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Justice Department Settles Citizenship Status Discrimination Claim Against Travel Management Company

The Justice Department reached an agreement today with Travel Management Company, a private airplane charter company based in Elkhart, Indiana, resolving claims that the company engaged in citizenship status discrimination in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Fifth Third Mortgage Company to Resolve Allegations of Discrimination Against Recipients of Disability Income

The Department of Justice filed a settlement today with Fifth Third Mortgage Company to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of disability and receipt of public assistance in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). Under the settlement, Fifth Third has agreed to maintain revised policies, conduct employee training and pay over $1.5 million to compensate victims



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United States Files Enforcement Action Against Michigan Cheese Company and Owners to Stop Distribution of Adulterated Cheese Products

A civil complaint was filed today in federal court in Michigan against S. Serra Cheese Company of Clinton Township, Michigan, and its owners, Stefano and Fina Serra, to prevent the distribution of adulterated cheese, announced Assistant Attorney General Stuart F. Delery of the Justice Department’s Civil Division



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Department of Justice Reaches Comprehensive Settlement with Crestwood School District to Improve Educational Services for English Language Learners

The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Crestwood School District in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, to improve educational services for students who are English Language Learners (ELLs), establish a system for recruiting and hiring faculty and staff and ensure that individuals who complain about discrimination do not face unlawful retaliation



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Co-Founder of Government Contracting Company Pleads Guilty to Illegal Gratuity Charge

Timothy S. Miller, 58, a co-founder of a Chesapeake, Virginia, government contracting company, pleaded guilty today to providing illegal gratuities to two public officials working for the United States Navy Military Sealift Command



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Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Clinic Management Company Pleads Guilty in $3.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The former owner of a Los Angeles medical clinic management company pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare



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Justice Department Sues to Stop South Florida Tax Return Preparer Engaged in Fraud and Earned Income Credit Schemes

The United States has asked a federal court in Miami to permanently bar a South Florida man and his two Miami businesses, Ebenezer Tax Services Inc. and Primo Tax Service Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. He is alleged to have defrauded the government out of more than $20 million



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Excerpts of Attorney General Eric Holder’s Remarks at a Community College

“The eyes of the nation and the world are watching Ferguson right now. The world is watching because the issues raised by the shooting of Michael Brown predate this incident. This is something that has a history to it and the history simmers beneath the surface in more communities than just Ferguson."




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Former Investment Company Executives Sentenced for Roles in $18 Million Ponzi Scheme

The former Hanover Corporation chief financial officer and a former Hanover salesman were sentenced today to serve 60 months in prison and 70 months in prison respectively, and ordered to pay $14,454,999.19 in restitution, for their roles in an $18 million Ponzi scheme. Hanover’s former chief executive officer was previously sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $14,784,983.75 in restitution in this case



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Owner of Home Health Care Company Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Role in $6 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A co-owner of Professional Medical Home Health LLC was sentenced today to serve 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $6.2 million in restitution for her participation in a health care fraud scheme involving the now defunct home health care company



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ExxonMobil Pipeline Company to Pay Civil Penalty Under Proposed Settlement for Torbert, Louisiana, Oil Spill

ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (ExxonMobil) has agreed to pay a civil penalty for an alleged violation of the Clean Water Act stemming from a 2012 crude oil spill from ExxonMobil’s “North Line” pipeline near Torbert, Louisiana, the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. Under the consent decree lodged today in federal court, ExxonMobil will pay $1,437,120 to resolve the government’s claim



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Associate Attorney General West Announces $3 Million in Grants to Address Violence Against Women in Rural and Tribal Communities in the Bakken Region

Associate Attorney General Tony West today announced $3 million dollars in grants from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to increase local and tribal capacity to prosecute crimes of violence against women and provide services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking in the Bakken Region of North Dakota and Montana



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Justice Department Requires Divestiture in Tyson Foods Inc. Acquisition of the Hillshire Brands Company

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Tyson Foods Inc. to divest Heinold Hog Markets, its sow purchasing business, in order to proceed with its $8.5 billion acquisition of The Hillshire Brands Company. The department said that, without the required divestiture, the transaction would have combined companies that account for more than a third of sow purchases from U.S. farmers, thereby likely reducing competition for purchases of sows from farmers.



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Detroit-Area Man Indicted for Attempting to Conceal Evidence in Connection with Upcoming Trial for $30 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area man was indicted today for obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged attempts to conceal evidence relevant to his upcoming trial for an alleged health care fraud scheme with estimated losses exceeding $30 million.



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Owner and Seven Employees of Mortgage Company and Two Real Estate Developers Indicted for $50 Million Scam Involving Federally Insured Mortgages

The owner of a Florida mortgage company, seven employees of the company and two real estate developers were indicted in the Southern District of Florida in connection with an alleged $50 million mortgage fraud scheme.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Louisiana Crane Company Alleging Discrimination Against Work-authorized Immigrants

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a lawsuit with the Executive Office for Immigration Review against Louisiana Crane Company LLC (Louisiana Crane), which is headquartered in Eunice, Louisiana.



