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Las Vegas Real Estate Agent Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud and Bankruptcy Fraud Charges

German A. Posada of Las Vegas pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Philip M. Pro to charges of filing a false 2004 individual income tax return and making a false statement in a bankruptcy proceeding.



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Detroit-Area Strip Club Owner Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Using Computer Program to Delete Clubs’ Sales to Cheat on Taxes

Nicholas J. Faranso of Farmington Hills, Mich., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge John Corbett O’Meara in the Eastern District of Michigan to one year and one day in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District in Missouri to Pay $4.7 Billion to Cut Sewer Overflows

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems and treatment plants, at an estimated cost of $4.7 billion over 23 years, to eliminate illegal overflows of untreated raw sewage, including basement backups, and to reduce pollution levels in urban rivers and streams.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Appoints Sharis Arnold Pozen as Acting Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division

“Sharis is a highly experienced antitrust enforcer and I am confident that she will continue to lead the Antitrust Division in its mission to vigorously enforce the antitrust laws,” said Attorney General Holder.



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Alabama Return Preparers Charged with Conspiracy, Identity Theft, Filing False Tax Returns and Lying to Federal Agents

Yumeitrius Manuel and Margaret Kirksey, both of Montgomery, Ala., were indicted by a federal grand jury today on charges of conspiracy, identity theft, wire fraud, false claims and lying to federal agents.



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Justice Department Sues City of Joliet, Illinois, to Preserve Affordable Housing for City Residents

The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the city of Joliet, Ill., alleging that the city violated the Fair Housing Act and the Housing and Community Development Act by taking a series of actions, culminating in the taking through eminent domain a federally-subsidized affordable housing development, that would displace more than 750 residents with low incomes, more than 95 percent of whom are African-American.



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Two Mexican Nationals Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking

The Justice Department announced today that two Mexican nationals, Israel Cortes-Morales, 31, and Alberto Cortes-Castro, 30, pleaded guilty in federal district court in Miami to charges of conspiring to commit sex trafficking of Mexican women.



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Former Willacy Detention Center Contract Security Officer Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse of a Female Detainee in Texas

The Justice Department announced today that former Contract Security Officer Edwin Rodriguez, 30, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual abuse of a female detainee under his supervision and control.



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Peace Corps Volunteer Charged with Sexually Abusing Children in South Africa

A Peace Corps volunteer was arrested today and charged in a federal criminal complaint with traveling from the United States to South Africa to engage in illicit sexual conduct with multiple children who were all younger than six years of age.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention

"Throughout our history, the efforts of journalists have rendered a clear picture of life in this country – of the historic achievements we have made, and the harsh realities that far too many faced. Without your work, we would not have a starting point for progress – or, in many cases, for the pursuit of justice."




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Two Telecommunications Executives Convicted by Miami Jury on All Counts for Their Involvement in Scheme to Bribe Officials at State-Owned Telecommunications Company in Haiti

Joel Esquenazi and Carlos Rodriguez, former executives of Terra Telecommunications Corp., have been convicted by a federal jury for their roles in a scheme to pay bribes to Haitian government officials at Telecommunications D’Haiti S.A.M.



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Pittsburgh Crips Leader Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges

Robert Colbert, of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of conspiring to conduct a racketeering enterprise.



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Two Chinese Defendants Plead Guilty in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Trafficking in Counterfeit Perfume

Shaoxiong Zhou and Shaoxia Huang, both of Shantou, Guangdong, China, have pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit perfume.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Pickens County, Ala., Board of Education to Eliminate Racial Disparities

The Department of Justice today announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with private plaintiffs and the Pickens County, Ala., Board of Education that requires the board to institute a series of educational reforms designed to eliminate the remaining vestiges of its formerly segregated school system.



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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Terrorist Solicitation and Firearms Offense

Emerson Winfield Begolly, 22, of New Bethlehem, Pa., pleaded guilty today in Pittsburgh to soliciting others to engage in acts of terrorism within the United States and to using a firearm during and in relation to an assault on FBI agents.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Role in Tax Fraud Conspiracy

Eric Bernard Caldwell, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison.



