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Department of Justice Enters into Agreement to Reform the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee

The Department of Justice today announced that it has entered into a comprehensive memorandum of agreement with the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn., to resolve findings of serious and systemic failures in the juvenile court that violate children’s due process and equal protection rights.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Heber City, Utah Resident Convicted of Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Totaling More Than $2.2 Million

April J. Rampton, 41, formerly of Heber City, Utah, was convicted yesterday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City of nine counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Rampton, who was indicted on Sept. 14, 2011, was released following the verdict. She is scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Dee Benson on Feb. 27, 2013. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on six similar counts.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Enters into Agreement to Reform the Puerto Rico Police Department

The Justice Department today entered into a sweeping agreement with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Governor Luis Fortuño to resolve its civil investigation of the Puerto Rico Police Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Soldier Sentenced in Texas to 18 Months in Prison for His Role in Fraudulent Military Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

A member of the U.S. military was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to obtain approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting referral bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Georgia Woman Indicted for Stealing Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a superseding indictment charging Deatrice Smith Williams and Quentin Collick for their roles in a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr., a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty today to aggravated identity theft and access device fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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California Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Tax Refund Conspiracy

Masood Chotani, a CPA and tax return preparer from Los Angeles County, Calif., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Residents Indicted Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

Mary and Christian Young and Octavious Reeves were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of charges stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Indicted for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned an indictment charging LaQuanta Clayton with aggravated identity theft and theft of government money.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Larreka Jackson pleaded guilty today in the Middle District of Alabama to her role in a multi-million dollar conspiracy to use stolen identities to obtain tax refunds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Family Members Sentenced in Alabama in $1.9 Million Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Several family members were sentenced Friday in the Middle District of Alabama for their involvement in a $1.9 million dollar stolen identity refund fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department and Town of East Haven, Conn., Select Kathleen O’toole as Joint Compliance Expert for Police Reform Agreement

The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced today, together with the town of East Haven, Conn., and the East Haven Board of Police Commissioners, they have selected Kathleen O’Toole as the Joint Compliance Expert to assess and report on the implementation of a comprehensive settlement agreement to reform the East Haven Police Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

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CountryMark Refining and Logistics LLC to Install $18 Million in Pollution Controls to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at Indiana Refinery

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that CountryMark Refining and Logistics LLC has agreed to pay a $167,000 civil penalty, perform environmental projects totaling more than $180,000, and spend $18 million on new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its refinery, located in Mount Vernon, Ind.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Louisiana Tax Return Preparer Convicted of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Following a four-day jury trial in Baton Rouge, La., a federal jury convicted Angela Myers today of wire fraud, making false claims, subscribing to false tax returns and aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Corrections Officer and Former Corrections Officer Indicted for Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud

A 29-count indictment was unsealed today in Montgomery, Ala., charging Bryant Thompson, an Alabama corrections officer, and Quincy Walton, a former Alabama corrections officer, with federal tax crimes.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Sentenced in Alabama Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

Mary Bennett, Narendrakumar Patel and Eugenia Burks, all residents of Elmore County, Ala., were sentenced for their roles in an identity theft and tax fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Kenneth Jerome Blackmon Jr., a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today to 51 months in prison, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Residents Indicted for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

Several residents of Montgomery, Ala., were indicted by a federal grand jury for their involvement in a conspiracy to receive fraudulent tax refunds into their bank accounts.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Indicted for Multi-Million Dollar Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme Using Prisoner Identities

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned an indictment charging Harvey James for using stolen identities to file false tax returns.



  • OPA Press Releases

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New York Man Pleads Guilty in Massachusetts to Theft of Government Property and Money Laundering in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Odalis Castillo-Lopez, a citizen of the Dominican Republic and a resident of New York, pleaded guilty today to theft of government property and money laundering in connection with a scheme to cash U.S. Treasury tax refund checks fraudulently obtained using the stolen identities of Puerto Rican residents.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Indicted for Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Tax Refund Checks

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Shatoubrioune Hare George, a.k.a. “Tobie,” with conspiring to cash fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Resident Indicted in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Bridgette Rivers, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and theft of government funds related to her participation in a scheme to use stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement to Reform the Missoula, Mont. Police Department's Response to Sexual Assault

The Department of Justice today reached a comprehensive agreement with the Missoula, Mont., Police Department to ensure that the police department fairly and effectively responds to reports of sexual assault.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty for Involvement in a Large Scale Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Glenn Powell Jr. pleaded guilty today in the Middle District of Alabama to his role in a large scale stolen identity refund fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Receives Four Years in Prison in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Larreka Jackson was sentenced yesterday to 48 months in prison for her role in a multi-million dollar conspiracy to use stolen identities to obtain tax refunds, the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Jackson was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $721,519.12. In January 2013, Jackson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to file false claims and one count of aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to His Role in Cashing Fraudulently Obtained Tax Refund Checks

