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New Mexico Probation Officer Arrested on Sexual Assault Charges

Gordon Chavez, 35, a probation officer with the New Mexico Corrections Department of Probation and Parole, was arrested today in Albuquerque, N.M., on charges related to the sexual assault of a probationer whom he supervised.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Notorious Sex Trafficker Terrence “T-Rex” Yarbrough Faces up to Life in Prison Following Sex Trafficking Conviction in Tennessee

Terrence Yarbrough, a/k/a, “T-Rex,” 37, of Memphis, Tenn., was convicted today in federal court on 10 counts of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Global Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Online Ministerial

"Despite the uncertain challenges we face, and the many responsibilities before us, I’m confident that today’s session will afford a unique opportunity to strengthen our shared commitment to this work," said Attorney General Holder.




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Former California Police Officer Indicted and Arrested on Civil Rights Charges for Sexually Assaulting Woman While Transporting Her to Jail

Bryan Benson, a former Anderson, Calif., police officer, was arrested today on charges of deprivation of civil rights for sexually assaulting a woman while transporting her to jail and of trying to conceal his criminal conduct, announced the Justice Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence Presents Final Findings, Recommendations to Attorney General

Attorney General Eric Holder’s Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence today presented its final report and policy recommendations gathered from public hearings held across the country over the past year.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Introduction of the Presentation of the Final Report of the Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence

"Now, there’s no question that we can be proud of the anti-violence work that’s already under way - and the progress that so many of you are leading - in big cities and small towns across the country. But, as this report clearly illustrates, we cannot yet be satisfied - and this is no time to become complacent," said Attorney General Holder.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Conclusion of the Presentation of the Final Report of the Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence

"This report is a central part of the Department’s broader efforts to collect information, solicit expert guidance, and formulate proactive strategies for addressing children’s exposure to violence. Its findings are consistent with, and complementary to, another recent report – focused on exposure to domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual assault – that was released by the National Advisory Committee for the Office on Violence Against Women," said Attorney General Holder.




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Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer, His Girlfriend and Two of Their Associates Plead Guilty to Participating in Multi-year Bribery and Alien Smuggling Activities Along U.S./Mexico Border

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, his girlfriend and two of their associates pleaded guilty today in federal court for their participation in multi-year bribery and alien smuggling activities along the U.S./Mexico border.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Louisiana-Based Health Care Company Convicted in Texas for Role in $6.7 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner and operator of a Louisiana-based durable medical equipment (DME) company was convicted today by a federal jury in Houston for his role in a $6.7 million Medicare fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former New Jersey Chiropractor Charged in Scheme to Extinguish Debt and to Obtain Fraudulent IRS Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Trenton, N.J., returned an indictment charging David Moleski with 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, one count of corruptly impeding the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws and three counts of filing false claims for tax refunds, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Lincoln County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office Detective Sentenced on Sexual Abuse Charges

Scott Edwards, a former Lincoln County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department detective, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison followed by three years supervised release for violating the constitutional rights of five women through acts of aggravated sexual abuse and sexual contact while serving as their “drug court tracker,” when the women were participants in the Lincoln County Drug Court program.



  • OPA Press Releases

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AU Optronics Corporation Executive Convicted for Role in LCD Price-fixing Conspiracy

Following a three-week trial, a federal jury in San Francisco today convicted an executive of the largest Taiwan liquid crystal display (LCD) producer for his participation in a worldwide conspiracy to fix the prices of thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels sold worldwide.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Manalapan, N.J., Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Sexually Abusing Girl, Streaming Assault Live Over the Internet

A New Jersey woman was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for producing child pornography through the sexual exploitation of a 5-year-old girl on more than one occasion and streaming footage of a sexual assault over the Internet.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New Mexico Probation Officer Indicted on Sexual Assault Charges

A federal grand jury in Albuquerque, N.M., has indicted Gordon Chavez, 35, a probation officer with the New Mexico Corrections Department on charges related to the sexual assault of a probationer whom he supervised. The New Mexico Corrections Department placed Chavez on administrative leave following his arrest on Dec. 4, 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

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District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against New Mexico-Based Producer of Peanut Butter Products and Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer