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Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Claim Against a Restaurant Management Company

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Culinaire International, a catering and restaurant management company headquartered in Houston, Texas, resolving a claim that Culinaire engaged in citizenship discrimination during the employment eligibility reverification process in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



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New England Compounding Center Supervising Pharmacist Arrested at Logan International Airport

A Canton, Massachusetts, man was arrested today at Boston's Logan International Airport in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation of New England Compounding Center by the Justice Department’s Civil Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.



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Two Companies to Pay $3.75 Million for Allegedly Causing Submission of Claims for Unreasonable or Unnecessary Rehabilitation Therapy at Skilled Nursing Facilities

Life Care Services LLC, a manager of skilled nursing facilities based in Des Moines, Iowa, and CoreCare V LLP, doing business as ParkVista, a skilled nursing facility in Fullerton, California, have agreed to pay a total of $3.75 million to the government for causing the submission of false claims to Medicare for unreasonable or unnecessary rehabilitation therapy purportedly provided by RehabCare Group East Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Healthcare Inc.



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Owner of Home Heath Care Company Sentenced to 75 Months in Prison for $6.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner and operator of a Miami home health care company was sentenced to 75 months in prison today for her participation in a $6.5 million Medicare fraud scheme involving the now defunct home health care company, Nestor’s Health Services Inc.



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United States Pursues Claims Against Neurosurgeon, Spinal Implant Company, Physician-Owned Distributorships and Their Non-Physician Owners for Alleged Kickbacks and Medically Unnecessary Surgeries

The United States has filed two complaints under the False Claims Act against Michigan neurosurgeon Dr. Aria Sabit, spinal implant company Reliance Medical Systems, two Reliance distributorships—Apex Medical Technologies and Kronos Spinal Technologies—and the companies’ owners, Brett Berry, John Hoffman and Adam Pike.



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Remarks by Assistant Attorney General Karol Mason Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to speak with you today about the Department of Justice’s role in supporting state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.




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Community Oriented Policing Services Outlines Best Practices for Use of Body-Worn Cameras for Police Officers

Today the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) released Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned. The report analyzes some of the costs and benefits of law enforcement using body-worn video technology.



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Justice Department and CNCS Announce $1.8 Million in Grants to Enhance Immigration Court Proceedings and Provide Legal Assistance to Unaccompanied Children

The Department of Justice and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers AmeriCorps national service programs, has awarded $1.8 million in grants to increase the effective and efficient adjudication of immigration proceedings involving certain children who have crossed the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian.



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Attorney General Holder Records Message for Cartoon Network’s “I Speak up” Campaign to Combat Bullying

The Justice Department announced Monday that Attorney General Eric Holder has recorded a video message as part of the Cartoon Network’s “I Speak Up” campaign to combat bullying. The project urges young people to speak up in order to help bring bullying situations to an end.



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U.S. Settlement with Michigan Utility to Reduce Emissions at Its Coal-Fired Power Plants, Fund Projects to Benefit Environment and Communities

In a settlement with the United States, Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation, has agreed to install pollution control technology, continue operating existing pollution controls and comply with emission rates to reduce harmful air pollution from the company’s five coal-fired power plants.



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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Sign Cooperation Agreement with Colombian Antitrust Agency

Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has signed an antitrust cooperation agreement with the Colombian antitrust agency on behalf of the Department of Justice. The agreement also was signed by Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, and went into effect today with the signature of Pablo Felipe Robledo, Colombia’s Superintendent of Industry and Commerce.



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Ambulance Company Manager Pleads Guilty to $5.5 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

The general manager of a Southern California ambulance company pleaded guilty yesterday in Los Angeles to conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud, conspiracy to obstruct a Medicare audit, and making materially false statements to law enforcement officers.



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Florida Home Health Care Company and Its Owners Agree to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations for $1.65 Million

A Plus Home Health Care Inc. and its owners, Tracy Nemerofsky and her father, Stephen Nemerofsky, have agreed to pay $1.65 million to the United States to settle allegations that A Plus paid spouses of referring physicians for sham marketing positions in order to induce patient referrals.



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Hawaii Man Sentenced to 87 Months Imprisonment for Communicating Classified National Defense Information to Unauthorized Person

Benjamin Pierce Bishop, 60, a former Honolulu, Hawaii, civilian defense contractor and retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi to serve 87 months imprisonment and three years’ supervised release for willfully communicating classified national defense information to a person not authorized to receive it and unlawfully retaining classified national defense information at his home.



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Justice Department Announces National Effort to Build Trust Between Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the launch of the Justice Department’s National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice.



