c Indictment Unsealed and “Wanted” Posters Issued for Fugitives Charged with Multimillion Dollar International Cyber Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 14:56:23 EDT Earlier today, charges were unsealed against Romanian fugitive Nicolae Popescu, the leader of an international organized crime syndicate that ran a multimillion dollar cyber fraud scheme, and six other fugitives charged with participating in the same scheme. Interpol has issued red notices to foreign law enforcement partners seeking assistance in the apprehension of these fugitives, and the FBI has also released “Wanted” posters to facilitate their arrests. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Two Plead Guilty to Money Laundering Conspiracy in $10.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 15:26:14 EDT Two men from Miami have pleaded guilty to laundering millions of dollars obtained through a $10.5 million Medicare fraud scheme using shell companies they controlled. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Puerto Rico Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2009 Mass Shooting By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:12:36 EDT David Oquendo-Rivas, 29, was sentenced today to life in prison for his role in the murder of eight people and an unborn child during a mass shooting at a Puerto Rico nightclub in 2009. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Florida Doctor Convicted of Federal Tax Crimes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:56:17 EDT Dr. Patricia Lynn Hough, of Englewood, Fla., was convicted today by a jury in Fort Myers, Fla., of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by concealing millions of dollars in assets and income in offshore bank accounts at UBS and other foreign banks, and of filing false individual income tax returns which failed to report the existence of those foreign accounts or the income earned in those accounts Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former USAID Senior Official to Pay Civil Penalty for Alleged Conflict of Interest Violation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:28:52 EDT David Ostermeyer, who retired from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2012, will pay the government a $30,000 penalty to settle allegations that he participated in a matter in which he had a financial interest that conflicted with his duties when he was Chief Financial Officer of the agency. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Rhode Island Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder and Robbery of Gas Station Manager By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 11:34:01 EDT Jason W. Pleau, 35, of Providence, R.I., was sentenced today to life in prison for the murder and robbery of Woonsocket, R.I., gas station manager David D. Main. Pleau chased, shot at close range and robbed Main on Sep. 20, 2010, as Main approached the doorstep of a Woonsocket bank where he was to have deposited receipts belonging to the gas station that he managed. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to His Involvement in an Identity Theft Scheme Using Stolen Prisoner Names and a Corrupt Postal Employee By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 17:34:18 EDT Harvey James pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for his role in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (“SIRF”) scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Indiana Physician Pleads Guilty to Failure to Pay Employment Taxes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 17:36:19 EDT Dr. Ronald Eugene Jamerson of Schererville, Ind., entered a guilty plea to one count of willfully failing to truthfully account for, collect and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Justice and IRS announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former Brokerage Firm Operations Head Indicted for Tax Crimes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 17:38:57 EDT An indictment was unsealed today charging Dominick Pannitti, formerly of North Bellmore, N.Y., with tax crimes, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Charges California Apartment Owner and Staff with Discrimination Against Families with Children By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 18:04:23 EDT The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owner and operators of a Fremont, Calif., apartment complex, alleging that they had discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act by prohibiting children from playing in the common grassy areas of the complex. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Announces Settlement Agreement with Everett, Wash., Battery Company to Protect Employment Rights of Returning Military Reservist By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 14:04:49 EDT The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with All Battery Sales and Service (ABS) of Everett, Wash., to resolve a lawsuit it filed on behalf of Curtis Kirk, a U.S. Army reservist. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Five Virginia Charter Fishing Boat Captains Sentenced for Lacey Act Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:11:05 EDT Nolan L. Agner, the last of five Virginia Beach charter fishing boat captains convicted of poaching Atlantic striped bass was sentenced today in federal court in Norfolk, Va. All five captains – including Agner, Jeffery S. Adams, Raymond Carroll Webb, David Dwayne Scott, and William W. “Duby” Lowery IV – were sentenced for violating the Lacey Act by selling illegally-harvested striped bass, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former Congressman Richard G. Renzi Sentenced for Extortion and Bribery in Illegal Federal Land Swap By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:17:06 EDT Former U.S. Congressman Rick Renzi was sentenced today to serve 36 months in prison following his June conviction by a federal jury in Tucson, Ariz., for extortion, bribery, insurance fraud, money laundering and racketeering. Renzi’s co-defendant, James Sandlin, was also sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison for his role in the extortion, bribery and money laundering scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former President of Port Arthur, Texas, Chemical Company Sentenced for Federal Crimes Related to Employee Deaths By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 17:26:31 EDT The former president of Port Arthur Chemical and Environmental Services LLC (PACES) has been sentenced for occupational safety crimes which resulted in the death of an employee, announced Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and John M. Bales, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Obtains $167,500 in Discrimination Settlement with Reno, Nev., Apartment Complex By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:22:06 EDT The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court of Nevada has approved a settlement in which the owners and operators of Rosewood Park Apartments, a 902 unit apartment complex in Reno, Nev., will pay $167,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging discrimination against persons with disabilities who use assistance animals. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Arab Forum on Asset Recovery By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 09:51:40 EDT We come together this year at a time of reflection and renewal – in a moment of progress and possibility; of challenge as well as opportunity. It was 14 years ago, in Washington, D.C., when then-Vice President of the United States Al Gore convened the very first Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity – an initiative that reflected a growing international willingness to acknowledge corruption as a problem that every country must face. Since that time, international leaders have repeatedly come together – in a variety of ways – to foster widespread consensus on the need for collective action in the face of shared challenges. And our nations have together accomplished a great deal. Full Article Speech
