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Justice Department Reaches Agreement to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in Alaska

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached an agreement with Alaska officials to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election. The agreement was necessary to ensure Alaska’s compliance with the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act)



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Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Speaks at the CTAS Tribal Grant Programs Announcement

"I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Justice is awarding nearly $127 million to support the public safety initiatives of federally recognized Indian tribes," said Associate Attorney General Perrelli.




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Former Nexus Technologies Inc. Employees and Partner Sentenced for Roles in Foreign Bribery Scheme Involving Vietnamese Officials

Three former employees and a partner of Nexus Technologies Inc., a Philadelphia-based company, were sentenced late yesterday for their roles in a conspiracy to bribe officials of the Vietnamese government in exchange for lucrative contracts to supply equipment and technology to Vietnamese government agencies, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.



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Former Indianapolis City-County Councilman Charged with Soliciting a Bribe and Attempted Extortion

Former Indianapolis and Marion County, Ind., City-County Councilman Lincoln Plowman has been charged with attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe.



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American Samoa Department of Education Official Arrested for Alleged Witness Tampering, Obstruction of Justice

Paul Solofa, the director of the school lunch program for the government of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa, has been arrested on charges of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.



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California Resident Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Laundering $2.5 Million in Illegal Proceeds from Sale of Stolen Credit Card Information

Cesar Carranza, a resident of Long Beach, Calif., was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for his role in laundering $2.5 million dollars in proceeds derived from several stolen credit card information schemes.



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Massachusetts Couple Sentenced to Prison for Tax Crimes

Frederick Allen and Kimberlee Allen, both of Harwich, Mass., were sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy, tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.



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Sales Agent for A&O Entities in Richmond Pleads Guilty to Misleading Investors

Tomme Bromseth, of Blackstone, Va., pleaded guilty today to mail fraud and structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements in conjunction with his role as a sales agent for A&O Life Funds and various related A&O entities.



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Former Guatemalan Special Forces Soldier Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Making False Statements on Naturalization Forms Regarding 1982 Massacre of Guatemalan Villagers

Gilberto Jordan, a former Guatemalan special forces soldier, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch in the Southern District of Florida to 10 years in prison for unlawfully procuring his U.S. citizenship by lying about his participation in a 1982 massacre at a Guatemalan village known as Dos Erres.



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Former Workers at Los Alamos Charged with Transmitting Classified Nuclear Weapons Data to Injure the United States

The Justice Department today announced that a scientist and his wife, who both previously worked as contractors at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, have been indicted on charges of communicating classified nuclear weapons data to a person they believed to be a Venezuelan government official and conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon for Venezuela, among other violations.



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Ohio Man Charged in Church Arson Case

A federal grand jury sitting in the Northern District of Ohio today charged Ronald J. Pudder with intentionally damaging, destroying and attempting to destroy religious property because of the race, color and ethnic characteristics of individuals associated with that property, and for willfully and knowingly using fire to commit a felony offense.



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Federal Court Bars Missouri Lawyer from Promoting Individual Retirement Account Tax Arrangements

A federal judge in St. Louis has permanently barred a Missouri attorney and his law firm from promoting any Individual Retirement Account-based arrangement.



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Florida Couple Pleads Guilty to Forced Labor Conspiracy of 39 Filipino Guest Workers

Sophia Manuel and Alfonso Baldonado Jr., owners of Quality Staffing Services Corporation, a labor contracting service, pleaded guilty to conspiring to hold 39 Filipino nationals in compelled service in country clubs and hotels in Southeast Florida.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Disability Discrimination Against City of Satsuma, Alabama

The Justice Department today settled a lawsuit against the city of Satsuma, Ala., and the city’s Board of Adjustment, alleging housing discrimination against individuals with disabilities.



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Four Indicted for MS-13 Gang Activities

Three alleged members and associates of the MS-13 gang have been indicted for various violent crimes stemming from a home invasion last year in the District of Columbia in which several persons were held at gunpoint.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreements to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters from Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached agreements with Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii officials to help ensure that military service members and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010 federal general election.



