po

British Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

On Jan. 13, 2010, Dilraj Mathauda entered a guilty plea in federal district court in Miami Federal to one count of an indictment pending against him, charging conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Andrew Goldsmith Appointed as National Coordinator of Criminal Discovery Initiatives

The position was established as part of the Department’s ongoing efforts, initiated last year at the direction of the Attorney General, to review and improve its criminal discovery and case management policies and procedures.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

General Reinsurance Corporation Enters into Agreement Resolving Its Role in Fraudulent Reinsurance Transaction with AIG

General Re has admitted that its most senior management engaged in a scheme to falsely inflate AIG’s reported loss reserves, a key indicator of financial health to insurance industry analysts and investors.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

CEO of Seafood Importer Pleads Guilty to Importing and Selling Falsely Labeled Fish from Vietnam

The chief executive officer of Sterling Seafood Corporation located in Cresskill, N.J., pleaded guilty to importing falsely labeled fish from Vietnam and evading over $60 million in federal tariffs, as well as selling over $500,000 in similarly misbranded fish purchased from another importer in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

State Department Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

To date, nine current or former State Department employees or contractors have pleaded guilty in this continuing investigation.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former U.S. Army Officer Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Bribery and Weapons Conspiracy

Michael Wheeler, a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, was sentenced late yesterday to 42 months in prison for his participation in a wide-ranging bribery conspiracy involving the U.S. government, the Republic of Iraq and the Coalition Provisional Authority - South Central Region (CPA-SC) in Al-Hillah, Iraq.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

U.S. Citizen Pleads Guilty in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Scheme

Stephen Schultz entered a guilty plea in federal district court in Miami to 12 counts of an indictment pending against him.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Housing Discrimination in Davenport, Iowa

The Department announced the settlement of a lawsuit alleging that those involved in the design and construction of two multifamily housing complexes in Davenport, Iowa, violated the Fair Housing Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Attorney General Holder Appoints Three New U.S. Attorneys to Advisory Committee

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of three new U.S. Attorneys to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC): Sanford Coats of the Western District of Oklahoma; Steven M. Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio; and Jim Letten of the Eastern District of Louisiana.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Redding, Calif., Man Convicted of Child Pornography Offenses

Elden Ray Cibart, 60, was found guilty of one count of possessing and three counts of receiving child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Department of Justice Officials, Actress Mariska Hargitay Urge Team Response to End Violence Against Women

President Obama’s FY2011 budget request provides $461 million for OVW to provide communities with resources to combat sexual assault and violence against women.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Taiwan Exporter Arrested on Charges of Exporting Missile Components from the United States to Iran

Yi-Lan Chen, aka "Kevin Chen," 40, a Taiwan passport holder, was arrested on Feb. 3, 2010, on charges of illegally exporting commodities for Iran’s missile program.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

U.K. Firm Pleads Guilty to Illegally Exporting Boeing 747 Aircraft to Iran

Balli Aviation Ltd., a subsidiary of the United Kingdom-based Balli Group PLC, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a two-count criminal information in connection with its illegal export of commercial Boeing 747 aircraft from the United States to Iran.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former U.S. Military Contractor Pleads Guilty to Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to Defense Department Contracts in Support of Iraqi War

Former military contractor Terry Hall, 43, of Snellville, Ga., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay more than $3 million in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, and to money laundering conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

U.S. Army Contracting Official Charged with Bribery and Related Crimes in Off-Post Housing Scheme

A U.S. Army contracting official was charged today with bribery and unlawful salary supplementation in connection with two schemes to solicit more than $30,000 in bribes from an Egyptian businessman in Kuwait.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Statement of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on Its Decision to Close Its Investigation of the Internet Search and Paid Search Advertising Agreement Between Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo! Inc.

"After a thorough review of the evidence, the division has determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the United States."



