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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at the American Health Lawyers Association and Health Care Compliance Association’s 2011 Fraud and Compliance Forum

"In the Criminal Division, and throughout the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, we devote substantial resources to investigating and prosecuting fraud of all kinds – investment fraud, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, procurement fraud, and, of course, fraud in the health care industry," Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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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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Former Executives from Panasonic Corp., Whirlpool Corp. Subsidiary and Tecumseh Products Co. Subsidiary Indicted in Compressor Price-Fixing Conspiracy

A Detroit federal grand jury returned an indictment today against three former executives from Panasonic Corporation, a Whirlpool Corporation subsidiary and a Tecumseh Products Company subsidiary for their role in an international conspiracy to fix the prices of refrigerant compressors.



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Six Japanese Freight Forwarding Companies Agree to Plead Guilty to Criminal Price-Fixing Charges

Six Japanese freight forwarders have agreed to plead guilty and to pay criminal fines totaling $46.8 million for their roles 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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Former Guard Charged with Attempting to Communicate National Defense Information to People’s Republic of China

Bryan Underwood, a former contract guard working at a U.S. Consulate in China, has been charged in a superseding indictment with one count of attempting to communicate national defense information to a foreign government, two counts of making false statements and one count of failing to appear in court pursuant to his conditions of release.



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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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Public Awareness Campaign Launched to Seek New Information in the Murder of Assistant U.S. Attorney

Attorney General Eric Holder joined U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington Jenny A. Durkan, the Wales family and the FBI in Seattle today to announce a new media and social media effort to seek information related to the 2001 slaying of Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Wales.



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Florida Man Sentenced for Filing False Liens Against Federal Law Enforcement Employees

Mark D. Leitner was sentenced to 30 months in prison after pleading guilty in July to filing false liens against federal law enforcement employees and corruptly endeavoring to impede and impair the Internal Revenue Service.



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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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Oil Company Pleads Guilty to Clean Air Act and Obstruction of Justice Crimes in Louisiana

Pelican Refining Company LLC, pleaded guilty today to felony violations of the Clean Air Act and to obstruction of justice charges in federal court in Lafayette, La.



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Owner of Houston Health Care Company Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud

The owner and operator of a Houston durable medical equipment (DME) company was sentenced yesterday in Houston federal court to 33 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme.



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Attorney General Holder Joins White House in Honoring “Champions of Change”

Attorney General Eric Holder was joined today by Senior Counselor for Access to Justice Mark Childress at a White House “Champions of Change” event to honor and recognize the work of legal leaders from communities large and small who are dedicating their professional lives to closing the justice gap in America.



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Former Department of Defense Employee Pleads Guilty to Submitting False Travel Claims Totaling Nearly $500,000

John R. Brock, 52, of Crofton, Md., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a criminal information charging him with one count of making a false claim against the United States.



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Owners of Fraudulent Lakeland, Florida, Physical Therapy Company Sentenced to 42 and 46 Months in Prison

Miami-area residents Angel Gonzalez and Jorge Zamora, who were the owners and operators of a fraudulent physical therapy company in Lakeland, Fla., were sentenced yesterday and today to 42 months in prison and 46 months in prison, respectively, for their leading roles in a scheme to defraud Medicare.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the White House’s Champions of Change Event

"As these Champions share their experiences and insights with us, we will also explore ways to build on their achievements – and to replicate and amplify their outstanding work," said Attorney General Holder.




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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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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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Justice Department Sues U.S. FDA Employee and Former N.Y. Corrections Official to Block Alleged Tax-Fraud Scheme

The United States has sued Rodney Chestnut and Nafeesah Hines to bar them from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme.



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Former United Nations Employee Found Guilty of Fraud

Jeffery K. Armstrong was found guilty today by a federal jury on nine counts of wire fraud for obtaining more than $100,000 in salary payments by fraudulently holding concurrent jobs at the United Nations (U.N.) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).



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General Services Administration Employee Sentenced to Prison for Role in Bribery Scheme as Part of Multi-Year Corruption Investigation

A General Services Administration (GSA) customer service manager was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme related to payments he received for awarding GSA contracts to various government contractors.



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Five Individuals Indicted in a Fraud Conspiracy Involving Exports to Iran of U.S. Components Later Found in Bombs in Iraq

Five individuals and four of their companies have been indicted as part of a conspiracy to defraud the United States that allegedly caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the United States to Iran, at least 16 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.



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Executive Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Scheme to Bribe Officials at State-Owned Telecommunications Company in Haiti

Joel Esquenazi, 52, of Miami, and Carlos Rodriguez, 55, of Davie, Fla., were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez in the Southern District of Florida.



