Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer and FBI Assistant Director Ronald T. Hosko testify on cartel prosecution before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights

Attorney General Eric Holder and Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Rand Beers today hosted an EU/U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial with their counterparts in the European Union: Lithuanian Minister of Justice Juozas Bernatonis and Lithuanian Vice Minister of Interior Elvinas Jankevicius representing the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU; Greek Minister of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights Charalampos Athanasiou representing the incoming Greek Presidency of the EU; and European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding and Commissioner Cecilia Malmström representing the EU Commission.

Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn, and distinguished Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Committee today to discuss the Department of Justice’s work regarding virtual currencies.

"Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Committee today to discuss the Department of Justice’s work regarding virtual currencies. I am honored to represent the Department at this hearing and to describe for you our approach to virtual currencies"

Boston-based Cabot Corporation, the second largest carbon black manufacturer in the United States, has agreed to pay a $975,000 civil penalty and spend an estimated $84 million on state of the art technology to control harmful air pollution, resolving alleged violations of the New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its three facilities in the towns of Franklin and Ville Platte, La., and Pampa, Texas, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. This agreement is the first to result from a national enforcement initiative aimed at bringing carbon black manufacturers into compliance with the CAA’s NSR provisions.

Three former investment advisers were sentenced on Nov. 19, 2013 for their roles in attempting to defraud a wealthy investor of $1 billion through a high-yield investment fraud scheme.

Three high-level executives of Tokyo-based Takata Corp. have agreed to plead guilty for their participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts installed in cars sold in the United States.

Three members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.

Together, we can grow smarter on crime by implementing reforms and enacting legislation that ensures fairness in sentencing; by focusing scarce resources on incarcerating only those who pose the greatest threats; and by providing safe and productive paths forward for those who have paid their debts to society.

Attorney General Eric Holder recognizes 270 Justice Department employees for their distinguished public service today as part of the 61st Annual Attorney General Awards program. In addition, 53 other individuals, including federal employees and civilians, are also honored for their work. These annual awards recognize department employees and other individuals for their dedication to carrying out the Department of Justice¡¦s mission.

The Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz announced today that they have moved to intervene in National Federation of the Blind et al v. HRB Digital LLC et al, a private lawsuit alleging disability discrimination by HRB Digital LLC and HRB Tax Group Inc., subsidiaries of H&R Block Inc.

Three subsidiaries of Weatherford International Limited (Weatherford International), a Swiss oil services company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange, have agreed to plead guilty to anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and export controls violations under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA)

Osaka, Japan-based Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $120 million criminal fine for its role in two separate conspiracies to fix the prices of automotive components involving anti-vibration rubber and driveshaft parts installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with Camelot Child Development Center of Oklahoma City and Edmond, Okla., under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Stanley Electric Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based company, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $1.44 million criminal fine for its participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of lamp ballasts installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.

Several California companies and individuals that formerly supplied beef to the National School Lunch Program have agreed to settle allegations of inhumane handling of cattle, circumventing appropriate inspection of nonambulatory disabled (“downer”) cattle and false representations regarding their eligibility to process beef.

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in a federal court in Memphis today to stop Stephanie Edmond and her businesses, the Tax Factory and Tax Factory Enterprise Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns.

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced today that they have tentatively agreed to a settlement with the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) which calls for SCPD to implement new and enhanced policies and procedures to ensure nondiscrimination in the provision of police services to Latino communities in Suffolk County.

Three patient recruiters for a Miami health care company pleaded guilty today for their participation in a $48 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit today in Memphis federal court to stop Grady Smith, who does business as One Price Refunds, from preparing federal tax returns.

The former president of Sea Star Line LLC, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based water freight carrier, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and to pay a $25,000 criminal fine for his participation in a conspiracy to fix rates and surcharges for freight transported by water between the continental United States and Puerto Rico.

Bilfinger SE, an international engineering and services company based in Mannheim, Germany, has agreed to pay a $32 million penalty to resolve charges that it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by bribing government officials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to obtain and retain contracts

"A key step in promoting greater public confidence in these intelligence activities is to provide greater transparency so that the American people, as well as ordinary citizens around the world, understand what the activities are, how they function, and how they are overseen."

The Tax Division of the Department of Justice today strongly encouraged Swiss banks that want to seek non-prosecution agreements to resolve past cross-border criminal tax violations to submit letters of intent by the Dec. 31, 2013 deadline required by the Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks.

