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Justice Department Announces Streamlined Grant Solicitation for Tribal Communities

"This is a direct result of what we heard from tribal leaders at the department's listening session. Tribal leaders have made it clear that a single application would significantly improve their ability to apply and receive critical federal funding, which so many of their communities depend on," said Associate Attorney General Perrelli.



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Guyanese National Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States

Annita Devi Gerald, a Guyanese national, pleaded guilty today to bringing an alien into the United States for commercial gain.



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West Palm Beach, Florida, Resident Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Cramming Scheme

Willoughby Farr, 46, of West Palm Beach, Fla., has been charged with perpetrating what is known as a cramming scheme, which was designed to place charges on consumers’ telephone bills for collect calls that were not made, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Miami Field Office announced today.



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Home Health Agency Owner Pleads Guilty in Connection with Detroit Fraud Scheme

Detroit-area resident Muhammad Shahab pleaded guilty today for his role in organizing a Detroit-area home health care fraud scheme.



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Former U.S. Military Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to Defense Department Contracts in Support of Iraqi War

Former military contractor Terry Hall, 43, of Snellville, Ga., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay more than $3 million in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, and to money laundering conspiracy.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Investiture of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade

"Today, we celebrate a milestone in Barb McQuade’s remarkable career," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Signs a Settlement Agreement with North Carolina Company to Ensure Fair Treatment in the Workplace

The Department announced a settlement agreement with Sunlight Inc., doing business as Beauty Smart, of Durham, N.C., to resolve allegations of a pattern or practice of discrimination in recruitment and hiring on the basis of national origin.



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Two Former Executives of Video Relay Services Company Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program

Irma Azrelyant and Joshua Finkle, the former co-owners of New York and New Jersey-based Deaf and Hard of Hearing Interpreting Services Inc. (DHIS), pleaded guilty today to engaging in a conspiracy to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service (VRS) program of more than $7 million.



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Justice Department Settles with Ohio Child Care Center to End Discrimination Against Children with Asthma

The Department announced a settlement agreement with The Children’s House Inc. of Broadview Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to provide services for children with asthma as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Historic Settlement in Lawsuit by Black Farmers Claiming Discrimination by USDA

The settlement agreement reached today, which is contingent on appropriation by Congress, will provide a total of $1.25 billion to African American farmers who alleged that they suffered racial discrimination in USDA farm loan programs.



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Alleged Mexican Drug Cartel Leader Extradited from Mexico to United States to Face Federal Drug-trafficking Charges

An allegedly high-ranking leader of one of Mexico’s largest drug cartels, whose father allegedly heads a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and is among Mexico’s most powerful drug kingpins, was extradited today from Mexico to face federal narcotics trafficking conspiracy charges in the United States.



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U.S. Army Contracting Official Charged with Bribery and Related Crimes in Off-Post Housing Scheme

A U.S. Army contracting official was charged today with bribery and unlawful salary supplementation in connection with two schemes to solicit more than $30,000 in bribes from an Egyptian businessman in Kuwait.



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Statement of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on Its Decision to Close Its Investigation of the Internet Search and Paid Search Advertising Agreement Between Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo! Inc.

"After a thorough review of the evidence, the division has determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the United States."



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Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the Department of Justice National Symposium on Indigent Defense: Looking Back, Looking Forward, 2000–2010

I have every expectation that our criminal defense system can, and will, be a source of tremendous national pride. And I know that achieving this requires the best that we, as a profession and as a people, have to offer.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks Before the Alliance of Concerned Men Town Hall Meeting on Fatherhood and Youth Violence

The plain truth is that youth violence is far-too common. There’s no single cause and no simple solution. But we know one important contributor is the absence of a responsible, loving father. Here in D.C., where half of African-American households don’t include even one grown man, the implications of this fact could not be clearer.




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Justice Department and FBI Announce Formal Conclusion of Investigation into 2001 Anthrax Attacks

The investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks, which killed five individuals and sickened 17 others, has formally concluded.



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Florida Businessman Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering in Foreign Bribery Scheme

The president of a Miami-Dade County, Fla.,-based company pleaded guilty today to engaging in monetary transactions involving property derived from a scheme to bribe former Haitian government officials.



