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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with California Irrigation District on Bailout from the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with Alta Irrigation District, a special district in California, that, if approved by the court, will allow for the district to bail out from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and thereby exempt the district from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Jackson County, Michigan, Man Charged with Gun Crime and Obstructing the Internal Revenue Service

A Detroit grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Karl Herrington, of Parma, Mich., with being a felon in possession of six different firearms.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Defendants Plead Guilty in Honolulu in Connection with Human Trafficking Scheme That Exploited 600 Thai Workers

Bruce Schwartz, 53, Sam Wongsesanit, 40, and Shane Germann, 42, have pleaded guilty to human trafficking violations involving the Los Angeles based recruiting company Global Horizons.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Federal Court Bars Firm with Offices in Pennsylvania and Virginia from Promoting Stock-Loan Tax Scheme

According to court findings, HedgeLender, which maintained offices in Philadelphia and Reston, Va., promoted a scheme purportedly allowing owners of appreciated stock to obtain cash through purported loans without reporting or paying tax on capital gains.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Five Alabama Tax Return Preparers Charged with Tax Fraud

James E. Moss, who owned and operated “Flash Tax,” was charged with four of his employees by a grand jury sitting in Montgomery, Ala.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Midwest BankCentre Regarding Alleged Lending Discrimination in St. Louis

Midwest BankCentre will open a full-service branch in an African-American neighborhood and invest approximately $1.45 million in majority African-American areas of the St. Louis metropolitan area as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that they engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race and color.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Nixon State Bank to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination

Nixon State Bank of Nixon, Texas, will establish uniform pricing policies, conduct employee training, and pay nearly $100,000 as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of national origin.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with City of Manassas Park, Virginia, on Bailout from the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with the city of Manassas Park, Va., that, if approved by the court, will allow for the city to bail out from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and thereby exempt the city from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Man Sentenced to Jail in Connection with Kansas Deer Hunting and Guiding Operation

A Texas man was sentenced today in federal court in Wichita on felony charges of conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and obstruction of justice related to the illegal sale of guided deer hunts in southern Kansas.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Army Contracting Officials Charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. & Filing False Tax Returns and Ethics Forms

Kenneth H. Nix and Velma I. Salinas-Nix, both of Boerne, Texas, were indicted by a federal grand jury in San Antonio on a multi-count indictment alleging tax fraud and false statements to the U.S. government.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Houston Health Care Company Pleads Guilty in Connection with $1.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

An owner of a Houston health care company pleaded guilty today to committing health care fraud and making false statements relating to health care matters.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Members of International Procurement Network Indicted for Supplying Iran with U.S. Military Aircraft Components

Seven individuals and five corporate entities based in the United States, France, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Iran have been indicted in the Middle District of Georgia for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to illegally export military components for fighter jets and attack helicopters from the United States to Iran.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with George’s Inc.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with George’s Inc. that requires George’s to make important capital improvements to a Harrisonburg, Va., chicken processing plant in order to settle the litigation surrounding George’s acquisition of the Tyson Foods Inc. plant.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Contract Security Officer Charged with Sexual Abuse

The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Contract Security Officer Edwin Rodriguez, 31, of Raymondville, Texas, with sexual abuse of a female Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee who was under his supervision at the Willacy Detention Center, a federally contracted detention facility in Raymondville, Texas.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Connecticut Early Learning Center to Ensure Equal Opportunity for Children with Autism

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with Beach Babies Learning Center LLC, located in Old Saybrook, Conn., to resolve allegations that the center terminated the enrollment of a then two-year-old child from its program because the child has autism.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Van Buren County, Arkansas, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Van Buren County, Ark., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities. The agreement was reached under Project Civic Access, the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Colorado State Courts to Remove Language Barriers

The Justice Department today announced it has reached an agreement with officials of the Colorado Judicial Department to ensure that limited English proficient (LEP) individuals seeking services throughout Colorado’s state court system will have access to timely and competent language assistance.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former United Nations Employee Charged in Connection with a $100,000 Fraud Scheme Involving Concurrent Jobs

A former employee of the United Nations (U.N.) was arrested today for allegedly obtaining more than $100,000 in salary payments as a result of holding jobs at the U.N. and the National Labor Relations Board at the same time.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Departments of Justice and Education Reach Agreement with Tehachapi, California, Public Schools to Resolve Harassment Allegations

The Departments of Justice and Education reached a settlement agreement with the Tehachapi Unified School District in Tehachapi, Calif., to resolve an investigation into the harassment of a middle school student based on his nonconformity with gender stereotypes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settles Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Michigan Mobile Home Operators for Discrimination Against Families with Children

The Justice Department today announced the settlement of a lawsuit alleging that the owner and operators of a Monroe, Mich., mobile home park violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Coinciding with One-Year Anniversary of “Operation Stolen Dreams,” Three Loan Officers and a Title Agent Charged in $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage and Loan Modification Scheme

The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of a criminal information earlier today, charging four defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud involving a nation-wide reverse mortgage scam that defrauded elderly borrowers, financial institutions and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Rappahannock, Virginia, on Bailout from the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with Rappahannock County, Va., that will allow for the county and its two political subdivisions to bail out from their status as “covered jurisdictions” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Port Isabel Detention Officer Charged with Violating Civil Rights of Detainee

A federal indictment returned by a McAllen, Texas, grand jury on June 7, 2011, charging former Port Isabel Detention Center Lieutenant Raul Leal with using excessive force on a detainee, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal agent was unsealed today following Leal’s arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Statement of Deputy Attorney General James Cole Regarding Information Requests for Multiple Sales of Semi-Automatic Rifles with Detachable Magazines

“The international expansion and increased violence of transnational criminal networks pose a significant threat to the United States."



