b Brothers Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Steal Military Optics from U.S. Marine Corps and Export Them Overseas By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 15:00:33 EST Timothy Oldani, 24, of Scott Depot, W.Va., and Joseph Oldani, 21, of Camp Lejeune, N.C., both pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of West Virginia to conspiring to steal military optics from the U.S. Marine Corps and illegally export them from the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Settles Lawsuit on Behalf of New Jersey Air Force National Guard Member By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 17:15:44 EST The Department announced today the settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of Anthony D. Jackson, an Air Force National Guard member, against Union County College (UCC) under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
b U.S. Recovers $19 Million from AMEC Construction Management to Settle Litigation Regarding Fraud, False Claims, Kickbacks & Re-Procurement Costs on Federal Construction Contracts By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 17:18:08 EST The United States has recovered more than $19 million from AMEC Construction Management Inc. (ACMI) to resolve allegations of fraud, false claims and kickbacks on four General Services Administration (GSA) construction contracts, as well as litigation over claims by the GSA for excess re-procurement costs incurred by GSA after it terminated ACMIs contract to build the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri. ACMI was formerly known as Morse Diesel International Inc. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Settles Lawsuit on Behalf of Kansas Air Force Reservist By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 18:42:08 EST The Department today announced a settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve allegations in a lawsuit the Department filed on behalf of Randall A. Slocum, an Air Force Reservist, against the city of Iola, Kan. The complaint, filed in December 2008, alleged that the city of Iola violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by taking into consideration Slocums military service obligations when it disciplined him and denied him a wage increase. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Finance Director of California Valve Company Pleads Guilty to Bribing Foreign Government Officials By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 14:06:06 EST The former finance director of an Orange County, Calif.-based valve company pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a conspiracy to pay approximately $628,000 in bribes to numerous foreign government officials. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Federal Court Bars Maine Resident from Preparing Tax Returns for Others By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 3 Feb 2009 16:51:43 EST A federal court in Maine has permanently barred Robert A. Grover from preparing federal tax returns for others. The court also ordered the Maine resident to provide his customer lists to the government and to mail copies of the complaint and court order to his customers. Grover consented to the civil injunction order. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Federal Court Bars Connecticut Woman from Preparing Tax Returns for Others By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 13:04:57 EST A federal district court in Connecticut has permanently barred Elda Sinani, a resident of that state, from preparing federal tax returns for others. Sinani consented to the civil injunction order. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Member of Human Trafficking Ring Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 12:31:41 EST Raul Cortes-Meza, 21, aka Oscar, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to sex trafficking of a minor from Mexico. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Government Contractor Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison on Bribery Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 13:02:10 EST A government contractor and former employee of the U.S. Department of the Treasury was sentenced in Washington today in connection with a bribery scheme involving contracts at the U.S. Tax Court in the District of Columbia. Daniel Money, 44, of Shady Side, Md., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to 30 months in prison, three years supervised release and a $7,500 fine. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Employee at U.S. Embassy in Haiti Pleads Guilty to Theft of More Than $800,000 By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 17:30:50 EST A former employee at the U.S. Embassy in Haiti pleaded guilty today to one count of theft for stealing more than $800,000 from the U.S. Department of State. According to court documents, Jean G. Saint-Joy, 25, a citizen of Haiti, was employed as a cashier by the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from approximately 1995 until July 2008. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Memphis Police Officer Found Guilty on 44 Counts of Civil Rights, Narcotics, Robbery and Firearms Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Feb 2009 19:18:39 EST A federal jury in Memphis, Tenn., today found Arthur Sease IV, a former Memphis Police Department officer, guilty on forty-four counts of civil rights, narcotics, robbery and firearms offenses. The evidence at trial showed that from November 2003 through April 2006, Sease conspired with other Memphis police officers to use their authority as law enforcement officers, including their service weapons, to rob suspected drug dealers of cash, cocaine and marijuana. Sease and his co-conspirators would then resell the stolen drugs for their own profit. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b California Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Community Correctional Facility in Connection with Scheme to Defraud First International Bank and Export-Import Bank By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:38:41 EST Carlos Serrano, 64, of Glendale, Calif., was sentenced to 18 months in a community correctional facility in connection with a $1.3 million scheme to defraud the First International Bank of Connecticut (FIB) and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). In addition to his prison sentence, Serrano was placed on five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $924,569 to the Ex-Im Bank. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Arizona Man Sentenced to Five Years for Distribution of Child Pornography By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:37:16 EST Theodore Allan, 54, of Glendale, Ariz., was sentenced today to five years in prison for distribution of child pornography. Allan was indicted on charges of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography on March 6, 2007. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Tulsa Businessman Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:38:38 EST Terry Brian Dobbs, an Oklahoma businessman, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for receiving images of child pornography. Dobbs, 51, was also sentenced to lifetime supervised release following his term in prison by U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzel, and was ordered to pay an $8,000 fine. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Velda City, Mo., Reserve Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights and Obstruction Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:17:47 EST A former Velda City, Mo., auxiliary reserve police officer pleaded guilty today to violating the federal civil rights of a woman he sexually assaulted during a traffic stop and to concealing evidence of his crime from federal investigators. According to facts presented in court, on or about July 9, 2006, Joe Ernest Phillips, 38, then an auxiliary reserve police officer for the Velda City Police Department sexually assaulted a woman while acting under color of law and deprived her of her civil rights. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Executive Indicted for His Role in Two Cathode Ray Tube Price-Fixing Conspiracies By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:14:06 EST A federal grand jury in San Francisco today returned a two-count indictment against the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. for his participation in global conspiracies to fix prices of two types of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) used in computer monitors and televisions. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Member of Armed Services Pleads Guilty to Participating in Bribery and Extortion Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:16:04 EST A former member of the U.S. armed services pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Tucson for his role in a widespread bribery and extortion conspiracy. The charges arise from Operation Lively Green, an undercover investigation conducted by the FBI that began in December 2001. To date, 56 additional defendants have been sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Kellogg Brown & Root LLC Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery Charges and Agrees to Pay $402 Million Criminal Fine By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:33:50 EST Kellogg Brown & Root LLC (KBR), a global engineering, construction and services company based in Houston, pleaded guilty today to charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for its participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b District of Columbia Seafood Company, Owner and Employee Plead Guilty to Federal Trafficking Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:27:13 EST A fish wholesaler, its owner and an employee have all pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for the illegal purchase and sale of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River from 2003 through 2007. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Texas Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Selling Counterfeit Software Worth $1 Million on Web Sites By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:40:31 EST Timothy Kyle Dunaway, 24, of Wichita Falls, Texas, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Reed OConnor in Wichita Falls for selling counterfeit computer software through the Internet in violation of criminal copyright infringement laws. The software sold by Dunaway had a combined retail value of more than $1 million. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Obtains $120,000 Settlement in Discrimination Lawsuit Against Chicago Area Realtors By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:39:08 EST RE/MAX East-West, a real estate firm in Elmhurst, Ill., and one of its former real estate agents, John DeJohn, have agreed to pay $120,000 to settle allegations that they illegally steered prospective homebuyers toward and away from certain neighborhoods based on race and national origin. The consent decree was signed on Feb. 17, 2009, by U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Statement from Matthew A. Miller, Director of the Office of Public Affairs, Regarding Issuance of the National Research Councils Report on Forensic Science By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:57:49 EST We appreciate the diligent work of the National Research Councils committee on forensic science in preparing this report. The Department of Justices principal focus in dealing with forensic evidence is on applying it dispassionately to law enforcement challenges, and we regularly use forensics to not only convict the guilty, but also to exonerate the innocent. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b UBS Enters into Deferred Prosecution Agreement By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:59:25 EST UBS AG, Switzerlands largest bank, has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As part of the deferred prosecution agreement and in an unprecedented move, UBS, based on an order by the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority (FINMA), has agreed to immediately provide the United States government with the identities of, and account information for, certain United States customers of UBSs cross-border business. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b United States Asks Court to Enforce Summons for UBS Swiss Bank Account Records By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 12:29:33 EST The government filed a lawsuit today in Miami against Swiss bank UBS AG. The lawsuit asks the court to order the international bank to disclose to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the identities of the banks U.S. customers with secret Swiss accounts. According to the lawsuit, as many as 52,000 U.S. customers hid their UBS accounts from the government in violation of the tax laws. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b BP Products to Pay Nearly $180 Million to Settle Clean Air Violations at Texas City Refinery By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:04:38 EST BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to spend more than $161 million on pollution controls, enhanced maintenance and monitoring, and improved internal management practices to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Texas City, Texas, refinery. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Five Maryland Commercial Fishermen Plead Guilty to Illegally Overfishing Striped Bass By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:53:41 EST Five St. Marys County, Md., commercial fisherman pleaded guilty today to illegally overfishing striped bass also known as rockfish. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Department of Justice Statement on the Abandonment of the JBS/National Beef Transaction By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:44:00 EST The Department issued a statement today after JBS and National Beef announced the abandonment of the JBS/National Beef transaction, which the Department had filed suit to block in October. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Chicago Board of Education for Alleged Pregnancy Discrimination By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:00:17 EST The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the Board of Education of the City of Chicago (Board), alleging pregnancy discrimination in employment against former elementary school teacher Traci Meziere. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Federal Court Bars Tennessee Resident from Preparing Tax Returns for Others By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:42:25 EST A federal district court in Tennessee has permanently barred Chattanooga resident Demita Brown-Watkins from preparing federal income tax returns for others. Brown-Watkins agreed to the civil injunction order. According to the government complaint, Brown-Watkins ran her tax-preparation business through two companiesFastax and Rapid Tax Serviceand advertised the largest refund in town. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b United States Transfers Binyam Mohammed to United Kingdom By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:56:21 EST The Department announced the transfer to the United Kingdom of Binyam Mohammed, an Ethiopian national and former resident of the United Kingdom who had been held at the Guantanamo detention facility since 2004. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b U.S. District Court Judge Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:50:16 EST U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent pleaded guilty today to obstruction of justice in federal court in Houston. Kent, 59, a district judge in the Southern District of Texas, pleaded guilty to making false statements to a special investigative committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit during an investigation of a judicial misconduct complaint filed against him. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit with State of Vermont Regarding Reporting Requirements of Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:35:26 EST The Department announced today the resolution of the lawsuit filed by the United States against the state of Vermont to enforce the reporting requirements of the Uniformed Overseas Citizen Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). UOCAVA is designed to ensure that members of the uniformed services and overseas citizens may effectively participate in federal elections. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former Employee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Charged with Corruption and Tax Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:26:28 EST A former employee of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has been indicted on corruption and tax violations arising from her alleged receipt of a $100,000 bribe while working at the Ex-Im Bank. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b United States Files Complaint Against Forest Laboratories for Allegedly Violating the False Claims Act By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:42:12 EST A complaint was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against a New York pharmaceutical company for alleged False Claims Act violations arising from the companys marketing the drugs Celexa and Lexapro for unapproved pediatric use and for paying kickbacks to induce physicians to prescribe the drugs. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b United States Sues to Stop Florida Tax Return Preparer from Claiming Allegedly Bogus Tax Credits By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:38:36 EST The United States has sued Robert Cusenza, a West Palm Beach tax return preparer, seeking to bar him permanently from the tax preparation business. The governments complaint asks the court to order Cusenza to stop preparing returns and to turn over his customer list to the Justice Department. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Federal Court Permanently Bars Florida Tax Doctor from Preparing Tax Returns By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:45:55 EST A federal court has permanently barred Harold Mette of Bradenton, Fla., from preparing federal income tax returns for others. Mette, who has a Ph.D. degree and calls his business The Tax Doctor, consented to the permanent injunction order, which was entered by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Falls Church, Va., Man Pleads Guilty to Harboring Indonesian Aliens for Financial Gain By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:00:33 EST Soripada Lubis, a naturalized American citizen originally from Indonesia, pleaded guilty today to harboring illegal aliens for commercial advantage and private financial gain. Lubis wife, Siti Chadidjah Siregar, a citizen of Indonesia, pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal agents who were investigating the scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Iraqi-Born Dutch Citizen Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Conspiracy Against Americans in Iraq By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:47:51 EST An Iraqi-born Dutch citizen today pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to murder Americans overseas, including by planting roadside bombs targeting U.S. soldiers in Fallujah, Iraq, and by demonstrating on video how these explosives would be detonated to destroy American vehicles and their occupants. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Department of Justice FY 2010 Budget Request By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:35:54 EST The President released the Administrations FY 2010 top-line budget proposal today which includes $26.5 billion for the Department, a 3.5 percent increase more than the FY 2009 budget. The Departments budget includes enhanced funding for: national security and intelligence; combating financial fraud; hiring additional police officers; civil rights enforcement; securing our nations borders; and for federal detention and incarceration programs. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Ohio Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Terrorism Conspiracy to Bomb Targets in Europe and the United States By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:53:17 EST Christopher Paul, a/k/a Abdul Malek, a/k/a Paul Kenyatta Laws, a 44-year-old U.S. citizen born in Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 20 years in prison today for conspiring with others to use a weapon of mass destruction, namely explosive devices, against targets in Europe and the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Stanford Financial Group Chief Investment Officer Charged with Obstruction By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:56:48 EST Laura Pendergest-Holt, the chief investment officer of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group (SFG), was arrested today by agents of the FBIs Houston Field Office on a criminal complaint charging her with obstruction of a proceeding before an agency of the United States. Pendergest-Holt will make her initial appearance on Friday, Feb. 27, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Mary Milloy at the federal courthouse in Houston. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b 17 Members and Associates of Violent Gang Indicted By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:01:06 EST A federal grand jury in Lubbock, Texas, has charged 17 members and associates of the violent gang known as the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) with various charges related to their alleged narcotics and weapons trafficking violations, a well as a variety of alleged violent crimes throughout Texas. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b United States Files Suit Against Missouri-Based Pharmaceutical to Block Manufacturing and Shipping of Unapproved Drugs By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 15:30:05 EST The United States has filed a lawsuit to block KV Pharmaceutical Company, its subsidiaries, ETHEX Corp. and Ther-Rx Corp., and its principal officers from making and distributing adulterated and unapproved drugs. At the same time, KV agreed to the injunction in a consent decree. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Ecolab Inc. to Enforce Employment Rights of Michigan U.S. Army Veteran By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:45:33 EST The Department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with Ecolab Inc. (Ecolab) that will resolve the Departments complaint, which was filed today, that Ecolab failed to reemploy Michigan veteran Stephen Alasin in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, as amended (USERRA). The consent decree was approved by the court today as well. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Sues Large Multi-Family Housing Developer Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:47:15 EST The Department filed a lawsuit today against JPI Construction L.P. (JPI) and six JPI-affiliated companies in U.S. District Court in Dallas for failing to provide accessible features required by the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act at multi-family housing developments in Texas and other states. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Stimson Lumber Company to Enforce the Employment Rights of Oregon Reservist By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 18:41:18 EST The Department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with Stimson Lumber Company (Stimson) that, if approved by the court, will resolve the Departments complaint, also filed today, that Oregon-based Stimson failed to reemploy Oregon reservist David Eckhardt in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Colombian Paramilitary Leader Extradited to the United States to Face U.S. Drug Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 19:18:32 EST Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera, a/k/a El Mellizo, was extradited today from Colombia to the United States to face narcotics trafficking charges. According to the indictment, Miguel Angel Mejia-Munera, together with his twin brother Victor, led a major Colombian narcotics trafficking organization known as the Twins or Los Mellizos Organization. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Two UK Citizens Charged by United States with Bribing Nigerian Government Officials to Obtain Lucrative Contracts as Part of KBR Joint Venture Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 12:53:17 EST Two citizens of the United Kingdom have been charged in an indictment unsealed today in the United States for their alleged participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts. The EPC contracts to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, were valued at more than $6 billion. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Former U.S. Tax Court Official Sentenced for Engaging in a Conspiracy to Commit Bribery By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 17:22:48 EST A former official of the U.S. Tax Court was sentenced today in connection with a bribery conspiracy involving contracts at the U.S. Tax Court in the District of Columbia. Fred Fernando Timbol Jr., 43, of Mount Airy, Md., was sentenced by Judge Ricardo M. Urbina of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to 18 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Full Article OPA Press Releases
b Fairfield, Calif., Couple Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charge for Alleged Bias-Motivated Assault By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 10:00:15 EST A Fairfield, Calif., couple was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, Calif., on federal civil rights charges related to an alleged bias-motivated assault on an Indian-American couple. The two-count indictment alleges that on the evening of July 14, 2007, Joseph and Georgia Silva committed a bias-motivated assault on another couple at a public beach in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Full Article OPA Press Releases