty to laundering millions of dollars obtained through a $10.5 million Medicare fraud scheme using shell companies they controlled. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Puerto Rico Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2009 Mass Shooting By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:12:36 EDT David Oquendo-Rivas, 29, was sentenced today to life in prison for his role in the murder of eight people and an unborn child during a mass shooting at a Puerto Rico nightclub in 2009. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Florida Doctor Convicted of Federal Tax Crimes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:56:17 EDT Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough, of Englewood, Fla., was convicted today by a jury in Fort Myers, Fla., of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in offshore bank accounts at UBS and other foreign banks, and of filing false individual income tax returns which failed to report the existence of those foreign accounts or the income earned in those accounts Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Former USAID Senior Official to Pay Civil Penalty for Alleged Conflict of Interest Violation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:28:52 EDT David Ostermeyer, who retired from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2012, will pay the government a $30,000 penalty to settle allegations that he participated in a matter in which he had a financial interest that conflicted with his duties when he was Chief Financial Officer of the agency. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Rhode Island Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder and Robbery of Gas Station Manager By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:34:01 EDT Jason W. Pleau, 35, of Providence, R.I., was sentenced today to life in prison for the murder and robbery of Woonsocket, R.I., gas station manager David D. Main. Pleau chased, shot at close range and robbed Main on Sep. 20, 2010, as Main approached the doorstep of a Woonsocket bank where he was to have deposited receipts belonging to the gas station that he managed. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to His Involvement in an Identity Theft Scheme Using Stolen Prisoner Names and a Corrupt Postal Employee By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 17:34:18 EDT Harvey James pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for his role in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (“SIRF”) scheme, 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. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Former Brokerage Firm Operations Head Indicted for Tax Crimes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 17:38:57 EDT An indictment was unsealed today charging Dominick Pannitti, formerly of North Bellmore, N.Y., with tax crimes, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Justice Department Charges California Apartment Owner and Staff with Discrimination Against Families with Children By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 18:04:23 EDT The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owner and operators of a Fremont, Calif., apartment complex, alleging that they had discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act by prohibiting children from playing in the common grassy areas of the complex. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Five Virginia Charter Fishing Boat Captains Sentenced for Lacey Act Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:11:05 EDT Nolan L. Agner, the last of five Virginia Beach charter fishing boat captains convicted of poaching Atlantic striped bass was sentenced today in federal court in Norfolk, Va. All five captains – including Agner, Jeffery S. Adams, Raymond Carroll Webb, David Dwayne Scott, and William W. “Duby” Lowery IV – were sentenced for violating the Lacey Act by selling illegally-harvested striped bass, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Former Congressman Richard G. Renzi Sentenced for Extortion and Bribery in Illegal Federal Land Swap By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:17:06 EDT Former U.S. Congressman Rick Renzi was sentenced today to serve 36 months in prison following his June conviction by a federal jury in Tucson, Ariz., for extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering and racketeering. Renzi’s co-defendant, James Sandlin, was also sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison for his role in the extortion, bribery and money laundering scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Justice Department Obtains $167,500 in Discrimination Settlement with Reno, Nev., Apartment Complex By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:22:06 EDT The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court of Nevada has approved a settlement in which the owners and operators of Rosewood Park Apartments, a 902 unit apartment complex in Reno, Nev., will pay $167,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging discrimination against persons with disabilities who use assistance animals. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:51:40 EDT We come together this year at a time of reflection and renewal – in a moment of progress and possibility; of challenge as well as opportunity. It was 14 years ago, in Washington, D.C., when then-Vice President of the United States Al Gore convened the very first Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity – an initiative that reflected a growing international willingness to acknowledge corruption as a problem that every country must face. Since that time, international leaders have repeatedly come together – in a variety of ways – to foster widespread consensus on the need for collective action in the face of shared challenges. And our nations have together accomplished a great deal. Full Article Speech
on Rabobank Admits Wrongdoing in Libor Investigation, Agrees to Pay $325 Million Criminal Penalty By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 08:08:14 EDT Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A. (Rabobank) has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to pay a $325 million penalty to resolve violations arising from Rabobank’s submissions for the London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor), which are leading benchmark interest rates around the world, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Owners and Supervisor of Ambulance Transportation Company Plead Guilty in Los Angeles for Role in Ambulance Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 08:45:17 EDT The owners and supervisor of Alpha Ambulance Inc. (Alpha), a now-defunct Los Angeles-area ambulance transportation company, have pleaded guilty in connection with an ambulance fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Army Soldier and Civilian Sentenced on Bribery Charges for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 10:59:24 EDT A former U.S. Army Sergeant and a co-conspirator have been sentenced in the District of Colorado for their roles in stealing fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty, Afghanistan, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Illinois Man Arrested for Alleged Role in $12 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 15:11:28 EDT A Rockford, Ill., man was arrested today in connection with an indictment charging three Chicago-area residents for their roles in an alleged $12 million health care fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Making Hoax Emergency Services Calls By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:04:26 EDT A Massachusetts man was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison today for engaging in an illegal practice known as “swatting,” in which he made hoax emergency telephone calls reporting an ongoing, dangerous crime to elicit an armed police response from a SWAT team to a specific location, typically in order to harass someone he believed was at the location. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Justice Department Files Lawsuit in Massachusetts Against Iron Workers Union Trustees and Pension Fund to Enforce the Employment Rights of Navy Reserve Member By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:38:17 EDT The Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz announced today the filing of a complaint alleging that the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 7 (the union) and Iron Workers District Council of New England Pension Fund (the Pension Fund) willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by failing to credit U.S. Navy Reserve Member Thomas Shea with service time while he was serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Jointly Select Juan Mattos Jr. to Oversee Reform of the Puerto Rico Police Department By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:53:45 EDT The Justice Department announced today that, jointly with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, it is moving in the U.S. District Court for the appointment of Juan Mattos Jr. as Technical Compliance Advisor (TCA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Sex Trafficker Terrence “T-Rex” Yarbrough Sentenced to Serve 536 Months in Prison By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:27:48 EDT U.S. District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Terrence Yarbrough, aka “T-Rex,” 38, of Memphis, Tenn., to serve 536 months in prison, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Attorney General Holder Announces $6.7 Million to Improve Legal Defense Services for the Poor By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 10:06:13 EDT Attorney General Eric Holder today announced a total of $6.7 million in grants to state and local criminal and civil legal services organizations across the country that provide legal defense services for the poor. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on US Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against United States Investigations Services for Failing to Perform Required Quality Reviews of Background Investigations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:09:07 EDT The government has intervened in a lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act against United States Investigations Services LLC (USIS) in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, alleging that USIS, located in Falls Church, Va., failed to perform quality control reviews in connection with its background investigations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Utah Man Indicted on Federal Hate Crime and Gun Charges Related to Religious-Motivated Attack on Synogogue By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:32:18 EDT The Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Salt Lake City returned a superseding indictment charging Macon Openshaw, 21, of Salt Lake City, on gun possession charges and a federal hate crime charge relating to a bias-motivated attack at a local synagogue. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Owner of Texas-based Ambulance Service Convicted of Health Care Fraud By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:24:43 EDT A federal jury in Houston has convicted Gwendolyn Climmons-Johnson, 53, of multiple counts of health care fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for ambulance services. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Co-founder of Liberty Reserve Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering in Manhattan Federal Court By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:45:31 EDT Vladimir Kats, 41, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in federal court before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote to money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The charges stem from his role in running Liberty Reserve, a company that operated one of the world’s most widely used digital currency services and allegedly laundered more than $6 billion in suspected proceeds of crimes. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Former U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Sentenced to Prison for Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:31:56 EDT Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 111 months in prison and three years supervised release, along with an order to pay $82,791 restitution, for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, 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. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on California Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the IRS and Aggravated Identity Theft By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:36:45 EDT Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California announced that Noemi Rubio Baez, of Salinas, Calif., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to file false claims for tax refunds with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to aggravated identity theft. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Owner and Marketer of Louisiana Medical Equipment Supply Company Indicted for Roles in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 13:03:53 EDT The owner of a Louisiana medical equipment supply company and a marketer who worked for the company have been indicted for allegedly engaging in a $3 million Medicare fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Jamaican Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with International Lottery Scheme Based in Jamaica By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 15:59:21 EDT Oneike Mickhale Barnett pleaded guilty today in connection with a lottery scheme based in Jamaica that fraudulently induced elderly victims in the U.S. to send Barnett and his co-conspirators thousands of dollars to cover fees for lottery winnings that victims had not won. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on APCO Liquidating Trust to Pay United States $14 Million in Cost Recoveries to Settle Longstanding Bankruptcy Litigation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 16:37:00 EDT The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved a settlement agreement today between the United States and the APCO Liquidating Trust (a successor in interest to APCO Oil Corporation). The settlement follows seven years of litigation concerning the APCO Liquidating Trust’s liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or “Superfund”) for costs incurred by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the ongoing cleanup of the Oklahoma Refining Company (ORC) Superfund Site located in Cyril, Okla. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Johnson & Johnson to Pay More Than $2.2 Billion to Resolve Criminal and Civil Investigations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 09:41:43 EST Global health care giant Johnson &s largest long-term care pharmacy provider. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Two Florida Residents Arrested in Connection with International Lottery Scam By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 09:58:09 EST Two individuals charged in connection with the operation of a fraudulent lottery scheme were arrested today in south Florida following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Oct. 31, 2013. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Michigan, New York and Ohio By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 15:06:17 EST The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on Nov. 5, 2013, in Detroit and Hamtramck, Mich.; Orange County, N.Y.; and Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties, Ohio. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Former Corrections Officers Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Offenses and Obstruction of Justice for Beating Death of an Inmate at Ventress Correctional Facility in Alabama By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 15:54:49 EST The Justice Department announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced four former corrections officers of the Alabama Department of Corrections – Michael Smith, Matthew Davidson, Joseph Sanders and Scottie Glenn – in connection with the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Northern California Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:25:58 EST Northern California real estate investor pleaded guilty today for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Debt Collection Employee and Son-in-Law Sent to Prison for Identity Theft Tax Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:42:25 EST Quentin Collick of Montgomery, Ala., and Deatrice Williams of Duluth, Ga., were sentenced Nov. 1, 2013, to serve 85 and 51 months in prison, respectively, 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. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Los Angeles Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the United States by Concealing Israeli Bank Accounts By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:44:00 EST David Raminfard of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Johnson & Johnson Press Conference By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 10:29:38 EST We are here to announce that Johnson & and that they paid kickbacks to both physicians and pharmacies for prescribing and promoting these drugs. Full Article Speech
on Orlando, Fla., Area Hospice to Pay $3 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Billed Medicare for Patients Not Terminally Ill By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 12:55:47 EST Hospice of the Comforter Inc. (HOTCI) has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Medicare program for hospice services provided to patients who were not eligible for the Medicare hospice benefit. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on New York Check Cashing Company and Owner Plead Guilty for Roles in $19 Million Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 13:40:51 EST Belair Payroll Services Inc. (Belair), a multi-branch check cashing company in Flushing, N.Y., and its owner, Craig Panzera, 47, pleaded guilty today for failing to follow reporting and anti-money laundering requirements for more than $19 million in transactions, in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Irish National Pleads Guilty in New York to Crimes Relating to Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Rhinoceros Horns By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 14:56:16 EST Michael Slattery Jr., 25, an Irish national, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act in relation to illegal rhinoceros horn trafficking, announced Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, and Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Patient Broker of South Florida Psychiatric Hospital Sentenced for Role in $67 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 15:26:09 EST A patient broker of a South Florida psychiatric hospital was sentenced today to serve 24 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for her participation in a $67 million Medicare fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Former Mental-Health Clinic Therapist Sentenced for Role in $55 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 18:31:31 EST A former therapist for Biscayne Milieu, a Miami-based mental-health clinic, was sentenced today to serve 120 in prison for his participation in a $55 million Medicare fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Navy Commander Charged with Accepting $100,000 Cash and Prostitutes in Widening International Bribery Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 18:32:32 EST A third senior U.S. Navy official has been charged in a complaint unsealed today with accepting prostitutes, luxury travel and $100,000 cash from a foreign defense contractor in exchange for classified and internal U.S. Navy information, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Laura E. Duffy of the Southern District of California. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Lutz, Fla., Man Convicted on Drug Distribution and Sex Trafficking Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 6 Nov 2013 18:54:31 EST Acting U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III and Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division today announced the conviction of Andrew Blane Fields, 62, of Lutz, Fla., in the Middle District of Florida on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely Oxycodone, Dilaudid and Morphine, and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on New Hampshire Man Charged with Passing Fraudulent Documents in Connection with His Sale of Black Rhinoceros Horns for $35,000 By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 11:30:56 EST Ari B. Goldenberg, 46, of Milton, N.H., was charged today with trafficking in and making a false record for illegally selling a black rhinoceros head mount to an undercover U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) special agent. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Detroit-Area Home Health Care Agency Owner Sentenced for Role in $2.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 11:53:44 EST The owner of a Detroit-area home health care agency was sentenced today to serve 65 months in prison for her leading role in a $2.2 million Medicare fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Northern California Real Estate Investor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 14:05:51 EST A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced for Role in $13.8 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 15:42:38 EST Detroit-area resident Javed Rehman was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison today for his role in a $13.8 million Medicare fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
on Federal Court in Ohio Shuts Down Nation’s Fourth-Largest Tax-Preparation Firm and Bars CEO from Tax-Preparation Business By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Nov 2013 15:51:32 EST Judge Finds that Instant Tax Service Franchisor Defrauded Customers, Obstructed the IRS and Violated Court Orders on Lending Practices Full Article OPA Press Releases