o Detroit Spammer and Three Co-Conspirators Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar E-Mail Stock Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:03:31 EST Four individuals were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming." Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Federal Court Shuts Down Los Angeles Tax Preparer By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:13:26 EST The government complaint in the civil injunction case alleged that Jacqueline Cornejo promoted a tax fraud scheme designed to siphon millions of dollars from the U.S. Treasury. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o California Court Permanently Enjoins Developer of the “Derivium” “90% Loan” Tax Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:36:42 EST The complex tax scheme involved numerous entities located around the globe and sales of over $1.25 billion in securities Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Four Indicted for Conspiring to Support Hizballah; Six Others Charged with Related Crimes By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:49:59 EST Ten individuals were indicted today, charged with, among other things, conspiring to export weapons from Philadelphia to the Port of Latakia, Syria. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Six Individuals Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar E-Mail Stock Fraud Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:48:57 EST Six individuals were sentenced today in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming." Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Signs Agreement with the City of Poplarville, Mississippi, to Improve Civic Access for People with Disabilities By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:32:27 EST The agreement was reached under the department’s Project Civic Access initiative to bring localities into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Former Memphis Police Officer Convicted of Excessive Force By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:40:32 EST Isaac White, formerly an officer with the Memphis Police Department, pleaded guilty today to using excessive force and causing bodily injury. White faces up to 10 years in prison for the civil rights violation. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Federal Court Shuts Down Kansas City Tax Preparer By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:22:19 EST A federal court in Kansas City, Kan., has permanently barred Carlos Cruz, also known as Carlos Ruano-Cruz, from preparing tax returns for others. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Stericycle Inc.’s Acquisition of MedServe Inc. By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:21:33 EST The department said the transaction, as originally proposed, would substantially lessen competition in infectious waste collection and treatment services to hospitals and other critical healthcare facilities. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department to Monitor Election in Georgia By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:06:05 EST The department will monitor polling place activities for compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 during the Dec. 1, 2009, municipal run-off election in Union Point, Ga. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting a Minor for Illegal Sexual Activity By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:10:45 EST Mack Gordon Harris Sr., 67, of Social Circle, Ga., pleaded guilty today to transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o United States Transfers Two Guantanamo Bay Detainees to Italy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:25:12 EST Both detainees are the subject of outstanding arrest warrants in Italy and will be prosecuted there. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against MasTec Advanced Technologies to Enforce the Employment Rights of Army Reserve Member By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:41:24 EST The department filed a lawsuit in federal court in West Virginia alleging that MasTec Advanced Technologies willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 by discriminating against a U.S. Army Reserve member on the basis of his military service and by failing to offer Burress an appropriate reemployment position when he returned from military service. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o North Carolina Poultry Processing Plant and Manager Indicted for Violations of Clean Water Act By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:48:10 EST A federal grand jury in Greensboro, N.C., returned an indictment today charging a poultry processor and a plant manager with multiple violations of the Clean Water Act for illegally discharging wastewater from its Raeford, N.C., based facility Full Article OPA Press Releases
o United States Transfers a Guantanamo Bay Detainee to France By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:30:19 EST Late last night, Sabir Lahmar, a native of Algeria, was transferred to the government of France. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o United States Transfers a Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Hungary By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 09:33:04 EST Late last night, a detainee originally from the West Bank was transferred to the government of Hungary. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Virginia Investment Firm Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy with Attorney and KPMG Tax Partner in Tax Shelter Case By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 14:53:40 EST Michael Parker of Baltimore, who was the chief operating officer of TransCapital Corporation, a tax-advantaged investments company based in Northen Virginia, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Newark, New Jersey, Public Schools to Enforce the Employment Rights of U.S. Naval Reservist By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 17:57:15 EST The department announced today that it has entered into a consent decree with the Newark Public Schools (NPS) that will resolve its lawsuit on behalf of George Lawton, a naval reservist, against NPS alleging it violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Los Angeles’ Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic Pays $3 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Dec 2009 19:41:52 EST The Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic, a sports medicine clinic in Los Angeles, has agreed to pay the United States $3 million to settle allegations that it received illegal kickbacks from HealthSouth Corporation. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Asks Court to Authorize Service of a John Doe Summons Seeking the Identities of U.S. Clients of R. Allen Stanford’s Investment Companies By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 13:10:50 EST The department has filed papers seeking a federal court order authorizing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to serve a “John Doe summons” on Ralph Janvey, the court-appointed receiver of the Stanford Group Company (SGC) and related entities. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Army Officer, Wife and Relatives Sentenced in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to DOD Contracts in Support of Iraq War By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 2 Dec 2009 18:39:19 EST John L. Cockerham, 43, a major in the U.S. Army, was sentenced to 210 months in prison. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Attorney General Holder, Secretary Duncan Meet with Youth Leaders, Parents on Teen Dating Violence By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:32:10 EST “We must engage the broadest spectrum of community partners in order to stem youth violence, and a cornerstone of that partnership is young people themselves,” said Attorney General Holder. “The Department of Justice is committed to working with young people to develop innovative solutions to help prevent teen dating abuse.” Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Roles in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving Online Sales By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:17:01 EST Two Bulgarian nationals have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia for their roles as money launderers for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Deputy Attorney General David Ogden to Leave Department of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 10:19:34 EST “It has been a singular privilege to work alongside the Department’s dedicated career professionals, whose commitment to the national interest and the cause of justice is an inspiration to me," said Deputy Attorney General Ogden. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Birmingham Man Sentenced to Prison for False Tax Refund Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 14:02:10 EST Cardale Leon Bates of Birmingham, Ala., was sentenced to 57 months in prison today by U.S. District Court Judge L. Scott Coogler. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Tewksbury, Mass., Health Care Provider and Its CEO Permanently Enjoined Relating to Failure to Comply with Federal Employment Tax Requirements By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 4 Dec 2009 18:14:38 EST A federal court in Boston issued a judgment against Excel Home Care Inc. in the amount of $473,510.76 for unpaid federal employment and unemployment taxes after its owner Diane E. Porter consented to the entry of an order of permanent injunction that prohibits her or anyone else from operating this Tewksbury, Mass., home health care provider. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Chicagoan Charged with Conspiracy in 2008 Mumbai Attacks in Addition to Foreign Terror Plot in Denmark By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 11:33:33 EST A Chicago man who was arrested in October for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and two of its employees is alleged to have also conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years preceding the November 2008 terrorist attack on India’s largest city that killed approximately 170 people, including six Americans, and injured hundreds more. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Releases Video Explaining Federal Protections Against Immigration-Related Discrimination in the Workplace By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 15:54:08 EST The Department released a new video aimed at educating employers about worker rights and employer responsibilities under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Three South Carolina Men Plead Guilty to Federal Civil Rights and Carjacking Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 15:57:39 EST Thomas Howard Blue Sr., Thomas Howard Blue Jr. and Judson Hartley Talbert pleaded guilty today in federal court in Florence, S.C., to charges relating to the assault of an African-American man and two white men in December 2007. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Two Florida Executives, One Florida Intermediary and Two Former Haitian Government Officials Indicted for Their Alleged Participation in Foreign Bribery Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 16:15:38 EST Two Florida executives of a Miami-Dade County-based telecommunications company, the president of Florida-based Telecom Consulting Services Corp., and two former Haitian government officials were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged roles in a foreign bribery, wire fraud and money laundering scheme. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o U.S. Settles with Itochu Corp. and Itochu International Regarding Defective Bullet-Proof Vests By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 7 Dec 2009 17:16:51 EST The United States has reached a $6.75 million settlement with Itochu Corp. of Japan and its American subsidiary, Itochu International Inc., to resolve claims under the False Claims Act in connection with the companies’ importation and sale of defective Zylon fiber used as the key ballistic material in bullet-proof vests purchased by the United States for federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o District of Columbia Seafood Company, Two Employees Charged with Purchasing Illegally Harvested Striped Bass By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:02:52 EST A Washington, D.C., fish wholesaler and two of its employees have been charged in U.S. District Court in Maryland for the purchase of illegally harvested striped bass, commonly referred to as rockfish, from the Potomac River from 1995 through 2007. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Attorney General Holder, Secretary Salazar Announce Settlement of Cobell Lawsuit on Indian Trust Management By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 10:42:37 EST “Over the past thirteen years, the parties have tried to settle this case many, many times, each time unsuccessfully,” said Attorney General Holder. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Member of the Cherokee Nation Pleads Guilty to Selling Bear Gall Bladders By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:04:52 EST Clement Calhoun of Cherokee, N.C., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Asheville, N.C., to federal charges for unlawfully trafficking in bear gall bladders. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Signs Agreement with City of Atlanta to Ensure Civic Access for Persons with Disabilities By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 15:00:28 EST “Civic access is a basic and critical civil right, and it ensures individuals with disabilities can play productive, fulfilling roles in their communities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Four Arkansas Men Sentenced on Civil Rights Charges in Cross Burning Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 14:56:13 EST Jacob Wingo, Clayton Morrison, Darren McKim and Richard Robins were sentenced today and yesterday in federal court in Hot Springs, Ark., on federal civil rights and obstruction of justice charges related to a conspiracy to drive a woman and her children from their home in Donaldson, Ark., because the victims associated with African-Americans. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Former U.S. Army Officer Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in Bribery Conspiracy in Al-hillah, Iraq By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 16:32:11 EST Curtis Whiteford, a former colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, was sentenced today to five years in prison for his participation in a wide-ranging bribery conspiracy in Al-Hillah, Iraq. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Syracuse Mortgage Underwriter to Pay United States Nearly $679,000 to Resolve Mortgage Fraud Allegations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 17:26:32 EST Robert Corp, a mortgage underwriter in Syracuse, N.Y., has agreed to pay the United States close to $679,000 to settle allegations that he defrauded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Attorney General Holder at the Announcement of Cobell V. Salazar Settlement By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 11:14:20 EST "Thank you Secretary Salazar. Today marks another significant step forward in the government’s work to fulfill our trust obligation for hundreds of thousands of individual Native Americans. Cobell v. Salazar is one of the largest class actions ever brought against the U.S. government." Full Article Speech
o Associate Attorney General Perrelli at the Announcement of Cobell V. Salazar Settlement By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 8 Dec 2009 12:39:45 EST "Thank you to the Attorney General, and thank you to Secretary Salazar and Deputy Secretary Hayes for the extraordinary commitment of their Department of the Interior to bring this case to a resolution." Full Article Speech
o Department Issues FOIA Annual Report in More Accessible Format as Part of the President’s Initiative on Transparency and Open Government By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 11:01:42 EST As a result of the new format, members of the public, including public interest organizations, scholars, and the media, will be able to more easily track FOIA performance. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o State Department Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 12:59:34 EST Kevin M. Young, 42, was sentenced today to 12 months of probation for illegally accessing more than 125 confidential passport application files. Young was also ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay in the District of Columbia to perform 100 hours of community service. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Polembros Shipping Ltd. Sentenced for Crimes Related to Pollution from Cargo Ship Traveling to New Orleans By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:53:47 EST Polembros Shipping LTD., a ship management company headquartered in Greece, was sentenced today in federal court in New Orleans to pay a $2.7 million criminal fine for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws, and making false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Theotokos, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Taiwan LCD Producer Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay $220 Million Fine for Participating in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 16:20:54 EST Companies directly affected by the LCD price-fixing conspiracy are some of the largest computer and television manufacturers in the world, including Apple, Dell and HP. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Georgia Couple Charged with Human Trafficking and Immigration Violations for Exploiting Woman from Swaziland By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:55:09 EST A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted an Ellenwood, Ga., husband and wife, Juna Gwendolyn Babb, 54, and Michael J. Babb, 53, on charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude, which is confiscating someone’s passport and visa, and harboring an alien for financial gain, the Justice Department announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o United States Transfers One Guantanamo Bay Detainee to Kuwait By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 16:36:55 EST Fouad Mahmoud al-Rabiah, a Kuwaiti national, has been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the control of the government of Kuwait. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation by City of Fort Pierce, Florida By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:57:31 EST “Our nation’s civil rights laws ensure that every individual can go to work each day without fear of discrimination based on the color of their skin,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Largest Environmental Bankruptcy in U.S. History Will Result in Payment of $1.79 Billion Towards Environmental Cleanup & Restoration By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:36:10 EST As a result of the largest environmental bankruptcy in U.S. history, $1.79 billion has been paid to fund environmental cleanup and restoration under a bankruptcy reorganization of American Smelting and Refining Company LLC (ASARCO). Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Ft. Worth, Texas, Couple Charged with Holding Nigerian Woman in Domestic Servitude By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:20:13 EST A federal grand jury has indicted a Ft. Worth, Texas, husband and wife, Emmanuel and Ngozi Nnaji, on charges of engaging in a nine-year scheme to compel the labor of a Nigerian victim as their domestic servant. Full Article OPA Press Releases
o Former DOD Contracting Officer Sentenced to 110 Months in Prison for Filing False Tax Returns By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:36:32 EST Tijani Ahmed Saani was also ordered to pay a $1.6 million fine and serve one year of supervised release following his prison term. Full Article OPA Press Releases