Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ)

Washington, District of Columbia

The internship is designed to give students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience working on challenging projects and cases principally involving issues of federal Indian law. Interns work closely with attorneys in OTJ on a wide range of Indian law issues and projects. Work may include legal research, drafting legal memoranda and briefs, participating in public policy development, reviewing proposed legislation, and responding to citizen correspondence. Also, interns may have the opportunity to attend Congressional hearings, oral arguments before the Supreme Court, and high-level meetings with OTJ attorneys.

Internship Location:  Washington, DC

Minimum Weeks Required:  10

Web Site:  www.justice.gov/otj/index.html

Civil Division (CIV)

Washington, District of Columbia

Interns research, write, and develop draft motions, briefs, and discovery; attend depositions, moot court and oral arguments; perform legal research; and assist attorneys in all phases of trial preparation and at trial.

Internship Locations:  Washington, D.C., New York City, and San Francisco. The vast majority of internships are located in Washington, D.C.

Minimum Weeks Required:  6

Civil Division (CIV)
Commercial-Intellectual Property
Washington, District of Columbia

As a Law Student Volunteer you will conduct research, draft memoranda, and assist in discovery and trial efforts.  you will be given assignments in different subject matters, providing exposure to a variety of intellectual property practice areas.  Our goal is to introduce you to the federal legal system in general and our office's practice areas in particular, and to develop your legal skills.

Civil Division (CIV)
Commercial-Intellectual Property
Washington, District of Columbia

As a Law Student Volunteer you will conduct research, draft memoranda, and assist in discovery and trial efforts.  You will be given assignments in different subject matters, providing exposure to a variety of intellectual property practice areas.  Our goal is to introduce you to the federal legal system in general and our office's practice areas in particular, and to develop your legal skills.

USAO Southern District of Texas

Houston, Texas

Application Deadline: May 29, 2020

Our office seeks law students of varied backgrounds and skills to assist Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) for Fall Semester 2020. Our law student internship program provides participants with supervised and direct responsibility for criminal, civil, appellate, and post-conviction litigation. This includes conducting research and writing assignments, assisting AUSAs with trial and witness preparation, participating in moot courts prior to appellate oral arguments, attendance at depositions, mediations, and trials, and much more. Some of the outstanding memoranda written by law student interns have been sent to other United States Attorney's Offices and government agencies throughout the country. Needless to say, selection for an internship at the United States Attorney's Office is a significant accomplishment, bringing the opportunity for significant professional development.

National Security Division (NSD)
Counterterrorism Section
Washington, District of Columbia

The Counterterrorism Section (CTS) seeks exceptionally qualified candidates for volunteer internship opportunities. Academic year internship positions are either part time (16 hour/week minimum) from September through April, or full time (32 hour/week minimum) from September through December or January through April.

The mission of CTS is to prevent and disrupt acts of terrorism in the United States and around the world. We investigate and prosecute domestic and international terrorism cases, support the counterterrorism efforts of other federal departments and agencies, and work with foreign governments to assist in their criminal investigations and prosecutions of terrorists. CTS intern responsibilities include: conducting legal research and analysis, assisting with the drafting of motions and other pleadings, and assisting with presentations and supporting materials.

A former senior executive with Alstom S.A. (Alstom), a French power and transportation company, was sentenced in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, to 15 months in prison today for his role in a multi-year, multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme designed to promote violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

A federal jury in Detroit, Michigan, found a Colombian man guilty of all charges in a nine-count indictment charging him with Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy and other violent crimes, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office.

The Department of Justice announced today that the Western Union Remission Fund began its first distribution of approximately $153 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. government from the Western Union Company (Western Union) to over 109,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims, many of whom were elderly victims of consumer fraud and abuse, will be recovering the full amount of their losses.

The owner of a Detroit-area physical therapy clinic was sentenced to 11 years in prison today for his role in a drug diversion scheme.

