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Former Fayette County, Kentucky, Correction Officers Sentenced for Civil Rights Charges

John McQueen, 33, a former sergeant and supervisor at the Lexington-Fayette County, Ky., Detention Center (FCDC), and Clarence McCoy, 31, a former corporal at FCDC, were sentenced today in federal court in Lexington, Ky., for their roles in the systematic abuse of detainees at FCDC, the Justice Department announced



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Miami Man Pleads Guilty To Purchasing, Selling And Using Stolen Credit Card Information

Juan Javier Cardenas of Miami pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to traffic in and possess unauthorized credit card numbers with intent to defraud, and one count of trafficking in unauthorized credit card numbers, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Michael K. Fithen of the U.S. Secret Service, Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kenneth T. Jenkins Jr., of the U.S. Secret Service, Criminal Investigative Division.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office For Refusing Full Cooperation With Title VI Investigation

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), Maricopa County, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio for refusing full cooperation with the department’s investigation of alleged national origin discrimination in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



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Former Senior Employee With U.S. Military Contractor Pleads Guilty To Bribery Scheme Related To Contracts In Support Of Iraq War

A former senior employee of a U.S. military contractor pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay $360,000 in bribes to U.S. Army contracting officials stationed at a U.S. military base in Kuwait, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



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Latin Kings Leader Sentenced to 228 Months in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy

U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr. sentenced Andres Echevarria, aka “B-Boy” and “King B-Boy,” 23, of Brooklyn, N.Y., today to 228 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, in connection with his gang activities as a member of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings).



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Former Tennessee Corrections Officers Sentenced for Civil Rights Violation

Harold Hutcheson, a former captain at the Northwest Correctional Complex (NCC), in Tiptonville, Tenn., and Joshua Ryan Jones and Roger Forrester, former officers at NCC, were sentenced today in federal court in Jackson, Tenn., for violating the civil rights of an inmate and then lying about it during the state and federal investigations.



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Former U.S. Army Contracting Official Pleads Guilty to Making a False Statement to the U.S. Army

A former U.S. Army contracting official based at Fort Carson, Colo., pleaded guilty to submitting a false statement to the U.S. Army.



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Six People Charged in Human Trafficking Conspiracy for Exploiting 400 Thai Farm Workers

A federal grand jury in Honolulu indicted Mordechai Orian, an Israeli national; Pranee Tubchumpol, Shane Germann and Sam Wongsesanit of Global Horizons Manpower Inc., located in Los Angeles; and Thai labor recruiters Ratawan Chunharutai and Podjanee Sinchai for engaging in a conspiracy to commit forced labor and document servitude.



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Florida Man Sentenced to Over 21 Years in Prison for Operating Cramming Scheme While Incarcerated

Willoughby Farr of West Palm Beach, Fla., has been sentenced to 262 months in prison and three years of supervised release for perpetrating a “cramming scheme,” which was designed to place charges on consumers’ telephone bills for collect calls that were not made.



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Indiana Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

Jason Jewell, 31, of Frankfort, Ind., was sentenced today to six years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for possession and transportation of child pornography.



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Former Agent of Financial Products and Services Company Pleads Guilty for Role in Fraud Conspiracies Involving Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

A former agent of a financial products and services company pleaded guilty today for his participation in fraud conspiracies related to contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.



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Former Employee of a National Bank Pleads Guilty for Role in Bid-rigging and Fraud Conspiracies Involving Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

A former employee of a national bank pleaded guilty today for his participation in bid-rigging and fraud conspiracies related to contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.



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Three Principals of A&O Entities Arrested and Charged for Their Alleged Roles in $100 Million Fraud Scheme

Three principals of a group of businesses that acquired and marketed life settlements to investors were arrested and charged in an 18-count indictment for their alleged roles in a $100 million fraud scheme with more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada.



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California Man Sentenced for Hate Crime and Mail Fraud

Eric Clawson, 28, of San Francisco, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Morrison C. England, Jr., for depriving the civil rights of an African-American man when he assaulted the victim in a bar.



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Federal Inmate Sentenced to 96 Months in Prison for Obstructing DOJ Office of the Inspector General

A federal inmate was sentenced today in Kansas City, Mo., to 96 months in prison for obstructing justice by making false statements and creating false evidence in connection with another criminal case in which the inmate was charged.