  • OPA Press Releases

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Patient Recruiter Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison in Connection with Detroit-Area Infusion Therapy Schemes

A patient recruiter for three Detroit-area clinics was sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in fraud schemes that attempted to defraud the Medicare program of more than $15 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Charged with Conspiring to Act as Unregistered Agents of Pakistani Government

Two individuals have been charged with participating in a long-term conspiracy to act as agents of the Pakistani government in the United States without disclosing their affiliation with the Pakistani government as required by law.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pennsylvania Anesthesiologist Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Document with the Internal Revenue Service

Eliseo Roquiz of Erie, Penn., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin of the Western District of Pennsylvania to charges of filing a false document with the Internal Revenue Service.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Swiss International Bank's Former Head of North America Offshore Banking, Others Charged with Conspiracy

Markus Walder, former head of North America Offshore Banking at an international bank headquartered in Zurich; Susanne D. Rüegg Meier, a former manager with the international bank; Andreas Bachmann, a former banker at a subsidiary of the international bank; and Josef Dörig, the founder of a Swiss trust company, have been charged with conspiring with other Swiss bankers to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Seventh Individual Sentenced in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

Sirtaj Mathauda, a former resident of South Florida, was sentenced today in connection with a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Signs Agreements in Massachusetts, Kentucky and Indiana to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced agreements with Norfolk County, Mass.; Daviess County, Ky.; and the city of Madison, Indiana, to improve access to all aspects of civic life for individuals with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Sergeant Charged with Civil Rights Violations

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Birmingham, Ala., returned a three-count indictment charging former Tuscaloosa Sheriff’s sergeant, Althea Mallisham, 52, with federal civil rights crimes for using a stun gun on three jail detainees in 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Sign Antitrust Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese Antitrust Agencies

Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney of the Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today signed an antitrust memorandum of understanding with China’s three antitrust agencies to promote communication and cooperation among the agencies in the two countries.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Bedford County, Virginia, on Bailout Under the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department has reached an agreement with Bedford County, Va., that, if approved by the court, will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of Voting Rights Act, and thereby exempt the county from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former EPA-CID Special Agent Charged with Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

A former Special Agent with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in Dallas, Texas, was charged today with allegedly lying under oath and obstructing justice, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Assistant Attorney General Varney Delivers Remarks at Signing of Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese Antitrust Agencies

"By establishing a framework for enhanced cooperation among our agencies, the Memorandum of Understanding also allows us to move to the next chapter in our collaboration on competition law and policy matters," said Assistant Attorney General Varney.




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Attorney General Holder, Justice Department Officials Hold Listening Conference with Tribal Leaders in Rapid City & Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota

Attorney General Eric Holder and other administration officials met this week with tribal leaders and advocates to discuss issues of tribal safety and domestic violence in Rapid City, S.D., and Pine Ridge Reservation, S.D.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Sues Mortgage Lending Business President & Founder in Connection with HUD Insured Loans

The United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Robert S. Luce, founder and president of MDR Mortgage Corp., a mortgage lending business located in Palatine, Ill.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former UBS Banker Charged with Helping U.S. Taxpayers Use Secret Swiss Bank Accounts to Evade U.S. Taxes

Martin Lack, a former UBS AG banker who is currently an independent asset manager, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Micronesian Couple Pleads Guilty in Washington to Withholding Passport in Connection with Human Trafficking Violations

Edk Kenit, 29, and Choimina Lukas, 31, a Micronesian couple living in Longview, Wash., pleaded guilty today to document servitude in connection with a scheme to compel the labor of an 18-year-old woman, also from Micronesia.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with VeriFone and Hypercom After Gores Group is Determined to be Acceptable Buyer for Point-of-Sale Terminals Business

The Department of Justice announced today that, in order for VeriFone Systems Inc. to complete its acquisition of Hypercom Corp., it must divest Hypercom’s U.S. point-of-sale terminals business to an entity sponsored by Gores Group LLC, a private equity fund.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Four Florida Men Charged in Boston with Defrauding Homeowners in Home Loan Modification Scam

Four Florida men were arrested today on charges that they defrauded homeowners in Massachusetts and elsewhere in connection with a home loan modification scam.



  • 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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Order for Regal Beloit Corporation to Proceed with Its Acquisition of A.O. Smith Corporation’s Electric Motor Business

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement that will require Regal Beloit Corporation (RBC) to divest its U.S. business for electric motors for pool and spa pumps to SNTech Inc. and to divest A.O. Smith Corporation’s (AOS) development work and related assets for draft inducers for high-efficiency furnaces to Revcor Inc., in order to proceed with RBC’s acquisition of AOS’s electric motor business.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Florida Woman Charged with Witness Tampering, False Statements and Obstruction of Justice in Relation to Her Husband’s Disappearance

Abby Beard Hogan, 50, was charged with two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials, one count of witness tampering and four counts of obstruction of justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Oregon Man Charged with Hate Crime for Arson at Mosque

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Eugene, Ore., has indicted Cody Crawford, 24, of Corvallis, Ore., on federal hate crime and arson charges for intentionally setting fire to the Salman Alfarisi Islamic Center.



  • OPA Press Releases