A federal jury sitting in Houston, Texas, found a pharmacist guilty Tuesday of charges related to health care fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.

An Allentown, Pennsylvania, attorney has been charged for his role in a $2.7 million investment fraud scheme that victimized his law clients, according to a superseding indictment that was unsealed Monday.

Former President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros, Venezuela’s vice president for the economy, Venezuela’s Minister of Defense, and Venezuela’s Chief Supreme Court Justice are among those charged in New York City; Washington, DC; and Miami, along with current and former Venezuelan government officials as well as two Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) leaders, announced U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of the Southern District of New York, U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Southern District of Florida, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa D. Erichs of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The Department of Justice announced today that it has repatriated to Malaysia approximately $300 million (RM 1.292 billion) in additional funds misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysia’s investment development fund, and laundered through financial institutions in several jurisdictions, including the United States, Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg.

At the start of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Department of Justice today announced that on April 20, the Madoff Victim Fund (MVF) began its fifth distribution of approximately $378.5 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. Government in connection with the Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC (BLMIS) fraud scheme, bringing the total distributed to over $2.7 billion to nearly 38,000 victims worldwide.

An Allentown, Pennsylvania, attorney pleaded guilty today for his role in a $2.7 million investment fraud scheme that victimized his law clients.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with the Warren County, North Carolina, Board of Education (Warren County) that resolves a federal lawsuit brought under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) on behalf of Dwayne Coffer, a Command Sergeant Major (CSM) in the Army Reserve. In its complaint, the United States alleged that Warren County violated USERRA by eliminating Sergeant Major Coffer’s employment position while he was on active duty with the military and failed to re-employ him in a comparable position when he returned.

A 14-count indictment has been unsealed today in San Antonio, Texas, charging five individuals with coordinating an identify-theft and fraud scheme targeting servicemembers and veterans.

The Department of Justice announced that it filed a complaint yesterday in federal court in the Northern District of Mississippi against Coahoma County, Mississippi (Coahoma County), to protect the employment rights of an Army Reservist, Staff Sergeant First Class (SSG) Jason Sims Sr.  

The Department of Justice filed a complaint today in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado on behalf of Naval Petty Officer Third Class Lindsey Hunger against Walmart Inc. The complaint alleges that Walmart violated the law when it declined to hire Hunger due to her upcoming naval reserve duties.

Fredrick Brown, 38, of Las Vegas, Nevada, a former civilian medical records administrator for the U.S. Army at the 65th Medical Brigade, Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, admitted yesterday to his role in an identity-theft and fraud scheme that victimized thousands of U.S. servicemembers and veterans.

As we mark Veterans Day 2019, the Justice Department announced two settlement agreements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to protect and advance equal access for veterans with disabilities who use service dogs. One agreement is with Deerfield Inn & Suites, in Gadsden, Alabama. The second agreement is with the Landmark Hotel Group in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which manages the Holiday Inn Express in Hampton, Virginia. These matters were investigated and resolved in furtherance of the Department’s commitment to ensuring that our veterans enjoy equal access to public accommodations, such as restaurants, hotels, and shops.

On Dec. 17, 2019, the Department of Justice filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on behalf of Captain and Judge Advocate Derrick Strong against the City of Chicago Fire Department (CFD), alleging that the City violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) when it failed to provide Strong with an opportunity, after his return from active duty military service, to take a promotional examination that he missed while deployed.

The Department of Justice announced today the resolution of a lawsuit in which Naval Petty Officer Third Class Lindsey Hunger alleged that Walmart violated her rights when it failed to offer her employment at the Walmart store located at 2545 Rimrock Avenue in Grand Junction, Colorado because of her upcoming Naval Reserve commitments. Ms. Hunger had alleged that Walmart’s actions violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and United States Attorney’s Office represented Petty Officer Hunger in the lawsuit.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement with the Richmond County (GA) Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) that resolves allegations that the RCSO violated the employment rights of Private First Class (PFC) Auben Kendall under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).

