vi

Another Individual Sentenced in Miami in Connection with Costa Rica-Based Business Opportunity Fraud Ventures

Gregory Britt Fleming was sentenced today in connection with a series of Costa Rica-based business opportunity fraud ventures.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Former Member of Virginia House of Delegates Convicted of Bribery and Extortion

Phillip A. Hamilton, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, today was convicted by a jury in Richmond, Va., of soliciting employees of Old Dominion University (ODU) for a paid position at the same time he was introducing legislation to fund the position.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition Spring Conference

"IP crime is a serious threat. It jeopardizes the health and safety of consumers. It stifles creativity. And it has a negative effect on the American economy. Attorney General Holder and I and other leaders in the Justice Department are 100 percent committed to aggressive IP enforcement. And we want and need you to work with us in this fight. We face real challenges in this area. But we have taken significant strides in the last two years, and I look forward to expanding on those efforts in the months and years ahead."




vi

Brooklyn Physical Therapist Pleads Guilty to Fraud Scheme Involving False Billings to Medicare

A Brooklyn physical therapist pleaded guilty today for his role in submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for physical therapy services that were medically unnecessary and never provided.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Senior Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels Speaks Before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

"The Civil Rights Division and the entire Obama Administration have been deeply committed to promoting safe and inclusive educational environments for all children," said Senior Counselor Samuels.




vi

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the 23rd Annual National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Candlelight Vigil

"At every level of the Justice Department, ensuring the safety of our law enforcement partners is – and will remain – a top priority. And we will continue working to better understand the challenges – and to mitigate the risks – that they regularly face."




vi

Six Individuals Charged for Providing Material Support to the Pakistani Taliban

Six individuals located in South Florida and Pakistan have been indicted in the Southern District of Florida on charges of providing financing and other material support to the Pakistani Taliban, a designated foreign terrorist organization.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Tenaris S.A. Agrees to Pay $3.5 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Tenaris S.A., a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Luxembourg, has agreed to pay a $3.5 million penalty for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and has entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Justice Department Settles ADA Complaint Involving Children with Autism and Other Disabilities at Preschool Program in Baldwin Park, Calif.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a state-funded private preschool program, Beginning Montessori Academy, located in Baldwin Park, Calif.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Former Puerto Rico Senator Jorge De Castro Font Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Honest Services Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Extortion

Jorge De Castro Font, 47, a former senate majority leader in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to 20 counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Attorney General Holder Announces Appointment of Juan Osuna as Director for the Executive Office for Immigration Review

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the appointment of Juan Osuna as the permanent Director for the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the Department of Justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Houston Medical Equipment Company Owner Sentenced to 84 Months in Prison for Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving More Than $2 Million in False Billings

The owner of a Houston-area durable medical equipment (DME) company was sentenced to 84 months in prison for her role in a Medicare fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Attorney General Holder Names Sheila L. Birnbaum as Special Master of September 11th Victim Compensation Fund

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that he has chosen Sheila L. Birnbaum to head the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund program. Birnbaum, a life-long New Yorker, has decades of experience resolving complicated litigation.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Texas Egg Producer Will Pay $1.9 Million Penalty to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations

Mahard Egg Farm Inc., a Texas corporation operating in both Texas and Oklahoma, has agreed to pay a $1.9 million penalty to resolve claims that the company failed to comply with the Clean Water Act at its egg production facilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Former Department of Defense Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing Financial Assistance Funds Intended for Service Members

A former civilian employee of the Department of Defense pleaded guilty today in Columbus, Ga., to conversion of Army Emergency Relief (AER) funds while he was employed at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

International Competition Network Presents Vision for Its Second Decade

At its 10th annual conference in The Hague, the Netherlands, the International Competition Network (ICN) adopted new materials on how to assess market dominance, resolve cartel cases and manage competition projects effectively.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the University of Virginia Law School Commencement

"As you pursue your own passions – and work to fulfill your collective responsibilities – I hope, in the spirit of Robert Kennedy – your famous predecessor, and mine – that you will dare greatly; that you will question what is accepted and change what is objectionable; that you will root out injustice in all its forms; and that you always will remember the truth of his enduring words: “The future is not a gift. It is an achievement.”




vi

Lender to Pay $300,000 to Settle Allegations Involving Small Business Administration Loan

Garsh Lending LLC, a lender located in Miami, has agreed to pay the United States $300,000 to settle allegations involving a Small Business Administration loan.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Takedown Press Conference

