ine Nine Alabama Family Members Indicted in Conspiracy to Obtain Tax Refunds Using Stolen Identities By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 4 May 2012 13:16:42 EDT Barbara Murry, Douglas Murry, Douglas Murry III, Yolanda Moses, Lee Moses, Veronica Temple, Jeffrey Temple, Almetta Johnson and Courtney Johnson were charged in an indictment by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of counts stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Justice Department Settles Document Abuse Claim Against Imagine Schools in Ohio By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 7 May 2012 16:58:45 EDT The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Imagine Schools Inc., resolving allegations that the company discriminated under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act, when it fired an employee at its Imagine School in Groveport, Ohio, in connection with a “reverification” of his employment eligibility. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine California Member of the Internet Piracy Group “IMAGiNE” Pleads Guilty to Copyright Infringement Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 10 May 2012 13:36:23 EDT Sean M. Lovelady, 28, of Pomona, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Department of Justice Seizes More Than $1.5 Million in Proceeds from the Online Sale of Counterfeit Sports Apparel Manufactured in China By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 11 May 2012 10:48:15 EDT The investigation also resulted in the seizure of three domain names used in the sale of counterfeit sports apparel. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Nineteen-Year Police Veteran Convicted in Puerto Rico for Role in Providing Armed Security for Drug Transaction By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 14 May 2012 19:08:49 EDT Yamil Navedo Ramirez, 39, was convicted of one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Justice Department Extends Compliance Deadline for Existing Pools Under the 2010 ADA Standards By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 18 May 2012 17:30:31 EDT The Justice Department announced today an extension for existing swimming pools to comply with the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. Existing pools must comply with the standards by Jan. 31, 2013. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Former Haitian Government Official Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Role in Scheme to Launder Bribes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 21 May 2012 19:32:32 EDT Jean Rene Duperval, a former director of international relations for Telecommunications D’Haiti S.A.M. (Haiti Teleco), a Haitian state-owned telecommunications company, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for his role in a scheme to launder bribes paid to him by two Miami-based telecommunications companies. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Former Pennsylvania Businessman Convicted of Filing False Returns By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 22 May 2012 17:20:00 EDT Jonathon Felix, formerly of Villanova, Pa., was found guilty by a federal jury of willfully signing and filing false income tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Petrese Tucker presided over the trial in Philadelphia. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine BP Agrees to Add More Than $400 Million in Pollution Controls at Indiana Refinery and Pay $8 Million Clean Air Act Penalty By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 23 May 2012 15:02:56 EDT BP North America Inc. has agreed to pay an $8 million penalty and invest more than $400 million to install state-of-the-art pollution controls and cut emissions from BP’s petroleum refinery in Whiting, Ind. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Mid-America Pipeline Company and Enterprise Products Operating to Pay $1 Million for Spills in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 May 2012 12:01:45 EDT Mid-America Pipeline Company LLC (MAPCO), and Enterprise Products Operating LLC, of Houston, have agreed to pay a civil penalty of more than $1 million to the United States to settle violations of the federal Clean Water Act related to three natural gasoline pipeline spills in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine New York Businessman Pleads Guilty to Filing False Corporate Tax Return By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 May 2012 15:10:26 EDT Sung Soo Shin, of Staten Island, N.Y., president of Mission Design and Management Inc. (MDMI), pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to filing a false corporate income tax return, for the fiscal year 2009, before U.S. District Court Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Singapore Ship Operator and Engineers Plead Guilty to Crimes Related to Pollution from Cargo Ship Traveling to Mobile, Alabama By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 May 2012 16:21:38 EDT Target Ship Management Pte. Ltd., the operator of the M/V Gaurav Prem, pleaded guilty to a violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to properly maintain an oil record book as required by federal and international law, as well as making material false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard inspection of the ship at the port of Mobile in September 2011. