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Securities Attorney and Five Others Indicted for Conspiracy, Wire and Mail Fraud in Stock Manipulation Scheme

Six individuals, including a securities attorney, were charged in an indictment unsealed today with defrauding investors in a stock manipulation scheme from 2003 to 2008.



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Office Manager of Los Angeles Medical Supply Business Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud Medicare of More Than $6 Million in Wheelchair Scheme

The office manager of a Los Angeles durable medical equipment (DME) company pleaded guilty today to conspiring with her former church pastor to run a power wheelchair scheme that defrauded Medicare of more than $6 million, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.



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U.S. Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc.

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.



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Eleven Alleged Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Members Charged for Roles in Assault

Eleven alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been indicted for their alleged roles in the 2008 beating of a gang prospect in Tomball, Texas.



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Assistant Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security Breakfast

"It’s a pleasure to be here with you to talk about the work we’re doing in the Civil Division to promote and protect the Nation’s national security interests," said Assistant Attorney General West.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Memorial Service for Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller

"Although an unspeakable, and devastating, tragedy has unfortunately brought each of us here today, it is an extraordinary life that binds us together," said Attorney General Holder.




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Alaska-Based Company Pays U.S. More Than $1.5 Million to Settle False Claims Allegations

General Communication Inc. (GCI) has paid $1,556,075 to settle allegations that Alaska DigiTel LLC, a former Alaska limited liability company now owned by GCI, submitted false claims to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Low Income Support Program, the Justice Department announced today.



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Justice Department Settles with National Board of Medical Examiners Over Refusal to Provide Testing Accommodations to Yale Medical School Student

The Justice Department today announced a settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), a private, non-profit organization that administers the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), a standardized examination related to medical licensing.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Memorial Service for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata

"Agent Zapata’s story is one that we must not forget. And it’s one that we won’t. He was a hero in every sense of the word, a man whose acts of valor are a testament to what is best about our country and our national – and international – law enforcement community."




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Justice Department Sues Georgia Man to Stop Him from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

The United States has asked a federal court to stop Cecil Collier, who operates under the trade name “Cairo Fast Tax,” from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Statement of the Attorney General on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

The Attorney General made a statement today about the Department’s course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman.



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Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

The Attorney General sent the following letter today to Congressional leadership to inform them of the Department’s course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman.



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U.S. Sues Two California Lawyers & Kentucky Financial Professional to Block Nationwide Promotion of "Intermediary Transaction" Tax Shelter

The United States has sued two Southern California attorneys and a Kentucky financial professional to bar them from promoting an allegedly abusive tax shelter known as an “intermediary transaction.”



  • OPA Press Releases

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Four Swiss Bankers Charged with Helping U.S. Taxpayers Use Secret Accounts at Swiss Banks to Evade U.S. Taxes

Marco Parenti Adami, Emanuel Agustino, Michele Bergantino and Roger Schaerer, bankers at an international bank, were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia and charged with conspiring with other Swiss bankers to defraud the United States.



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Liberian Shipping Company Sentenced to Pay $2.4 Million for Falsifying Oil Record Book and Lying to Cover up Illegal Discharges of Waste

Cardiff Marine Inc, a Liberian-registered shipping company, was sentenced today in federal court in Baltimore after pleading guilty to a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.



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Los Angeles Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Clean Air Act’s Asbestos Work Practice Standards

John Bostick pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in 2006.



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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime in Connection with Mosque Arson in Arlington, Texas

Henry Clay Glaspell, of Arlington, Texas, pleaded guilty today to a hate crime charge stemming from the ethnically-motivated arson of a children’s playground at the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center in Arlington in July 2010.



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Two Shenandoah, Pa., Men Sentenced for the Fatal Beating of Luis Ramirez

Brandon Piekarsky, 19, and Derrick Donchak, 21, both of Shenandoah, Pa., were sentenced today to nine years in prison for the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Cincinnati Area Return Preparer Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns

A former resident of Cincinnati was sentenced to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Sandra S. Beckwith for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false client tax returns and for filing a false individual income return.



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Six Alleged Bloods Gang Members and Associates Indicted in Tennessee on Federal Racketeering and Murder Charges

A superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Nashville, Tenn., was unsealed today, charging six alleged members of the violent gang known as the Bloods with various racketeering and murder charges.



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Circus President and Former Employee Plead Guilty to Violating Endangered Species Act for Unlawful Purchase and Sale of Asian Elephants

John Pugh, Wilbur Davenport, and Cole Brothers Circus Inc., entered plea agreements yesterday in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, Texas to resolve Endangered Species Act (ESA) violations related to the purchase and sale of two Asian elephants named “Tina” and “Jewel.”



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Duquesne University School of Law’s Centennial Anniversary

"For the last century, since the Holy Ghost Fathers founded this law school in 1911, Duquesne has stood as a force for progress – and as an institution dedicated to training highly skilled, ethical lawyers and to strengthening the effectiveness and integrity of our justice system."




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Texas Resident Arrested on Charge of Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested late yesterday by FBI agents in Texas on a federal charge of attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED) and his research of potential U.S. targets.



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Former Treasurer of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Pleads Guilty to $1.9 Billion Fraud Scheme That Contributed to the Failure of Colonial Bank

Desiree Brown, the former treasurer of a private mortgage lending company, Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW), pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bank, wire and securities fraud for her role in a more than $1.9 billion fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of Colonial Bank and TBW



  • OPA Press Releases

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Horizon Lines LLC Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Coastal Water Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico

Horizon Lines LLC has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $45 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the coastal water freight transportation industry.



