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Former Image Entry Inc., VP Pleads Guilty to Securities and Wire Fraud Conspiracy, and Tax Evasion

Michael Wayne Sulfridge, a resident of Union Grove, Ala., and former vice president of corporate finance at Image Entry, Inc. (Image Entry), pleaded guilty today to fraud and tax evasion charges stemming from the company’s 2001 acquisition by Sourcecorp, Inc. (Sourcecorp).



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Members of U.S. Army Plead Guilty to Role in Scheme to Steal Equipment from the U.S. Military in Iraq

Elbert Westley George III, 36, a U.S. Army captain who was stationed in Iraq, pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to steal U.S. government equipment and sell it to a local Iraqi businessman.



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Iowa Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Obscene Visual Representations of the Sexual Abuse of Children

Christopher Handley, 39, of Glenwood, Iowa, pleaded guilty today in Des Moines, Iowa, to possessing obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children and mailing obscene material.



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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.



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Virginia Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the U.S. Navy

A U.S. Navy subcontractor from Virginia has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the Navy in connection with contracts for fabricated metal to be used for the repair and maintenance of elevator equipment on Navy aircraft carriers and support vessels. The charge is the first to arise out of the Department’s ongoing antitrust investigation into the sales of fabricated metal products and other materials to the U.S. Navy.



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Tax Shelter Promoter Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Impede and Impair the IRS

Anthony G. Merlo, a former resident of Fort Worth, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to defraud the United States.



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Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud in Connection with the Procurement of a Bullet-Proof Vest Contract in Iraq

A defense contractor has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and has admitted to engaging in other bribery-related conduct in connection with contracts in Iraq. According to the plea agreement filed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on Dec. 18, 2007, and unsealed today, Diana Bakir Demilta, a U.S. citizen, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.



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Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Campaign Fundraising Scheme

A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to illegally making conduit contributions to a candidate seeking federal office.



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Eight “Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation” Gang Members Plead Guilty to Drug Conspiracy and Related Charges

Eight members of the violent gang known as the "Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation" (ALKQN) have pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, including drug conspiracy and weapons trafficking.



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North Dakota Executive Pleads Guilty to Nine Counts of Tax Fraud on Eve of Trial

Michael Fisher, owner of Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. Inc. (FSG), based in Dickinson, N.D., today pleaded guilty to nine felony counts of tax fraud.



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Former Enron Broadband Chief Financial Officer Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Books and Records

Kevin Howard, former chief financial officer and vice president of finance for Enron Broadband Services (EBS), Enron’s failed telecommunications business, pleaded guilty today to falsifying books and records.



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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.



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Former Political Action Committee Contractor Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Funds

Melissa Thomas, 34, pleaded guilty today to one count of forgery in connection with a scheme to embezzle more than $17,000 from a political action committee (PAC), which was a client of her employer.



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Northwest Indiana Businessman Who Used Sham Trusts Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud on Eve of Trial

Donald Sikma, a businessman from Dyer, Ind., has pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. Sikma, whose trial was scheduled to begin today, entered his guilty plea Monday before Judge Theresa L. Springmann in Fort Wayne, Ind.



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Former District of Columbia Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges

Willie Borden, a former Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department officer, pleaded guilty today to a criminal tax charge before U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson.



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Defendant Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Support Terrorists

After a bench trial held last week in the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr., announced today that Syed Haris Ahmed, 24, has been found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.



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Seafood Wholesaler and Owner Plead Guilty to Conspiracy in the Illegal Harvesting of Rockfish

Golden Eye Seafood LLC and owner, Robert Lumpkins of St. Mary’s County, Md., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to and violating the Lacey Act, by falsely recording the amount and weight of striped bass, also known as rockfish, that were harvested by local fisherman and checked-in through Golden Eye from 2003 to 2007



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Shark Fins Dealer Pleads Guilty to Illegally Dealing in Fins from Protected Species

Mark L. Harrison, a resident of Southport, Fla., and Harrison International LLC, a Florida corporation, today pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to violating the Lacey Act, a federal fish and wildlife trafficking law, by dealing in shark fins, the landing of which was not reported as required by law. In addition, Mark Harrison pleaded guilty to a second charge related to his attempted export of shark fins of species that are prohibited to harvest under laws of the state of Florida.