Rodriquez Thomas, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to conspiring to cash fraudulently obtained federal tax refund checks.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty for Involvement in a Large Scale Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Tracey Montgomery, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to her role in a large scale stolen identity refund fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Resident Pleads Guilty in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Bridgette Rivers, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty to her involvement in a conspiracy to use stolen identities to file fraudulent tax returns.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Lea’Tice Phillips, of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for her role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Court Approves Orleans Parish Prison Reform Plan

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has mandated systemic reform of unconstitutional conditions at the Orleans Parish Prison (OPP), by entering the proposed consent judgment executed by the United States, class plaintiffs, and Sheriff Marlin Gusman in Jones v. Gusman. The agreement was filed with the court by the parties on Dec. 11, 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Army National Guard Soldier Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Lead Role in Fraudulent Military Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

A former member of the U.S. Army National Guard was sentenced today to serve 57 months in prison for leading a conspiracy to obtain approximately $244,000 in fraudulent recruiting referral bonuses from various U.S. military components and their contractor, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Indicted for Multi-state Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Christopher Cordelle Davis, of Montgomery County, Ala., was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama for his role in a scheme to file fraudulent tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today following Davis’s arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Man Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City yesterday returned an indictment charging Dick Reid Jenkins, a resident of Heber City, Utah with eighteen counts of presenting false claims to the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy in Tax Refund Identity Theft Scheme

Scottie Alice Johnson of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States for her role in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Resident Charged with Submitting False Claims for Tax Refunds and Ficticious Financial Instruments

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today returned an indictment charging a resident of Sandy, Utah, with five counts of presenting false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the United States, and three counts of passing fictitious obligations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Man Previously Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Indicted for Additional Charge of Passing a Fictitious Financial Instrument

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today returned a superseding indictment charging a resident of Heber City, Utah, with 18 counts of presenting false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the United States and one count of passing a fictitious obligation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S.Postal Service Mail Carrier Convicted for Involvement with Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

A jury found Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., guilty of one count of conspiring to file false claims, eight counts of mail fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of embezzlement from the U.S. mail.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Shell Oil to Spend Over $115 Million to Reduce Harmful Air Pollution at Houston Area Refinery and Chemical Plant

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Shell Oil and affiliated partnerships (Shell) have agreed to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at a large refinery and chemical plant in Deer Park, Texas, by spending at least $115 million to control harmful air pollution from industrial flares and other processes, and by paying a $2.6 million civil penalty.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Enters into Far-reaching Agreement with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to Reform the Puerto Rico Police Department

he Justice Department today entered into a sweeping civil rights agreement with the commonwealth of Puerto Rico to modernize and reform the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Louisiana Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Defendant Sentenced to Federal Prison

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Angela Myers, a resident of Baton Rouge, La., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Louisiana to 132 months in federal prison for wire fraud, making false claims, subscribing to false tax returns and aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Heber City, Utah, Resident Sentenced to Prison for Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that April J. Rampton, 42, formerly of Heber City, Utah, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for filing false claims for income tax refunds.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama State Employee Sentenced to Prison for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Chequlia Motley of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced yesterday to serve 36 months in prison for conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr. Motley pleaded guilty to those charges in May 2013.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Big West Oil to Pay Penalty and Spend $18 Million on Emission Controls to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at North Salt Lake Refinery

Big West Oil LLC has agreed to pay a $175,000 penalty and to spend approximately $18 million to install emission controls at its refinery in North Salt Lake, Utah, announced the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today. Big West Oil will also invest $253,000 to improve the monitoring and management of potential releases of hydrofluoric acid at the facility.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Alabama Postal Employee Pleads Guilty for His Involvement in a Fraudulent Tax Refund Scheme

Antoine Green, a former U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to crimes related to his involvement in a stolen identity tax refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Indicted for Multi-Year Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

An indictment was unsealed today in Montgomery, Ala., charging Nakia Jackson with conspiracy to file false tax returns, theft of public funds and aggravated identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Citgo Agrees to Reduce Air Pollution and Pay Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations at Two Refineries

The Department of Justice and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Houston-based CITGO Petroleum Corp. (CITGO) has agreed to pay a $737,000 civil penalty and to implement projects to reduce harmful air pollution, resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its petroleum refining facilities located in Lemont, Ill., and Lake Charles (Westlake), La.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Refinery Will Pay $8.75 Million for Failing to Comply with Enforcement Settlement to Resolve Air Violations

Total Petrochemical USA Inc. (Total) will pay an $8.75 million penalty for failing to comply with the terms of a 2007 settlement with the United States that resolved alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Piedmont Regional Jail to Reform Medical and Mental Health Care at the Facility

Today the Department of Justice filed a complaint and a simultaneous settlement agreement in the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to ensure that prisoners at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Va., receive appropriate medical and mental health care.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Mississippi Tax Return Preparer for Alledgedly Overstating Tax Refunds

The United States has requested that the federal district court in Jackson, Miss., permanently bar Danee Aikens from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Tax Refunds

Tarrish Tellis of Montgomery County, Ala., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy, theft of public funds and aggravated identity theft, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



  • OPA Press Releases