"Today, a 50-count superseding indictment was unsealed charging 13 leaders, members and associates of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family with crimes that spanned more than a decade."




vi

Attorney General Calls for Action to Protect Children from Violence in New TV Public Service Announcement

A public service announcement (PSA) featuring Attorney General Eric Holder began airing this week on the Investigation Discovery network.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Former White Mountain Apache Tribal Police Officer Charged with Civil Rights Violations

A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned a two-count indictment today charging former White Mountain Apache Tribal police officer, Glenn Cromwell, with federal crimes in connection with maliciously abandoning Anthony Archuleta and Barry Lowe in dangerously cold weather conditions in December 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Justice Department Settles Case Against South Bend, Indiana, Public Transportation Corporation to Defend Employment Rights of Army Reservist

The Department of Justice announced today that it has resolved claims made by Stephen Ralston against the South Bend, Ind., Public Transportation Corporation (TRANSPO) under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Statement by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Before the Senate Judiciary Committee

"The Justice Department successfully and aggressively uses every tool now available to us to prosecute crimes committed abroad by U.S. Government personnel and U.S. Government contractors."




vi

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the Franz-Hermann Brüner Memorial Lecture at the World Bank

"Prosecutors and law enforcement professionals in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice are working hard to fight corruption at every level, at home and abroad. This work is one way in which we send the message loud and clear that public officials who abuse their power for personal gain – whether they are in the United States or the emerging democracies of North Africa and the Middle East or anywhere else around the world – are on the wrong side. And we will keep working and keep fighting to hold them to account."




vi

Justice Department Settles with Bank of America and Saxon Mortgage for Illegally Foreclosing on Servicemembers

The Justice Department today announced settlements with two lenders under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to resolve allegations that the lenders wrongfully foreclosed upon active duty servicemembers without first obtaining court orders, in violation of the SCRA.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Two Individuals Convicted of Importing and Selling Counterfeit Cisco Computer Networking Equipment

Chun-Yu Zhao, of Centreville, Va., and Donald H. Cone, of Frederick, Md., were convicted by a federal jury in Alexandria, Va., for their roles in a sophisticated scheme to import and sell counterfeit Cisco-branded computer networking equipment.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Three Convicted of Sex Trafficking, Forced Labor and Immigration Offenses on Long Island, N.Y.

A federal jury in Central Islip, N.Y., today found Antonio Rivera, 36, and Jason Villaman, 33, guilty of conspiracy, sex trafficking, forced labor, alien harboring and alien transportation.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Houston Federal Jury Convicts Patient Recruiter of Medicare Fraud Involving Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

Marion Beverly Metoyer, a patient recruiter for a Houston durable medical equipment (DME) company, was convicted today by a Houston federal jury of health care fraud related to a power wheelchair fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Wisconsin Man Charged with FACE Act Violations

The Justice Department announced today that Ralph Lang, 63, Marshfield, Wis., was charged today in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Madison, Wis., with attempting to injure, intimidate and interfere with other persons because those persons were providing reproductive health services.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Vice President of Fraudulent Physical Therapy Company Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud

A Miami-area resident who was an owner and vice-president of a fraudulent physical therapy company in Lakeland, Fla., pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Minneapolis Youth Violence Prevention Conference

“This conference provides a critical opportunity to highlight, to celebrate, and – hopefully – to replicate, the extraordinary progress that’s been made under Minneapolis’s “Blueprint for Action” strategy. It’s also our chance to reaffirm our commitment to the goals that we share – protecting young people in need and at risk; and strengthening our approach to addressing one of the greatest public safety – and public health – epidemics of our time: children’s exposure to violence.”




vi

Kansas Man Convicted of Visa Fraud

A Kansas man who previously resided in Rwanda was convicted today of visa fraud, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Justice Department Files Suit Against Colorado Couple for Face Act Violations

The Justice Department today filed a civil complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado against Kenneth and JoAnn Scott for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Civil Rights Division Speaks Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution

"Every day in the Civil Rights Division presents me, my staff, and our outstanding team of dedicated career attorneys and professionals a new opportunity to protect and defend the rights of individuals who might not be able to assert those rights on their own. We are proud to carry the torch of the great civil rights pioneers who fought for laws that would ensure equal opportunity and equal justice – and we honor their legacy by enforcing those laws aggressively and evenhandedly. "




vi

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the National Seminar for Federal Defenders