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Silver Spring, Maryland, Return Preparer Found Guilty of Preparing False Tax Returns for Clients

Following a four-day trial and less than an hour of deliberations, a federal jury today convicted tax return preparer, Marcel J. Toto-Ngosso, of Silver Spring, Md., of 17 counts of preparing false tax returns in connection with a scheme to generate fraudulent tax refunds for client-taxpayers.



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Wife of Gang Leader Pleads Guilty to Narcotics Charges

Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) member Marie Chavez, aka "Shorty," the wife of an alleged ALKQN leader Jose Nava, aka "Chino," pleaded guilty to a superseding indictment charging her and 16 co-defendants with various offenses related to alleged narcotics and weapons trafficking and violent activities



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Associate of Tax Defier Irwin Schiff Pleads Guilty to Tax Crime

Lawrence Cohen, a resident of Las Vegas and a former employee of the now defunct Freedom Books, pleaded guilty today to a tax charge before U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson in Las Vegas. Cohen pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false 2000 Form 1040 for a client of Freedom Books.



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Two Military Officials Plead Guilty to Bribery, Fraud and Conspiracy Related to Defense Contracts in Afghanistan

Two U.S. military officials pleaded guilty to various bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges relating to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts in Afghanistan.



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Detroit Spammer and Four Co-Conspirators Plead Guilty to Multi-Million Dollar E-mail Stock Fraud Scheme

Five individuals pleaded guilty today in federal court in Detroit for their roles in a wide-ranging international stock fraud scheme involving the illegal use of bulk commercial e-mails, or "spamming."



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Alabama Resident Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns in Connection with Embezzlement Scheme

Sims Lawson Jr., a resident of Killen, Ala., pleaded guilty yesterday to filing false tax returns for years 2002 through 2004. Lawson appeared before Judge R. David Proctor in Birmingham, Ala., and admitted that he failed to pay federal income taxes of $369,038 and state income taxes of $50,938.



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UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Return

UBS client, Steven Michael Rubinstein of Boca Raton, Fla., pleaded guilty today to filing a false tax return for tax year 2004. On April 1, 2009, Rubinstein was charged with filing a false tax return that intentionally failed to disclose the existence of a Swiss bank account maintained by UBS of which he was the beneficial owner and failed to report any income earned on that account.



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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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Former Contracting Officer Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Returns

Tijani Ahmed Saani, a former civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense, pleaded guilty today to filing false tax returns for tax years 2003 through 2007. Saani, 53, a former resident of Kuwait City, Kuwait, worked as a contracting officer in Kuwait from 1994 until his arrest in May 2008. According to the indictment to which Saani pleaded guilty, he worked on detail from 2002 to 2007 at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.



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Former Executive of Philadelphia Company Pleads Guilty to Paying Bribes to Vietnamese Officials

A former executive of Philadelphia-based Nexus Technologies Inc. pleaded guilty today in connection with his participation in a conspiracy to bribe Vietnamese government officials in exchange for lucrative contracts to supply equipment and technology to Vietnamese government agencies, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).



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Former National Archives Employee Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest

Jeffrey Davis, a former employee of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to engaging in a felony conflict of interest by collecting fees from customers of a company he owned and operated for services he performed as part of his official duties at NARA.



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Former Virginia Marine Products Company Executive Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging on Contracts with the U.S. Navy and Others

The chief executive officer of a former Virginia marine products company pleaded guilty and has agreed to pay a $100,000 criminal fine and serve time in jail for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids and allocate customers with respect to marine products purchased by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other public and private entities.



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Former Indiana Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Reports

Herbert L. Corn, the former superintendent of the city of Rochester Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rochester, Ind., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in South Bend, Ind., to falsifying monthly discharge monitoring reports that concealed violations of the Clean Water Act at the Rochester plant.



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Former Promoter of Abusive Trusts Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

Roderick Prescott, a resident of Orem, Utah, and a former principal of National Trust Services (NTS) in San Jose, Calif., and later Selma, Ore., pleaded guilty today to tax evasion. Prescott admitted to evading at least $550,000 in personal income taxes for 1998 and 1999. Prescott was scheduled to begin trial on July 7, 2009, before Chief U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken in Eugene, Ore.



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Retired Military Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Conspiracy Related to Defense Contracts in Afghanistan

A retired U.S. military official pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges relating to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts in Afghanistan. According to the plea agreement, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago today, First Lieutenant Robert Moore (Ret.) pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges.