c Rabobank Admits Wrongdoing in Libor Investigation, Agrees to Pay $325 Million Criminal Penalty By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 08:08:14 EDT Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A. (Rabobank) has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to pay a $325 million penalty to resolve violations arising from Rabobank’s submissions for the London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (Euribor), which are leading benchmark interest rates around the world, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Owners and Supervisor of Ambulance Transportation Company Plead Guilty in Los Angeles for Role in Ambulance Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 08:45:17 EDT The owners and supervisor of Alpha Ambulance Inc. (Alpha), a now-defunct Los Angeles-area ambulance transportation company, have pleaded guilty in connection with an ambulance fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Army Soldier and Civilian Sentenced on Bribery Charges for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 10:59:24 EDT A former U.S. Army Sergeant and a co-conspirator have been sentenced in the District of Colorado for their roles in stealing fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty, Afghanistan, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down North Mississippi Tax Preparer By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 17:16:05 EDT The United States has sued Eric Hardaway, aka Eric Brittenum, and Yvonne Hardaway, seeking to bar them and their business, Hardaway Taxx, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Illinois Man Arrested for Alleged Role in $12 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 15:11:28 EDT A Rockford, Ill., man was arrested today in connection with an indictment charging three Chicago-area residents for their roles in an alleged $12 million health care fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 30 Months for Making Hoax Emergency Services Calls By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:04:26 EDT A Massachusetts man was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison today for engaging in an illegal practice known as “swatting,” in which he made hoax emergency telephone calls reporting an ongoing, dangerous crime to elicit an armed police response from a SWAT team to a specific location, typically in order to harass someone he believed was at the location. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Files Lawsuit in Massachusetts Against Iron Workers Union Trustees and Pension Fund to Enforce the Employment Rights of Navy Reserve Member By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:38:17 EDT The Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz announced today the filing of a complaint alleging that the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 7 (the union) and Iron Workers District Council of New England Pension Fund (the Pension Fund) willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by failing to credit U.S. Navy Reserve Member Thomas Shea with service time while he was serving in the armed forces in Afghanistan. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Jointly Select Juan Mattos Jr. to Oversee Reform of the Puerto Rico Police Department By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 18:53:45 EDT The Justice Department announced today that, jointly with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, it is moving in the U.S. District Court for the appointment of Juan Mattos Jr. as Technical Compliance Advisor (TCA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Sex Trafficker Terrence “T-Rex” Yarbrough Sentenced to Serve 536 Months in Prison By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 19:27:48 EDT U.S. District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Terrence Yarbrough, aka “T-Rex,” 38, of Memphis, Tenn., to serve 536 months in prison, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Attorney General Holder Announces $6.7 Million to Improve Legal Defense Services for the Poor By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 10:06:13 EDT Attorney General Eric Holder today announced a total of $6.7 million in grants to state and local criminal and civil legal services organizations across the country that provide legal defense services for the poor. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 12:20:37 EDT A licensed psychiatrist employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pleaded guilty today to health care fraud for falsely billing Medicare for home medical treatment to Medicare beneficiaries and agreed to forfeit more than $1.2 million in illegal profits. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c US Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against United States Investigations Services for Failing to Perform Required Quality Reviews of Background Investigations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 14:09:07 EDT The government has intervened in a lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act against United States Investigations Services LLC (USIS) in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, alleging that USIS, located in Falls Church, Va., failed to perform quality control reviews in connection with its background investigations for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Witness in a Federal Criminal Tax Trial By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:10:10 EDT The Justice Department announced today that Anthony Williams, a resident of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty today to one count of threatening to retaliate against a witness in a federal criminal tax trial. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Utah Man Indicted on Federal Hate Crime and Gun Charges Related to Religious-Motivated Attack on Synogogue By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 18:32:18 EDT The Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury sitting in Salt Lake City returned a superseding indictment charging Macon Openshaw, 21, of Salt Lake City, on gun possession charges and a federal hate crime charge relating to a bias-motivated attack at a local synagogue. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down South Texas Tax Preparer By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 10:02:53 EDT The United States has filed a lawsuit asking a federal district court in McAllen, Texas, to permanently bar Hector Rangel Jr. from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Owner of Texas-based Ambulance Service Convicted of Health Care Fraud By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:24:43 EDT A federal jury in Houston has convicted Gwendolyn Climmons-Johnson, 53, of multiple counts of health care fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for ambulance services. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Co-founder of Liberty Reserve Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering in Manhattan Federal Court By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:45:31 EDT Vladimir Kats, 41, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in federal court before U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote to money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The charges stem from his role in running Liberty Reserve, a company that operated one of the world’s most widely used digital currency services and allegedly laundered more than $6 billion in suspected proceeds of crimes. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Sentenced to Prison for Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:31:56 EDT Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 111 months in prison and three years supervised release, along with an order to pay $82,791 restitution, for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c California Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the IRS and Aggravated Identity Theft By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:36:45 EDT Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California announced that Noemi Rubio Baez, of Salinas, Calif., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to file false claims for tax refunds with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to aggravated identity theft. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Owner and Marketer of Louisiana Medical Equipment Supply Company Indicted for Roles in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 13:03:53 EDT The owner of a Louisiana medical equipment supply company and a marketer who worked for the company have been indicted for allegedly engaging in a $3 million Medicare fraud scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Utah Tax Preparer By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 16:08:12 EDT The Justice Department announced that on Nov. 1, 2013, it asked a federal court to bar Sergio Fernando Sosa and his company, Sergio Centro Latino, from preparing tax returns for others. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Jamaican Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with International Lottery Scheme Based in Jamaica By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 15:59:21 EDT Oneike Mickhale Barnett pleaded guilty today in connection with a lottery scheme based in Jamaica that fraudulently induced elderly victims in the U.S. to send Barnett and his co-conspirators thousands of dollars to cover fees for lottery winnings that victims had not won. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c APCO Liquidating Trust to Pay United States $14 Million in Cost Recoveries to Settle Longstanding Bankruptcy Litigation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 16:37:00 EDT The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware approved a settlement agreement today between the United States and the APCO Liquidating Trust (a successor in interest to APCO Oil Corporation). The settlement follows seven years of litigation concerning the APCO Liquidating Trust’s liability under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or “Superfund”) for costs incurred by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the ongoing cleanup of the Oklahoma Refining Company (ORC) Superfund Site located in Cyril, Okla. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department Sues to Stop Georgia Tax Return Preparer By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 16:26:25 EDT Return Preparer Allegedly Overstated Refunds Through False First-Time Homebuyer Credits Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Johnson & Johnson to Pay More Than $2.2 Billion to Resolve Criminal and Civil Investigations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 09:41:43 EST Global health care giant Johnson &s largest long-term care pharmacy provider. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Two Florida Residents Arrested in Connection with International Lottery Scam By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 09:58:09 EST Two individuals charged in connection with the operation of a fraudulent lottery scheme were arrested today in south Florida following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on Oct. 31, 2013. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Michigan, New York and Ohio By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 15:06:17 EST The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on Nov. 5, 2013, in Detroit and Hamtramck, Mich.; Orange County, N.Y.; and Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties, Ohio. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Former Corrections Officers Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Offenses and Obstruction of Justice for Beating Death of an Inmate at Ventress Correctional Facility in Alabama By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 15:54:49 EST The Justice Department announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced four former corrections officers of the Alabama Department of Corrections – Michael Smith, Matthew Davidson, Joseph Sanders and Scottie Glenn – in connection with the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Northern California Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:25:58 EST Northern California real estate investor pleaded guilty today for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Debt Collection Employee and Son-in-Law Sent to Prison for Identity Theft Tax Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:42:25 EST Quentin Collick of Montgomery, Ala., and Deatrice Williams of Duluth, Ga., were sentenced Nov. 1, 2013, to serve 85 and 51 months in prison, respectively, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Los Angeles Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the United States by Concealing Israeli Bank Accounts By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 18:44:00 EST David Raminfard of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Johnson & Johnson Press Conference By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 10:29:38 EST We are here to announce that Johnson & and that they paid kickbacks to both physicians and pharmacies for prescribing and promoting these drugs. Full Article Speech
c Orlando, Fla., Area Hospice to Pay $3 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Billed Medicare for Patients Not Terminally Ill By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 12:55:47 EST Hospice of the Comforter Inc. (HOTCI) has agreed to pay $3 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Medicare program for hospice services provided to patients who were not eligible for the Medicare hospice benefit. Full Article OPA Press Releases
c New York Check Cashing Company and Owner Plead Guilty for Roles in $19 Million Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 5 Nov 2013 13:40:51 EST Belair Payroll Services Inc. (Belair), a multi-branch check cashing company in Flushing, N.Y., and its owner, Craig Panzera, 47, pleaded guilty today for failing to follow reporting and anti-money laundering requirements for more than $19 million in transactions, in violation of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Full Article OPA Press Releases