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North Carolina Real Estate Speculator Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging in Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions

A Raleigh, N.C., real estate speculator pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig bids for public real estate foreclosure auctions held in multiple counties in eastern North Carolina.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial September 11th Ceremony

"Today, as we read the names of these fallen heroes, we also reflect on their lives, their legacies, their courage, and their special calling – a calling to serve others; a calling that’s shared by every member of our nation’s law enforcement community; and a calling that’s firmly founded on the principles of self-sacrifice and personal bravery which were so vividly exemplified by each of these men and women whom we honor here this morning," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Religious Discrimination Against the City of Walnut, California

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the city of Walnut, Calif., alleging that the city violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), when, in 2008, it denied a conditional use permit to the Chung Tai Zen Center so that it could build and operate a Buddhist house of worship at property it then owned in the city.



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MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racketeering Offenses Including the Murder of a Witness

Juan Carlos Moreira, aka “Stokey” and “Stocky,” was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow to life in prison for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as MS-13, conspiring to and committing murder in aid of racketeering, witness tampering murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.



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Louisiana Guiding and Outfitting Company Owner Charged for Illegally Hunting Alligators

The owner of a guiding and outfitting company was charged today in a three count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Baton Rouge, La., for illegally hunting a threatened species of alligator, the Justice Department announced.



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Drug Maker Forest Pleads Guilty; To Pay More Than $313 Million to Resolve Criminal Charges and False Claims Act Allegations

Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to charges relating to obstruction of justice, the distribution of Levothroid, which at the time was an unapproved new drug, and the illegal promotion of Celexa for use in treating children and adolescents suffering from depression.



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Two Intermediaries Indicted for Their Alleged Participation in Scheme To Bribe Officials at State-owned Electrical Utility in Mexico

Two intermediaries were indicted for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to pay and launder bribes to Mexican government officials at the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), a state-owned utility company, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney André Birotte for the Central District of California; Steven M. Martinez, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office; and Leslie DeMarco, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office



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Former Nexus Technologies Inc. Employees and Partner Sentenced for Roles in Foreign Bribery Scheme Involving Vietnamese Officials

Three former employees and a partner of Nexus Technologies Inc., a Philadelphia-based company, were sentenced late yesterday for their roles in a conspiracy to bribe officials of the Vietnamese government in exchange for lucrative contracts to supply equipment and technology to Vietnamese government agencies, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.



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Former Indianapolis City-County Councilman Charged with Soliciting a Bribe and Attempted Extortion

Former Indianapolis and Marion County, Ind., City-County Councilman Lincoln Plowman has been charged with attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe.



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American Samoa Department of Education Official Arrested for Alleged Witness Tampering, Obstruction of Justice

Paul Solofa, the director of the school lunch program for the government of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa, has been arrested on charges of witness tampering and obstruction of justice.



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California Resident Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Laundering $2.5 Million in Illegal Proceeds from Sale of Stolen Credit Card Information

Cesar Carranza, a resident of Long Beach, Calif., was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for his role in laundering $2.5 million dollars in proceeds derived from several stolen credit card information schemes.



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Massachusetts Couple Sentenced to Prison for Tax Crimes

Frederick Allen and Kimberlee Allen, both of Harwich, Mass., were sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy, tax evasion and failure to file tax returns.



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Sales Agent for A&O Entities in Richmond Pleads Guilty to Misleading Investors

Tomme Bromseth, of Blackstone, Va., pleaded guilty today to mail fraud and structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements in conjunction with his role as a sales agent for A&O Life Funds and various related A&O entities.



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Former Guatemalan Special Forces Soldier Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Making False Statements on Naturalization Forms Regarding 1982 Massacre of Guatemalan Villagers

Gilberto Jordan, a former Guatemalan special forces soldier, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William J. Zloch in the Southern District of Florida to 10 years in prison for unlawfully procuring his U.S. citizenship by lying about his participation in a 1982 massacre at a Guatemalan village known as Dos Erres.



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Former Workers at Los Alamos Charged with Transmitting Classified Nuclear Weapons Data to Injure the United States

The Justice Department today announced that a scientist and his wife, who both previously worked as contractors at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, have been indicted on charges of communicating classified nuclear weapons data to a person they believed to be a Venezuelan government official and conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon for Venezuela, among other violations.



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Florida Couple Pleads Guilty to Forced Labor Conspiracy of 39 Filipino Guest Workers

Sophia Manuel and Alfonso Baldonado Jr., owners of Quality Staffing Services Corporation, a labor contracting service, pleaded guilty to conspiring to hold 39 Filipino nationals in compelled service in country clubs and hotels in Southeast Florida.



