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Justice Department Alleges GFI Mortgage Bankers Engaged in Illegal Lending Discrimination

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed a lawsuit alleging that GFI Mortgage Bankers Inc., a mortgage banker with operations in seven states, violated federal fair lending laws by charging African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher interest rates and fees on home mortgage loans because of their race or national origin, not based on their creditworthiness.



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G.S. Electech Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Auto Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

Toyota City, Japan-based G.S. Electech Inc. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $2.75 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix the prices of auto parts used on antilock brake systems installed in U.S. cars



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Florida-Based Wellcare Health Plans Agrees to Pay $137.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

WellCare Health Plans Inc. will pay $137.5 million to the federal government and nine states to resolve four lawsuits alleging violations of the False Claims Act, the Justice Department announced today.



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Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou Indicted for Allegedly Disclosing Classified Information, Including Covert Officer’s Identity, to Journalists and Lying to CIA’s Publications Board

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou was indicted today for allegedly repeatedly disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities.



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Statement of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division on Its Decision to Close Its Investigation of Highmark’s Affiliation Agreement with West Penn Allegheny Health System

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division issued the following statement today after announcing the closing of its investigation into Highmark’s affiliation agreement with West Penn Allegheny Health System (WPAHS).



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Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Pays More Than $42 Million to Settle Allegations of Improperly Billing Medicare

Tenet Healthcare Corporation has agreed to pay the United States $42.75 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by overbilling the federal Medicare program, the Justice Department announced today.



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D.C. Federal Court Acts to Halt Alleged “Sham Cemetery” Tax Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred Michael Strauss from promoting tax shelters, the Justice Department announced today. The government complaint in the case alleged that Strauss, of Herndon, Va., his son Patrick Strauss, of Washington D.C., and Joseph Barreiro of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., promoted and sold several fraudulent tax schemes, including sham cemetery investments. The men allegedly promoted the cemetery schemes to customers located in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., using shell companies that they controlled.



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Departments of Justice and Education Reach Agreement with the University of California, San Diego to Resolve Harassment Allegations

The Departments of Justice and Education reached a settlement agreement with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), to resolve an investigation into complaints of racial harassment against African-American students on campus. Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 each prohibit harassment based on race.



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Ammed Direct Llc to Pay $18 Million to United States and Tennessee to Resolve False Claims Allegations

AmMed Direct LLC has agreed to pay the United States and the state of Tennessee $18 million plus interest to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare and Tennessee Medicaid (TennCare), the Justice Department announced today. Under the agreement, AmMed will pay $17,560,997 to the United States and $439,003 to Tennessee.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Small Business Procurement Conference

"At the Department of Justice, we know that small businesses are adaptable and innovative. We have come to rely on them to support many of our most important missions, from ensuring the national security to combating violent crime, fighting financial fraud, and protecting those most in need of our help – our children; the elderly; and victims of hate crimes, human trafficking and exploitation," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.




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Ohio Construction Firm Agrees to Pay $500,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Anthony Allega Cement Contractor Inc., a Cleveland construction firm, has agreed to pay the United States $500,000 to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims related to a federally-funded construction project, the Justice Department announced today. The United States alleged that Allega submitted false claims that made it appear that the company was in compliance with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, as required in order to obtain and maintain Allega’s contract with the government. The DBE program provides opportunities to businesses owned by minorities and women, as well as socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, to participate in federally-funded construction and design projects.



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Fujikura Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Auto Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

Tokyo-based Fujikura Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $20 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices of automotive wire harnesses and related products installed in U.S. cars.



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U.S. Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Alleging Knowing Failure to Pay Import Duties by Japanese and U.S. Companies

The United States has intervened in a lawsuit against Japanese company, Toyo Ink Manufacturing Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiaries: Toyo Ink International Corp., located in New York; Toyo Ink America LLC, located in Illinois; and Toyo Ink Manufacturing America LLC, located in New Jersey, the Justice Department announced today. Toyo Ink, which has operations worldwide, is a leading provider of printing inks.