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California-Based DFine Inc. to Pay U.S. More Than $2.3 Million to Settle Claims That Company Paid Kickbacks to Physicians

DFine Inc. of San Jose, Calif., has agreed to pay the United States $2.39 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that the company paid kickbacks to induce physicians to use certain of the company’s devices that are used in treating spinal fractures.



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U.S. Virgin Islands Company Sentenced for Illegal Trade of Protected Coral

On July 15, 2011, GEM Manufacturing LLC, headquartered in St. Thomas, pleaded guilty to seven counts of violations of both the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act.



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Georgia Man Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison in Plot to Supply Iran with U.S. Military Aircraft Components

Michael Edward Todd, a U.S. national who is president of The Parts Guys LLC, a company in Port Orange, Fla., that maintains a warehouse at the Middle Georgia Municipal Airport in Macon, was sentenced this morning in federal court in the Middle District of Georgia.



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California Man Sentenced in Las Vegas for Filing False Liens Against Federal Employees

Thanh Viet Jeremy Cao of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., was sentenced today in Las Vegas before Judge Kent J. Dawson to 41 months in prison for six counts of filing false liens against employees and officers of the federal government.



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Justice Department Files Suit Against Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to Protect Employment Rights of U.S. Army Reservist

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit today against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections alleging that it violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by failing to retroactively promote a U.S. Army Reservist based on his successful performance on a make-up promotional examination after he returned from a military deployment.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Washington State Company to Enforce Employment Rights of U.S. Air Force Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with James J. Williams Bulk Service Transport Inc. (JJW), its parent company Trans-System Inc. and System TWT Transportation Inc. alleging that the companies violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by failing to promptly and properly reemploy U.S. Air Force reservist Dave Axtell in April 2009 when he returned from military service in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.



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Former Owners of Florida Airline Fuel Supply and Indiana Flight Management Services Companies Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Defraud Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company and a former owner and operator of an Indiana-based flight management services company were sentenced today to serve prison time and to pay restitution for conspiring to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud in separate schemes to defraud Ryan International Airlines.



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Owner of Houston Health Care Company Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison in Connection with $1.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Ekpedeme Obot, 35, of Houston, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal in Houston.



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Lucchese Organized Crime Family Member and Associate Among 13 Arrested, Charged for Racketeering and Other Offenses, Including Illegal Takeover of Publicly Traded Company

Thirteen individuals, including an alleged member and an associate of the Lucchese organized crime family, are charged with racketeering and related offenses in an indictment unsealed this morning in conjunction with arrests in the case.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Racial and Familial Status Discrimination in Apartment Complexes in Massillon, Ohio

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the owners of Yorkshire Apartments, Thackeray Ledges and Wales Ridge Apartments in Massillon, Ohio, for discriminating on the basis of race and familial status when renting their apartments in violation of the Fair Housing Act.



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Owner of Miami Company Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Scheme to Defraud the U.S. Export-Import Bank

Guillermo O. Mondino, 48, was sentenced by Judge Ricardo M. Urbina in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.



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Assistant Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the 12th Annual Pharmaceutical Regulatory and Compliance Congress

"The work of the Justice Department on health care fraud is part of a comprehensive approach this Administration has taken toward improving the Nation’s overall health care delivery system; an approach that aims to secure better, quality coverage at lower costs for all of us," said Assistant Attorney General West.




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Indiana Waste Treatment Company, Its Owner and a Manager Charged with Conspiracy and Violating the Clean Water Act

Tierra Environmental, owner Ronald Holmes and manager Stewart J. Roth have been charged with illegally discharging wastewater into the sewers of the Hammond Sanitary District from a closed facility.



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Federal Court Orders Iowa Construction Company to Pay Employment Taxes

A federal court has ordered Advanced Underground Construction LLC and William David Ward II to begin paying employment taxes to the United States on a timely basis.



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Justice Department Requires Divestiture to Preserve Health-Insurance Competition in Montana

The Department of Justice will require New West Health Services Inc. to sell the majority of its commercial health-insurance business to a third-party buyer and provide additional relief in order to preserve health-insurance competition in Montana.



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Justice Department Files Complaint Against City of Pittsfield, Mass., for Violating the Employment Rights of a U.S. Navy Reservist

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a complaint against the city of Pittsfield, Mass., for violating the rights of a U.S. Navy Reservist under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.



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Department of Justice Announces Compensation for Servicemembers as Part of Settlement with Bank of America

The Justice Department announced today that, as part of its settlement with BAC Home Loans Servicing LP, a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation, servicemembers whose homes were unlawfully foreclosed upon will each receive a minimum $116,785 plus compensation for any equity lost to compensate them for the bank’s alleged violation of the Servicemember Civil Relief Act.



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