The Department of Justice today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Las Vegas has indicted a former North Las Vegas corrections officer on federal civil rights and obstruction of justice charges.

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced a revised version of the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations (SAFE Protocol, 2d.) The SAFE Protocol is a voluntary best practices guide to conducting sexual assault medical forensic examinations protocols.

An employee of Detroit medical service companies that fabricated patient visit notes and other documents as part of a $24 million home health care fraud scheme pleaded guilty today for her role in the conspiracy.

Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr., a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today to 51 months in prison, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.

"The goal of Vision 21 is to create a framework to address these enduring and emerging challenges – in short, to re-define the role of victim services in the 21st century," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary

"We’re doubling down on our support for victims because the challenges they and their advocates face continue to be significant, and they’re growing," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

"I’m very pleased that two of the awards this year are going to tribal victim service providers. Many of you know – and some of you know intimately – that tribal members are disproportionately victimized. Native women, in particular, encounter violence at alarming levels," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"Although none of our awardees sought special recognition for their actions, all of them richly deserve it. And all should be commended for their dedication to helping others, and their determination – even under the most difficult circumstances – to make a positive difference," said Attorney General Holder.

A financial investor who purchased municipal tax liens pleaded guilty today for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for the sale of tax liens auctioned by municipalities in New Jersey.

A Southern California physician, a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company employee and a health care professional were found guilty late yesterday by a federal jury in Los Angeles for their roles in a $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement agreement with the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township, Ind., to prevent and respond to peer on peer harassment in schools.

Brandon Shane Mundy, a former police officer of numerous law enforcement agencies, the most recent being the Town Creek, Ala., Police Department, pleaded guilty today to violating the civil rights of a man during the course of an arrest.

A federal jury today convicted a Miami-area supervisor of a mental health care company, Health Care Solutions Network (HCSN), for helping to orchestrate a fraud scheme that crossed state lines and that resulted in the submission of more than $63 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Florida Medicaid.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with the city of Falls Church, Va., that will allow for the city, a covered jurisdiction under the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act, to bail out from coverage under these provisions.

The International Competition Network advanced convergence through important initiatives on international enforcement cooperation and investigative processes in competition cases.

Several residents of Montgomery, Ala., were indicted by a federal grand jury for their involvement in a conspiracy to receive fraudulent tax refunds into their bank accounts.

As the United States concludes its recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman announced that the Department of Justice’s Asset Forfeiture Program has returned more than $1.5 billion in forfeited assets to more than 400,000 crime victims since January 2012.

The Justice Department announced today that the United States has filed a second civil false claims lawsuit against Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. involving alleged kickbacks paid by the company to health care providers.

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned an indictment charging Harvey James for using stolen identities to file false tax returns.

Antonio Morales, a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York to aiding in the preparation of a false federal tax return.

Eric Anderson, of Dix Hills, N.Y., was arrested today following his indictment on April 25, 2013, on numerous tax crimes.

An executive of AU Optronics Corp., a Taiwan-based liquid crystal display (LCD) producer, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco for his participation in a worldwide thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) price-fixing conspiracy.

"Together, we can move this country toward the day when being or appearing Jewish, Muslim, Arab, black, gay, – or part of any other group, real or perceived – will not mean accepting a higher risk of becoming a victim of discrimination," said Attorney General Holder.

The Justice Department announced that late yesterday a federal court in San Francisco entered an order authorizing the Internal Revenue Service to serve a John Doe summons seeking information about U.S. taxpayers who may hold offshore accounts at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce FirstCaribbean International Bank.

Odalis Castillo-Lopez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic and a resident of New York, pleaded guilty today to theft of government property and money laundering in connection with a scheme to cash U.S. Treasury tax refund checks fraudulently obtained using the stolen identities of Puerto Rican residents.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Shatoubrioune Hare George, a.k.a. “Tobie,” with conspiring to cash fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks.

Bridgette Rivers, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and theft of government funds related to her participation in a scheme to use stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns.

New guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice reinforces the Fair Housing Act requirement that multifamily housing be designed and constructed so as to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

A New York woman was sentenced to 19 months in prison today for her role in a scheme to defraud consumer product manufacturers.

A federal court in Los Angeles has entered an order permanently barring John Trunzo from preparing federal income tax returns and other tax-related documents for others.

"As my colleagues and I work to advance these and other critical efforts, we will continue to benefit from the example set by leaders like Attorney General Levi – and to remain true to the values he instilled," said Attorney General Holder.

St. Vincent Healthcare, a hospital located in Billings, Mont., and Holy Rosary Healthcare, a hospital located in Miles City, Mont., have agreed to pay $3.95 million plus interest to resolve allegations that they violated the Stark Law and the False Claims Act by improperly providing incentive pay to physicians that made referrals to the hospitals.

A former executive of the U.S. subsidiary of a French power and transportation company was charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged participation in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials.

A former Texas state parole officer was sentenced to 20 months in prison today for taking bribes from one of her assigned parolees in exchange for not reporting his parole violations.

Three men were arrested and charged today in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings investigation.

"This is our time – to fulfill the mission, and hold true to the values, that have always defined this Department – not by winning cases or securing convictions, but by seeing that justice is done," said Attorney General Holder.

Jean-Claude Bridges pleaded guilty earlier this year to deliberately setting a church on fire and was sentenced this morning in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Danville, Va.

The United States has filed suit against Chemed Corporation and various wholly owned hospice subsidiaries, including Vitas Hospice Services LLC and Vitas Healthcare Corporation, alleging false Medicare billings for hospice services.

"We know this work is not easy. But we also know that so many elder Americans are depending on us – especially those who are among the most vulnerable; who so often cannot speak for themselves – they are depending on us to do this work and to do it well. And I know we will not let them down," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

A federal court in Los Angeles has entered an order permanently barring Simon Jenkins from preparing federal income tax returns and other tax-related documents for others.

Algerian national Hamza Bendelladj, aka “Bx1,” has been extradited from Thailand to the United States to face charges in Atlanta for allegedly playing a critical role in developing, marketing, distributing and controlling “SpyEye,” a pernicious computer virus designed to steal unsuspecting victims’ financial and personally identifying information.

The Justice Department announced today that, as part of its Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, it has reached a settlement agreement with another health care provider, Medical Facilities of America XXIX Limited Partnership, t/a Burke Health and Rehabilitation Center in Burke, Va., to ensure that they provide effective communication to people who are deaf or have hearing loss.

The mastermind of a $29.1 million Medicare fraud scheme involving approximately 30 purported medical clinics pleaded guilty today in Detroit for his role in the scheme.

A former consultant for Willbros International Inc. (Willbros International), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), was sentenced today for his role in a conspiracy to pay more than $6 million in bribes to government officials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and officials from a Nigerian political party.

Attorney General Eric Holder is traveling to Auckland, New Zealand, for the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Quintet of Attorneys General of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Adventist Health System/West, dba Adventist Health, and its affiliated hospital White Memorial Medical Center have agreed to pay the United States and the state of California $14.1 million to settle claims that they violated the False Claims Act.

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on May 7, 2013, in the towns of Clarksdale, Como and Ruleville, Miss., and in Charleston County, S.C., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

A patient recruiter for a Miami health care company was sentenced today to serve 37 months in prison for his participation in a $20 million Medicare fraud scheme.

"As we look toward the future of this work, I’m confident that we’ll be able to continue building on the record of achievement that’s been established – so long as we remain committed to working together," said Attorney General Holder.

A Las Vegas mortgage agent was sentenced late yesterday to serve 15 months in prison for her participation in a mortgage fraud scheme that netted more than $1.2 million in fraudulent mortgage loans.