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Florida Hospital System Agrees to Pay the Government $85 Million to Settle Allegations of Improper Financial Relationships with Referring Physicians

Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing Inc. (Halifax), a hospital system based in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area, have agreed to pay $85 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to the Medicare program that violated the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law.



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Two Real Estate Investors Convicted for Roles in Bid-rigging Conspiracy in San Joaquin County, Calif. Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions

Following a four-week trial, a federal jury today convicted two real estate investors for conspiring to rig bids at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in San Joaquin County, Calif. One of the investors was also convicted of obstruction of justice for destroying evidence related to the crimes



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Swiss Banker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with U.S. Tax Evaders, Other Swiss Bankers and Bank Management

Andreas Bachmann, 56, of Switzerland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service in connection with his work as a banking and investment adviser for U.S. customers.



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Two Former Officers at Roxbury Correctional Institution Sentenced for Conspiracy

Dustin Norris and Ryan Lohr, former officers at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Md., were sentenced today for conspiring with other RCI officers on March 9, 2008, in connection with the assault of an inmate at the state prison, identified as K.D.



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Memorial Hospital in Ohio Pays Government $8.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Memorial Hospital (Memorial), an Ohio nonprofit corporation that operates an acute care hospital in Fremont, Ohio, has agreed to pay $8.5 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Statute by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians.



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Ukrainian Businessman Arrested in Austria on U.S. International Corruption Conspiracy Charges

Dmitry Firtash, 48, a Ukrainian businessman, was arrested Wednesday by Austrian authorities in Vienna on a provisional arrest request based on charges filed in the Northern District of Illinois.



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California Attorney Sentenced to Prison in Scheme to Hide Millions in Secret Swiss Accounts at UBS AG and Pictet & Cie

California attorney Christopher M. Rusch was sentenced to serve 10 months in prison for helping his clients Stephen M. Kerr and Michael Quiel, both businessmen from Phoenix, hide millions of dollars in secret offshore bank accounts at UBS AG and Pictet & Cie in Switzerland, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced today.



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Maryland Man Convicted in Violent Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

A federal jury convicted Jean Claude Roy, aka Dredd the Don and Dreddy, age 31, of Germantown, Md., late yesterday of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution and witness and evidence tampering.



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Leader and Co-Conspirator of Android Mobile Device App Piracy Group Plead Guilty

The leader of a piracy group engaged in the illegal distribution of copies of copyrighted Android mobile device applications and a co-conspirator have pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme that distributed more than one million copies of copyrighted apps.



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Five Individuals Charged with Conspiring to Fraudulently Obtain Union Job for Organized Crime Underboss

Five men have been charged in the Eastern District of New York with conspiring to defraud the Newspaper and Mail Deliverers’ Union (NMDU) and Hudson News newsstands to obtain a union card and employment at Hudson News newsstands for the son of the alleged underboss of the Colombo family.



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Former Alabama Real Estate Investor Indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud

A federal grand jury in Mobile, Ala., returned a one-count indictment against a former real estate investor, charging him with conspiracy to commit mail fraud as part of a scheme related to public real estate foreclosure auctions held in southern Alabama.



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Six Defendants Indicted in Alleged Conspiracy to Bribe Government Officials in India to Mine Titanium Minerals

A federal indictment returned under seal in June 2013 and unsealed today charges six foreign nationals, including a Ukrainian businessman and a government official in India, with participating in an alleged international racketeering conspiracy.



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Co-Owner of New Jersey Industrial Pipes Supply Company Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement in Connection with Superfund Investigation

A co-owner of a Middlesex, N.J., industrial pipes, valves and fittings supply company pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false statement.



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Former Vice President of Government Contracting Company Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bribery

A former vice president of a Chesapeake, Va., government contracting company pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay bribes to public officials in exchange for favorable treatment in connection with U.S. government contract work.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Mississippi Tax Return Preparer

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi permanently barred Tamara Brock from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Nine Charged in Conspiracy to Steal Millions of Dollars Using “Zeus” Malware

Nine alleged members of a wide-ranging racketeering enterprise and conspiracy who infected thousands of business computers with malicious software known as “Zeus” have been charged in an indictment unsealed today in Lincoln, Neb.