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Shipping Firm Sentenced to Pay $10 Million for Causing Cosco Busan Oil Spill and Coverup

Fleet Management Ltd. was ordered to pay $10 million today for its role in causing the Cosco Busan oil discharge and a subsequent cover-up after the ship struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge in November 2007.



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Indictment Charging Four Individuals Unsealed in Condominium Asbestos Case

An 11-count indictment was unsealed today charging four individuals with conspiracy, violations of the Clean Air Act, and making false statements for their roles in a scheme to improperly remove and dispose of asbestos from multiple condominiums in Florida.



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Justice Department Obtains More Than $2 Million to Settle Claims of Housing Discrimination Against Former Owners and Managers of Kansas City Apartment Complex

The combined $2.13 million settlement represents the second largest monetary payment ever obtained by the department in a fair housing case alleging housing discrimination in the rental of apartments.



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Eon Labs Pays U.S. $3.5 Million to Settle Allegations of Submitting False Claims to Medicaid

Eon Labs Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $3.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations relating to the company's drug Nitroglycerin Sustained Release (SR) capsules.



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Cummins Inc. Agrees to Pay $2.1 Million Penalty for Diesel Engine Clean Air Act Violations

Cummins Inc., a major motor vehicle engine company based in Columbus, Ind., will pay a $2.1 million penalty and recall 405 engines under a settlement agreement resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act.



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Najibullah Zazi Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Explosives Against Persons or Property in U.S., Conspiracy to Murder Abroad and Providing Material Support to Al-Qaeda

Among other things, Zazi admitted that he brought TATP [Triacetone Triperoxide] explosives to New York on Sept. 10, 2009, as part of plan to attack the New York subway system.



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Justice Department Requires KeySpan to Disgorge $12 Million in Profits from Anticompetitive Agreement

The Department announced a settlement with KeySpan Corporation that requires KeySpan to pay $12 million for violating the antitrust laws by entering into an agreement restraining competition in the New York City electricity capacity market.



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New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Recording of Newly Released Motion Pictures in Movie Theater

Keshawn Deron Wilson of Asbury Park, N.J., pleaded guilty today in Tampa, Fla., to federal charges of using a video camera to record then newly-released motion pictures in a New Jersey theater.



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Department of Justice and USDA Workshops to Explore Competition and Regulatory Issues in the Agriculture Industry to Begin March 12 in Iowa

The goals of the workshops are to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to the appropriate legal and economic analyses of these issues, as well as to listen to and learn from parties with experience in the agriculture sector.



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Federal Inmate Pleads Guilty to Obstructing DOJ Office of the Inspector General

A federal inmate pleaded guilty today in Kansas City, Mo., to obstruction of justice by making false statements and creating false evidence related to identity theft in an attempt to lessen penalties for charges in an underlying case.



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Former Representative of Backfill Subcontractor Sentenced to 33 Months in Jail for Kickback and Fraud Scheme

James E. Haas Jr., a former representative of a New Jersey subcontractor, pleaded guilty in October 2009, to an indictment charging that he engaged in a kickback and fraud conspiracy at the Federal Creosote Superfund site in Manville, N.J.



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United States Transfers Three Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Albania

The United States is grateful to the Government of Albania for its willingness to support U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.



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United States Transfers Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Spain

The United States is grateful to the Government of Spain for its willingness to support U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.



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Court in Texas Bars 12 Sub-Promoters of Alleged $30 Million Scam Involving Tax Credits Based on Fictitious Methane Production at Landfills

A federal judge in Beaumont, Texas, has permanently barred 12 people from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving bogus income tax credits.



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Department of Justice Will Not Challenge Proposed Online Subscription News Service

Based on representations made by MyWire Inc., the department said that the formation and operation of the news service is not likely to reduce competition among Internet publishers and could provide procompetitive benefits to both publishers and consumers.



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Georgia Man Sentenced for Transporting a Minor for Illegal Sexual Activity

Mack Gordon Harris Sr., 67, was sentenced today to 121 months in prison for transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity.



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Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Hosts Mortgage Fraud Summit in Miami

Representatives of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force met in Miami today for the first of a series of Mortgage Fraud Summits.



