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Remarks as Prepared for Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli at Sexual Assault Awareness Month Event

This year is not merely a commemoration of an anniversary. It is a time to recommit ourselves to ending sexual and domestic violence. Our government and this Department have a responsibility to speak out and act on issues of violence against women.




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Federal Court Shuts Down Florida Tax Preparer

A federal district court in Florida has permanently barred Jacksonville resident Shirley Clark from preparing tax returns for others.



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Justice Department Granted Order to Ensure Students in Walthall County, Mississippi, Have Equal Opportunities

A federal court has ordered the Walthall County, Miss., School District to eliminate policies that have resulted in significant racial segregation among students in the school district.



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Former UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Hiding Assets in Secret Offshore Bank Accounts

Paul Zabczuk, a resident of The Woodlands, Texas, pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.



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Former U.S. Army Colonel Pleads Guilty to Accepting Illegal Gratuities Related to Contracting in Support of Iraq War

A retired colonel in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty today to accepting thousands of dollars in gratuities from a contractor during his deployment to Iraq as a contracting officer’s representative.



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Former Owner and CEO of Kentucky Business Pleads Guilty for Role in Conspiracy to Inflate Personal Earnings as Part of Purchase Agreement

The founder and chief executive officer of Image Entry Inc., pleaded guilty today for his role in a conspiracy to inflate his earnings resulting from the company’s 2001 acquisition by SourceCorp Inc.



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Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty for Role in Fraudulent Medicare Testing Scheme

Detroit-area resident Emma King pleaded guilty today to engaging in a fraudulent medical testing scheme.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the U.S. Marshals Service Awards Ceremony

"Our Department is facing new demands, and our nation is confronting unprecedented challenges. But, as I look around this room and consider all that you’ve accomplished over the last year, I can’t help but feel hopeful about what we can achieve in the days ahead," said Attorney General Holder.




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Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Operator Sentenced to 115 Months in Prison by Miami Judge

Dilraj “Rosh” Mathauda was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Joan A. Lenard in Miami to a term of 115 months in prison and five years of supervised release for illegally operating a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.



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Former ATF Agent Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements

Ramon Bazan, a former Special Agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to a one-count criminal information charging him with making false statements in connection with a series of fraudulent visa referrals.



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Roanoke, Virginia, Neo-Nazi Sentenced for Threats, Witness Intimidation

William A. “Bill” White, the self-proclaimed commander of the neo-Nazi group the American National Socialist Workers Party, was sentenced today in federal court for threatening two individuals and for attempting to intimidate litigants in a federal housing discrimination lawsuit.



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Justice Department Sues to Stop Birmingham-Area Tax Return Preparers

The government complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, alleges that John Lewis, Artels James and Perry Wright, working under the trade name “Tax World,” prepare returns for customers that falsely claim the earned income tax credit and report other false income and expense items.



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Former Hope, Idaho Resident Indicted on Tax Charges

A federal grand jury in Boise, Idaho, has returned an indictment charging Michael Fitzpatrick, formerly of Hope, Idaho, with tax evasion and failing to file tax returns.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Testifies Before the Senate Judiciary Committee

"Today I’ve been asked to report on the Justice Department’s progress, priorities, and goals. I’m proud to tell you what we have accomplished and what we plan to achieve," said Attorney General Holder.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 2010 Days of Remembrance National Tribute Dinner

This Department of Justice will ensure that would-be human rights violators know that such crimes cannot – and will not – go unpunished. We will bear any burden and go to any length to insure that those who have committed these unspeakable crimes are brought to justice.




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Former NSA Senior Executive Charged with Illegally Retaining Classified Information, Obstructing Justice and Making False Statements

A federal grand jury in the District of Maryland has returned a 10-count indictment charging former National Security Agency (NSA) senior executive Thomas A. Drake with the willful retention of classified information, obstruction of justice and making false statements.



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Arkansas Private Banking System Barred from Operating by Federal Court

A federal judge in Fayetteville, Ark., has barred Wayne Hicks and his company, My Icis Inc., from operating a private banking system that allegedly helped customers avoid taxes by shielding their identities and other financial transactions from the Internal Revenue Service.



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Site Owner Agrees to Pay for Cleanup of New Jersey Superfund Site

Wall Herald Corporation has agreed to pay approximately $20 million for past and future cleanup costs incurred by the federal government at the Monitor Devices Superfund site in Wall Township, N.J., according to a settlement filed today in federal court in Trenton, N.J.



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Former U.S. Army Reserve Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting Illegal Gratuities Related to Contracting When Serving at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait

A former captain in the U.S. Army Reserve pleaded guilty today to accepting thousands of dollars in gratuities from a contractor during his deployment to Kuwait.



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Miami Beach Hotel Developers Charged with Conspiring to Defraud United States

Mauricio Cohen Assor and his son, Leon Cohen-Levy, each with residences in Miami Beach, Fla., have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiring to defraud the United States.



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Former Lee County, Mississippi, Deputy Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violations

Michael Shane Minich, 35, a former Lee County, Miss., Sheriff’s Deputy, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock, in Aberdeen, Miss., to depriving citizens of their civil rights under color of law by secretly removing cash from their wallets during traffic stops.



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Detroit-Area Patient Recruiter Sentenced to 27 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Michigan man was sentenced today in Detroit to 27 months in prison for his role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program.



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Statement from Attorney General Eric Holder on the Passing of Dr. Benjamin Hooks

“Today, we mourn the loss of Dr. Benjamin Hooks, one of our nation’s great civil rights leaders," said Attorney General Holder.