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Conspirators in Two Android Mobile Device App Piracy Groups Plead Guilty

Members of two different piracy groups engaged in the illegal distribution of copies of copyrighted Android mobile device applications have pleaded guilty for their roles in separate schemes, each designed to distribute more than one million copies of copyrighted apps.



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Real Estate Developer Sentenced to Jail for Filling Protected Mississippi Wetlands

William R. “Rusty” Miller, a real estate developer from Fairhope, Ala., was sentenced today in federal district court in Gulfport, Miss., for the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., in violation of the Clean Water Act.



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Former Certified Nursing Assistant and Co-Conspirators Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft Tax Scheme

Kimberly Banks, Donalene Mosley and Arneshia Austin were sentenced today in Albany, Ga., to serve 192 months, 37 months and 21 months in prison, respectively, for crimes relating to filing fraudulent income tax returns using stolen identities.



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Armenian Power Gang Leaders Convicted for Their Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

Two leaders of the Armenian Power gang were found guilty today by a federal jury in Los Angeles for their participation in a racketeering conspiracy that included extortion, bank fraud targeting elderly bank customers and a sophisticated credit and debit card skimming scheme.



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Pennsylvania Firm and Chief Officer Charged with Shipping Machinery to Iran in Violation of U.S. Export License Requirements

A criminal information has been filed against a Pennsylvania firm and its chief officer, charging them with conspiracy to evade export reporting requirements and with attempting to smuggle to Iran a lathe machine in violation of U.S. export regulations.



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Former Marine Hose Executive Who Was Extradited to United States Pleads Guilty for Participating in Worldwide Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

A former executive of a rubber hose manufacturer, who was extradited from Germany in early April 2014, today pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve two years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Announce the Publication of Additional Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Filings, Opinions and Orders Regarding Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Su

On January 3, 2014, the Director of National Intelligence declassified and disclosed publically that the U.S. government had filed an application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that, the FISC renewed that authority. The Office of the Director National Intelligence also announced that the Administration was undertaking a declassification review of the FISC's January 3 primary order. On February 12, 2014, and following a declassification review by the Executive Branch, the FISC released in redacted form the previously classified January 3 primary order it had issued in Docket Number BR 14-01, along with a number of other documents.



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Detroit-Area Physical Therapist, Physical Therapy Assistant and Unlicensed Doctor Convicted in $14.9 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Detroit today convicted a physical therapist, physical therapy assistant and unlicensed doctor for their participation in a nearly $15 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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California Banker Charged with Helping U.S. Taxpayers Conceal Secret Israeli Bank Accounts

Shokrollah Baravarian, of Beverly Hills, California, was charged today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California with conspiracy to defraud the United States.



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Former Lowndes County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Conspiracy Charge

Jason Stacks, a former Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) Deputy, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to use his law enforcement authority to unlawfully detain and take money from motorists.



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Dallas-Based Physician and Home Health Agency Director of Nursing Convicted in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

Late yesterday, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted a physician and a home health agency manager for their participation in a $3 million Medicare fraud conspiracy.



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Tennessee Salvage Company Owner and Operator Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate the Clean Air Act

The owner and operator of a Tennessee salvage and demolition company, A&E Salvage Inc., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Greeneville, Tennessee, for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.



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Texas Man Indicted for Federal Hate Crime and Kidnapping Charges for Assault Based on Victim’s Sexual Orientation

A federal grand jury returned a two count indictment against Brice Johnson, 19, of Springtown, Texas, charging him with willfully causing bodily injury to a person because of the actual or perceived sexual orientation of that person and with kidnapping.



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U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against U.S. Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage

A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries.



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Credit Suisse Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Aid and Assist U.S. Taxpayers in Filing False Returns

Credit Suisse AG pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to aid and assist U.S. taxpayers in filing false income tax returns and other documents with the Internal Revenue Service.



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Mississippi Man Pleads Guilty in Ricin Letter Investigation

James Everett Dutschke, 41, of Tupelo, Mississippi., was sentenced today by United States District Judge Sharion Aycock, in Aberdeen, Mississippi., to a 300 month prison sentence for developing and possessing the biological agent ricin and subsequently mailing ricin-laced, threatening letters.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Press Conference Announcing U.S. Charges Against Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage

When a foreign nation uses military or intelligence resources and tools against an American executive or corporation to obtain trade secrets or sensitive business information for the benefit of its state-owned companies, we must say, ‘enough is enough.’