"I know that you are dedicated to your clients, and to defending them as vigorously as you can, while at the same time recognizing the importance of criminal prosecution to society. And in representing clients who would not have the means to defend themselves without you, you are essential to our adversary system."




vi

New York Battery Manufacturer to Pay $2.7 Million for False Pricing Information Provided to U.S. Army

Newark, N.Y.-based Ultralife Corporation, formerly known as Ultralife Batteries Inc., has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations that the battery manufacturer violated the False Claims Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Former Senator and Presidential Candidate John Edwards Charged for Alleged Role in Scheme to Violate Federal Campaign Finance Laws

A federal grand jury today returned a six-count indictment against former U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards for allegedly participating in a scheme to violate federal campaign finance laws.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

California Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Conspiring to Violate the Clean Air Act

The owner and manager of a California condominium complex were sentenced today for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in 2006 – work that caused asbestos to be released into the complex and the surrounding community.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Maryland Couple Charged with Domestic Servitude of Filipina Woman

A federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Md., indicted Alfred Edwards and Gloria Edwards, both of Upper Marlboro, Md., on charges arising from a scheme to compel the labor and domestic service of a Filipina national.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Civil Rights Division Speaks at the Portland, Oregon, Police Bureau Press Conference

"Effective, accountable policing is critical for any healthy community, and we are here today because we all share the goal of ensuring that the Portland Police Bureau is the best law enforcement agency that it can be."




vi

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with City of Bedford, Virginia, on Bailout Under the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department has reached an agreement with the city of Bedford, Va., that, if approved by the court, will allow for the city’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of Voting Rights Act, and thereby exempt the city from the preclearance requirements of Section 5 of the act.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Foreign National Pleads Guilty for Role in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving $1.4 Million in Losses to Victims

A Romanian national pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia for leading a money laundering network for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Federal Agencies Announce National Initiative to Combat Immigration Services Scams

This initiative targets immigration scams involving the unauthorized practice of immigration law (UPIL), which occurs when legal advice and/or representation regarding immigration matters is provided by an individual who is not an attorney or accredited representative.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Justice Department Files for Receivership in Virgin Islands Prison Conditions Case

The Justice Department today filed a motion for appointment of a receiver in the U.S. District Court, St. Croix, USVI, to remedy 25 years of non-compliance with court orders by the Virgin Islands Bureau of Corrections (BOC) regarding unconstitutional conditions of confinement at the Golden Grove Adult Correctional and Detention Facility.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Former Detective and Tax Preparer Convicted of Tax Fraud in Florida

Inuka Rhaheed, owner of First Premium Financial Services and a former detective with the Fort Pierce, Fla., Police Department, and Wilens Bertrand, a tax preparer at First Premium, on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Tahawwur Rana Guilty of Providing Material Support to Terror Group and Playing Supporting Role in Denmark Terror Conspiracy

A Pakistani native who operated a Chicago-based immigration business was convicted today of participating in conspiracy involving a terrorism plot against a Danish newspaper and providing material support to a terrorist organization based in Pakistan.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Speaks at Justice Department Anti-Violence Event in Roanoke

"At the Department of Justice, we are investing in more effective enforcement strategies, but we are also investing in communities across the country in proven strategies for preventing crime, in particular for reaching vulnerable young people before they commit crimes or when they begin going down the wrong path, and we are also investing in providing a transition for individuals coming out of prison, what we call reentry, because if we can reduce the recidivism rate, we can also reduce crime."




vi

Assistant Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the “Combating Immigration Services Scams” Press Conference

The Department of Justice, through our United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Civil Division’s Office of Consumer Protection Litigation, is investigating and prosecuting dozens of cases against these so-called “notarios,” said Assistant Attorney General West.




vi

Jackson County, Michigan, Man Charged with Gun Crime and Obstructing the Internal Revenue Service

A Detroit grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Karl Herrington, of Parma, Mich., with being a felon in possession of six different firearms.



  • OPA Press Releases

vi

South Florida Corrections Officers Indicted on Federal Civil Rights and Obstruction Charges

South Florida Reception Center (SFRC) officers Alexander McQueen, 30; Guruba Griffin 31; Scott Butler, 32; and Steven Dawkins, 30, were indicted on charges of conspiring to violate the civil rights of inmates at SFRC. McQueen and Dawkins are also charged with obstruction of justice.



  • OPA Press Releases