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Singapore reports 753 new coronavirus cases, taking total to 22,460

Singapore registered 753 new coronavirus infections, its health ministry said on Saturday, taking the city-state's total to 22,460 cases.




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China approves Novartis' multiple sclerosis treatment Mayzent

Chinese regulators have approved Novartis' Mayzent to treat relapsing multiple sclerosis in adults, the Swiss drug maker said in a statement on Saturday.




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Arizona Man Sentenced to Five Years for Distribution of Child Pornography

Theodore Allan, 54, of Glendale, Ariz., was sentenced today to five years in prison for distribution of child pornography. Allan was indicted on charges of distribution, receipt and possession of child pornography on March 6, 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Tulsa Businessman Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography

Terry Brian Dobbs, an Oklahoma businessman, was sentenced today to 11 years in prison for receiving images of child pornography. Dobbs, 51, was also sentenced to lifetime supervised release following his term in prison by U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzel, and was ordered to pay an $8,000 fine.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with SmallTownPapers Inc., Regarding Employment Rights of Air Force Reservist

The Department has reached a settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve a lawsuit the Department filed on behalf of Air Force Reservist Frank Bonnin against SmallTownPapers Inc., (SmallTownPapers). The complaint, filed in August 2008 in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleged that SmallTownPapers violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) when it terminated Bonnin from his position as director of publisher relations due to his military obligation as an Air Force Reservist to attend active duty training.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Hyannis, Mass., Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography

Harris Taubman, of Hyannis, Mass., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Boston to receiving and possessing child pornography. Taubman, 48, pleaded before U.S. District Judge William G. Young to three counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He was indicted on those charges on Feb. 6, 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

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APL Ltd. to Pay U.S. $26.3 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations for Inflated Shipping Costs to Military in Iraq and Afghanistan

APL Limited has agreed to pay the government $26.3 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the United States in connection with contracts to transport cargo in shipping containers to support U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.



  • OPA Press Releases

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North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Timothy Christenbury, of Charlotte, N.C., pleaded guilty today to possessing child pornography. Christenbury, 46, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carl Horn III to one count of possession of child pornography. He was indicted on those charges on Dec. 16, 2008. According to the indictment, Christenbury possessed computer files containing child pornography from on or about Sept. 2 to Sept. 4, 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography and Is Sentenced to 20 Years

Jack A. Taylor, 68, a resident of Rolling Springs, Ky., pleaded guilty today to producing child pornography and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Taylor, appearing before U.S. District Court Judge David F. Hamilton in Indianapolis, was also ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release following completion of his prison term, forfeit all items seized during the investigation that were used to commit his offense, and to pay $4,000 in restitution to his victim.



  • OPA Press Releases

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John Doe # 17 Indicted in Child Pornography Case

“John Doe 17,” a white male with curly brown hair weighing approximately 210-250 pounds, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for transporting child pornography via the Internet on or about May 5, 2007. This is the seventeenth such case to be investigated and the twelfth prosecuted through the Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP), which was initiated by the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and the FBI in 2004. The program uses national and international media exposure of unknown adult perpetrators featured in child pornography in an effort to identify, locate, apprehend and prosecute such offenders and to rescue abused children.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Japanese Corporate Operator of Cargo Vessel Sentenced to Pay $1.75 Million for Conspiracy and Falsifying Records

U. S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday today sentenced the Japanese corporation Hiong Guan Navegacion Japan Co. Ltd., that operates the commercial cargo ship M/V Balsa-62, to three years probation and $1.75 million in penalties for conspiring to falsify and falsifying environmental compliance records.



  • OPA Press Releases

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United States Files Suit Against Missouri-Based Pharmaceutical to Block Manufacturing and Shipping of Unapproved Drugs

The United States has filed a lawsuit to block KV Pharmaceutical Company, its subsidiaries, ETHEX Corp. and Ther-Rx Corp., and its principal officers from making and distributing adulterated and unapproved drugs. At the same time, KV agreed to the injunction in a consent decree.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Illinois Man Convicted for Production, Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography, as Well as Bank Fraud

Carl Courtright III, of Granite City, Ill., was convicted today on child pornography and bank fraud charges in the Southern District of Illinois following a five-day jury trial. The federal jury convicted Courtright of one count of production of child pornography, two counts of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, as well as one count of bank fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Arizona Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

Charles Brown, 54, of Mesa, Ariz., pleaded guilty today to one count of receiving child pornography. During the plea hearing before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt, Brown admitted to receiving child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Director of Singapore Firm Pleads Guilty to Illegally Exporting Controlled Aircraft Components to Iran

Laura Wang-Woodford, a U.S. citizen who served as a director of Monarch Aviation Pte, Ltd. (“Monarch”), a Singapore company that imported and exported military and commercial aircraft components for more than 20 years, pled guilty today in federal court in Brooklyn to conspiring to violate the U.S. trade embargo by exporting controlled aircraft components to Iran.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Indianapolis Law Firm to Enforce the Employment Rights of Indiana Army National Guardsman