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Gannett Co. Inc., Belo Corp. and Sander Media LLC to divest their interests in KMOV‑TV, a CBS affiliate in St. Louis, in order to proceed with Gannett’s acquisition of Belo, and Sander’s related acquisition of six Belo television stations that Gannett cannot hold under Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules.

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

A brokerage subsidiary of ConvergEx Group LLC pleaded guilty today to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud.

A former engineer for BP plc, was convicted today of intentionally destroying evidence requested by federal criminal authorities investigating the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Cardiologist Dr. Elie H. Korban will pay $1.15 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that he billed Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary cardiac stent placement.

Timothy Stafford, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Nashville, Tenn., for his role in the April 30, 2012, cross burning in front of an interracial family’s home in Minor Hill, Tenn.

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

A Dallas-based group of companies and their owner must either stop importing vehicles or follow a comprehensive compliance plan to settle Clean Air Act (CAA) violations stemming from the alleged illegal import of over 24,167 highway motorcycles and recreational vehicles into the United States without proper documentation.

Jay G. Conrad, of Lakeland, Tenn., pleaded guilty today in the District of Maine to conspiring to illegally import and traffic narwhal tusks, conspiring to launder money, and illegally trafficking narwhal tusks.

Alcoa World Alumina LLC, a majority-owned and controlled global alumina sales company of Alcoa Inc., has agreed to plead guilty later today and pay $223 million in criminal fines and forfeiture to resolve charges that it paid millions of dollars in bribes through an international middleman in London.

A former mayor of South Pittsburg, Tenn., and an associate were sentenced today in Chattanooga, Tenn., for managing an illegal gambling business.

Two former Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A. (Rabobank) Japanese Yen derivatives traders and the trader responsible for setting Rabobank’s Yen London InterBank Offered Rate (LIBOR) were charged as part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the manipulation of LIBOR.

A former disc jockey for area high school parties pleaded guilty today in the District of Puerto Rico to producing child pornography.

Three men from Tennessee were arrested today for offenses related to their involvement in sex trafficking adult victims to New Orleans as charged in a five-count indictment dated Dec. 20, 2013, and unsealed today by Chief Judge Sarah S. Vance of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, announced the Justice Department’s and U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

More than 30 years ago, LISC was launched in a moment of great challenge – at a time when distressed neighborhoods across the country faced uncertain futures. After decades of rising crime and deteriorating fortunes in parts of America’s most vibrant cities, the Ford Foundation and its allies stepped forward. And they established the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to take what was – at the time – a novel approach to addressing community challenges.

Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based company, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a total of $56.6 million in criminal fines for its roles in separate price-fixing conspiracies involving automobile lighting fixtures and lamp ballasts installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.

The U.S. Justice Department released the following statement by department spokesman Brian Fallon in response to President Obama’s speech on U.S. signals intelligence.

A campaign worker was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas for allegedly paying voters to vote in a Donna, Texas school board election. Two other campaign workers were indicted on similar charged last week for alleged vote-buying in the election.

Four individuals were sentenced this week for their respective roles in trafficking the identities and corresponding identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.

Three Georgia men have been charged in a 51-count indictment for their alleged participation in fraud and corruption schemes at the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) in Albany, Ga., resulting in the loss of millions of dollars to the United States government.

The Justice Department announced today that General Electric Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC (GE Hitachi) has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that it made false statements and claims to the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concerning an advanced nuclear reactor design.

The Boeing Company, General Dynamics Corporation, and the United States have formally asked the United States Court of Federal Claims to dismiss, as part of a settlement, their 23-year old dispute involving the Department of the Navy's 1991 default termination of a $4.8 billion contract awarded to Boeing's predecessor, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, and General Dynamics, to develop the A-12 carrier-based stealth aircraft.

Two orthopedic clinics will pay a combined $1.85 million to resolve state and federal False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly billed state and federal health care programs for reimported osteoarthritis medications, known as viscosupplements.

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of the following eight U.S. Attorneys to serve two-year terms on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC).

Saint Joseph Health System Inc. has agreed to pay $16.5 million to resolve allegations that Saint Joseph Hospital violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid programs for a variety of medically unnecessary cardiac procedures, the Justice Department announced today.

As I have often said, the Department’s top priority must always be the protection of the American people from terrorism and other national security threats.