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Attorney General Eric Holder Addresses the Department of Justice National Symposium on Indigent Defense: Looking Back, Looking Forward, 2000–2010

I have every expectation that our criminal defense system can, and will, be a source of tremendous national pride. And I know that achieving this requires the best that we, as a profession and as a people, have to offer.




po

Attorney General Holder Speaks at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Graduation

"Today, I’m pleased to welcome the 51 new members to our nation’s law enforcement community and to our shared work. Though this community spans every state and county, and across all levels of government, in many ways we are, like this class, one team."




po

Najibullah Zazi Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Explosives Against Persons or Property in U.S., Conspiracy to Murder Abroad and Providing Material Support to Al-Qaeda

Among other things, Zazi admitted that he brought TATP [Triacetone Triperoxide] explosives to New York on Sept. 10, 2009, as part of plan to attack the New York subway system.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Department of Justice Will Not Challenge Proposed Online Subscription News Service

Based on representations made by MyWire Inc., the department said that the formation and operation of the news service is not likely to reduce competition among Internet publishers and could provide procompetitive benefits to both publishers and consumers.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Georgia Man Sentenced for Transporting a Minor for Illegal Sexual Activity

Mack Gordon Harris Sr., 67, was sentenced today to 121 months in prison for transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former New Orleans Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Cover Up the Danziger Bridge Shootings

Michael Lohman, a former Lieutenant of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), has pleaded guilty to conspiring with fellow NOPD officers to obstruct justice by covering up a police-involved shooting that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Medical Device Manufacturer Guidant Charged in Failure to Report Defibrillator Safety Problems to FDA

Medical device manufacturer Guidant LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corporation, was charged today with criminal violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act related to safety problems with some of its implantable defibrillators.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Jury Convicts Fresno, Calif., Patient Recruiter of Medicare Fraud in Power Wheelchair Scam

A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted a Fresno woman late Friday after it found that she committed Medicare fraud by recruiting patients for the purpose of receiving unnecessary power wheelchairs.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Legal Services Corporation’s Black History Month Celebration

"As today’s program points out, for more than half a century, Americans have come together during Black History Month to reflect on how far our nation and, especially our African-American communities, have traveled on the long road toward equality and freedom," said Attorney General Holder.




po

Oregon Man Charged with Operating Illegal Money Transmitting Business That Moved More Than $172 Million Through Shell Corporations in the United States

Victor Kaganov, who emigrated from Russia and set up numerous shell corporations in Oregon on behalf of Russian clients, was arrested today on charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

New Justice Department Outreach Effort to Victims of Radiation Exposure Announced

The Department announced a new internship program that will employ students part-time to conduct intensive outreach efforts with Native Americans and their families whose work in the uranium industry during the Cold War benefitted the United States but exposed them to radiation and may entitle them to compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA).



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli Testifies Before the House Committee on Natural Resources on the Proposed Settlement of the Cobell V. Salazar Litigation

The settlement, which will require legislative and judicial approval to become effective, is fair to the plaintiffs, is responsible for the United States, and provides a path forward for the future.




po

Former New Orleans Police Detective Pleads Guilty; Confirms Danziger Cover-up

A second former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officer has pleaded guilty to covering up a deadly police shooting in the days after Hurricane Katrina.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Production of Child Pornography Using Hidden Videos in Store Bathrooms

Jeffrey Alan Wasley of Kennesaw, Ga., pleaded guilty today to production of child pornography related to surreptitiously videotaping young boys using public restrooms in Atlanta-area establishments.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former West Point Employee Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Role in $3 Million Embezzlement Scheme

A Highland Falls, N.Y., woman was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud and embezzle funds from the U.S. government by authorizing nearly $3 million in payments from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., to a bogus corporation she controlled.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Justice Department Resolves Americans with Disabilities Act Lawsuit with Jackson, Mississippi, Public Transportation System

The United States has reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with the city of Jackson, Miss., to improve access to public transportation for individuals with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

State Department Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files

A State Department employee was sentenced today to 12 months of probation for illegally accessing more than 60 confidential passport application files.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Two Puerto Rico Police Officers Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Charges Related to Fatal Assault