U.S. District Court Judge William P. Johnson entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Sunland Inc., a Portales, N.M.-based producer of peanut butter, and Jimmie D. Shearer, president and chief executive officer of Sunland, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Soldier Sentenced in Texas to 18 Months in Prison for His Role in Fraudulent Military Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

A member of the U.S. military was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to obtain approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting referral bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pittsburgh Ex-Convict Pleads Guilty to Tax Obstruction

Michael Carlow, a resident of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty today to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Corrections Officer Sentenced for Civil Rights Violations

Demetrio Juan Gonzales, 40, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court to 33 months in prison followed by three years of supervised released for violating the civil rights of an individual in his custody when he struck and choked the victim in the shower room/dress out area of MDC.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Dreamboard Member Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Participating in International Criminal Network Organized to Sexually Exploit Children

A Massachusetts man was sentenced today to serve 45 years in prison for his participation in an international criminal network, known as Dreamboard, dedicated to the sexual abuse of children and the creation and dissemination of graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse throughout the world.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Barrio Azteca Associate Sentenced in Texas to 18 Months in Prison for Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

An associate of the Barrio Azteca (BA), a trans-national border gang allied with the Juarez Cartel, was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Obtains Judgment Against Maine Landlord for Sexually Harassing Tenants

The Justice Department today announced that property manager Rudy Ferrante agreed to a $15,000 civil judgment against him, to resolve allegations that he sexually harassed female tenants in Portland, Maine.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Interference with Persons Exercising Right to Seek or Provide Reproductive Health Care

The Department of Justice today settled a civil complaint against Richard A. Retta, of Rockville, Md, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, for violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Conference on the Transformation of Security and Fundamental Rights Legislation on “Transforming the Law on Freedom of Expression”

"The United States was able to become more inclusive not because we changed our principles, which reflect universal and timeless values, but because we learned to apply our principles more consistently. Over time, we also developed tools that help us to better apply our principles," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Automotive Electronics Manufacturer Fined $500,000 for Selling Illegal Devices Resulting in Tons of Excess Particulate Matter Emissions

In a settlement with the United States on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, automotive electronics manufacturer Edge Products LLC (Edge) has agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty for manufacturing and selling electronic devices that allowed owners of model year 2007 and later diesel pickup trucks to remove emission controls from their vehicles.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Minister Pleads Guilty in North Carolina to Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct in Haiti

A former minister pleaded guilty today in North Carolina to engaging in illicit sexual conduct in Haiti.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Texas Durable Medical Equipment Companies Convicted in Fraud Scheme

A Texas federal judge convicted the owner of two Texas-based durable medical equipment companies today on multiple health care fraud charges following a five-day bench trial.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Texas State Parole Officer Admits Taking Bribes from Assigned Parolee

A former Texas state parole officer pleaded guilty today in Dallas for taking bribes from one of her assigned parolees in exchange for not reporting his parole violations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Washington Man Sentenced to Ten Years for Sex Trafficking

Joseph McDaniels, 43, of Shoreline, Wash., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court for interstate transportation of a 22 year old woman for purposes of prostitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Financial Consultant Extradited to the United States for Alleged Scheme to Defraud the U.S. Export-import Bank

Manuel Ernesto Ortiz-Barraza, an independent financial consultant, was extradited to the United States today for his alleged role in a scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) of over $2.5 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Alabama Officer Indicted for Using Excessive Force

A federal grand jury today indicted a former Town Creek, Ala., police officer for violating an individual’s civil rights during the course of an arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

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BP Exploration and Production Inc. Pleads Guilty, Is Sentenced to Pay Record $4 Billion for Crimes Surrounding Deepwater Horizon Incident

BP Exploration and Production Inc. pleaded guilty today to 14 criminal counts for its illegal conduct leading to and after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, and was sentenced to pay $4 billion in criminal fines and penalties, the largest criminal resolution in U.S. history.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Executive Convicted for Role in Price-Fixing Conspiracy Involving Coastal Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico

Following a two-week trial, a federal jury in Puerto Rico today convicted a former executive of a Florida-based coastal water freight transportation company for his participation in a conspiracy to fix rates and surcharges for water transportation of freight between the continental United States and Puerto Rico.