The Department today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis on behalf of Mathew B. Jeffries, an Indiana National Guard member, against the Indianapolis law firm of Mike Norris & Associates, alleging that the law firm refused to promptly reemploy Jeffries in violation of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Hyannis, Mass., Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography

Harris Taubman, of Hyannis, Mass., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston for receiving and possessing child pornography. Taubman, 48, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for three counts of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He was indicted on those charges on Feb. 6, 2008, and pled guilty on Feb. 11, 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Jackson, Miss., Man Convicted of Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

A Jackson, Miss., computer systems administrator was found guilty late Thursday of receiving and possessing images of child pornography on his home computer. Following a four-day jury trial in Natchez, Miss., Joseph McNealy was found guilty of three counts of receiving child pornography through the Internet and one count of possessing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Arrested for Violating Civil Rights by Kidnapping

Agents with the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Wyoming Department of Criminal Justice arrested Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Franklin Joseph Ryle late yesterday in Douglas, Wyo., on criminal civil rights charges.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Massachusetts Man Convicted on Child Pornography Charge

Rudy Frabizio, 46, of Acton, Mass., was convicted today of possession of child pornography. Frabizio was found guilty after a seven-day jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston. Frabizio may face up to five years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5, 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

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GSA Contractor NetApp Agrees to Pay U.S. $128 Million to Resolve Contract Fraud Allegations

The United States has reached a settlement with NetApp Inc. and NetApp U.S. Public Sector Inc. (collectively NetApp), following an investigation of alleged false claims and contract fraud. NetApp has agreed to pay the United States $128 million, plus interest. This is the largest contract fraud settlement the General Services Administration (GSA) has obtained to date.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Indiana Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charge

James W. Dotts Jr., 33, of Georgetown, Ind., pleaded guilty today in New Albany, Ind., to one count of possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 37 months in prison and lifetime supervised release following completion of his prison term.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Obtains $200,000 in Housing Discrimination Settlement with Lakewood, New Jersey, Apartment Complex

The Department announced an agreement with the owners, a manager and a former manager of Cottage Manor Apartments in Lakewood, N.J., to settle allegations of discrimination on the basis of religion, national origin and race.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

Timothy Lantz, 57, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty today in Columbus to one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of failing to update his sex offender registration.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Travel with Intent to Engage in Sexual Conduct with a Minor, Possession of Child Pornography

Patrick Cochran, 47, of Lake Jackson, Texas, pleaded guilty today to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor, and one count of possession of child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Seeks to Bar New York Attorney from Using Employment Taxes as Working Capital

The United States has filed a lawsuit against New York attorney Thomas B. Pruzan, d/b/a the Pruzan Law Firm, seeking to put an end to Mr. Pruzan’s repeated failure to timely deposit and pay the employment and unemployment taxes due from his law firm, as well as his failure to timely file employment and unemployment tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Synapse Data and Telecom Inc to Enforce the Employment Rights of Utah National Guard Member

The Department announced the filing of a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on behalf of Jose A. Ortega, a Utah National Guard member, against Synapse Data and Telecom Inc., and Matthew Mossbarger, Synapse’s owner and operator, alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Philadelphia Man Convicted of Advertising, Transporting, Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography

Robert P. Merz, 45, was convicted by a federal jury in Philadelphia today of advertising, transporting, receiving and possessing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Indianapolis Man Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced in Child Pornography Case

Roger Lowe, 50, of Indianapolis, was sentenced today to five years in prison for receiving child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Joins Other Circuits in Invalidating Tax Losses Claimed in “Son of Boss” Tax Shelter

On May 15, 2009, the Fifth Circuit, in Klamath Strategic Investment Fund v. United States (No. 07-40861), affirmed the district court’s decision denying over $50 million in claimed tax losses arising from the taxpayers’ investment in a “Son of Boss (BLIPS)” tax shelter.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Al-Qaeda

Mohammed Abdullah Warsame, a 35-year-old resident of Minneapolis, has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against City of Chesapeake, Virginia, to Enforce the Employment Rights of Virginia Coast Guard Reservist

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Va., on behalf of U.S. Coast Guard Reserve member Paul Sutton against the city of Chesapeake alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Carpinteria, Calif., Man Pleads Guilty to Mailing Child Pornography

Donald Charles Collier III, 45, of Carpinteria, Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge George H. Wu to one count of mailing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Appeals Court Affirms Government’s Default Termination of Navy Contract for A-12 Stealth Attack Aircraft

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a judgment upholding the Navy’s termination for default of a contract with McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics for the A-12 stealth attack aircraft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Obama Administration Announces National Strategy to Reduce Drug Trafficking and Flow of Bulk Cash and Weapons Across Southwest Border

Today, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske released President Obama’s strategy to stem the flow of illegal drugs and their illicit proceeds across the Southwest border and reduce associated crime and violence in the region.