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine South Florida Retired Businessman Pleads Guilty to Failing to Disclose Assets Held in Swiss Banks By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 May 2012 17:05:17 EDT Wolfgang Roessel of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida to filing a false tax return for 2007, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Maryland Business Owner Sentenced for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Jun 2012 14:50:14 EDT Richard Stewart, a resident of Mitchellville, Md., was sentenced to 24 months in prison and ordered to pay $5,414,647 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus for failing to pay over employment taxes in connection with his ownership of Montgomery Mechanical Services, the Justice Department and IRS announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with United Airlines to Enforce Employment Rights of Air National Guardsman By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 8 Jun 2012 16:52:22 EDT The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with United Airlines Inc., resolving Ten Eyck LaTourrette’s allegation that the airline violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by under compensating his retirement plan during his military service. LaTourrette is currently a major serving in the Colorado Air National Guard and a first officer for United Airlines. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Minnesota Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Federal Excise Tax Crimes and Tax Fraud By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:11:18 EDT Jason W. Leas, a resident of Crookston, Minn., and co-founder of Best Used Trucks of Minnesota Inc., pleaded guilty today to one count of failing to pay federal excise taxes, one count of failing to file a federal excise tax return and one count of filing a false individual federal income tax return for tax year 2007, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Leas was charged by information filed on May 29, 2012. He entered his plea of guilty before U.S. District Court Senior Judge Richard H. Kyle in Duluth, Minn. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online Joint Statement By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:26:29 EDT 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. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Pennsylvania Member of the Internet Piracy Group “Imagine” Pleads Guilty to Copyright Infringement Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:25:42 EDT A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to willfully reproduce and distribute tens of thousands of infringing copies of copyrighted works without permission, including infringing copies of movies before they were commercially released on DVD, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride and Special Agent in Charge John P. Torres of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) in Washington, D.C., announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine New York Member of the Internet Piracy Group “IMAGiNE” Pleads Guilty to Copyright Infringement Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 11 Jul 2012 19:04:28 EDT A New York man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to willfully reproduce and distribute tens of thousands of infringing copies of copyrighted works without permission, including infringing copies of movies before they were commercially released on DVD. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Alabama Businessman, Lobbyist and Legislator Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Wide-Ranging Conspiracy to Influence and Corrupt Activities of Alabama State Legislature By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:00:53 EDT Three individuals, including Alabama businessman Ronald Gilley, lobbyist Jarrod Massey and former Alabama state representative Terry Spicer were sentenced to prison today in Montgomery, Ala., for bribery-related offenses. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Maine Resident Charged and Arrested for Allegedly Engaging in Cyber “Sextortion” of New Hampshire Victim By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:47:18 EDT John Bryan Villegas, 21, of Kittery, Maine, was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance today in federal court in New Hampshire. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Starr County, Texas, Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested and Detained on Bribery, Extortion and Drug Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:59:43 EDT A Deputy Sheriff for the Starr County, Texas, Sherriff’s Office has been ordered detained by a federal magistrate judge in the Southern District of Texas on charges of conspiracy, federal programs bribery, extortion and drug possession with intent to distribute. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Florida-Based Crowley Liner Services Inc. Pleads Guilty to Price Fixing on Freight Services Between U.S. and Puerto Rico By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 1 Aug 2012 12:12:02 EDT Jacksonville, Fla.-based Crowley Liner Services Inc. pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $17 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the coastal water freight transportation industry. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Indiana Online Identity Thief Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Counterfeit Credit Card Conspiracy Involving More Than $3 Million in Losses By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:59:54 EDT Peter Borgia Jr., 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Arizona Tax Defier Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Fraud and Tax Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:01:33 EDT Richard Kellogg Armstrong, 77, of Prescott, Ariz., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Blackburn ordered the sentence to run consecutively to the 660 day prison term and $1,021,500 of fines cumulatively imposed upon Armstrong as punitive sanctions for 10 acts of contempt of court. He also ordered Armstrong to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $1,678,834 and to forfeit two residences and a personal aircraft. The sentence was announced by the Justice Department’s Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. Codefendant Curtis L. Morris, age 43, of Elizabeth, Colo., is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, 2012. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Delaware Company Fined for Unlawful Discharges of Oil in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:55:21 EDT Cedyco Corporation, headquartered in Houston, was sentenced today in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Italian Ship Owner and Chief Engineer Sentenced in Alabama for Crimes Related to Illegal Discharges from Cargo Ship By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 18:40:44 EDT Giusseppe Bottiglieri Shipping Company S.P.A, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Ginny Granade in the Southern District of Alabama to pay a $1 million criminal fine, serve four years of probation, and make a $300,000 community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Owner of Pavement Painting Business Pleads Guilty in Alaska to Illegally Disposing Hazardous Waste By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 17 Aug 2012 16:18:18 EDT William Duran Vizzerra Jr. pleaded guilty today to illegally disposing of hazardous waste, a felony criminal offense, at a storage lot in Anchorage, Alaska. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Sinclair Oil to Pay $3.8 Million Penalty and Install Pollution Controls at Wyoming Refineries to Resolve Violations of 2008 Consent Decree By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:16:04 EDT The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with two subsidiaries of Sinclair Oil Corporation to resolve alleged violations of air pollution limits established in a 2008 consent decree at refineries in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Leader of Internet Piracy Group “IMAGiNE” Pleads Guilty to Copyright Infringement Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:06:13 EDT Jeramiah B. Perkins, 39, of Portsmouth, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Puerto Rico Man Found Guilty of Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy and Murder of a Witness By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:00:27 EDT Edison Burgos-Montes, of Puerto Rico, was convicted after a two-month jury trial of cocaine possession with intent to distribute and killing a government witness. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on Closure of Investigation into the Interrogation of Certain Detainees By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:14:01 EDT The Attorney General announced today the closure of the criminal investigations into the death of two individuals while in United States custody at overseas locations. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine North Carolina Businessman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Payroll Tax Fraud By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 17:00:15 EDT Bruce Gregory Harrison III of Greensboro, N.C., was sentenced today to 144 months in prison following his December 2011 conviction for payroll tax fraud and other crimes, announced Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division; Ripley Rand, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina; and Richard Weber, Chief of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Criminal Investigation. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Scotts Miracle-Gro Will Pay $12.5 Million in Criminal Fines and Civil Penalties for Violations of Federal Pesticide Laws By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 7 Sep 2012 15:31:59 EDT The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a producer of pesticides for commercial and consumer lawn and garden uses, was sentenced today in federal district court in Columbus, Ohio, to pay a $4 million fine and perform community service for eleven criminal violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, which governs the manufacture, distribution, and sale of pesticides. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Justice Department Reaches Settlement Agreement with Massachusetts Business Resolving Allegations of Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 16:02:29 EDT The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with Grand Circle LLC, based in Boston, doing business as Grand Circle Travel, to resolve alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and ensure that persons with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs or other mobility aids, are afforded full and equal access to the company’s travel services and facilities. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine New York Business Owners Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:54:11 EDT Mendy Gorodetsky and Shalom Rabkin, both residents of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York to tax evasion, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Taiwan-Based AU Optronics Corporation Sentenced to Pay $500 Million Criminal Fine for Role in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 20 Sep 2012 15:47:41 EDT AU Optronics Corporation, a Taiwan-based liquid crystal display (LCD) producer, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco to pay a $500 million criminal fine for its participation in a five-year conspiracy to fix the prices of thin-film transistor LCD panels sold worldwide. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Agreement Secures $25 Million Cleanup for the Rio Tinto Mine in Nevada By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:59:07 EDT The Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection announced a $25 million agreement for the cleanup of the Rio Tinto Mine, an abandoned copper mine in Elko County, Nev. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Two Men Sentenced to Prison for Participation in Online Conspiracy to Trade Child Pornography By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 17:45:31 EDT An Oregon man and a Virginia man were sentenced to prison for their role in a conspiracy to advertise, distribute and possess child pornography. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine U.S. District Court Orders Community Notice to Corpus Christi, Texas, Residents Who May Be Victims of Environmental Crimes by Citgo Refinery By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 10:03:07 EDT Persons living around the CITGO refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, who suffered immediate negative health effects from emissions from two large tanks at the facility that were operated between January 1994 and May 2003 in violation of the federal Clean Air Act, may be crime victims in United States v. CITGO Petroleum Corporation et al. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Canadian Citizen Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Purchasing Pharmaceuticals Online By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 17:52:31 EDT Andrew Strempler, a Canadian citizen, pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of Florida for his role in a scheme to defraud consumers purchasing pharmaceuticals online, the Justice Department announced. Strempler faces up to five years in prison, a forfeiture of $300,000, a fine and restitution. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Ten Individuals Indicted in National Business Opportunity Fraud Scam By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:39:37 EDT The Justice Department announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging 10 individuals in connection with a vending machine “business opportunity” that defrauded thousands of victims across the country. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Former Bryan County, Okla., Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Sentenced for Assaulting Detainee with a Taser By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 11 Oct 2012 10:25:35 EDT The Justice Department announced today that former Bryan County, Okla., Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant Kevin Bennett Holt, 48, from Achille, Okla., was sentenced to 18 months in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, followed by 24 months of supervised release, for using a Taser to assault a detainee inside of the Bryan County Jail in Durant, Okla., in violation of the victim’s civil rights. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Massachusetts Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion and Conspiracy to Obstruct and Impede the IRS By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:15:26 EDT A federal judge in Boston sentenced Gary Alcock today to 14 months in prison for tax evasion, for conspiring to defraud the United States, and for willfully failing to file tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor also ordered Gary Alcock to pay restitution in the amount of $515,518. Alcock pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 9, 2011, and provided substantial assistance to the government in prosecuting the case against the remaining defendants, which Judge Saylor cited, among other factors, as a basis for a reduced sentence. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Former Georgia Police Chief Sentenced for Assaulting Restrained Inmate By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:44:52 EDT Former chief of the Omega, Ga., Police Department, Walter Young, 54, was sentenced today for physically abusing a man in his custody, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Justice Department Officials Raise Awareness of Disaster Fraud Hotline By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 1 Nov 2012 18:29:02 EDT The Department of Justice, the FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) remind the public there is a potential for disaster fraud in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Suspected fraudulent activity pertaining to relief efforts associated with Hurricane Sandy should be reported to the toll-free NCDF hotline at 866-720-5721. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Two Members of Internet Piracy Group “IMAGiNE” Sentenced in Virginia for Criminal Copyright Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 2 Nov 2012 17:33:21 EDT Willie Lambert, 57, of Pittston, Pa., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen in the Eastern District of Virginia to serve 30 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $449,514 in restitution, jointly and severally with co-defendants. Sean M. Lovelady, 28, of Pomona, Calif., was sentenced today by Judge Wright Allen to 23 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $7,500 in restitution. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Vehicle and Engine Importers to Pay Civil Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:22:27 EST The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with two former importers of highway motorcycles, recreational vehicles and small spark ignition engines. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Justice Department Announces Sweep of Criminal and Civil Business Opportunity Cases By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:13:54 EST The Justice Department announced today the filing of several criminal and civil business opportunity fraud cases, initiated as part of a joint sweep with the Federal Trade Commission and several states. Business opportunity fraud schemes take advantage of people looking for work by luring them in with false promises of big profits and leaving them worse off than they started. Full Article OPA Press Releases
ine Hungarian Woman Pleads Guilty in Tennessee for Role in International Fraud Scheme Involving Online Marketplace Websites By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:33:24 EST Beatrix Boka, 34, of Hungary, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger in the Middle District of Tennessee to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Full Article OPA Press Releases