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Dallas Compounding Pharmacy Owner Pleads Guilty in Connection with Misbranded Drug Shipment

Gary D. Osborn and his corporation, ApothéCure Inc., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas to two misdemeanor criminal violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). The pleas are in connection with ApothéCure’s interstate shipment of two lots of misbranded colchicine injectable solution that led to the deaths of three people in the Pacific Northwest.



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Four Alleged Members of the Internet Piracy Group “IMAGiNE” Indicted in Virginia

Four individuals have been charged in the Eastern District of Virginia for their alleged roles in an Internet piracy group that distributed via the Internet copies of movies showing only in theaters.



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Hess Corporation to Install $45 Million in Pollution Controls and Pay $850,000 Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at New Jersey Refinery

Hess Corporation has agreed to pay an $850,000 civil penalty and spend more than $45 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Port Reading, N.J., refinery.



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Alleged Acting New England Crime Boss Anthony Dinunzio Charged in Racketeering and Extortion Conspiracy

Anthony L. Dinunzio, 53, of East Boston, Mass., the alleged leader of the New England organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (NELCN), was arrested today on racketeering and extortion charges.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Sex Discrimination by Waupaca County, Wisconsin

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a consent decree with Waupaca County, Wis., to resolve allegations that the county discriminated against an employee by denying her a promotion because of her sex.



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McKesson Corp. Pays U.S. More Than $190 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

McKesson Corporation has agreed to pay the United States more than $190 million to resolve claims that it violated the False Claims Act by reporting inflated pricing information for a large number of prescription drugs, causing Medicaid to overpay for those drugs.



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Two Alleged Members of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family Charged in Second Superseding Indictment

Two alleged members of the Philadelphia organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (LCN) were arrested today on racketeering charges contained in a second superseding indictment.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Nation’s Largest Mortgage Insurance Provider to Resolve Allegations of Discrimination Against Women on Maternity Leave

The Department of Justice announced today that it has settled its lawsuit against the Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC) for discriminating against women on maternity leave in violation of the Fair Housing Act. This settlement is the department’s first involving discrimination against women and families in mortgage insurance.



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Justice Department Announces Investigations of the Handling of Sexual Assault Allegations by the University of Montana, the Missoula, Mont., Police Department and the Missoula County Attorney’s Office

The Department of Justice today announced a series of investigations stemming from allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment at the University of Montana and in the greater Missoula, Mont., community. These investigations will seek to determine whether gender discrimination affected the prevention, investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults and sexual harassment in Missoula.



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Direct Resource Inc. Agrees to Pay $450,000 to Settle Allegations of Selling Foreign Products to Federal Agencies

Direct Resource Inc. has agreed to pay the government $450,000 to resolve allegations that the company falsely claimed payment in violation of the Trade Agreements Act (TAA), which prohibits the sale of products to federal agencies from countries that do not have a reciprocal trade agreement with the United States, the Justice Department announced today. The Columbus, Ohio, company allegedly knowingly sold products from China, a country that does not have such an agreement with the United States.



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Colorado-Based QEP Field Services Agrees to Pay $4 Million and Install Pollution Controls to Resolve Alleged Violations of the Clean Air Act

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with QEP Field Services Co. (QEPFS), formerly Questar Gas Management Co., to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at five natural gas compressor stations on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Northeastern Utah.



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Dreamboard Member Found Guilty in Louisiana for Participating in International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children

John Wyss, aka “Bones,” 55, of Monroe, Wis., was found guilty of one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography.



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President of South Carolina-Based Firm Charged with Illegally Exporting Goods to Iran

Markos Baghdasarian, the president of Delfin Group USA, was arrested on Saturday, May 19, 2012, at the Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta, just prior to boarding an international flight to the United Arab Emirates.