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Promoters of Sham Tax Elimination Scheme Sentenced for Tax Fraud in Florida

A federal court in Pensacola, Fla., has sentenced three of nine promoters of a fraudulent tax-and-debt-elimination scheme to prison terms for their roles in tax fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.



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Southern California Medical Center to Pay U.S. $2.2 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations

The El Centro Regional Medical Center in Imperial County, Calif., has agreed to pay the United States $2.2 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that it defrauded Medicare.



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Woman Indicted for Trafficking Young Women from Nigeria to Work as Nannies

Bidemi Bello, formerly of Buford, Ga., and presently from Nigeria, was arraigned today, following an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Sep.10, 2010.



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Justice Department Issues Report on 10th Anniversary of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act

The Justice Department today issued a report marking the 10th anniversary of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), showing that the law has had a positive impact on protecting the religious freedom of a wide range of faith groups, and had a particularly significant impact protecting the religious freedom of minorities.



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Ship Serial Polluter Ordered to Pay $4 Million for Covering up the Deliberate Discharge of Oil and Plastics

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Irika Shipping S.A., a ship management corporation registered in Panama and doing business in Greece, today to pay a $4 million penalty, which includes a $3 million criminal fine and $1 million in organizational community service payments that will fund various marine environmental projects.



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Martinair Airline Executive Indicted in Conspiracy to Fix Surcharge Rates on Air Cargo Shipments

An Atlanta grand jury returned an indictment today against an executive of Martinair Holland N.V. for participating in a conspiracy to fix and coordinate certain surcharges on air cargo shipments to and from the United States.



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Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy's RLUIPA Event

'RLUIPA was a response by bipartisan members of Congress to what they saw as a threat to one of our most fundamental freedoms," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Bar Allegedly Fraudulent Stock Loan Scheme

The United States has filed a complaint asking a Virginia federal court to permanently bar three firms and three men from promoting a nationwide “HedgeLoan” scheme that the complaint alleges involves the disguised sale of more than $268 million in securities.



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East Aurora, N.Y., Chiropractor Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Failing to File Tax Returns

A federal judge in Buffalo, N.Y., has sentenced John Weisberg to 12 months in prison for failing to file tax returns.



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Idaho Businessman Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Failure to Pay Employment Taxes

Roberto Trevizo Corral, a resident of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $771,252.11 in restitution for failing to collect and pay over employment taxes.



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U.S. Reaches Agreements with Kings Mountain, N.C., and Sandy Springs, Ga., to Terminate Coverage from Preclearance of the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it reached agreements this week with the city of Kings Mountain, N.C., and the city of Sandy Springs, Ga., in the form of consent decrees filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.



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Brooklyn Doctor Arrested and Charged with Health Care Fraud

Boris Sachakov, M.D., was arrested today in Brooklyn, N.Y., and charged in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicare and numerous other health care benefit programs of at least $3.5 million.



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Former New Orleans Police Detective Sentenced in Connection with Shootings on the Danziger Bridge

Jeffrey Lehrmann, a former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) detective, was sentenced today to three years in prison for misprision of a felony in connection with the cover-up of two police-involved shootings on the Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that left two civilians dead and four others seriously injured.



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Attorney General Holder Speaks at the Medal of Valor Ceremony

"The Medal of Valor is the highest honor awarded to public safety officers in the country," said Attorney General Holder. "And today’s recipients are part of a select group,"




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Statement of Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a Hearing Regarding Financial Fraud Enforcement

"The Department of Justice is busy investigating and prosecuting financial fraud in all its forms, including investment fraud schemes, mortgage-related fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, money laundering, and other crimes," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer




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Attorney General Holder Unveils Defending Childhood Initiative

Attorney General Holder officially unveiled Defending Childhood, a new Department of Justice initiative focused on addressing children’s exposure to violence.



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Three Individuals Plead Guilty for Their Roles in a Houston Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

Three individuals pleaded guilty today in connection with a Medicare fraud scheme operated out of a Houston-area durable medical equipment (DME) company.



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Attorney General Holder Speaks at Safe Shores - the DC Children's Advocacy Center

Today, Safe Shores is a model of public-private collaboration at its best, an example for Child Advocacy Centers across – and beyond – the country, and a critical partner in the work of seeking and administering justice.




