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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Refund Claims

Melinda M. Lambert, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting the filing of a false tax return.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Culpeper County, Virginia, on Bailout Under the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department has reached an agreement with Culpeper County, Va., that, if approved by the court, will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of Voting Rights Act, and thereby exempt the county from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the act.



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Louisiana Men Plead Guilty to Intimidating Students Based on Race

The Justice Department today announced that brothers Brian Wallis, 21, and James Lee Wallis Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime by intentionally attempting to intimidate African-American students who were attending Beekman Junior High School in Beekman, Morehouse Parish, La.



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Six Individuals Indicted for Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Schemes in Alabama

Three separate indictments were returned by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama charging six different individuals on a variety of charges stemming from tax fraud and identity theft schemes.



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Alabama Woman Sentenced 33 Months in Prison for Role in Tax Fraud Conspiracy

Laquanta Grant, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., was sentenced to 33 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,326,738.08.



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Arizona-Based TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corp. Agrees to Pay $10 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Concerning the TRICARE Program

TriWest Healthcare Alliance Corporation, a contractor to TRICARE Management Activity, has agreed to pay $10 million to resolve civil false claims allegations.



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Two Los Angeles Residents Permanently Barred by Federal Court from Forming Trusts for Taxpayers

A federal court in California has permanently barred Gwenn Wycoff and Frank Ozak from forming trusts for others.



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Two Alabamians Plead Guilty for Role in Tax Fraud Conspiracy

Valerie Byrd and Isaac Dailey, both residents of Montgomery County, Ala., each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to defraud the United States.



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Three Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to the Pakistani Taliban

At a hearing today before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington, D.C., Irfan Ul Haq, 37; Qasim Ali, 32; and Zahid Yousaf, 43, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.



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Justice Department Awards $118 Million to Enhance, Support Tribal Justice and Safety

The Department of Justice today announced grants to nearly 150 American Indian and Alaskan Native nations providing $118.4 million to enhance law enforcement practices, and sustain crime prevention and intervention efforts in eight purpose areas.



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Texas Federal Court Bars Two Men from Promoting Alleged Tax Scam Involving Fictitious Methane at Landfills

A federal court in Beaumont, Texas, has permanently barred two men from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving bogus tax credits for the production of methane gas from landfills.



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Alabama Real Estate Investors Agree to Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Rig Bids for the Purchase of Real Estate at Public Foreclosure Auctions

Two Mobile, Ala., real estate investors and one real estate investment company have agreed to plead guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids for the purchase of real estate at public foreclosure auctions in southern Alabama.



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Baton Rouge, La., Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Aiding in Preparation of False Tax Returns

Melissa Edwards was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson to 30 months in prison based on her plea of guilty to one count of wilfully aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false income tax return.



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Two Former New Orleans Police Officers Sentenced in Connection with the Death of Raymond Robair

Two former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers were sentenced today in relation to the beating death of Raymond Robair and subsequent cover-up.



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Saudi Arabia-Based Tamimi Global Company to Pay U.S. $13 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Allegations of Kickbacks and Illegal Gratuities

Saudi Arabia-based Tamimi Global Company Ltd has agreed to pay the United States $13 million to resolve criminal and civil allegations that the company paid kickbacks to a Kellogg Brown &s operations in Iraq and Kuwait.



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Ship Owners and Operators to Pay $44 Million in Damages and Penalties for 2007 San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge Crash and Oil Spill

Federal, state and Bay-area officials announced a comprehensive civil settlement with the owners and operators of the M/V Cosco Busan, resolving all natural resource damages, penalties and response costs that resulted from the ship striking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007, and subsequent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay.



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United States and Belgium Sign Agreement to Prevent and Combat Serious Crime

Attorney General Eric Holder today joined Belgian Minister of Justice Stefaan De Clerck and Minister of Interior Annemie Turtelboom to sign an agreement on Preventing and Combating Serious Crime (PCSC), which will allow for the exchange of biometric and biographic data of suspected criminals between the United States and Belgium to bolster counterterrorism and law enforcement efforts while protecting individual privacy.



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Alabama Defense Contractor and Its President to Pay $200,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Future Research Corp., located in Huntsville, Ala., and its president, Jesse Nunn, have agreed to pay the United States $200,000 to settle claims that they inappropriately obtained contracts from the Navy.



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Rochester, New York, Asbestos Abatement Contractor Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Environmental Crimes and False Statements to OSHA

After a two day hearing in federal court in Rochester, N.Y., that ended late yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa sentenced Keith Gordon-Smith, 54, of Rochester, to six years in prison for knowingly violating the Clean Air Act and making false statements to a federal inspector.



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Member and Associate of Barrio Azteca Gang Plead Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

Jesus Espino, 43, of El Paso, Texas, and Lorenzo Espino, 51, aka “Lencho,” and “Oso,” of El Paso, each pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norbert Garney in the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division, to participating in a racketeering conspiracy.



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Colorado-Based CH2M Hill Agrees to Pay United States $1.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act Liability

CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $1.5 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims and paid kickbacks relating to a contract to operate and manage mixed radioactive waste at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Nuclear Site in the state of Washington.



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Former Texas Construction Company Employee Pleads Guilty to Soliciting and Accepting Kickbacks on Federal Contract

A former project manager of a construction company that had substantial business at Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army installation in El Paso, Texas, pleaded guilty today to soliciting and accepting kickbacks from subcontractors on a federal contract with the U.S. Army.



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Alabama Woman Convicted of Stealing Identities and Conspiring with Tax Preparer

Janika Fernae Bates Millbrook, Ala., was convicted of identity theft, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to make false claims for tax refunds.



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President of Virginia-Based Connection Newspapers Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

Peter Labovitz of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.



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Nearly 40 Members and Associates of Bandido Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Charged in Three Districts for Alleged Drug and Firearm Offenses

Nearly 40 members and associates of the Bandido Outlaw Motorcycle Gang (BOMG) were arrested yesterday and today on various firearms and drug-related charges in three judicial districts as part of a coordinated law enforcement effort.



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Federal Court Bars Southern California Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Dennis Giroud from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Houston-based Principals of A&O Entities Sentenced in Virginia for $100 Million Fraud Scheme

Two principals of A&O Resource Management Ltd. have been sentenced for their roles in a $100 million life settlement fraud scheme, which included more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada.



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Justice Department Seeks to Bar Former Owner of Brooklyn, N.Y., Tax Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

The United States has filed a lawsuit against Annie P. Williams to bar her from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Louisiana-Based LHC Group Inc. Agrees to Pay U.S. $65 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

LHC Group Inc. has agreed to pay $65 million, plus interest, to the federal government to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act for false home healthcare billings to the Medicare, TRICARE and Federal Employees Health Benefits programs.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination at Salem, Oregon, Apartment Complex

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the developers, builders and designers of the Gateway Village Apartments, a 275-unit apartment complex in Salem, Ore., for violations of the Fair Housing Act.



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Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum Announces Opening of September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

September 11th Victim Compensa¬tion Fund (VCF) Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum today announced that the fund is officially open for claimants.



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Montgomery, Alabama, Woman Pleads Guilty to Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

Melinda Clayton of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false claims, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with James City County, Virginia, on Bailout Under the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after reaching an agreement with James City County, Va., that will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of Voting Rights Act.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with the City of Williamsburg, Virginia, on Bailout Under the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after reaching an agreement with the city of Williamsburg, Va., that will allow for the city’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of Voting Rights Act.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the German Ambassador’s Day of Unity Celebration

"During my tenure as Attorney General, it has been – and it continues to be – an honor to help strengthen the special relationship that exists between the United States and Germany," said Attorney General Holder.




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Chicago Lawyer Barred from Promoting Tax Shelters Generating $370 Million in Sham Deductions

A federal court has permanently barred John E. Rogers and two of his companies, Sugarloaf Fund LLC and Jetstream Business Limited, from promoting tax shelters that allegedly use distressed Brazilian debt to lower customers’ reported income improperly.



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State Department Employee Indicted on Domestic Battery Charges for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon

Michael Makalou, a State Department employee, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm.



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Two Men Charged in Alleged Plot to Assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States

Two individuals have been charged in New York for their alleged participation in a plot directed by elements of the Iranian government to murder the Saudi Ambassador to the United States with explosives while the Ambassador was in the United States.



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Husband and Wife Indicted for Investment Fraud Scheme

John Robert Graves, 52, and Sara Turberville Graves, 44, both of Fredericksburg, Va., are charged in the Eastern District of Virginia with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and four counts of wire fraud.



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Two Charged with Conspiracy and Filing False Tax Returns in a Corporate Scheme Based in South Florida

Elmo Antonio George and Nasheba Necia Hunte were indicted today by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on charges of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and with filing false tax returns for 2005 and 2006 which claimed false refunds totaling more than $1.2 million.



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Montgomery, Alabama, Woman Pleads Guilty to Two Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Conspiracies

Veronica Dale, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty today to two tax fraud and identity theft conspiracies.



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Former Owner of Airline Services Company Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Illinois-Based Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline services company pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Fla., to participating in a kickback scheme to defraud Ryan International Airlines.



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Federal Court Bars Newark, N.J., Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court in New Jersey has permanently barred Luvander Hollaway from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Virginia Contractors Plead Guilty to Kickback Scheme

Two Virginia contractors pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to steer contracts for repair and maintenance work at healthcare and nursing home facilities owned by Medical Facilities of America Inc. to their now defunct plumbing business.



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Miami-Area Halfway House Owner Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Kickback Scheme

Natalie Evans, 50, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez in Miami to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Baytown, Texas, Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Atascosa County, Texas Murder

Jim Flint McIntyre, aka “Q-Ball,” 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in the Western District of Texas.



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Texas Resident Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Scheme to Defraud the U.S. Export-Import Bank

Gilberto Baez-Garcia, 35, was also sentenced by Judge Kathleen Cardone in U.S. District Court in El Paso to five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $ 3,614,594 in restitution and $ 3,614,977 in forfeiture.



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United States and Osage Tribe Announce $380 Million Settlement of Tribal Trust Lawsuit

The United States has reached a final settlement of a long-running lawsuit by the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma regarding the United States’ accounting and management of the tribe’s trust funds and non-monetary trust assets.



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Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. De C.V. and BBU Inc.'s Acquisition of the North American Fresh Bakery Business of the Sara Lee Corporation

The Department of Justice today reached a settlement with Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. de C.V., BBU Inc. and the Sara Lee Corporation that requires them to divest brands of sliced fresh bread and associated assets, in order to proceed with Grupo Bimbo and BBU’s acquisition of Sara Lee’s North American Fresh Bakery business.



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Las Vegas Attorney Pleads Guilty to Charges Relating to Scheme to Fraudulently Control Condominium Homeowners’ Associations and Scheme to Commit Bank Fraud

David Amesbury, 57, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan in the District of Nevada to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.



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