"There can be no question that today’s action represents a critical step forward. It reaffirms the Justice Department’s commitment to fair and vigorous law enforcement at every level. It underscores our determination to work alongside federal, state, local, and tribal authorities to protect not only the safety – but the essential civil rights – of everyone in this country," said Attorney General Holder.

"There is significant emphasis on transparency, community engagement and sustainability. The decree places tools in the hands of the entire community so that long after the agreement has ended, effective, constitutional policing will endure. There are creative approaches to assessing compliance that focus on meaningful outcomes and encourage innovation," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

North Carolina’s Waccamaw River watershed will benefit from a $1 million restitution order from a federal court, funding environmental projects to acquire and preserve wetlands in an area damaged by illegal releases of wastewater from a corporate hog farm.

The agreement is the 200th settlement reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The Justice Department announced today that former Wilcox County, Ga., Jailer Casey Owens pleaded guilty to a misprision of a felony in connection with an incident in which several people, including law enforcement officials, assaulted three inmates inside of the Wilcox County Jail in Abbeville, Ga.

Clifford Ubani, 54, and Princewill Njoku, 53, the former co-owners of Family Healthcare Services, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller in the Southern District of Texas in Houston.

Eduard Arakelyan, 21, and Arman Vardanyan, 23, were each sentenced yesterday to serve 36 months in prison on bank fraud and conspiracy charges, and an additional, consecutive 24 months in prison for the identity theft charge.

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require United Technologies Corporation (UTC) to divest certain assets used in the production of electrical power systems and aircraft engine control systems in order to proceed with its acquisition of Goodrich Corporation.

Albino “Albie” Folcarelli, 54, of Johnston, R.I., an admitted associate of the New England La Cosa Nostra (NELCN), was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I., today to serve 84 months in federal prison for his participation in an extortion conspiracy to extort $25,000 from a Rhode Island individual by using implied threats of violence, including visits to the individual’s place of employment and home.

A bail bondsman in Portsmouth, Va., pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Virginia for bribing public officials in exchange for receiving favorable treatment.

U.S. Attorney’s offices across the nation are partnering with the Civil Rights Division to target their enforcement efforts on a critical area for individuals with disabilities through a new Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, the Justice Department announced today. The announcement comes on the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was passed on July 26, 1990. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez announced the new initiative today at an event celebrating the anniversary of the ADA in Washington, D.C.

Capital One N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA) N.A. (together Capital One), have agreed to pay approximately $12 million to resolve a lawsuit by the Department of Justice alleging the companies violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.

"In the year since I last appeared before this Subcommittee, the Civil Rights Division has continued our vigorous, fair and independent enforcement of civil rights laws. It is fitting that I come before you today, on the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark law that represents a bipartisan tradition of evenhanded civil rights enforcement," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"Thanks to the work of so many of you in this room, the ADA has both literally and figuratively opened millions of doors for individuals with disabilities across this nation. Just as importantly, it has revolutionized the way our society thinks about individuals with disabilities, and it has revolutionized the way people with disabilities live in our communities," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"Through this historic new partnership, government leaders and private sector experts will come together as never before – to share information while protecting patient confidentiality, to leverage critical resources, and to seek out and implement the solutions we need," said Attorney General Holder.

former soldiers pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. military and its contractor of at least approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting bonuses.

James E. Moss and Avada L. Jenkins were both sentenced yesterday to 160 months and 41 months in prison respectively for their involvement in a fraudulent tax return perpetration scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge Mark E. Fuller of the Middle District of Alabama also ordered Moss and Jenkins to pay over $120,000 in restitution, jointly and severally, to the IRS.

Adean Wells, of Silver Spring, Md., pleaded guilty today to filing two false individual income tax returns before Senior U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.

The United States has entered into a comprehensive, cooperative agreement with the city of Seattle to implement sustainable reforms within the Seattle Police Department (SPD), the Justice Department announced today. The agreement seeks to resolve issues raised by the Justice Department’s investigation into SPD through federal court oversight of reform efforts to ensure effective and constitutional policing in Seattle. The agreement includes a settlement agreement and stipulated order of resolution (settlement agreement), filed in federal court in Seattle today, that is subject to an independent monitor and court oversight, and separately a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to be enforced by the parties with community oversight and the assistance of the monitor.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with a California municipality and a homeowners’ association to resolve allegations of discrimination on the basis of familial status in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The settlement, in the form of a consent order, must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Goher Yaqoob, a resident of Roslyn Heights, 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.

An Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang member from Houston was sentenced today to serve 10 years in prison for his role in an aggravated assault that took place in Tomball, Texas, in September 2008.