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Former New Orleans Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Cover Up the Danziger Bridge Shootings

Michael Lohman, a former Lieutenant of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), has pleaded guilty to conspiring with fellow NOPD officers to obstruct justice by covering up a police-involved shooting that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.



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Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Order for Bemis Company Inc. to Proceed with Its Acquisition of the Alcan Packaging Food Americas Business

Without the divestitures, the department said the acquisition would lead to higher prices, lower quality, less favorable supply-chain options, reduced technical support and less innovation.



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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination at 21 Multifamily Housing Complexes in Tennessee

The Department announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that the owners and developers involved in the design and construction of 21 multifamily housing complexes in Tennessee discriminated on the basis of disability.



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Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in New York to Pay U.S. $2.92 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations

Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, a Long Island, N.Y.-based hospital, has agreed to pay $2.92 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that the hospital defrauded Medicare.



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Two Charged with Terror Violations in Connection with New York Subway Plot

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of New York has returned a superseding indictment charging Zarein Ahmedzay and Adis Medunjanin with terrorism violations stemming from, among other activities, their alleged roles in the plot involving Najibullah Zazi to attack the New York subway system in mid-September 2009



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New York Man Pleads Guilty to Criminal Copyright Infringement for Selling Pirated Computer Software Using the Internet

A New York man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., to criminal copyright infringement for selling more than $250,000 worth of pirated copies of popular business, engineering and graphic design software programs.



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Medical Device Manufacturer Guidant Charged in Failure to Report Defibrillator Safety Problems to FDA

Medical device manufacturer Guidant LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corporation, was charged today with criminal violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act related to safety problems with some of its implantable defibrillators.



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Two Iowa Men Indicted for Clean Air Act Violations

A federal grand jury in Des Moines, Iowa, has returned an indictment charging Robert Joe Knapp, the owner of Equitable L.P.; and Russell William Coco, the supervisor for Knapp, with committing violations of the Clean Air Act while they were overseeing the demolition and renovation of The Equitable Building.



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Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Testifies Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs

"We must invest today to improve public safety in tribal communities. The problems in tribal communities are severe: American Indian and Alaska Native communities suffer from violent crime at far higher rates than other Americans."




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Two Atlanta-Based Nursing Home Chains and Their Principals Pay $14 Million to Settle False Claims Act Case

Atlanta-based Mariner Health Care Inc. and SavaSeniorCare Administrative Services LLC, as well as their principals, Leonard Grunstein, Murray Forman and Rubin Schron, have agreed to pay the United States and several states $14 million.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Mort’s Concrete Inc., and Owner to Enforce Employment Rights of Wisconsin Army National Guardsman

The Department has reached a settlement in its lawsuit filed on behalf of Wisconsin Army National Guardsman Rocco Sylvester Jr., against Mort’s Concrete Inc. and Kevin Mortimer.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Fresno County, California to Protect Employment Rights of Navy Reservist

The Department has reached a settlement with the county of Fresno, Calif., on behalf of Navy Reservist Porotesano Faapouli.



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Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler on the OPR Investigation into OLC Memoranda

"Although some may disagree with our conclusions, we are confident that the Department followed an appropriate process in reviewing the OPR results and reaching a final resolution of this matter," said the Acting Deputy Attorney General.




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Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Texas

The Department will monitor primary elections on March 2, 2010, in Fort Bend, Galveston, Gonzales, Williamson, and Wilson Counties in Texas, to ensure compliance with the minority language requirements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other federal voting rights statutes.



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BAE Systems PLC Pleads Guilty and Ordered to Pay $400 Million Criminal Fine

"Today, BAE Systems pleaded guilty to knowingly and willfully making false statements to U.S. government agencies. The actions of BAE Systems impeded U.S. efforts to ensure international trade is free of corruption and to maintain control over sensitive U.S. technology," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler.



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Orange City Landlord and Manager to Pay $100,000 in Civil Penalties as Part of Settlement of Justice Department Housing Discrimination Lawsuit

“Equal access to housing is a basic necessity and a civil right, and the Fair Housing Act guarantees that all individuals can access that right free from discrimination,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



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