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Fair Housing Lawsuit Filed Against the University of Nebraska at Kearney for Discrimination Against Students with Psychological and Emotional Disabilities

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska and employees of UNK for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against students with disabilities.



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Attorney General Holder Announces Campaign to Combat Demand for Counterfeit Products in Partnership with the National Crime Prevention Council

"As our country continues to recover from once-in-a-generation economic challenges, the need to safeguard intellectual property rights – and to protect Americans from intellectual property crimes – has never been more urgent,” said Attorney General Holder.



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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Meet with Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Merger Enforcement Matters

Acting Assistant Attorney General Sharis Pozen of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jon Leibowitz today met with a delegation from China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) to discuss antitrust merger enforcement.



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Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty in Connection with $5.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme in Detroit

Santiago Villa-Restrepo, 33, of Miami, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Member of Aryan Brotherhood Sentenced to 450 Months in Prison in Connection with Hate Crime Involving Church Arson and Attempted Murder of Disabled African-American in Texas

Steven Scott Cantrell, 26, of Crane, Texas, was sentenced today for hate crime charges stemming from a series of racially-motivated arsons in December 2010, including the arson of a historic African-American church as part of an effort to murder a disabled African-American man.



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Former Chicago Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Racketeering and Related Charges for Involvement with Latin Kings Gang

Antonio C. Martinez Jr., 40, a former Chicago police officer, pleaded guilty today to racketeering conspiracy and related charges, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David Capp of the Northern District of Indiana.



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Two New Jersey Men Charged with Allegedly Trafficking Counterfeit Perfume

Sanjay Anandani, 34, of Clinton, N.J., was arrested on Dec. 1, 2011, in Secaucus, N.J., and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy in the Eastern District of New York. Rohit Rohit, 28, of Edgewater, N.J., surrendered to authorities on Dec. 2, 2011, and made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollack in the Eastern District of New York.



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Justice Department Settles with Kentucky Apartment Complex Involving Allegations of Disability-based Housing Discrimination

The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit against the owners, developers, architect and civil engineers of Park Place Apartments, a 276-unit complex in Louisville, Ky., resolving allegations that those involved in the design and construction of the complex discriminated against people with disabilities.



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Detroit-Area Clinic Owner Pleads Guilty in Connection with Medicare Fraud Scheme

Dora Binimelis, 53, of Miami, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Tarnow in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At sentencing, Binimelis faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.



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Four Romanian Nationals Charged with Allegedly Participating in Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Hack into and Steal Credit Card Data from U.S. Merchants

Adrian-Tiberiu Oprea, 27, of Constanta, Romania; Iulian Dolan, 27, of Craiova, Romania; Cezar Iulian Butu, 26, of Ploiesti, Romania; and Florin Radu, 23, of Rimnicu Vilcea, Romania, were charged in a four-count indictment filed in the District of New Hampshire with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, wire fraud and access device fraud.



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Three Charged with Fraud in Florida Foreclosure Rescue Scheme

Lisa Wright, 46, and Cathy Saffer, 52, of Pompano Beach, Fla., were charged today with a conspiracy to defraud homeowners and banks in a foreclosure rescue scheme.



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Justice Department Enters into a Consent Decree with Bolivar County, Miss., Sheriff

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a consent decree that, if approved by the court, will resolve the department’s claims that H.M. Grimmett, sheriff of Bolivar County, Miss., retaliated against Robert E. Brown, a former employee of the sheriff.



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Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds Settle with Justice Department Over Tobacco-Industry Document Databases

The country’s two biggest tobacco companies have agreed to improve public access to internal tobacco-industry documents and to pay $6.25 million into a court fund that will go to support the country’s largest online collection of tobacco documents.



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Louisiana Man Indicted for Corruptly Interfering with the IRS and Filing False Tax Returns

An indictment was unsealed today charging Jack Ray Carr of Baton Rouge, La., with one count of corruptly interfering with the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws, four counts of filing false income tax returns, and one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false income tax return.



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Florida Loan Officer Sentenced in Connection with $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage and Loan Modification Scheme

John Incandela, 25, of Palm Beach, Fla., was sentenced to 41 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay over $1.9 million in restitution.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Brockton, Mass., to Enforce Employment Rights of U.S. Army Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that the city of Brockton, Mass., promoted U.S. Army Reservist Brian Benvie on Dec. 16, 2011, to the position of lieutenant in the city’s police department.



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Defendant Charged with Alleged Participation in the Murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the Attempted Murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila Is Extradited from Mexico to the United States

Julian Zapata Espinoza, also known as “Piolin,” has been extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges for his alleged participation in the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.



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Justice Department Requires Deutsche Börse to Divest Its Interest in Direct Edge in Order to Merge with NYSE Euronext

The Department of Justice will require Deutsche Börse AG to direct its subsidiary International Securities Exchange Holdings Inc. to sell its 31.5 percent stake in Direct Edge Holdings LLC and agree to other restrictions in order for Deutsche Börse to proceed with its planned $9 billion merger with NYSE Euronext, one of the two largest and most prestigious stock exchange operators in the United States.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Virginia-Based BAE Systems Ship Repair Inc.

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement with BAE Systems Ship Repair Inc., a leading provider of ship repair services, to settle allegations that its subsidiary, BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards Alabama LLC, engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by imposing unnecessary and additional documentary requirements on work-authorized non-U.S. citizens when establishing their eligibility to work in the United States.



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Justice Department Settles with University of California San Diego Medical Center

The Justice Department today reached agreement with the University of California San Diego Medical Center, resolving a complaint filed on Dec. 6, 2011, alleging that the medical center failed to comply with proper employment eligibility verification processes for non-citizens who are authorized to work in the United States.



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

Detroit-area resident Tausif Rahman pleaded guilty today for his role in organizing a $14 million Detroit-area home health care fraud and money laundering scheme.



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Austin, Texas, Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud and Identity Theft in Connection with Nationwide Foreclosure-rescue Scheme

Frederic Alan Gladle, 53, was charged on Dec. 9, 2011, in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with one count of bankruptcy fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.



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Man Sentenced in Connection with Arson at Planned Parenthood and Vandalism of Mosque in Madera, California

Donny Eugene Mower, 38, of Madera, Calif., was sentenced in federal court today following his October 2011 guilty pleas to one count of arson, one count of damaging religious property and one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which makes it a federal crime to damage the property of a reproductive health services facility. These charges stem from Mower’s lighting a fire inside a Planned Parenthood clinic and throwing a brick at a mosque in Madera.



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Oklahoma Inmate Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Jailer to Assault Another Inmate

Phillip Oliver, 46, an inmate at the Muskogee County, Okla., Jail (MCJ) pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Muskogee to one count of conspiracy related to the orchestrated beating of a fellow inmate at the behest of an unnamed jailer on duty.



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Justice Department Settles with Warren, Ohio, Police Department

The investigation focused on whether WPD engages in unconstitutional or unlawful policing through the use of excessive force.



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Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement

Seven individuals and two corporations have been charged in the United States with running an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works, through Megaupload.com and other related sites, generating more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and causing more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners.



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Former CIA Officer John Kiriakou Charged with Disclosing Covert Officer’s Identity and Other Classified Information to Journalists and Lying to CIA’s Publications Review Board

A former CIA officer, John Kiriakou, was charged today with 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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Florida Loan Officer Sentenced in Connection with $2.5 Million Reverse Mortgage Fraud and Loan Modification Scheme

A loan officer was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for his participation in a nationwide $2.5 million reverse mortgage fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced.



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Four East Haven, Connecticut, Police Officers Charged with Civil Rights Offenses

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport, Conn., returned an indictment charging four East Haven Police officers with conspiring to violate, and violating, the civil rights of members of the East Haven community.



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American Samoa Department of Education Official Convicted by Federal Jury in District of Columbia of Witness Tampering and Obstruction of Justice

The director of the school lunch program for the government of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa was convicted today in relation to his efforts to obstruct a federal grand jury and law enforcement investigation into a bribery scheme.



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Patient Recruiter Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison in Connection with $5.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Santiago Villa-Restrepo, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Tarnow of the Eastern District of Michigan.



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Memphis Man Sentenced for Interstate Transportation for Purpose of Prostitution in Connection with Sex Trafficking Scheme

Charles Kizer, 53, from Memphis, Tenn., was sentenced late Friday by U.S. District Judge Samuel H. Mays, Jr. to 10 years in prison for violating the Mann Act.



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Department of Justice Reaches Settlement with Mercer County School District in West Virginia to Ensure Equal Opportunities for ELL Students

The three-year settlement agreement will ensure that this rural district takes appropriate action to serve its small but growing and widely dispersed ELL population.



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Justice Department Settles Americans with Disabilities Act Lawsuit with Michigan’s Henry Ford Health System

The Justice Department has reached a settlement with the Henry Ford Health System to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in the provision of medical services.



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Utah Man Charged with Tax Fraud and Bank Structuring

federal grand jury in Salt Lake City has returned an indictment charging Michael Lavery with one count of presenting a false claim to the United States and one count of structuring a currency transaction to avoid the reporting requirements, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Florida Resident Sentenced to Year in Prison in Connection with Selling Fraudulent Business Opportunities to Consumers

James Cummings, a resident of Boca Raton, Fla., has been sentenced for committing fraud in connection with a coffee machine business opportunity scheme, the Justice Department and U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.



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U.S. and Chinese Defendants Charged with Economic Espionage and Theft of Trade Secrets in Connection with Conspiracy to Sell Trade Secrets to Chinese Companies

A federal grand jury in San Francisco has charged five individuals and five companies with economic espionage and theft of trade secrets for their roles in a long-running effort to obtain U.S. trade secrets for the benefit of companies controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with the City of Humboldt, Kansas, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with the city of Humboldt, Kan., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for individuals with disabilities.



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Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach $25 Billion Agreement with Five Largest Mortgage Servicers to Address Mortgage Loan Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

The federal government and 49 state attorneys general today have reached a landmark $25 billion agreement with the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses.



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Florida Resident Convicted for Interfering with the IRS and Filing False Tax Returns

Roanne Eye, 57, of Plantation, Fla., was found guilty of tax charges late Thursday after a four-day jury trial, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced



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U.S. Files Criminal Charges Against Dallas Company in Connection with Misbranded Drug Shipment That Led to Three Deaths

The Justice Department, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA-OCI), has charged Gary D. Osborn and his corporation, ApothéCure Inc., with two misdemeanor criminal violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) in connection with their 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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Justice Department Settles with City of Highland Park, Michigan, to Enforce Employment Rights of U.S. Army Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with the city of Highland Park, Mich., to resolve allegations that the city willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by failing to properly reemploy firefighter and U.S. Army reservist Paul A. Baetz in July 2009 when he returned from military service in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.



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Two Individuals Arrested in Connection with Costa Rica-based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

A U.S. citizen and a Canadian citizen were arrested last week in Costa Rica in connection with the operation of a series of fraudulent business opportunities following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Nov. 29, 2011, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced.



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Utah Man Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

Stanley Wardle of Spanish Fork, Utah, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City with nine counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Wilcox County, Georgia, Sheriff and Three Men Charged with Federal Civil Rights Violations

The Justice Department announced today a 14-count indictment charging Wilcox County, Ga., Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth; his son, Austin Bloodsworth; former Wilcox County Jailer Casey Owens; and former inmate Willie James Caruthers, for violating the rights of an inmate.



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Justice Department Settles with Arizona Department of Corrections Resolving Sexual Harassment Allegations

The department’s complaint, filed today along with the consent decree, alleges that Susan Peterson, a female correctional officer at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson, Ariz., was regularly subjected to verbal and physical sexual harassment by several of her male supervisors and coworkers from early 2005 through November 2008.



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Justice Department Settles with Georgia School District to Ensure Desegregation of Its Faculty and Staff

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Valdosta City Schools in Georgia to ensure that the school district complies with its obligations to recruit, hire and assign faculty and staff in a nondiscriminatory way in furtherance of its obligations to desegregate its schools.



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Three Individuals Charged with 1998 Racially-Motivated Murders of Two Men in Las Vegas

The Justice Department announced today that Ross Hack, 40, Leland Jones, 31, and Melissa Hack, 37, have been charged with first degree murder and firearms offenses in relation to the 1998 deaths of Lin Newborn and Daniel Shersty.



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

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after reaching an agreement with King George County, Va., that will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act.



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Italian Shipping Company and Chief Engineer Charged with Environmental Crimes and Obstruction of Justice

Italian-based shipping company Giuseppe Bottiglieri Shipping Company S.P.A., owner and operator of the Motor Vessel Bottiglieri Challenger, and Vito La Forgia, the vessel’s chief engineer, have been charged in a four-count indictment with the illegal dumping of waste oil and oil-contaminated waste water in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, conspiracy and two counts of obstruction of justice.



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