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California Woman Indicted for Allegedly Impersonating a Congressional Aide

The indictment charges Susan Tomsha-Miguel, 51.



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Justice Department Settles with Louisiana School District to Ensure Equal Opportunities for All Students

The Department of Justice announced today that it entered into a settlement agreement with the Lincoln Parish School Board in Louisiana to ensure the school district reaches full compliance with its longstanding desegregation obligations. The agreement was approved by a judge today and is in the form of a consent order.



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Romanian National Extradited to U.S. to Face Charges for Allegedly Participating in Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Hack into and Steal Credit Card Data from U.S. Merchants

Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea, 28, of Constanta, Romania, was extradited to the United States and appeared in federal court in New Hampshire today, to face federal charges relating to his alleged participation in an international multimillion dollar scheme to remotely hack into and steal payment card data from hundreds of U.S. merchants’ “point of sale” computer systems.



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Justice Department Reaches $21 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by Suntrust Mortgage

SunTrust Mortgage Inc., the mortgage lending subsidiary of the nation’s 11th-largest commercial bank, has agreed to pay $21 million to resolve a lawsuit by the Department of Justice that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination that increased loan prices for many of the qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers who obtained loans between 2005 and 2009 through SunTrust Mortgage’s regional retail offices and national network of mortgage brokers.



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Former National Guard Recruiter Pleads Guilty for Leading Role in Bribery and Fraud Scheme to Illegally Obtain Military Recruiting Bonuses

A former Army National Guard recruiter pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas for his lead role in a bribery and fraud conspiracy that caused more than $90,000 in losses to the National Guard Bureau, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Pierce County, Washington, Alleging Employment Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today it has entered into a consent decree with Pierce County, Wash., that, if approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, will resolve allegations that the county discriminated against a female employee by retaliating against her in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII is a federal statute which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion and protects employees who file complaints under any of those bases.



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Autoliv Inc. and a Yazaki Corp. Executive Agree to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Automobile Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

Stockholm-based Autoliv Inc. has agreed to plead guilty for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts, airbags and steering wheels installed in U.S. cars to one automobile manufacturer and a separate conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts to another.



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Texas-based Medical Device Manufacturer Pays U.S. $34 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Orthofix Inc., a Texas-based manufacturer of medical devices, has agreed to pay the United States $34,234,263 to settle allegations under the civil False Claims Act relating to the company’s sale of bone growth stimulator devices, the Justice Department announced today. The company has also agreed to plead guilty to a felony of obstruction of a federal audit, and to pay a $7,765,737 criminal fine.



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Justice Department Seeks to Intervene in Lawsuit Alleging Sex Discrimination Against Summit County, Ohio, and Summit County Sheriff

The Justice Department announced today that it has moved to intervene in Hawkins, et al. v. Summit County, Ohio, et al., a private lawsuit alleging sex discrimination by Summit County, Ohio, and the Summit County Sheriff, as well as other defendants. The United States’ complaint in intervention alleges that the county and sheriff discriminated against twenty female deputy sheriffs who filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and other similarly-situated female deputies because of their sex and engaged in a pattern or practice of sex discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Florida Alleging Violations of the National Voter Registration Act

The Department of Justice announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida and the Florida Secretary of State in his official capacity alleging that the state has violated its obligations under Section 8 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.



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Allen Stanford Sentenced to 110 Years in Prison for Orchestrating $7 Billion Investment Fraud Scheme

R. Allen Stanford, the former board of directors chairman of Stanford International Bank (SIB), was sentenced today in Houston to a total of 110 years in prison for orchestrating a 20-year investment fraud scheme in which he misappropriated $7 billion from SIB to finance his personal businesses.



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Check Cashers in Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Los Angeles Charged for Alleged Violations of Anti-Money Laundering Laws

Seven individuals and four check cashing businesses were charged today in the Eastern District of New York and the Central District of California for their alleged roles in separate schemes to violate the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).