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel R. Dominguez sentenced former San Juan, Puerto Rico Police Officers, Carlos Pagan Ferrer, 32, and Juan Morales Rosado, 32, today for their role in the fatal assault by San Juan officers against Jose Rivera Robles, an unarmed civilian.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Chicago Man Charged with Providing Material Support to Al Qaeda by Attempting to Send Funds Overseas

Raja Lahrasib Khan was charged with two counts of providing material support to terrorism in a criminal complaint that was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Chicago and unsealed today following his arrest.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Justice Department Settles with Louisiana School District to Ensure Students Have Equal Opportunities

The Department entered into a settlement agreement with the Monroe City School District to address the educational inequities between schools serving virtually all black student populations and those schools that serve most of the district’s white students.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Pamrapo Savings Bank of New Jersey Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Secrecy Act Violations and Forfeits $5 Million

Pamrapo Savings Bank S.L.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pamrapo Bancorp Inc., based in Bayonne, N.J., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act and has agreed to forfeit $5 million to the United States



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Justice Department Settles with New York School District to Ensure Students Have Equal Opportunities

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an out-of-court settlement in the matter of J.L. v. Mohawk Central School District, a lawsuit which the United States sought to join to address alleged violations of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, both of which prohibit discrimination based on sex, including discrimination based on gender stereotypes



  • OPA Press Releases

po

New Orleans Police Officer Charged in Danziger Bridge Case

New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Officer Michael Hunter was charged today with misprision of a felony (for concealing a known felony) and with conspiring with fellow NOPD officers to obstruct justice by covering up a police-involved shooting in the days after Hurricane Katrina



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Department of Justice Supports the Associated Press’s Proposed Digital News Registry

The Department of Justice announced today that it supports a proposal by The Associated Press (AP) to develop and operate a voluntary news registry to facilitate the licensing and Internet distribution of news content created by the AP, its members, and other news originators



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Medical Device Manufacturer Guidant Pleads Guilty for Not Reporting Defibrillator Safety Problems to FDA

Guidant LLC pleaded guilty today in St. Paul, Minn., before U.S. District Court Judge Donovan W. Frank to criminal violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Stephen Schultz Sentenced in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

Defendant Stephen Schultz was sentenced in connection with a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former Department of Labor Chief of Staff Pleads Guilty for Failing to Report Gifts from Former Lobbyist Jack Abramoff

The former chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment Standards Administration pleaded guilty today to falsely certifying his Fiscal Year 2003 Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty in Danziger Bridge Case

Michael Hunter, who until last week was an officer with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice and misprision of a felony, for failing to report a crime, in connection with the federal investigation of a police-involved shooting on the Danziger Bridge.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Ponzi Scheme Operator Pleads Guilty to Tax Charges

John S. Lipton, formerly of Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills,Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer in Los Angeles to conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report Over $1 Million in Swiss Bank Accounts

Harry Abrahamsen, a resident of Oradell, N.J., pleaded guilty today to failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank or Financial Accounts.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Justice Department Granted Order to Ensure Students in Walthall County, Mississippi, Have Equal Opportunities

A federal court has ordered the Walthall County, Miss., School District to eliminate policies that have resulted in significant racial segregation among students in the school district.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Former U.S. Army Colonel Pleads Guilty to Accepting Illegal Gratuities Related to Contracting in Support of Iraq War

A retired colonel in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty today to accepting thousands of dollars in gratuities from a contractor during his deployment to Iraq as a contracting officer’s representative.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Operator Sentenced to 115 Months in Prison by Miami Judge

Dilraj “Rosh” Mathauda was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Joan A. Lenard in Miami to a term of 115 months in prison and five years of supervised release for illegally operating a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.



  • OPA Press Releases

po

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Police Executive Research Forum Annual Meeting

"PERF has become a leading voice in establishing policies to reduce officer-involved shootings, to increase diversity in your ranks, and to bring a renewed focus on accountability and transparency within your departments," said Attorney General Holder.