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Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Online Identity Theft Involving More Than $700,000 in Reported Fraud

A Brooklyn, N.Y., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., for his role in managing a credit card fraud operation that operated throughout the East Coast of the United States.



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Los Angeles Jury Convicts Two Church Pastors and Their Employee of $14.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, a jury found Christopher Iruke, 60; his wife, Connie Ikpoh, 49; and Aura Marroquin, 30, guilty of multiple charges.



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Former TSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Assaulting Elderly Somali Man

George Thompson, 64, a former employee of the Transportation Security Administration in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by assaulting an 83-year-old Somali man on May 4, 2010.



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U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant from South Carolina Pleads Guilty for Role in Scheme to Steal Military Equipment in Iraq

Eric Scott Hamilton, 40, of Pelzer, S.C., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs in the District of South Carolina to a criminal information charging him with two counts of conspiracy to steal public property.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Against Summit Steel Fabricators in Houston

The Justice Department today reached a settlement agreement with Summit Steel Fabricators Inc. in Houston resolving allegations that the company engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against non-citizens in the employment eligibility verification process.



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The City of Newport, R.I., Will Upgrade Facilities and Pay Fine to Settle Clean Water Violations

Under the terms of a settlement filed today in federal court, the city of Newport has agreed to eliminate illegal discharges of sewage into Narragansett Bay from its wastewater treatment plant and wastewater collection system.



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Former Russell County, Ala., Sheriff Deputy Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Charge for Assaulting a Handcuffed Man

Kirby Dollar, 37, a former detective with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court in Montgomery, Ala., for his role in the assault of a handcuffed man.



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Mansfield, Texas, Man Admits to Theft of Government Property and Aggravated Identity Theft

Thomas W. Richardson of Mansfield, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft before the Honorable Jane J. Boyle in Dallas.



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Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty in Relation to Staged Kidnapping in Guatemala

Sheena Flores, 34, of Manassas, Va., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee to one count of transmitting in foreign commerce, with intent to extort money, a communication containing a threat to injure another person.



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Former Member of Virginia House of Delegates Sentenced to 114 Months in Prison for Bribery and Extortion

Phillip A. Hamilton, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, was sentenced today to 114 months in prison after he was previously convicted of soliciting employees of Old Dominion University (ODU) for a paid position in exchange for introducing a budget amendment to fund the position, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia.



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Former Owners of Florida Airline Fuel Supply and Indiana Flight Management Services Companies Plead Guilty in Schemes to Defraud Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company and a former owner and operator of an Indiana-based flight management services company pleaded guilty today to participating in separate schemes to defraud Ryan International Airlines, a charter airline company located in Rockford, Ill.



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Former Illinois Firefighter Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation Charges

A former Rochester, Ill., firefighter was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for child exploitation charges, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois James A. Lewis.



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Settlement Will Resolve Clean Air Act Penalties and Repay Portion of Clean up Costs from Danvers, Mass. Explosion in 2006

The United States has reached agreement with the owners and a former operator of an inks and paint products manufacturing facility in Danvers, Mass., that exploded and burned in 2006 the day before Thanksgiving.



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Braintree, Mass., Waste Facility Agrees to Spend More Than $1.7 Million to Settle Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations

In a settlement valued at more than $1.7 million, Clean Harbors of Braintree Inc. has agreed to pay a significant penalty and perform additional projects, to settle a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regarding numerous violations of hazardous waste management and emergency planning laws at the company’s Braintree, Mass., facility.



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Nautilus Hyosung Holdings Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstruction of Justice for Submitting False Documents in a Merger Investigation

Nautilus Hyosung Holdings Inc. has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $200,000 criminal fine for obstruction of justice in connection with a premerger filing and investigation by the Antitrust Division.



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Michigan Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Selling More Than $400,000 in Counterfeit Business Software

Jacinda Jones, 31, of Ypsilanti, Mich., also was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson in Detroit to serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and to pay $441,035 in restitution.