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Arkansas Man Sentenced for Conspiring to Commit Murders of African-Americans

Paul Schlesselman was sentenced today on federal charges for conspiring to murder dozens of African-Americans, including then-Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama, because of their race.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Police Executive Research Forum Annual Meeting

"PERF has become a leading voice in establishing policies to reduce officer-involved shootings, to increase diversity in your ranks, and to bring a renewed focus on accountability and transparency within your departments," said Attorney General Holder.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week National Observance and Candlelight Ceremony

"These days of reflection are an important opportunity for us to come together in support of victims, to give voice to their suffering and to light the way toward a hopeful future," said Attorney General Holder.




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Two Exxon Mobil Subsidiaries in Guam & Northern Marianas Reach Settlement with United States

Two subsidiaries of Exxon Mobil Corporation – Mobil Oil Guam Inc. and Mobil Oil Mariana Islands Inc. – have agreed to pay $2.4 million for allegedly violating the federal Clean Air Act by failing to control emissions from their facilities.



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Justice Department Sues to Permanently Enjoin Atlanta-Area Tax Return Preparers

The United States has filed suit asking the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to permanently bar Saloum A. Njie and his company, MIAAS Associates LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Martin Lee Anderson

The Justice Department will not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against the eight Bay County, Fla., Boot Camp staff members involved in the incident that resulted in the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson.



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Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Launches StopFraud.gov

President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force today announced the launch of StopFraud.gov.



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Fourth New Orleans Police Officer Charged in Danziger Bridge Case

A one-count bill of information filed today in federal court charges New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Officer Robert Barrios with conspiring with fellow NOPD officers to obstruct justice by covering up a police-involved shooting in the days after Hurricane Katrina.



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Attorney General Holder Recognizes Nine Individuals, One Organization, for Outstanding Service to Crime Victims

The Attorney General’s annual victims’ service awards are presented as a prelude to the nation’s observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 18-April 24, 2010.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Illinois Tax Preparer

A federal judge in Chicago has issued a preliminary injunction against a Joliet, Ill., tax return preparer.



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Clinic Employee Pleads Guilty for Role in Fraudulent Testing Scheme

Lobato, 25, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Alan S. Gold in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Pasco, Washington, Company to Enforce Employment Rights of National Guardsman

The Department has entered into a consent decree with Milne Enterprises Inc., d/b/a Milne, Nail, Power Tool &s complaint alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.



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Two Houston-Area Residents Convicted in Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Fraudulent Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

A federal jury in Houston today convicted Helen Etinfoh, 50, and Paula Whitfield, 43, for their roles in a Medicare fraud conspiracy involving, among other things, fraudulent claims of hurricane damage to power wheelchairs.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Service Awards Ceremony

"Today, we’ve come together, from as far as Omaha and Albuquerque, Portland and Philadelphia, to recognize men and women who have found their calling in the service of others," said Attorney General Holder.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 50th Anniversary Conference

"We at the Justice Department have recommitted ourselves to this work. We’re strengthening civil rights protections in employment, housing, voting, and sentencing, and we’ve launched a new initiative aimed at expanding access to justice."




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U.S. Seeks Permanent Injunction Against Florida-Based Drug Compounding Lab

The United States has filed a civil suit on behalf of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in U.S. District Court in the Middle District of Florida, against Franck’s Compounding Lab Inc., dba Franck’s Lab, a compounding pharmacy located in Ocala, Fla.



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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down Ohio Firm That Allegedly Promotes Improper Theft Loss Deductions

The United States has sued an Ohio man and his company, seeking to bar them from promoting a scheme that allegedly helps customers claim improper theft loss tax deductions.



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New Hampshire Tax Shelter Promoter Sentenced for Conspiring to Defraud the United States

Anthony G. Merlo, a resident of Portsmouth, N.H., was sentenced to 51 months of imprisonment for conspiring to defraud the United States.



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Virginia Resident Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Bribing Foreign Government Officials

Charles Paul Edward Jumet of Fluvanna County, Va., was sentenced today to 87 months in prison for paying bribes to former Panamanian government officials to secure maritime contracts, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and for making a false statement to federal agents.



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Alaska Seafood Company Agrees to Pay More Than $500,000 to Resolve Alleged Environmental Violations

Westward Seafoods Inc., the operator of a seafood processing plant in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, will pay a $570,000 civil penalty as part of a settlement agreement to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.



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Residential Homebuilder Settles Clean Water Act Violations in 18 States and D.C.

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., a national residential homebuilder, has agreed today to pay a $1 million civil penalty to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations at 591 construction sites in 18 states and the District of Columbia.



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Professor Robert Pitofsky Receives the Justice Department’s 2010 John Sherman Award

Attorney General Eric Holder presented the 2010 John Sherman Award to Robert Pitofsky for his lifetime contributions to the teaching and enforcement of antitrust law and the development of antitrust policy.



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N. Virginia, Real Estate Agent Arraigned on Charges of Failing to File Tax Returns

Gregory Alan Roberts, a resident of Fairfax County and Loudoun County, Va., was arraigned today by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan D. Davis on charges that he failed to timely file income tax returns for the years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.



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Ohio Man Sentenced to 29 Months in Prison for Selling Pirated Copies of Movies

Richard Humphrey, 22, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, was sentenced today in Cleveland to 29 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Lesley Wells for selling counterfeit copies of copyrighted movies through the Internet.



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Three South Carolina Men Sentenced for Committing Civil Rights Offenses and Carjacking

U.S. District Court Judge R. Bryan Harwell has sentenced three men in Florence, S.C., for their role in terrorizing an African-American man and two Caucasian men and for carjacking.



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Justice Department Announces Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination

The Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices today announced grant funding available for public education programs that provide workers or employers with information about immigration-related employment discrimination under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.



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Antitrust Division Issues 2010 Edition of Its Annual Newsletter

The Antitrust Division today issued the first ever electronic-only version of its 2010 annual newsletter



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