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California Couple Sentenced for Their Role in Hate-motivated Beating

Today in Sacramento, Calif., U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez sentenced a couple from Fairfield, Calif., for their roles in a July 2007 beating of an American citizen who is originally from India.



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Attorney General Travels to Afghanistan for Meetings with U.S., Afghan Officials

Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan today for meetings with Afghan and U.S. officials.



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North Carolina MS-13 Members Sentenced to Prison for Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

Seven members of the gang known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were sentenced to prison Tuesday for their participation in a racketeering enterprise.



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Jury Convicts District of Columbia Fish Wholesaler & Two Employees for Purchasing Illegally Harvested Striped Bass

Following a five-week trial, a fish wholesaler and two of its employees were found guilty with purchasing illegally harvested striped bass, known locally as rockfish, from the Potomac River in Virginia and Maryland from 1995 through 2007.



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Northern Virginia Business Owner Indicted for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

Eric Jon Eisenhower was arraigned in federal court in Alexandria, Va., on an indictment that alleges that he failed to collect, account for and pay over to the Internal Revenue Service more than $200,000 in withholdings from employees’ paychecks between 2004 and 2008.



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Three Arizona Men Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Golden Eagle

Arthur Batala, Darrell Batala and Steven Silas, all members of the Hopi Indian Tribe of Arizona, were sentenced for taking and possessing a golden eagle in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a federal law that protects most species of birds in the United States.



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Five Defendants Sentenced for Child Pornography Crimes Uncovered as a Result of International Investigation

Four defendants were sentenced today in connection with their participation in an online child pornography conspiracy, while a fifth defendant was sentenced for receiving child pornography.



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Italian Executive Extradited from Germany to the United States to Face Foreign Bribery Charges

Italian citizen Flavio Ricotti, a former executive of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based valve company Control Components Inc. (CCI), has been extradited to the United States from Germany in connection with his alleged participation in a conspiracy to secure contracts by paying bribes to officials of foreign state-owned companies as well as officers and employees of foreign and domestic private companies.



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Houston Computer Administrator Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Hacking Former Employer’s Computer Network

Steven Jinwoo Kim, 40, of Houston pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2009, to one count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization and recklessly causing damage.



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Snamprogetti Netherlands B.V. Resolves Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation and Agrees to Pay $240 Million Criminal Penalty

Snamprogetti Netherlands B.V., has agreed to pay a $240 million criminal penalty to resolve charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for its participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement and construction contracts.



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Former Guatemalan Special Forces Soldier Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements on Immigration Forms Regarding 1982 Massacre of Guatemalan Villagers

Gilberto Jordan, 54, a former Guatemalan special forces soldier, pleaded guilty today in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to a federal charge of unlawfully procuring his U.S. citizenship, admitting that he lied on his naturalization application about his participation in a 1982 massacre at a Guatemalan village known as Dos Erres.



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New Charges Filed Against Irish Trading Firm for Exporting U.S. Military Items to Iran

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has charged Mac Aviation Group, an Irish trading company, and its officers Thomas and Sean McGuinn of Sligo, Ireland, in a superseding indictment with purchasing F-5 fighter aircraft parts, helicopter engines and other aircraft components from U.S. firms and illegally exporting them to Iran.



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Ship Management Corp. to Pay $4 Million Penalty for Concealing Deliberate Pollution

Irika Shipping S.A., a ship management corporation registered in Panama and doing business in Greece, pleaded guilty on July 8, 2010, before Maryland U.S. District Court Judge Frederick J. Motz, to felony obstruction of justice charges and violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships related to concealing deliberate vessel pollution from the M/V Iorana, a Greek flagged cargo ship that made port calls in Baltimore, Tacoma, Wash., and New Orleans. 



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Accountant for Former Arizona Congressman Convicted of Embezzling Insurance Premiums and Conspiracy

Dwayne Lequire, 51, of Elgin, Ariz., was found guilty by a federal jury in Tucson, Ariz., late yesterday of eight counts of embezzling insurance premiums and one count of conspiracy.



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Former Bureau of Prisons Corrections Officer Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Charges

A federal jury in Orlando, Fla., found former Bureau of Prisons corrections officer Michael Kennedy guilty late yesterday on felony federal civil rights charges related to the fatal assault of an inmate in March 2005.



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Justice Department Settles Remainder of Voter Registration Case with State of New York for Violating Rights of Students with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced a court-approved consent decree which resolves a lawsuit against the state of New York and its public university systems for their failure to provide voter registration services at offices serving students with disabilities at each public university and college campus in New York State. 



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Milton, Wash., to Ensure Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the city of Milton, Wash., under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve access to city parks and recreational activities for persons with disabilities.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to Enforce the Employment Rights of Former Air Force Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a consent decree with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that, if approved by the U.S. District Court, will resolve the department’s complaint filed in May 2009, alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. 



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Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

Douglas Carruthers, 46, formerly of Rockland, Mass., was sentenced today to 70 months in prison and eight years of supervised release following his prison term for child pornography offenses.



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Georgia Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography Using Hidden Videos in Store Bathrooms

Jeffrey Alan Wasley of Kennesaw, Ga., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography through the surreptitious videotaping of young boys using public restrooms in Atlanta-area establishments.



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Former Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice

A former corrections officer for the Washington County Sheriff’s Department in Potosi, Mo., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of obstruction of justice, admitting that she intentionally misled law enforcement officials about her role in the assault of an inmate housed in the Washington County Jail.



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Forfeiture Complaint Seeks to Recover Bribery Proceeds Paid to Former Taiwan President and His Family

Today, the U.S. government filed civil forfeiture complaints against properties in New York and Virginia that represent a portion of illegal bribes paid to the former president of Taiwan and his wife.



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Swiss Lawyer Indicted for Helping to Hide Swiss Bank Accounts and Monies Returned to U.S. Clients

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., returned an indictment charging Felix M. Mathis, an attorney practicing in Zurich, Switzerland, with conspiring to defraud the United States and structuring the importation of currency into this country.



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Former Missouri County Chief Deputy Charged with Civil Rights Violations

A federal grand jury has charged Vernon Wilson, former Chief Deputy of the Washington County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, in a six-count indictment stemming from four separate incidents in which Wilson allegedly assaulted inmates or caused the assault of inmates in the Washington County Jail in the summer and fall of 2005.



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Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 94 Doctors, Health Care Company Owners, Executives and Others for More Than $251 Million in Alleged False Billing

Ninety-four people have been charged for their alleged participation in schemes to collectively submit more than $251 million in false claims to the Medicare program in the continuing operation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in Miami; Baton Rouge, La.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Detroit and Houston.



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Former Tennessee Inmate Charged with Filing False Tax Returns While in Jail

A Tennessee grand jury has indicted Walter Allen Johnson, aka “Beau” Johnson, of Sevierville, Tenn., for filing false claims against the United States as well as conspiring to defraud the United States.



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Former State Department Official Sentenced to Life in Prison for Nearly 30-year Espionage Conspiracy

Walter Kendall Myers, a former State Department official, and his wife, Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and 81 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in a nearly 30-year conspiracy to provide highly-classified U.S. national defense information to the Republic of Cuba.



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Former U.S. Army Contracting Official Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Bribery and Unlawful Salary Supplementation in Off-post Housing Scheme

A former U.S. Army contracting official was sentenced today to 42 months in prison in connection with two schemes to solicit more than $30,000 in bribes and other payments from an Egyptian businessman in Kuwait.



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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability Discrimination by Ventura County, California

The Justice Department today announced a consent decree resolving a lawsuit filed against Ventura County, Calif., alleging that the county violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it refused to hire a qualified applicant for a children’s social services position because she is deaf and required reasonable accommodations.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Medicare Fraud Strike Force Press Conference

"We are here to announce the results of the largest federal health care fraud takedown in our nation’s history: 94 people in four cities have been charged for their alleged participation in schemes to submit more than $251 million in false Medicare claims," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Town of Pomfret, Connecticut, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

“I commend public officials in the town of Pomfret for making this important commitment to ensuring equal access to civic life for individuals with disabilities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Wilson County, North Carolina, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Wilson County, N.C., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Pearl River County, Mississippi, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Pearl River County, Miss., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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California Man Indicted in Las Vegas for Filing False Liens Against Federal Employees & Filing False Tax Forms

A Las Vegas federal grand jury has indicted Thanh Viet Jeremy Cao, a resident of Orange County, Calif., for filing false liens against federal employees and corruptly obstructing the administration of the federal tax laws.



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Former Probation Officer in Oregon Charged with Civil Rights Violations

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Mark John Walker, 51, of Eugene, Ore., in an eight-count indictment stemming from multiple incidents in which Walker allegedly sexually abused female offenders who were under his direct supervision as a probation officer, and then obstructed a later investigation to cover up his misconduct.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the American Association of People with Disabilities “Justice for All” Event

"It’s an honor to salute your contributions and to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the ADA – and the 15th Anniversary of the AAPD – with so many friends, colleagues and partners," said Attorney General Holder.




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U.S. Announces Settlement of Actions to Enforce Payment Obligations for Cleanup of New Jersey Superfund Site

Champion Chemical Company, Imperial Oil Company Inc. and Imperial’s two former officers have agreed to pay at least $1.4 million to resolve actions to enforce a prior agreement to reimburse cleanup costs incurred by the federal government at the Imperial Oil Company Inc./Champion Chemical Company Superfund Site in Marlboro Township, N.J.



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Former Department of State Employee Charged with Defrauding the United States and Iraq in Connection with a $147,000 Fraud Scheme

Robert D. Hearn, 55, was charged in a five-count indictment in the Southern District of Texas with wire fraud and conversion stemming from a scheme to defraud the United States and Iraq.



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New Health Care Access Guidance Promotes Preventive Medical Care Services for People with Mobility Disabilities

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights today issued new technical assistance guidance for medical providers which will help people with mobility disabilities obtain accessible medical care.



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Houston-Area Resident Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

Paula Whitfield, a patient recruiter for a Houston durable medical equipment company, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison in connection with a $3 million power wheelchair fraud scheme.



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Federal Court in Chicago Permanently Bars Mother/Daughter Team from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

A federal district judge in Chicago has permanently barred Natalie Bradford, individually, and operating as K & N Tax Pros Inc., and Kristine Burkland-Valdez, individually, and operating as K & N Tax Pros Inc. and Tax Pros Inc., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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U.S. Files Suit Against Georgia Medical Center and Physician; Allegedly Submitted Claims for Worthless Services to Federal Health Care Programs

The United States has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Dr. Najam Azmat and the Satilla Regional Medical Center in Waycross, Ga.



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Three Former Financial Services Executives Indicted for Roles in Fraud Schemes and Conspiracies Involving Investment Contracts for the Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

Three former financial services executives were indicted today for their participation in fraud schemes and conspiracies related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.



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Former CEO of the Morgan Crucible Co. Found Guilty of Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

A federal jury in Philadelphia today convicted Ian P. Norris, the former CEO of The Morgan Crucible Company plc, a United Kingdom corporation, of conspiring with others to obstruct justice.



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Former Army Contractor Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Assault After Collision in Kuwait Kills One Sailor and Seriously Injures Another

Morgan Hanks, 25, of Newport News, was arrested on charges contained in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 13, 2010, and unsealed today in the Eastern District of Virginia.



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Third Chi Mei Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty and Serve Jail Time for Participating in Global LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy

According to a one-count felony charge filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, Wen-Hung “Amigo” Huang conspired with others to suppress and eliminate competition by fixing the prices of TFT-LCD panels.



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Settlement Reached to Expedite Cleanup for Walpole, Massachusetts, Superfund Site

A $13 million settlement has been reached between four parties and the United States to expedite cleanup of the contaminated Blackburn and Union Privileges Superfund Site in Walpole, Mass.



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Former St. Louis, Missouri, Area Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violations

Leon Pullen pleaded guilty to civil rights violations stemming from several incidents where he sexually assaulted and stole money from women.



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Agency Chief FOIA Officers Respond to the President’s and Attorney General’s Call for Transparency

Responding to the President’s and Attorney General’s call for increased transparency, federal agencies across the government have released more documents, made more information available on websites and decreased backlogs in the past year.



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Promoters of Sham Tax Elimination Scheme Sentenced for Tax Fraud in Florida

Four of eight promoters of a fraudulent tax- and debt-elimination scheme have been sentenced to length prison terms for their roles in tax fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.



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