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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Georgia-based Multi Family Housing Developer Alleging Discrimination

The Justice Department announced that it filed a lawsuit today against Post Properties Inc., Post Apartment Homes L.P. and Post GP Holdings Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia for failing to provide accessible features required by the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act at multi-family housing developments in six states.



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Justice Department Requires Six High Tech Companies to Stop Entering into Anticompetitive Employee Solicitation Agreements

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with six high technology companies–Adobe Systems Inc., Apple Inc., Google Inc., Intel Corp., Intuit Inc. and Pixar–that prevents them from entering into no solicitation agreements for employees.



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Lobbyist Pleads Guilty to Role in Illegal Campaign Contribution Scheme

Paul Magliocchetti, the founder and president of PMA Group Inc., a lobbying firm, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Arlington, Va., to making hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions and making false statements to a federal agency.



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Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Bribery in Afghanistan Fuel Theft Scheme

A former U.S. Army staff sergeant pleaded guilty today to bribery in connection with a fuel theft scheme to solicit more than $400,000 in bribes from a government contractor in Afghanistan.



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Three Miami-area Residents Sentenced to Prison for Participating in $22 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Home Health Agencies

Three Miami-area residents were sentenced to prison today for their participation in a $22 million Medicare fraud scheme operated through two Miami home health agencies, ABC Home Health Care Inc. and Florida Home Health Care Providers Inc.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at a Retirement Ceremony Honoring Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division John C. Keeney

"Mr. Keeney’s dedication to the Department and to his colleagues is – quite simply – unparalleled," said Attorney General Holder.




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Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Speaks at a Retirement Ceremony Honoring Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division John C. Keeney

"For those of us in the Criminal Division, though, Mr. Keeney is also a wonderful colleague, a thoughtful mentor, and, right through to the end of his tenure, an enormously hard‑working and prodigious prosecutor," said Assistant Attorney Breuer.




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Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler at a Retirement Ceremony Honoring Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division John C. Keeney

"Mr. Keeney’s advice is always sound, and to the point because it is built upon decades of experience, in fact, nearly six decades of service, under 12 Presidents and 23 Attorneys General," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Grindler.




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Laurence Tribe, Senior Counselor for Access to Justice, Speaks at the American College of Trial Lawyers 2010 Annual Meeting

"It’s a special honor for me to address the American College of Trial Lawyers, and to share the stage today with such impressive and distinguished speakers as Justice Cromwell, Justice Kirby, Judge Sparks, and Professor Coffee."




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China Airlines Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Air Cargo Shipments

China Airlines Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $40 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the air transportation industry.



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Justice Department Fines Dallas Bus Company $55,000 for Violating the ADA

The Justice Department and the Department of Transportation announced $55,000 in fines against Tornado Bus Company Inc., of Dallas, for violating passenger carrier accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



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Louisiana Man Indicted for Involvement in Hate Crime at School

A federal grand jury has indicted Christopher Shane Montgomery, a resident of Bastrop, La., for conspiring to commit a hate crime, tampering with a witness and lying to federal authorities.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Royston, Ga., Public Housing Authority Regarding Race Discrimination in Housing Practices

The Justice Department today announced that the Housing Authority for the city of Royston, Ga., (RHA) has agreed to pay up to $270,000 to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating against applicants for housing and tenants based on race.



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Home Health Agency Manager Pleads Guilty in Connection with Detroit Fraud Scheme

Detroit-area resident Hassan Akhtar pleaded guilty today for his role in managing a home health care fraud scheme.



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Repeat Sex Offender Convicted in Delaware of Child Exploitation Offenses

Paul Edward Pavulak, 66, of New Castle, Del., was convicted today by a federal jury in Wilmington of child exploitation offenses.



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Murphy Oil USA to Spend More Than $142 Million Upgrading Pollution Controls at Refineries in Louisiana & Wisconsin

Murphy Oil USA has agreed to spend more than $142 million to install new and upgraded pollution reduction equipment at its two petroleum refineries in Wisconsin and Louisiana as part of a comprehensive Clean Air Act settlement.



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