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Appeals Court Rejects Challenge to Conviction of Former Mississippi Klansman in 1964 Kidnapping and Murder of Two African American Men

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today rejected a challenge to the conviction of James Ford Seale, a former member of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi. Seale was convicted by a federal jury in Mississippi in 2007 and sentenced to three life terms in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

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United States Files False Claims Act Suit Against California Mortgage Lender Capmark Finance

The Department filed suit against California mortgage lender Capmark Finance Inc., charging that Capmark violated the False Claims Act by making false statements on applications for federal mortgage insurance covering residential nursing homes.



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Joint Statement by Secretary Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder on Today’s Signing of a DEA-ICE Drug Trafficking Enforcement Agreement

"Giving ICE agents the authority to investigate drug trafficking cases, enhancing information sharing capabilities between ICE and the DEA, and ensuring full participation in intelligence centers will strengthen our efforts to combat international narcotics smuggling, streamline operations and bring better intelligence to our front line personnel."



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder at the D.C. Court of Appeals Judicial Conference

"We will not solve all the problems we are forced to confront over night, but I am confident that if we take a measured and deliberate approach, we can take out that most ancient instrument – an old technology – the scales of justice, and say that they are balanced. This will be the true measure of our success."




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Owner of New Jersey Landscaping Sub-Contractor Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Environmental Protection Agency

The co-owner of a Martinsville, N.J., landscaping company pleaded guilty to participating in a fraud conspiracy at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated Superfund site, Federal Creosote, located in Manville, N.J. Frederick Landgraber pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey today to one count of conspiracy to defraud the EPA from approximately March 2002 until approximately June 2005 at the Federal Creosote site.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Stonescape Pavers LLC to Enforce Employment Rights of U.S. Air Force Reservist

The Department today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas against Stonescape Pavers LLC alleging that the company willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by firing Matthew T. Denning without cause when he returned from active duty.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Superseding Indictment Returned in Federal Kidnapping and Drug Case

Additional charges and defendants have been added to a federal case arising from the abduction of a boy from his Las Vegas home in October 2008.



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Attorney General Appoints New Chief Immigration Judge

Attorney General Eric Holder announced the appointment of Brian M. O’Leary as the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) Chief Immigration Judge. Prior to his appointment, Judge O’Leary served as an immigration judge from May 2007 to June 2009 at the Arlington, Va., Immigration Court. He served as a temporary board member on the Board of Immigration Appeals from May 2006 to May 2007 and as a deputy chief immigration judge in the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge from March 2003 to May 2006.



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Jackson, Miss. Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Receiving and Possessing Child Pornography

Joseph McNealy, a former Jackson, Miss., computer systems administrator, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for receiving and possessing images of child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Minneapolis Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Al-Qaeda

A 35-year-old Minneapolis man was sentenced today in federal court on one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to al-Qaeda. In Minneapolis, U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim sentenced Mohammed Abdullah Warsame to 92 months in prison and three years of supervised release.



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Ship Captain and Chief Officer Plead Guilty to Crimes Related to Pollution from Cargo Ship Traveling to New Orleans

A Greek citizen, Panagiotis Lekkas, the captain of the bulk cargo ship the M/V Theotokos, pleaded guilty today to four felony counts in federal court in New Orleans for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws and obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard investigation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Illinois Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Production of Child Pornography and Other Offenses

Carl Courtright III, of Granite City, Ill., was sentenced today to life plus 10 years in prison for production of child pornography and other offenses.  A federal jury convicted Courtright of one count of production of child pornography, two counts of possession of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of bank fraud following a five-day trial in March 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Pleads Guilty to Depriving Motorist of Civil Rights by Kidnapping

Franklin Joseph Ryle Jr., a former Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper, pleaded guilty on July 20, 2009, in federal court in Wyoming to depriving a man of his constitutional right to be free from unreasonable seizures by kidnapping him. Ryle also pleaded guilty to one count of using his firearm in relation to the crime.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Racial Discrimination at Apartment Complex in Clanton, Alabama

The Department filed a lawsuit against the owner and employees of Rolling Oaks Apartments, a 72-unit complex in Clanton, Ala., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating on the basis of race or color in the rental of apartments. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, alleges that the employees, Kenneth R. Scott and Frankie L. Roberson, told white testers that a selling point of Rolling Oaks Apartments was the lack of African American tenants and that they had adopted rental policies intended to discourage African American rental applicants.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Indiana Man Convicted of Transporting and Possessing Child Pornography

William Travis Brown, 39, of Sellersburg, Ind., was convicted today by a federal jury in Indianapolis of transporting and possessing child pornography. Brown was charged on July 8, 2009, in an amended indictment with one count of transportation and one count of possession of child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases