pr

Court Prohibits S.C. Tax Return Preparer from Preparing Returns for Others

A federal district judge in Charleston, S.C., has permanently barred Jessica Geddis, of Summerville, S.C., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

John Charles Mccluskey to Receive Life Prison Sentence for Murdering Oklahoma Couple

– John Charles McCluskey, 48, will receive a life prison sentence for a host of crimes arising out of the carjacking and murder of a couple from Tecumseh, Oklahoma



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Federal Court Shuts Down Atlanta-Area Tax Preparer

A federal court in Atlanta permanently barred Matthew Adegbite and his companies, MAS & Associates CPA LLC and Mathew A. Adegbite CPA PC, from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Former Washington, D.C.-Area Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that John T. Hoang, of Woodbridge, Va., was sentenced in federal district court in Washington, D.C., for willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns for the 2004 tax year.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Hacking into Multiple Computer Networks

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for his role in a scheme to hack into computer networks and sell access to those networks.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

First Deadline Approaches for Participation in the Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Ukrainian National Who Co-founded Cybercrime Marketplace Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison

One of the world’s most prolific cybercriminals was sentenced today to serve 18 years in prison for his role in co-founding the notorious website CarderPlanet. At the time of his arrest, Vega possessed more than half a million stolen credit card numbers



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Justice Department Requires Divestiture from Gannett Co. Inc. in Order to Proceed with Its Acquisition of Belo Corp.

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Former Contractor of a Florida Property Management Company Sentenced to Serve Time in Prison for Wire Fraud

A former repair contractor of a Florida property management company was sentenced to serve time in prison for his participation in a wire fraud scheme related to housing repairs made under a contract between Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Alabama Real Estate Developer Pleads Guilty to Filling Protected Mississippi Wetlands

Real estate developer from Fairhope, Ala., pleaded guilty today in federal district court in Gulfport, Miss., to the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., in violation of the Clean Water Act



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman for the Convergex Resolution Press Call

Today, we announce significant developments in a securities fraud investigation involving the large-scale theft of client funds by a global brokerage and trading firm.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Reno Man Charged with Conspiring to Provide Material Support to Terrorism Groups in India and Pakistan

A Reno, Nev. man has been charged with providing material support to terrorism groups in India and Pakistan in order to intimidate the Indian government and to harm persons that were not supporting their cause.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Tennessee Cardiologist to Pay $1.15 Million to Settle Allegations That He Performed Medically Unnecessary Heart Procedures

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 25 Years for Sex Trafficking a Minor and Two Adults

Terrance Anderson, aka Scooby, was sentenced to serve 25 years in a federal prison on charges of sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of transporting adults in interstate commerce for prostitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

President Obama Grants Commutations and Pardons

Today President Barack Obama granted clemency to 21 individuals, consisting of eight commutations and 13 pardons.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

International Arms Smuggler Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

Siarhei Baltutski, aka Sergey Boltutskiy, 41, of Minsk, Belarus, was sentenced today to serve 180 months in prison for conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Justice Department Reaches Settlement with State of New Hampshire to Expand Community Mental Health Services and Prevent Unnecessary Institutionalization

The Justice Department announced today that the United States and a coalition of mental health advocacy organizations have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the state of New Hampshire that will transform New Hampshire’s mental health system by significantly expanding and enhancing mental health service capacity in integrated community settings.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Reach $98 Million Settlementto Resolve Allegations of Auto Lending Discrimination by Ally

The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced the federal government’s largest auto loan discrimination settlement in history to resolve allegations that Detroit-based Ally Financial Inc. and Ally Bank have engaged in an ongoing nationwide pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander borrowers in their auto lending since April 1, 2011.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Army National Guard Colonel and Sergeant Indicted for Allegedly Defrauding Recruiting Assistance Program

A retired colonel and a sergeant in the Army National Guard have been charged in a nine-count indictment in Albuquerque, N.M., for allegedly defrauding the National Guard Bureau.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

ADM Subsidiary Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

A subsidiary of Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) pleaded guilty today and has agreed to pay more than $17 million in criminal fines to resolve charges that it paid bribes through vendors to Ukrainian government officials.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Reach $35 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by National City Bank

The Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a consent order today to resolve allegations that National City Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination that increased loan prices for African-American and Hispanic borrowers who obtained residential mortgages between 2002 and 2008 from National City Bank’s retail offices and nationwide network of mortgage brokers.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Four Minneapolis-based Return Preparers Indicted for Conspiracy, Aggravated Identity Theft, Preparing False Returns

A 63-count superseding indictment charging Chatonda Khofi, Ishmael Kosh, Amadou Sangaray and Francis Saygbay in a conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was unsealed on Monday, December 23, in Minneapolis, Minn.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Federal Court Shuts Down Montgomery Area Tax Preparer

A federal court in Montgomery, Ala., permanently barred Kenya Hendrix Adams from preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Pennsylvania-Based Dairy Firms and Individuals to Prevent Distribution of Foods That Contain Excessive Drug Residue

U.S. District Court Judge Kim R. Gibson of the Western District of Pennsylvania has entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Metzler & Sons LLC and Pleasant View Farms Inc., the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Colorado Health Care Organization and One of Its Montana Hospitals to Pay $3.85 Million for Allegedly Providing Financial Benefits to Referring Physicians and Physician Groups

St. James Healthcare (St. James), a hospital located in Butte, Mont., and its parent company, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (Sisters of Charity), a health care organization based in Denver, Colo., have agreed to pay $3.85 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law and the False Claims Act by improperly providing financial benefits to physicians and physician groups that made referrals to the hospital.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Departments of Justice and Education Issue School Discipline Guidance to Promote Safe, Inclusive Schools

The Department of Justice (DOJ), in collaboration with the Department of Education (ED), today released a school discipline guidance package that will assist states, districts and schools in developing practices and strategies to enhance school climate, and ensure those policies and practices comply with federal law.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Florida Couple Sentenced for Roles in Procurement Contract Bribery Scheme

A Florida man was sentenced to serve 15 months in prison, and his wife was sentenced to 24 months of probation, for their roles in a bribery and fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Justice Department Closes Investigation of Prison in Pittsburgh, Pa., After Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Works Cooperatively to Improve Security Practices

The Justice Department announced today that it has closed its investigation of State Correctional Institution – Pittsburgh after the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PDOC) significantly improved security policies and practices at the prison and throughout the Pennsylvania prison system.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Georgia Husband and Wife Tax Return Preparers Plead Guilty to Tax Crimes

Detrick and Natashia Tucker, a husband and wife who owned and operated a tax preparation business named T&T Express Tax located in Pine Mountain, Ga., pleaded guilty today to crimes relating to the preparation of false tax returns, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore for the Middle District of Georgia.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Former HealthEssentials Solutions Inc. Executives to Pay More Than $1 Million to Resolve Allegations of Submitting False Claims to Federal Health Care Program

Michael R. Barr, former chief executive officer of Louisville, Kentucky-based HealthEssentials Solutions Inc., has agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that he knowingly caused HealthEssentials to submit false claims to Medicare between 1999 and 2004.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Irish National Sentenced to Serve 14 Months in Prison for Trafficking of Endangered Rhinoceros Horns

Michael Slattery Jr., an Irish national, was sentenced in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., today to serve 14 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Fifth Former Georgia Prison Officer Pleads Guilty in Connection with the Assault of an Inmate and the Cover-Up That Followed

Today, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced that Kerry Bolden, a former employee of the Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) at Macon State Prison (MSP) in Oglethorpe, Ga., pleaded guilty to civil rights and conspiracy charges.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Former Lorain County, Ohio, Corrections Officer Sentenced to Serve 18 Months in Prison for Repeatedly Striking Inmate

A former Lorain County, Ohio, corrections officer was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Former Sevierville, Tenn., Resident Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that Jimmie Duane Ross, of Lehi, Utah, and formerly of Sevierville, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison based on his Aug. 7, 2013 conviction of five counts of tax evasion following a jury trial.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Automobile Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Alabama Tax Preparer Indicted for Preparing False Returns for Clients

Russell Burroughs, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was indicted on 33 counts of filing false tax returns, Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Statement from Justice Department Spokesman Regarding President Obama’s Speech on U.S. Signals Intelligence

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Nationwide Contract Therapy Providers to Pay $30 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Contract therapy providers RehabCare Group Inc., RehabCare Group East Inc. and Rehab Systems of Missouri and management company Health Systems Inc. have agreed to pay $30 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme related to the referral of nursing home business, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Associate Attorney General Tony West at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Hosted by the Union League of Chicago

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Associate Attorney General Tony West at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Hosted by the Union League of Chicago




pr

Justice Department Releases Findings Showing That the Alabama Department of Corrections Fails to Protect Prisoners from Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women

Today the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced its letter of findings determining that prison officials at the Alabama Department of Corrections and the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women violate women prisoners’ constitutional rights by failing to take reasonable steps to protect them from harm due to sexual abuse and sexual harassment caused by correctional staff.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Property Owner and Maintenance Supervisor Plead Guilty in Albany to Crimes Relating to Illegal Handling and Disposal of Asbestos

John Mills and Terrance Allen, both of Malone, N.Y., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Albany, N.Y., to conspiracy to violate the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and substantive CERCLA counts in relation to the illegal removal, handling, and disposal of asbestos.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Three Georgia Men Charged in Alleged Widespread Corruption Schemes at Local Military Base

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Roanoke Veterans Treatment Court Program

Since its inception just over two years ago, this Veterans Treatment Court has shown tremendous promise in helping eligible men and women to break the destructive cycle of criminality and incarceration that traps too many people and weakens too many communities across America.




pr

Tennessee and Virginia Orthopedic Clinics to Pay $1.85 Million to Settle Allegations of Billing Medicare for Reimported Products

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Medicare Fraud Strike Force Set Record Numbers for Health Care Fraud Prosecutions

The Justice Department’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force has set record numbers for health care prosecutions in Fiscal Year 2013, demonstrating the targeted and coordinated approach remains strong as the strike force enters its eighth year of fighting fraud against the government’s health care programs.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Court Permanently Enjoins Georgia Tax Return Preparer

A federal district judge in the Statesboro Division of the Southern District of Georgia has permanently barred Lakesia Michelle Mills of Adrian, Ga., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Former Corrections Officer Sentenced for His Role in Providing Armed Security for Drug Transactions

A former Puerto Rico Department of Corrections officer was sentenced today to serve 811 months in prison for his role in providing armed security for three drug transactions.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman at the State of the Net Conference

The recent revelations about the massive thefts of financial information from large retail stores have served as a stark reminder to all of us about how vulnerable we are to cyber criminals who are determined to steal our personal information.




pr

Justice Department Sues to Stop Florida Tax Return Preparer from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

The United States has asked a federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to permanently bar Keisha Stewart and her company, Professional Tax Services Inc., from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

pr

Kentucky Hospital Agrees to Pay Government $16.5 Million to Settle Allegations of Unnecessary Cardiac Procedures

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.



  • OPA Press Releases