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Attorney General Holder Urges Congress to Create National Standard for Reporting Cyberattacks

In a video message released today, Attorney General Eric Holder called on Congress to create a strong, national standard for quickly alerting consumers whose information may be compromised by cyberattacks. This legislation would strengthen the Justice Department's ability to combat crime, ensure individual privacy, and prevent identity theft, while also helping to bring cybercriminals to justice.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Missouri National Guard to Enforce Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit against the Missouri National Guard alleging they violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by requiring its dual technician employees to resign from their civilian positions prior to active duty service in the U.S. Army Guard and Reserve.



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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination at Nine Multifamily Housing Complexes in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee

The Justice Department announced today that a federal district court judge in Jackson, Miss., approved a settlement of the department’s lawsuit against the original owners and developers of nine multifamily housing complexes located in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.



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Former Employee of Florida Airline Fuel Supply Company Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Federal Investigation

A former employee of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company pleaded guilty today to obstructing an investigation into fraud and anticompetitive conduct in the airline charter services industry.



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Three Plead Guilty to Bank Secrecy Act Violations in Connection with Check Cashing Scheme

Three men have pleaded guilty in Brooklyn, N.Y., for their roles in a check cashing scheme designed to evade anti-money laundering reporting requirements.



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Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Tax Fraud and Mail Fraud

Michael Edwards was sentenced today to serve two concurrent sentences of 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $573,518 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced.



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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the National Association of Attorneys General Winter Meeting

There can be no doubt that we share a common goal to hold accountable those whose actions contributed to the last financial crisis, which was felt not just at the national or global level, but in the countless communities you represent, as well.




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Diagnostic Imaging Group to Pay $15.5 Million for Allegedly Submitting False Claims to Federal and State Health Care Programs

Diagnostic Imaging Group (DIG) has agreed to pay a total of $15.5 million to resolve allegations that its diagnostic testing facility falsely billed federal and state health care programs for tests that were not performed or not medically necessary and by paying kickbacks to physicians.



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Northern California Real Estate Investor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.



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Civilian Navy Employee Charged With Stealing More Than $360,000 in Housing Benefits

A civilian employee of the U.S. Navy posted at the Capodichino Navy Base near Naples, Italy, was arraigned yesterday in Norfolk, Va., for allegedly obtaining more than $360,000 in housing benefits that he was not entitled to receive.



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Justice Department Announces Results of Investigation into the Death of Milton Hall

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and the FBI announced today that they will not be pursuing federal criminal civil rights charges against the Saginaw Police Department officers who shot and killed Milton Hall on July 1, 2012.



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Former Okla. Jail Superintendents Convicted of Excessive Force Against Inmates

Today, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, Okla., convicted Raymond A. Barnes, 43, and Christopher A. Brown, 32, the former jail superintendent and assistant jail superintendent, respectively, of the Muskogee County Jail on multiple counts of civil rights offenses related to allegations of excessive force on inmates at MCJ on or between August 2009 and May 2011.



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United States Postal Service Employee Charged in Scheme to Fraudulently Extinguish Debts and to Obtain Fraudulent Tax Refunds

Aaron H. Kelly, a United States Postal Service employee, was indicted yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for four counts of mail fraud, two counts of bank fraud, one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Service and two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, the Justice Department and IRS announced today following the unsealing of the indictment.



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Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services Announce Record-Breaking Recoveries Resulting from Joint Efforts to Combat Health Care Fraud

Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released the annual Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program report showing that for every dollar spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations through this and other programs in the last three years, the government recovered $8.10. This is the highest three-year average return on investment in the 17-year history of the HCFAC Program.



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Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman Announces Departure from Criminal Division

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced her departure from the department today, effective as of March 21, 2014.



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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Texas Tax Preparer

The United States has asked a federal court in McAllen, Texas, to permanently bar Melissa Alvarez and her companies, Best & Unique Income Services, Best & Unique Income Tax Melissa and Best & Unique Income Tax Services LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Testifies Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs

Since 2009, the Department has publicly charged 73 account holders and 35 professionals with violations arising from their offshore banking activities, and 72 individuals have pled guilty or were convicted at trial. Just as importantly our enforcement efforts have driven over 43,000 taxpayers with secret offshore accounts to identify themselves to the IRS, disclose their offshore accounts, and to pay a total of over $6 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest. And that number is growing.