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Kansas Woman Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement to FBI in E-Rate Fraud Investigation

A Kansas woman pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI during an investigation into allegations of fraud against the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) E-Rate program. According to the plea agreement, filed today in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., Mary Jo LaDuron, aka Mary Jo Gault, of Leavenworth, Kan., lied to FBI agents who were investigating allegations of fraud against the E-Rate program.



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Canadian Executive Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Money Laundering Conspiracies Involving a New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Site

A former executive of Bennett Environmental Inc. (BEI), a Canadian-based company that treats and disposes of contaminated soil, pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to pay kickbacks and commit fraud at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated Superfund site, Federal Creosote, located in Manville, N.J. The former executive also pleaded guilty to participating in a money laundering conspiracy and impeding a proceeding before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



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Virginia Software Writer Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Detroit Spam Conspiracy

An individual pleaded guilty today in federal court in Detroit for his role in creating and marketing software designed and used to send bulk commercial e-mails, known as "spam," in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act.



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Fourth Person Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

A fourth individual pleaded guilty today to illegally accessing numerous confidential passport application files.



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Donaldson, Arkansas, Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Charges

Dustin I. Nix, 21, of Donaldson, Ark., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Hot Springs, Ark., to two federal civil rights charges for his role in a conspiracy to force a woman and her young children from their home in Donaldson because she associated with African Americans.



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Little Rock, Arkansas, Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Sex Trafficking and Related Charges

Everett Cooney waived indictment and pleaded guilty in court in Little Rock, Ark., to a federal charge of sex trafficking an underage female. Chief U.S. District Judge J. Leon Holmes accepted Cooney’s guilty plea.



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Connecticut Investor Found Guilty in Massive Scheme to Bribe Senior Government Officials in the Republic of Azerbaijan

Frederic A. Bourke Jr., 63, was found guilty today by a federal jury in Manhattan of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the Travel Act, and making false statements to the FBI.



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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.



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Chief Engineer and Second Engineer Plead Guilty to Concealing Vessel Pollution

Panagiotis Stamatakis, the chief engineer on the Cyprus-flagged M/V Myron N, and the second engineer, Dimitrios Papadakis, both citizens of Greece, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., to using falsified records that concealed improper discharges of untreated bilge waste from the cargo ship.



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Former Bell, California, Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Crime

Feliciano Sanchez, 34, a former officer with the Bell, Calif., Police Department, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Los Angeles to a federal civil rights charge for sexually assaulting a female motorist. Sanchez admitted that on May 16, 2007, he sexually assaulted the victim by forcing her to provide oral sex after stopping her for a traffic violation, according to documents filed in court.



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Georgia Temp Company and Its Owner/President Agree to Plead Guilty to Making a False Statement to the U.S. Small Business Administration

A Georgia temporary staffing company and its owner/president have agreed to plead guilty to making a false statement to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Patriot Services Inc. and its owner/president, Stephanie Blackmon, have each agreed to plead guilty to a one-count charge of making a false statement to the SBA, which was filed today in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan.



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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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Former Military Officer Pleads Guilty to Participating in Scheme to Steal Fuel Worth $39.6 Million from U.S. Army in Iraq

Robert Young, 56, a former captain in the U.S. Army, pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to steal fuel worth approximately $39.6 million from the U.S. Army in Iraq.



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Virginia Resident Pleads Guilty to Participating in Scheme to Steal Fuel from U.S. Army in Iraq

A Virginia man pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to steal fuel worth approximately $39.6 million from the U.S. Army in Iraq.



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Father and Son Commercial Fishermen Plead Guilty to Illegal Harvesting of Rockfish

A father and son pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., to illegally over fishing striped bass, also known as rockfish, from 2003 through 2006.



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UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Return, Hid $8 Million in Secret Swiss Bank Accounts

Jeffrey P. Chernick, of Stanfordville, N.Y., pleaded guilty today to charges of filing a false tax return. Chernick, who owns a corporation which represents toy manufacturers in China and Hong Kong, appeared today before Judge James I. Cohn in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and accepted responsibility for concealing more than $8 million in Swiss bank accounts.



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Contracting Officer’s Niece Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Money Laundering Investigation Related to Bribe Payments

The niece of a U.S. Army major pleaded guilty today for her role in a conspiracy to cover up her uncle’s role in accepting more than $9 million in bribes as a contracting officer in Kuwait. Nyree Pettaway, 37, of Houston, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas to one count of conspiring with her uncle, John C. Cockerham, Carolyn Blake (her aunt and Cockerham’s sister) and others, to obstruct the investigation of money laundering related to Cockerham’s receipt of bribes.



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