  • OPA Press Releases

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District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Ohio-Based Drug Manufacturer and Company’s Senior Executives

U.S. District Court Judge Lesley Wells entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Ben Venue Laboratories Inc., a Bedford, Ohio-based drug manufacturer.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

Two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang (ABT) pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise.



  • OPA Press Releases

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High-Ranking Member of Mexican “Los Zetas” Cartel Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy Charges

Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar, aka “Mamito” and “Caballero,” a high ranking member of the “Los Zetas” drug cartel, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to import multi-ton quantities of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Lomita, Calif., to Protect Religious Exercise

The Justice Department today announced a settlement with the city of Lomita, Calif., resolving allegations that the city violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 when it denied the Islamic Center of the South Bay’s application to build a new mosque on its property.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Jewelry Company Executive Sentenced in U.s.v.i. to Pay $1.1 Million in Fines and Community Service for Illegal Trade of Protected Black Coral

Ashu Bhandari, the former president and CEO of GEM Manufacturing LLC, a U.S. Virgin Islands-based company, was sentenced Thursday in federal court in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., for felony customs violations for his role in a scheme to illegally import protected black coral into the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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US Files Lawsuit in Louisiana Against Oil and Gas Company Alleging Unlawful Discharge of Oil and Chemical Dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico

Today the United States filed a civil action against ATP Oil &s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The complaint addresses the defendants’ alleged unlawful discharges of oil and unpermitted chemical dispersants from the defendants’ floating oil and gas production platform, the ATP Innovator, into the Gulf of Mexico.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Moves to Intervene in Lawsuit Alleging Sex Discrimination Against the State of Maryland, Queen Anne’s County and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff

The Justice Department today moved to intervene in Murphy-Taylor v. State of Maryland, et al., a private lawsuit alleging sex discrimination by the state of Maryland, Queen Anne’s County and the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Executives of Stanford Financial Group Entities Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Roles in Fraud Scheme

Gilbert T. Lopez Jr., the former chief accounting officer of Stanford Financial Group Company, and Mark J. Kuhrt, the former global controller of Stanford Financial Group Global Management, were each sentenced today to 20 years in prison for their roles in helping Robert Allen Stanford perpetrate a fraud scheme involving Stanford International Bank (SIB). Both were convicted by a Houston federal jury on Nov. 19, 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Texas Champion Bank to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today that Texas Champion Bank of Alice, Texas, will establish uniform pricing policies, conduct employee training and pay $700,000 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 and Town of East Haven, Conn., Select Kathleen O’toole as Joint Compliance Expert for Police Reform Agreement

The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced today, together with the town of East Haven, Conn., and the East Haven Board of Police Commissioners, they have selected Kathleen O’Toole as the Joint Compliance Expert to assess and report on the implementation of a comprehensive settlement agreement to reform the East Haven Police Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Men Arrested for Alleged Extortion of Detroit-Area Restaurant Owner

Two men were arrested today on charges of allegedly extorting a Detroit-area restaurant owner.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Stock Manipulators Sentenced in Texas to Prison for $1 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

An employee of a Texas securities firm and a broker-dealer who conspired with him and others to artificially pump up the stock prices of several publicly traded companies were sentenced to prison terms today for their roles in the $1 million scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Michigan Man Found Guilty in Florida of Child Sex Tourism Charges

A former Michigan resident was found guilty by a federal jury today in Miami of child sex tourism charges.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

A member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang (ABT) pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges related to his membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise.



  • OPA Press Releases

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California Man Arrested in Federal Sex Trafficking Case

A Long Beach, Calif., man was arrested yesterday arraigned this afternoon on federal sex trafficking charges that allege he worked with a previously charged defendant to coerce women to work as prostitutes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Man Convicted in Corporate Hacking Case

A Texas resident was convicted today by a federal jury for conspiring to hack into his former employer’s computer network.



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Former Commander of Mexican State Police and Member of the Gulf Cartel Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy Charges

Gilberto Lerma Plata, a former commander of the Mexican State Police and member of the Gulf Cartel, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to import multi-ton quantities of marijuana into the United States.



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Former New Mexico Corrections Officer Convicted on Obstruction of Justice Charges

A federal jury late yesterday convicted Kevin Casaus, 25, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County, N.M., Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, N.M., on obstruction of justice and falsification of records charges.



  • OPA Press Releases