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Virginia Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Providing Material Support and Encouraging Violent Jihadists to Kill U.s. Citizens

Zachary Adam Chesser, 21, of Fairfax County, Va., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for communicating threats against the writers of the South Park television show, soliciting violent jihadists to desensitize law enforcement, and attempting to provide material support to Al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization.



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U.S. Seeks to Shut Down Chicago Tax Return Preparer

The United States has sued a Chicago tax return preparer seeking to bar her from preparing any more federal tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Four CD and DVD Counterfeiters and Suppliers in Atlanta Sentenced to Prison

Four individuals have been sentenced this week in Atlanta by U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr., for their involvement in a counterfeit DVD and CD ring.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Nigerian National Sentenced in North Carolina to 108 Months in Prison for Role in Advance Fee Fraud Scheme

Ugochukwu Enwerem, aka Joseph Smith, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, N.C., to 108 months in prison for his role in an advance-fee fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois to Pay $25 Million to Settle Civil False Claims Act Allegations

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, a division of Health Care Service Corporation, has agreed to pay the United States and the state of Illinois $25 million to settle False Claims Act allegations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the New York Police Department Black History Month Celebration

"Each February – since Black History Month was established more than half a century ago – we rededicate ourselves to racial and social equality; to the work of ensuring economic opportunity; and to the values that have defined and strengthened our nation: tolerance; compassion; and – above all – justice."




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New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Patrick Carney of Manchester, N.H., was sentenced today in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Process to Resolve Discrimination Claims of Hispanic and Women Farmers

As part of continued efforts to close the chapter on allegations that discrimination occurred at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in past decades.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Texas Hospital Prohibiting Anticompetitive Contracts with Health Insurers

The Department of Justice reached a settlement today with United Regional Health Care System of Wichita Falls, Texas, that prohibits it from entering into contracts that improperly inhibit commercial health insurers from contracting with United Regional’s competitors.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Mississippi Companies to Pay $2 Million for Selling Thousands of Engines from China That Failed to Meet Clean Air Act Standards

Mississippi-based PowerTrain Inc., Wood Sales Inc., and Tool Mart Inc., (collectively known as “PowerTrain”) will jointly pay a civil penalty of $2 million to resolve claims that the company imported and sold almost 80,000 nonroad engines and equipment that were not covered by emissions-related certificates of conformity, and in most cases could not be certified because they exceeded emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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California Man Convicted of Producing and Possessing Child Pornography

Edward Lee Sullivan, of Oakland, Calif., was convicted on Feb. 25, 2011, of one count of producing and one count of possessing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Arch Coal to Pay $4 Million to Settle Clean Water Act Violations in Appalachian Mining Operations

Arch Coal Inc., the second largest supplier of coal in the United States, has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Massachusetts Antique Dealer Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Trafficking in Illegally-Imported Narwhal Tusks and Sperm Whale Teeth

David L. Place, owner of Manor House Antiques Cooperative in Nantucket, Mass., was sentenced to 33 months in prison for illegally importing and trafficking in Narwhal tusks and Sperm Whale teeth.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Illegal Money Transmitting Business That Moved More Than $172 Million Through Shell Corporations in the United States

Victor Kaganov, who emigrated from Russia and set up numerous shell corporations in Oregon on behalf of Russian clients, pleaded guilty today to charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alleged New England La Cosa Nostra Members and Associates Charged in Superseding Indictment with Racketeering and Other Crimes

Four alleged members and associates of the New England La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including an alleged former boss, were charged with crimes involving racketeering, extortion and related crimes in a superseding indictment unsealed today in Providence, R.I.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Testimony by Attorney General Eric Holder Before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science

"Today, I come to you on behalf of my colleagues – the more than 117,000 dedicated men and women who serve our nation’s Justice Department in positions and offices all around the world. Above all, I come to you on behalf of my fellow citizens."




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Former Army Major and Wife Convicted on All Charged Counts for Roles in Bribery Scheme Related to Defense Contracts to Support Iraq War

A federal jury in Decatur, Ala., has convicted Eddie Pressley, a former U.S. Army Major, and his wife, Eurica Pressley, on 22 counts in connection with a bribery and money laundering scheme related to defense contracts awarded in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Des Moines, Iowa, and Des Moines Public Library to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

An agreement has been reached with the city of Des Moines, Iowa, and the Des Moines Public Library, to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Senior Vice President of Colonial Bank Pleads Guilty to Fraud Scheme

Catherine Kissick, a former senior vice president of Colonial Bank and head of its Mortgage Warehouse Lending Division, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bank, wire and securities fraud for her role in a fraud scheme that contributed to the failures of Colonial Bank and Taylor, Bean & Whitaker (TBW).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud and Identity Theft

Jeffery Leon Ceaser, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison.



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Forest Pharmaceuticals Sentenced to Pay $164 Million for Criminal Violations

Drug manufacturer Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner to pay a criminal fine of $150 million and forfeit assets of $14 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Illinois Technology Company Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud the Federal E-Rate Program

Barrett C. White was originally charged in U.S. District Court in New Orleans on Nov. 18, 2010, for his role in the conspiracy to defraud the E-Rate program.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Natchez, Mississippi, Police Officer Convicted of Civil Rights Offense for Stealing from Arrestee

A jury in Natchez, Miss., yesterday convicted a Natchez Police Department officer of violating the civil rights of an arrestee by stealing credit and debit cards from the arrestee.



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Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

David Chiaradio of Westerly, R.I., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I., to 97 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for distribution and possession of child pornography.



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Former U.S. Official Sentenced to 65 Months in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Woman on Embassy Property in Algeria

Andrew Warren, 43, a former official with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), was sentenced today to 65 months in prison on charges of abusive sexual contact and unlawful use of cocaine while possessing a firearm.



  • OPA Press Releases