"It’s a special privilege to be among so many dedicated public servants. Above all – I’m grateful for the chance to say 'thank you' to the servicemen and women gathered here – for the contributions you make, the actions that continue to set you apart, and the remarkable legacy of service you’re working to extend – and helping to build upon – each day," said Attorney General Holder.

"Using all the civil and criminal tools at our disposal, we are working hard to strengthen our role in protecting consumers and punishing those responsible. In that effort, we are making the fight against fraud aimed at servicemembers and veterans a top priority," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Delery.

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with Merced County, Calif., that will allow for the county and some 84 political subdivisions in the county that conduct elections to bail out from their status as “covered jurisdictions” under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act, and thereby exempt these jurisdictions from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The agreement is in the form of a consent decree filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and must be approved by the court.

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor the elections on July 31, 2012, in Randolph and Washington Counties, Ga., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Voting Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group.

More than 200 American Indian and Alaska Native youth and adult leaders from 53 tribal communities across the country have convened at the 2012 National Intertribal Youth Summit.

The Department of Justice and the Allentown, Pa., School District today filed a proposed consent decree addressing multiple complaints of sexual assault of students at Central Elementary School. The comprehensive consent decree resolves allegations that six- and seven-year-old students were sexually assaulted by another student in the boys’ bathrooms at Central Elementary School during the 2003–2004 school year.

TRW Deutschland Holding GmbH, a Koblenz, Germany-based subsidiary of U.S.-based TRW Automotive Holdings Corp., has agreed to plead guilty for its involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts, airbags and steering wheels sold to two German automobile manufacturers, and installed in cars sold in the United States.

Former Milwaukee Police Officer Ladmarald Cates was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller to 24 years in prison.

Daniyar Zhaxalyk, 26, a citizen of Kazakhstan who entered the United States on a student visa, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated stock fraud scheme that caused more than $400,000 in losses.

Three individuals have agreed to pay $5.325 million to resolve allegations that they knowingly made false statements in connection with a mortgage refinance scheme, the Justice Department announced today.

Michael Lavery, a resident of Sandy, Utah, pleaded guilty yesterday for presenting a false claim to the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Lavery appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul M. Warner in Salt Lake City.

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the state of Michigan and its chief elections officials to help ensure that military service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in Michigan’s Aug. 7, 2012, federal primary election and Sept. 5, 2012, federal special primary election.

Two former high-ranking employees of facilities operations at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) pleaded guilty today to an indictment charging them with conspiring to defraud NYPH.

David Hausman, an antiques dealer in Manhattan, pleaded guilty today in Manhattan federal court to obstruction of justice and creating false records, in relation to illegal rhinoceros horn trafficking.

"This rulemaking presents an important opportunity to close a gap in our financial regulations that makes it easier for criminals to move illicit proceeds through the United States financial system," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.

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.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with the city of Woodlake, Calif., to resolve allegations that the city engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against people with disabilities by requiring applicants for job vacancies to undergo unlawful pre-employment medical examinations before receiving an offer of employment, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

"We realize that the protection of our communities, in so many ways, falls directly on your shoulders. But you are not in this alone. If there is one idea that you walk away from this conference with, I hope it will be that we at the Justice Department are your partners in this effort," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.

A federal jury in Valdosta, Ga., convicted defendant Walter Young, 54, the former chief of the Omega Police Department in Omega, Ga., for physically abusing a man in his custody, the Justice Department announced.

The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, on behalf of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, today announced the eight neighborhoods that will receive training and technical assistance through the groundbreaking Building Neighborhood Capacity Program.

A Missouri man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in the vandalism and arson of a biracial man’s home in Independence, Mo., the Department of Justice announced.

A Chicago police officer and three members of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy and other related charges in a superseding indictment involving alleged members or associates of the Latin Kings, 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.

The Justice Department announced today that the owner and former manager of the Lowrey Hotel and Café in New Richmond, Wis., has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging they had sexually harassed a homeless woman who sought shelter at the hotel.

Gaeton Lucibello, 59, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving extortion and illegal gambling, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and George Venizelos, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.

The Department of Justice today convicted two defendants for their roles in a South Florida mortgage fraud scheme that took advantage of homeowners on the brink of foreclosure and left many without their homes.

A Detroit-area adult day care center owner pleaded guilty today for her role in a $10 million psychotherapy fraud scheme, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FBI.

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"For more than a century, UNCA has worked to improve conditions in distressed neighborhoods and restore opportunity to those who live there," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.