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South American Company Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Ocean Shipping Services for Cars and Trucks

Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores S.A. (CSAV), a Chilean corporation, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay an $8.9 million criminal fine for its involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today.



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Statement on Condition of Attorney General Eric Holder

Director of Public Affairs Brian Fallon released the following statement this morning.



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Three Philippine Nationals Sentenced for Importing High-powered Weapons into the U.S.

Three Philippine nationals were sentenced in the Central District of California for illegally importing machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, a mortar launcher and military-grade ballistic vests into the United States.



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Fort Benning Employee Allegedly Steals Military Identities to Commit Multi-Million Dollar Tax Refund Fraud

Tracy Mitchell, a resident of Phenix City, Ala., was indicted for her involvement in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama announced today following the unsealing of the indictment.



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Statement on Attorney General Eric Holder’s Discharge from Hospital

Director of Public Affairs Brian Fallon released the following statement this afternoon.



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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 today to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise.



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National Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking and Interpol Officials to Mark World Wildlife Day

On Monday, March 3, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. EST, at an event marking World Wildlife Day, INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Sub-directorate will present an executive summary of two strategic law enforcement reports on wildlife crime.



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Owner of Fake Michigan Psychotherapy Clinic Sentenced for Role in Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner of two Flint, Mich., adult day care centers was sentenced today for his leadership role in a $3.2 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Portola Valley, Calif., Man Sentenced to Prison for Failure to Report Foreign Bank Accounts Held at UBS

Christopher B. Berg of Portola Valley, Calif., was sentenced yesterday to one year and one day in prison to be followed by three years supervised release, announced Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California.



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Justice Department Releases New Planning Tool to Help Courts Provide Access to Limited English Proficient Individuals

Today, the Justice Department released a new tool to help state and local courts assess and improve their language assistance services for limited English proficient litigants, victims and witnesses who need access to court services.



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Massachusetts Dentist Charged with Tax Evasion

A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted George Fenzell for tax evasion and corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department and the IRS announced today following the unsealing of the indictment.



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United States Reaches Settlement with Stamford Public Schools to Ensure Equal Opportunites for English Language Learner Students

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced that they have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Stamford Public School District in Stamford, Conn., that requires the district to provide language services and other supports to the more than 2,000 English Language Learner students enrolled in the district’s 20 schools.



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Former Project Manager Sentenced to Serve Time in Prison for Role in Bid Rigging and Other Fraudulent Schemes Involving Two EPA Superfund Sites in New Jersey

Gordon D. McDonald, a former project manager for a prime contractor at two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund sites in New Jersey, was sentenced today to serve 14 years in prison for participating in multiple bid-rigging, fraud and kickback schemes.



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Attorney General Holder Announces President Obama’s Budget Proposes $173 Million for Criminal Justice Reform

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that President Obama’s FY 2015 Budget proposal for the Department of Justice calls for $173 million in targeted investments for criminal justice reform efforts.



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Singapore Shipping Company, Crew Member, Plead Guilty to Illegally Discharging Oily Waste

Singapore-based ODFJELL ASIA II PTE LTD (ODFJELL) and one of its senior crew members pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Hartford, Conn., for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS).



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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Dallas Tax Return Preparer

The United States has asked a federal court in Dallas, Texas, to permanently bar Ricia Daniels and her company, Ricia’s Convenience Tax Service, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana’s 2014 Civil Rights Symposium

"The unfinished struggle for equal opportunity and justice is one in which we all have a part. This year, as we mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Division remains committed to combating discrimination in all its forms."




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Coal Companies and Subsidiaries to Spend Estimated $200 Million on Treatment and System-wide Upgrades to Reduce Water Pollution

Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (Alpha), one of the nation’s largest coal companies, Alpha Appalachian Holdings (formerly Massey Energy), and 66 subsidiaries have agreed to spend an estimated $200 million to install and operate wastewater treatment systems and to implement comprehensive, system-wide upgrades to reduce discharges of pollution from coal mines in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.



