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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Truman, Minnesota, to Protect the Employment Rights of U.S. Army Reservist

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today on behalf of Michael Schutz, a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, against the city of Truman, Minn.



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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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Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Participating in Bid-Rigging and Price-Fixing Conspiracies Involving Optical Disk Drives

Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $21.1 million criminal fine for its participation in a series of conspiracies to rig bids and fix prices for the sale of optical disk drives.



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Justice Department Requires Morgan Stanley to Disgorge $4.8 Million in Profits from Anticompetitive Agreement

The Department of Justice today reached a settlement with Morgan Stanley that requires Morgan to pay $4.8 million for violating the antitrust laws by entering into an agreement with KeySpan Corporation that restrained competition in the New York City electricity capacity market.



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Cleanup Agreement Reached at Former Uranium Mine on Spokane Indian Reservation in Northeastern Washington

A settlement agreement has been reached for the cleanup of the Midnite Mine Superfund Site, located on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Northeastern Washington.



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Two California Real Estate Investors Agree to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions

Two California real estate investors have agreed to plead guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids and to commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.



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Japanese Freight Forwarding Company Agrees to Plead Guilty to Criminal Price-Fixing Charge

A Japanese freight forwarder has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $1.84 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix certain fees in connection with the provision of freight forwarding services for air cargo shipments from Japan to the United States.



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Harris County, Texas, Commissioner Pleads Guilty to Making a False Statement to FBI; Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to False Tax Statement

Harris County Commissioner Gerald R. Eversole and Houston-based real estate developer Michael D. Surface both pleaded guilty today in federal court in Houston to making false statements.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with C&F Mortgage Corporation to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today that C&F Mortgage Corporation of Midlothian, Va., will revise its pricing policies, conduct employee training and pay $140,000 as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race and national origin.



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Eight California Residents Indicted for Their Roles in Scheme Claiming More Than $19 Million in Fraudulent Tax Refunds

Osman Norales, Genaro De La Fuente, Francisco Ramirez and Ulises Linares were indicted on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States.



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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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Department of Justice and Partner Agencies Announce Training and Technical Assistance Award to Build Capacity in Distressed Neighborhoods

The Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), together with its partners, the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Education, Health and Human Services and Treasury, today announced the selection of the Center for the Study of Social Policy as the Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (BNCP) Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against California Healthcare Provider Alleging Discrimination

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against Generations Healthcare, a healthcare provider with skilled nursing facilities throughout California, alleging that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by imposing unnecessary documentary requirements on naturalized U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens in order to work in the U.S.



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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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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Installation Ceremony for Assistant Attorneys General Virginia Seitz and Lisa Monaco

"Today, as Lisa Monaco and Virginia Seitz are officially sworn into their leadership roles, we not only celebrate the latest achievements in two remarkable careers; we also mark an exciting, and historic, new chapter in the history of our nation’s Department of Justice," said Attorney General Holder.




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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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Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking in Illegally-Imported Sperm Whale Teeth

Richard M. Ertel, of Spotsylvania, Va., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., to the illegal importation and illegal trafficking of sperm whale teeth.



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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down New Jersey Tax Preparer

The United States has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Luvander Hollaway from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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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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Former EPA-CID Special Agent in Texas Pleads Guilty to Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

Keith Phillips, 61, of Kent, Texas, pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik Sr. in the Western District of Louisiana to a two-count indictment charging him with obstruction of justice and perjury.



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Justice Department Prevails in Three Tax Shelter Cases on Same Day

Three federal courts have issued decisions in favor of the United States in three separate cases involving abusive tax shelters.



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Danfoss Group Subsidiary Agrees to Plead Guilty for Role in Price-Fixing Conspiracy Involving Refrigerant Compressors

Danfoss Flensburg GmbH has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $3 million criminal fine for its role in an international conspiracy to fix the prices of light commercial compressors.



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Niagara Falls, New York, Financial Advisor Sentenced to Prison for Promoting and Using Abusive Tax Shelters

Richard Muto was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws.



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Australian Man Pleads Guilty to Accepting Payment as Reward for Steering $15 Million in U.S.-Funded Contracts in Afghanistan

Neil P. Campbell, 61, of Queensland, Australia, pleaded guilty today before Judge Rosemary M. Collyer in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of accepting an illegal payment as an agent of an organization receiving federal funds.



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Rhode Island Jewelry Store Owner Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Tax Return

Karen St. Pierre of Barrington, R.I., pleaded guilty before Judge John J. McConnell Jr. in the District of Rhode Island to one count of willfully filing a false individual tax return.