As the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, I am entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the civil rights of the brave men and women of our nation’s armed forces, and our nation’s veterans.  Since COVID-19 has come to our shores, active duty servicemembers and members of the National Guard and Reserve have shouldered new burdens as they work to protect our country.  We owe it to them to ensure that COVID-19 does not jeopardize their economic livelihood.  That is why the Department of Justice is committed to vigorously enforcing all the civil rights laws, including those that protect the housing and civilian employment rights of servicemembers. 

The Justice Department announced today that Juan Carlos Pagán Bonilla (Pagan), 21, and Sean Díaz de León (Diaz), 19, have been charged by a criminal complaint in federal district court with carjacking and with using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in connection with the death of two transgender individuals. Pagan and Diaz are now in federal custody.

The Justice Department announced today that it has entered an agreement with the State of Arkansas to resolve claims that the state did not provide certain opportunities to update voter registration records as required by Section 5 of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

The Department of Justice today filed a Statement of Interest in a Virginia federal court concerning the First Amendment’s freedom of religion in support of Lighthouse Fellowship Church (Lighthouse), a congregation in Chincoteague Island, Virginia, that serves, among others, recovering drug addicts and former prostitutes.

The former Director of Procurement for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and the president and chief executive officer of a government contracting firm pleaded guilty today to conspiring to bribe a public official.

The Department of Justice announced today that it has transferred $311,797,876.11 to the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Nigeria) in accordance with a Feb. 3, 2020, trilateral agreement among the governments of the United States, Nigeria and the Bailiwick of Jersey (Jersey) to repatriate assets the United States forfeited that were traceable to the kleptocracy of former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and his co-conspirators.

The Department of Justice has reached a settlement of its civil forfeiture cases against assets acquired by Khadem al-Qubaisi using funds allegedly misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysia’s investment development fund, and laundered through financial institutions in several jurisdictions, including the United States, Switzerland, Singapore and Luxembourg.

Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd issued the following statement in support of efforts to streamline payments under the Public Safety Officer Benefit Program (PSOB) to public safety officers fatally injured while working during COVID-19:

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Randstad North America Inc. (Randstad), a global staffing agency with offices throughout the United States and a headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The settlement resolves the department’s claims that the staffing company’s South Plainfield, New Jersey location, violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against lawful permanent residents when verifying their work authorization.

This week, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice held a hearing on juvenile justice over three days via teleconference. Each teleconference featured expert witnesses who provided testimony and, subsequently, answered questions from the Commissioners.

The Department of Justice today filed a Statement of Interest in a Georgia federal court to help ensure that uniformed service members serving their country away from home, their family members absent with them, and American citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in Georgia’s 2020 federal elections. The Statement of Interest is part of the Department of Justice’s continued efforts to enforce the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

A Las Vegas resident was sentenced to 65 months in prison today for his role in a stolen identity tax fraud, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.

A Miami, Florida, business owner was sentenced to 24 months in prison today for failing to pay over employment taxes, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida.

A federal jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, convicted California businessman Lev Aslan Dermen, also known as Levon Termendzhyan, of criminal charges today relating to a $1 billion renewable fuel tax credit fraud scheme, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney John W. Huber for the District of Utah, Don Fort Chief of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Criminal Investigation, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Lance Ehrig for the Denver Area Office of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Criminal Investigation Division, and Special Agent-in-Charge Michael Mentavlos for the Denver Area Office of Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

A federal court in Tampa, Florida has permanently barred Steven Doletzky, formerly doing business as Liberty Tax Service, from operating a tax return preparation business and preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The court also ordered Doletzky to disgorge $175,000 of ill-gotten gains that the United States alleges he received from filing federal tax returns that claimed improper tax refunds, understated customers’ federal tax liabilities, or otherwise included false or fraudulent claims.