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Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder on the Senate Vote on Debo Adegbile

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement on the Senate’s procedural vote on Debo Adegbile to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



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U.S. Freezes More Than $458 Million Stolen by Former Nigerian Dictator in Largest Kleptocracy Forfeiture Action Ever Brought in the U.S.

The Department of Justice has frozen more than $458 million in corruption proceeds hidden in bank accounts around the world by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and conspirators.



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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down Clinton, Miss., Tax Preparer

The United States filed a complaint seeking to bar Kavivah Branson, aka Kavivah Bradley, and her Jackson, Miss., business, Branson Tax Service, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Two Individuals and Company Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Sell Trade Secrets to Chinese Companies

A federal jury in San Francisco has found two individuals and one company guilty of economic espionage, theft of trade secrets, bankruptcy fraud, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice for their roles in a long-running effort to obtain U.S. trade secrets for the benefit of companies controlled by the government of the People’s Republic of China.



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Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Enter into Consent Decree with Harmony Public Schools Resolving Claims of Retaliation and Pay Discrimination Against Teacher

The Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced today that they have entered into a consent decree that, if approved by the court, will resolve both agencies’ claims against Harmony Public Schools on behalf of Nicole M. Tuchscherer, a former teacher at Harmony Science Academy-Austin.



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Alexandria, Va., Couple Arrested on Immigration Charges for Harboring Domestic Servant in Their Home

The Department of Justice announced today that a federal criminal complaint has been filed in the Eastern District of Virginia charging defendants Abdelkader and Hnia Amal with immigration offenses in connection with allegations that they held a woman in their home as a domestic servant for three years.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the School District of Philadelphia for Religious Discrimination

The Department of Justice announced the filing of a lawsuit today against the School District of Philadelphia alleging that the district discriminated against Siddiq Abu-Bakr, as well as other similarly-situated individuals, on the basis of religion in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the African American History Month Celebration Marking the 50th Anniversary of 1964 Civil Rights Act

It’s a special privilege to share the stage with Deputy Marshal [Kirk] Bowden, who, as we’ve just heard, stood on the literal front lines of this fight during a critical moment in the Civil Rights Movement – at a time when young students, law enforcement officials, National Guardsmen, and brave citizens risked their lives to integrate historic institutions across the Deep South.




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Staten Island, N.Y., Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns

Ranti Azeez-Taiwo of Staten Island, N.Y., was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Former English Tutor Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting Children in China and the United States

Hector Orjuela Jr., 47, was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for molesting children under the age of 12 and producing child pornography.



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Former Owner of Florida Airline Fuel Supply Company Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Illinois-Based Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company pleaded guilty today to participating in a kickback scheme to defraud Illinois-based Ryan International Airlines, a charter airline company located in Rockford, Ill.



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Justice Department Enters Consent Decree with National Tax Preparer H&R Block Requiring Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Apps Under Americans with Disabilities Act

Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz of the District of Massachusetts announced today that they have entered into a consent decree with HRB Digital LLC and HRB Tax Group Inc., subsidiaries of H&R Block Inc., to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.



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Physician Pleads Guilty for Role in Detroit-Area Medicare Fraud Scheme

A former Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for his role in an $11.5 million health care fraud scheme. Jose Mercado-Francis, 60, formerly of Brownstown Township, Mich., prepared medical documentation that licensed physicians signed as if they had provided services to Medicare beneficiaries, when, in fact, they had not.



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Two Former Puerto Rico Law Enforcement Officers Sentenced for Scheme to Smuggle Heroin to Inmates

A former state marshal and a correctional officer in Puerto Rico were sentenced today for attempting to smuggle heroin to inmates in exchange for payment.



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Leader of Identity Theft Ring Sentenced for Stealing More Than 600 Identities and Causing More Than $1 Million in Losses

The leader of an identity theft ring that stole more than 600 identities from U.S. government employees and others was sentenced today to serve 12 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.



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