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Justice Department Announces More Than $130 Million in Cost Saving and Efficiency Measures to Utilize Resources More Effectively

As part of Attorney General Eric Holder’s call for cost-cutting measures to streamline operations and reduce spending during a time of constrained funding, the Department of Justice today announced that it will realign functions in various offices, lower lease costs by consolidating or reducing office space and continue to look for ways to more effectively utilize the department’s resources.



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Department of Justice Awards More Than $243 Million to Hire New Officers

Attorney General Eric Holder today joined Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory and Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Bernard Melekian to announce more than $15 million in grant awards to agencies in Ohio through the 2011 COPS Hiring Program.



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New Mexico Man to Receive Life Prison Sentence After Conviction on Kidnapping Charge Related to Death of 16-Year-Old

Larry Lujan, 33, will receive a life prison sentence for a kidnapping that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old, after a federal jury today announced it could not reach a unanimous decision on whether to impose the death penalty.



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Johnson & Johnson Subsidiary Scios Pleads Guilty to Misbranding Heart Failure Drug Natrecor

Scios Inc., a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for introducing into interstate commerce its heart failure drug, Natrecor, for a use that was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.



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Superseding Indictment Filed in $670 Million Fraud Scheme

A Costa Rican company, its president and its auditor were charged in a superseding indictment filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., for their alleged roles in a $670 million fraud scheme involving victims throughout the United States and abroad.



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Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to Life in Prison in Delaware for Child Exploitation Offenses

Paul Edward Pavulak, 67, of New Castle, Del., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson in Wilmington, Del.



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Former New Orleans Police Officer Sentenced in Danziger Bridge Case

Former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Officer Ignatius Hills was sentenced today by U. S. District Court Judge Martin L.C. Feldman to 78 months in prison.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Law Enforcement Hiring Awards Announcement

"On behalf of my colleagues across the Department of Justice, I am grateful for your leadership in advancing the public safety goals that we share, and for your steadfast support of this city’s law enforcement community," said Attorney General Holder.




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Member of United Aryan Brotherhood Pleads Guilty to a Hate Motivated Assault of Jewish Inmate in Texas

The Justice Department announced today that Timothy Lee York, a 35 year-old, self-proclaimed member of the United Aryan Brotherhood, pleaded guilty to violently assaulting a Jewish inmate at a federal correctional facility in Texas.



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Oracle Agrees to Pay U.S. $199.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit

Oracle Corp. and Oracle America Inc. have agreed to pay $199.5 million plus interest for failing to meet their contractual obligations to the General Services Administration.



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Former Columbus County, N.c., Detention Center Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violation

A former Columbus County, N.C., Sherriff’s Office sergeant pleaded guilty today in federal court in Greenville, N.C., to a civil rights charge related to the assault of a detainee, the Justice Department announced.



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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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New York Resident and His Company Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Export Computer-Related Equipment to Iran

Jeng “Jay” Shih and Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corporation pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates.



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Homebuilder Ryland Group Inc. to Pay $625,000 Clean Water Act Penalty and Implement Company-Wide Stormwater Controls

The Ryland Group Inc. will pay a civil penalty of $625,000 to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations at its construction sites, including sites located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.



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Justice Department Announces Agreement with Lorain County, Ohio, on Protecting the Rights of Spanish-Speaking Puerto Rican Voters

The Justice Department announced a settlement today with Lorain County, Ohio, to protect the rights of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican voters under Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act.



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Man Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violations in Connection with Arson at Planned Parenthood and Vandalism of Mosque in Madera, California

Donny Eugene Mower of Madera, Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of arson, one count of damaging religious property and one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.



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Former Hickman County, Tennessee, Deputy Sheriff Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Civil Rights and False Statement Charges

Former Hickman County Deputy Sheriff Kenneth H. Smith was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell to 24 months in prison for civil rights and false statement charges.



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Detroit-Area Clinic Owner Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Role in $9.1 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Martin Tasis was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for his leading role in a $9.1 million Detroit-area Medicare fraud scheme.



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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Annual National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) Executives Dinner

"Your service is essential in helping the Justice Department fulfill its most fundamental mission: to protect the American people – from terrorism and violent crime, from fraud and abuse, and from those who would take advantage of the most vulnerable among us," said Attorney General Holder.




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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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Fifth Guilty Plea in Connection with Scheme to Fraudulently Control Condominium Homeowners' Associations

A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to fraudulently gain control of condominium homeowners’ associations (HOA) in the Las Vegas area so that the HOAs would direct business to a certain law firm and construction company.



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