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Alleged International Credit Card Trafficker “Badb” Extradited from France to the United States

Vladislav Anatolievich Horohorin, aka “BadB” of Moscow, an alleged international credit card trafficker thought to be one of the most prolific sellers of stolen credit card data, has been extradited from France to the United States to face criminal charges filed in the District of Columbia and in the Northern District of Georgia.



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Owner of Southern California-Based Mesquite Charcoal Distributor Pleads Guilty to Customer Allocation and Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

The owner of a southern California-based mesquite charcoal distributor pleaded guilty for his role in a customer allocation and bid-rigging conspiracy for the sale of mesquite charcoal.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Rose Acre Farms in Indiana Alleging Discrimination Against Work-Authorized Non-Citizens

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a lawsuit against Rose Acre Farms Inc., a major U.S. egg producer based in Seymour, Ind., alleging that Rose Acre engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against work-authorized non-citizens in the employment eligibility verification process.



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Hospice Care of Kansas and Texas-based Parent Company to Pay $6.1 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Claims

Hospice Care of Kansas LLC and its parent company, Ft. Worth, Texas-based Voyager HospiceCare Inc., have agreed to pay $6.1 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to the Medicare program for ineligible hospice services, the Justice Department announced today. Hospice Care of Kansas currently provides hospice services throughout the state of Kansas. Hospice Care of Kansas, which is based in Wichita, Kan., was purchased by Voyager in 2004.



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Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online Joint Statement

The EU and the U.S., at the EU-U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting attended by Attorney General Eric Holder today, have agreed to enhance efforts against child sexual abuse online. Such abuse includes the distribution and trade of child pornography via the Internet, and the resulting, continuing harm to the victims depicted.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Twin Cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, and Local Utility Companies Alleging Religious Discrimination

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the town of Colorado City, Ariz.; the city of Hildale, Utah; Twin City Water Authority; and Twin City Power alleging a pattern or practice of police misconduct and violations of federal civil rights laws.



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New Jersey Hospital Pays U.s. $8,999,999 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

AHS Hospital Corp., Atlantic Health System Inc., and Overlook Hospital, located in New Jersey, have agreed to pay the United States $8,999,999 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, the Justice Department announced today.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination Against Pregnant Firefighters by the Town of Davie, Florida

The Justice Department today announced it has reached a consent decree with the town of Davie, Fla., to resolve allegations that Davie engaged in a pattern or practice of intentional discrimination against pregnant firefighters employed by Davie’s fire department.



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Louisiana Hunting Outfitter Sentenced to Prison for First Felony Conviction for Illegally Hunting Protected Alligators

Gregory K. Dupont, 38, of Plaquemine, La., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to serve six months in prison, to be followed by four months in a half-way house and two years of supervised release for the first ever felony conviction and prison sentence resulting from the illegal hunting of American alligators.



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Army Sergeant and Associate Convicted on All Counts for Roles in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to Defense Contracts to Support Iraq War

A federal jury in Elkins, W. Va., convicted Richard Evick, a U.S. Army Sergeant First Class and Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of contracting at a U.S. military base in Kuwait, and his associate, Crystal Martin, of all counts with which they were charged in connection with a bribery and money laundering scheme related to defense contracts awarded in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.



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Former Peace Corps Volunteer Pleads Guilty in Connecticut to Sexually Abusing Children in South Africa

Jesse Osmun, 32, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson to one count of traveling from the United States to South Africa and engaging in illicit sexual conduct with children.



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US Announces Clean Air Act Settlement with Wisconsin Utility – Dairyland Power Cooperative to Reduce Emissions by More Than 29,000 Tons Annually

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a Clean Air Act settlement with Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) that will cover the utility’s three power plants in Alma and Genoa, Wis. DPC has agreed to invest approximately $150 million in pollution control technology that will protect public health and resolve violations of the Clean Air Act.



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