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California-Based Taleo Corp. Agrees to Pay U.S. $6.49 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Taleo Corp. has agreed to pay the United States $6.49 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly caused false claims to be submitted to the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Seeks to Require Iowa Construction Company to Pay Employment Taxes It Withholds from Employees’ Wages

The United States has filed a lawsuit in an Iowa federal court against a Des Moines, Iowa, metro area company, Advanced Underground Construction LLC and its principal, William David Ward II, the Justice Department announced today.



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Three Fishermen, Seafood Wholesaler and Associated Employees Indicted for Obstruction of Justice and the Illegal Harvest and Sale of New Jersey Oysters

A 15-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Camden, N.J., was unsealed today following the arrest of six individuals from New Jersey and Maryland, and the seizure or restraint of 10 oyster fishing boats in New Jersey, announced Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities in Maryland

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Montgomery County, Md., and Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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Retired Army Colonel Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Bribery Scheme Involving Department of Defense Contracts in Iraq

Levonda J. Selph, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of the District of Columbia.



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U.S. Files Lawsuit Against Bollinger Shipyards for Material False Statements Made to the Coast Guard

“Companies which make false statements to win Coast Guard contracts do a disservice to the men and women securing our borders,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.



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Ohio Wildlife Officer Charged with Lacey Act Crimes

A federal grand jury in Cincinnati, Ohio, returned a four-count indictment today, charging Allan Wright, 45, of Russellville, Ohio, with trafficking in and making false records for illegally harvested white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in violation of the Lacey Act.



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Former Worth County Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Violating the Civil Rights of Eight Women in Missouri

The Department of Justice announced today that Neal Wayne “Bear” Groom, former sheriff of the Worth County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty to depriving eight Missouri women of their civil rights by coercing the women to expose parts of their bodies to him, which was in violation of the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable seizures.



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Maryland Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Importing and Selling Counterfeit Cisco Computer Networking Equipment

Donald H. Cone, 48, of Frederick, Md., was sentenced today in Alexandria, Va., to 30 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated conspiracy to import and sell counterfeit Cisco-branded computer networking equipment.



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Former Owner of New York City Garment Assembly Company Pleads Guilty for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

David Chui, a resident of Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty to failing to pay employment taxes in connection with his former ownership of a garment assembly business.



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Justice Department Announces Agreement to Protect Prisoners from Life-threatening Conditions at Erie County, New York, Facilities

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a stipulated order of dismissal to resolve its lawsuit concerning conditions of confinement at the Erie County Holding Center, a pre-trial detention center in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Erie County Correctional Facility, a correctional facility in Alden, N.Y.



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Puerto Rican-based Shipping Company Sentenced to Pay $700,000 Penalty for Intentional Cover-Up of Oil Pollution

Epps Shipping Company, a Liberian corporation doing business out of Carolina, Puerto Rico, was sentenced in federal court for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and making false statements to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors.



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Two Men Plead Guilty to Racially-Motivated Assault in New Mexico

Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford of Farmington, N.M., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, N.M., to federal hate crime charges related to a racially-motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pittsburgh Crips Member and Associate Plead Guilty for Roles in Illegal Gang Activity

A Crips gang member and associate each pleaded guilty today in federal court in Pittsburgh to racketeering charges.



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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at a Press Conference Regarding a New Mexico Hate Crimes Case

"Regrettably, as we have seen here in New Mexico and across the nation, the need for aggressive enforcement remains," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Justice Department Opens Investigation into the Antelope Valley Stations of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

The Justice Department has opened a civil investigation into allegations of discriminatory policing by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) members based in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, Calif.



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Businessman Pleads Guilty in Utah to Tax Charge

Scott Robertson pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke C. Wells in Salt Lake City to one count of making and subscribing a false tax return for 2003.



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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Antelope Valley Investigation Announcement

"Based on our preliminary review, we have decided to expand our investigation to also focus on allegations that the Lancaster and Palmdale stations of the LASD are engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race or national origin," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.