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Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin Speaks at the Press Conference Announcing U.S. Charges Against Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage

At the Department of Justice, we have repeatedly pledged that we would do more to hold accountable those that engage in these actions. Today, we begin to fulfill that pledge.




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Jordanian Shipping Company Pleads Guilty to Illegally Discharging Oily Waste

Jordan-based Arab Ship Management Ltd. pleaded guilty today in federal court in Wilmington, Delaware, to one count of violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, the Justice Department and the U.S. Coast Guard announced.



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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle and Traffic Counterfeit Viagra Tablets

A Texas man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to smuggle and to traffic in counterfeit and misbranded pharmaceuticals, including Viagra tablets, from China.



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President of Higher Education Software Provider Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Hack into Competitors’ Computer Systems

The president and chief executive officer of Virginia-based Symplicity Corporation pleaded guilty today to conspiring to hack into the computer systems of two competitors to improve his company’s software development and sales strategy.



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Japanese Automotive Parts Manufacturer Executive Indicted for Role in Conspiracy to Fix Prices and for Obstruction of Justice

A Detroit federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against an executive of a Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts for his participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of heater control panels and for obstruction of justice for ordering the destruction of evidence related to the conspiracy.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination by Mississippi Developer

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Mississippi-based developer Dawn Properties Inc. and its affiliated companies for violating the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act., alleging that the defendants violated these laws when they designed and constructed five or more residential properties with barriers that make them inaccessible to persons with disabilities



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Bloods Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy in Tennessee

Kenneth Gaddie, aka K.G., 24, of Nashville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy in federal court in Nashville.



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Ringleader of International Rhino Smuggling Conspiracy Sentenced in New Jersey to 70 Months in Prison for Wildlife Trafficking Crimes

Zhifei Li, the owner of an antique business in China, was sentenced today to serve 70 months in prison for heading an illegal wildlife smuggling conspiracy in which 30 rhinoceros horns and numerous objects made from rhino horn and elephant ivory worth more than $4.5 million were smuggled from the United States to China.



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Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Launder Bribes Received in Afghanistan

Two individuals have pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme to launder approximately $250,000 in bribes received from Afghan contractors in Afghanistan.



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Connecticut Man Who Used Offshore Accounts Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion and Conspiracy

John Cote, formerly of Danielson, Connecticut, was sentenced today to serve 46 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Vanessa Bryant, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced.



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Puerto Rico Superior Court Judge and Local Businessman Indicted on Conspiracy and Federal Programs Bribery Charges

A current Puerto Rico Superior Court Judge and Puerto Rico businessman were charged with orchestrating a criminal scheme in which the businessman paid bribes to the judge presiding over the criminal case against the businessman according to an indictment unsealed today.



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DEA Employee and Contractor Husband Plead Guilty to False Statements in Kidnapping Hoax

Nydia L. Perez and John A. Soto, both 44, of Haymarket, Virginia, pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to law enforcement officials in federal court on Friday.



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Justice Department Announces Investigation of Detention Center in Hinds County, Mississippi

The Justice Department announced today that it is opening a pattern or practice investigation of Hinds County Detention Center including both the Hinds County facility in Raymond, Mississippi, and the Jackson Detention Center, in Jackson, Mississippi.



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Conspiracy Charge Filed Against Former Convergex Trader

A former trader for ConvergEx Global Markets Limited (CGM Limited) — a former securities broker-dealer registered in Bermuda — has been charged in the District of New Jersey with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.



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Former Top Executive of Japanese Automotive Parts Manufacturer Indicted for Role in Conspiracy to Fix Prices

A Detroit federal grand jury returned a one-count indictment against a former top executive of a Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts for his participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts.



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Two Charged with Leading a Conspiracy to Defraud and Extort Spanish-Speaking Consumers Through Fraudulent Call Centers

A grand jury in Miami, Florida, indicted two individuals and two corporations for allegedly operating call centers in Peru that lied to and threatened Spanish-speaking victims into paying fraudulent settlements.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the “Pills to Needles: the Pathway to Rising Heroin Deaths” Event

As the Attorney General recently observed, heroin and opiate addiction and abuse “is impacting the lives of Americans in every state, in every region, and from every background and walk of life.”