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Four Indicted for MS-13 Gang Activities

Three alleged members and associates of the MS-13 gang have been indicted for various violent crimes stemming from a home invasion last year in the District of Columbia in which several persons were held at gunpoint.



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

A federal court in Pensacola, Fla., has sentenced three of nine promoters of a fraudulent tax-and-debt-elimination scheme to prison terms for their roles in tax fraud, wire fraud and money laundering.



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Southern California Medical Center to Pay U.S. $2.2 Million to Resolve Fraud Allegations

The El Centro Regional Medical Center in Imperial County, Calif., has agreed to pay the United States $2.2 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that it defrauded Medicare.



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Woman Indicted for Trafficking Young Women from Nigeria to Work as Nannies

Bidemi Bello, formerly of Buford, Ga., and presently from Nigeria, was arraigned today, following an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Sep.10, 2010.



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Ship Serial Polluter Ordered to Pay $4 Million for Covering up the Deliberate Discharge of Oil and Plastics

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Irika Shipping S.A., a ship management corporation registered in Panama and doing business in Greece, today to pay a $4 million penalty, which includes a $3 million criminal fine and $1 million in organizational community service payments that will fund various marine environmental projects.



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Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy's RLUIPA Event

'RLUIPA was a response by bipartisan members of Congress to what they saw as a threat to one of our most fundamental freedoms," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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East Aurora, N.Y., Chiropractor Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Failing to File Tax Returns

A federal judge in Buffalo, N.Y., has sentenced John Weisberg to 12 months in prison for failing to file tax returns.



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Idaho Businessman Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Failure to Pay Employment Taxes

Roberto Trevizo Corral, a resident of Nampa, Idaho, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison and ordered to pay $771,252.11 in restitution for failing to collect and pay over employment taxes.



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Former New Orleans Police Detective Sentenced in Connection with Shootings on the Danziger Bridge

Jeffrey Lehrmann, a former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) detective, was sentenced today to three years in prison for misprision of a felony in connection with the cover-up of two police-involved shootings on the Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that left two civilians dead and four others seriously injured.



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Statement of Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a Hearing Regarding Financial Fraud Enforcement

"The Department of Justice is busy investigating and prosecuting financial fraud in all its forms, including investment fraud schemes, mortgage-related fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, money laundering, and other crimes," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer




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Three Individuals Plead Guilty for Their Roles in a Houston Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

Three individuals pleaded guilty today in connection with a Medicare fraud scheme operated out of a Houston-area durable medical equipment (DME) company.



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Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Bribery in Afghanistan Fuel Theft Scheme

A former U.S. Army staff sergeant pleaded guilty today to bribery in connection with a fuel theft scheme to solicit more than $400,000 in bribes from a government contractor in Afghanistan.



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Three Miami-area Residents Sentenced to Prison for Participating in $22 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Home Health Agencies

Three Miami-area residents were sentenced to prison today for their participation in a $22 million Medicare fraud scheme operated through two Miami home health agencies, ABC Home Health Care Inc. and Florida Home Health Care Providers Inc.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at a Retirement Ceremony Honoring Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division John C. Keeney

"Mr. Keeney’s dedication to the Department and to his colleagues is – quite simply – unparalleled," said Attorney General Holder.




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Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Speaks at a Retirement Ceremony Honoring Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division John C. Keeney

"For those of us in the Criminal Division, though, Mr. Keeney is also a wonderful colleague, a thoughtful mentor, and, right through to the end of his tenure, an enormously hard‑working and prodigious prosecutor," said Assistant Attorney Breuer.




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Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler at a Retirement Ceremony Honoring Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division John C. Keeney

"Mr. Keeney’s advice is always sound, and to the point because it is built upon decades of experience, in fact, nearly six decades of service, under 12 Presidents and 23 Attorneys General," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Grindler.




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Laurence Tribe, Senior Counselor for Access to Justice, Speaks at the American College of Trial Lawyers 2010 Annual Meeting

"It’s a special honor for me to address the American College of Trial Lawyers, and to share the stage today with such impressive and distinguished speakers as Justice Cromwell, Justice Kirby, Judge Sparks, and Professor Coffee."




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Justice Department Fines Dallas Bus Company $55,000 for Violating the ADA

The Justice Department and the Department of Transportation announced $55,000 in fines against Tornado Bus Company Inc., of Dallas, for violating passenger carrier accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



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Louisiana Man Indicted for Involvement in Hate Crime at School

A federal grand jury has indicted Christopher Shane Montgomery, a resident of Bastrop, La., for conspiring to commit a hate crime, tampering with a witness and lying to federal authorities.



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