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Alabama Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud

An Alabama real estate investor pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions held in southern Alabama, the Department of Justice announced today



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Executives of Swiss and Las Vegas Companies Convicted in International Investment Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Las Vegas convicted two men of conspiracy, wire fraud and securities fraud yesterday for their roles in an approximately $10 million international investment fraud scheme involving numerous victims



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Former Idaho Construction Company President Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Scheme

The former president and majority stockholder of a construction company was sentenced to five years in prison today following her plea of guilty to filing a false tax return and her conviction by a jury of conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, mail fraud, false statements, interstate transportation of property taken by fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson for the District of Idaho.



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Former Fox News Commentator Pleads Guilty to Fraud

ALEXANDRIA, Va



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Former Postal Worker Sentenced to Prison for Workers’ Comp Fraud

NORFOLK, Va



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New FDA Guidances for November and December 2019 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Alice Li, MD, MSc, RAC(CAN), Regulatory Scientist, Cato Research Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Guidance for Industry: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion, Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed, Serving Size-Related Issues, Dual-Column Labeling, and Miscellaneous Topics – Final Guidance 30 Dec 2019 Submission of Plans for Cigarette Packages …

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New FDA Gudiances for January 2020 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Sheila Plant, PhD, MHS, RAC, Senior Director, Regulatory Strategy, CATO SMS Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Recommendations to Reduce the Possible Risk of Transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease by Blood and Blood Components; Draft Guidance for Industry: Draft Guidance for Industry – Draft Guidance 30 Jan 2020 Arthroscopy Pump Tubing Sets …

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New FDA Gudiances for February 2020 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Sheila Plant, PhD, MHS, RAC, Senior Director, Regulatory Strategy, CATO SMS    Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Policy for Diagnostics Testing in Laboratories Certified to Perform High Complexity Testing under CLIA prior to Emergency Use Authorization for Coronavirus Disease-2019 during the Public Health Emergency: Immediately in Effect Guidance for Clinical Laboratories and Food and …

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New FDA Gudiances for March 2020 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Sheila Plant, PhD, MHS, RAC, Senior Director, Regulatory Strategy, CATO SMS FDA guidances from March 2020 as well as upcoming advisory committee meeting announcements are below.  We note that approximately one-third of FDA’s guidances this past month are related to COVID-19.    Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Enforcement Policy for Gowns, Other Apparel, and …

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New FDA Gudiances for April 2020 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Zachary Swan, PhD, RAC, Associate Director, Regulatory Affairs at CATO SMS    Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Exemption and Exclusion from Certain Requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Guidance for Industry – Final Guidance 30 April 2020 FDA Deems Certain Tobacco Products Subject to FDA Authority, …

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RedHill Biopharma Provides Update On Compassionate Use Program With Opaganib

Biopharmaceutical company RedHill Biopharma Ltd. (RDHL) on Monday provided an additional update on the compassionate use program with its investigational drug, opaganib (Yeliva, ABC294640)1, in patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (the cause of COVID-19) in Israel.




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Gilead's Remdesivir Becomes 1st Drug Allowed For Emergency Use For COVID-19

The FDA has issued emergency use authorization for Gilead Science Inc's (GILD) antiviral drug Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults and children hospitalized with severe disease.




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How States and Counties Can Help Individuals With Opioid Use Disorder Re-Enter Communities

At least 95 percent of individuals in state prisons will eventually return to communities. In fact, in a typical year more than half a million people do so, with many more coming from jails. A disproportionate share of these individuals have one or more chronic illnesses.




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Care Coordination Strategies for Patients Can Improve Substance Use Disorder Outcomes

Care coordination is considered a hallmark of patient-centered treatment and has been shown to improve health outcomes and patient satisfaction as well as reduce costs. Defined as organizing patient care activities and sharing information among all participants concerned with an individual’s treatment plan in order to achieve safer and more effective results, care coordination is increasingly...




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Coming Together While Staying Apart

This blog was written by Aoife Brennan, CEO of Synlogic, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC. I have never participated in trench warfare and I am sure it was pretty grim for those who lived and

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Recipe For Managing Data Disclosure Successfully With Academic Partners: A Public Gene Therapy Company Perspective

This blog post was written by Deanna Petersen, CBO of AVROBIO, as part of the From The Trenches feature of LifeSciVC. When AVROBIO went public in June 2018, I found myself on the steep end of an unexpected but interesting

The post Recipe For Managing Data Disclosure Successfully With Academic Partners: A Public Gene Therapy Company Perspective appeared first on LifeSciVC.




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AHPA Recommends Regulatory Improvements in Comments Submitted to CFSAN

The American Herbal Products Association submitted nearly 100 pages of comments to the Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition identifying ways to improve regulations, guidance documents and enforcement practices to better protect public health.




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Supplement Company CEO Arrested, Faces Possible Probation Revocation

The chief executive of a supplement company under investigation by FDA could go to prison for allegedly violating the terms of his supervised release following a criminal conviction in 2014.




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Ad Agency Settles FTC, Maine AG Complaint

An advertising agency agreed to settle a complaint brought by state and federal regulators over the creation and dissemination of allegedly deceptive radio advertisements for weight-loss products.