Jeremy Matthew Moro, Joshua James Moro and Sonya Marie Hart were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter in connection with a conspiracy to violate the civil rights of an interracial couple by burning a cross near their home in Athens, La., in October 2008.

Flavio Ricotti, a former executive of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.-based valve company Control Components Inc. (CCI), has pleaded guilty for his 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.

Alberto Benjamin Arellano-Felix, an alleged leader of the Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was extradited today by the government of Mexico to the United States to face racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of California.

The Justice Department announced today that Brian Lewis, Abel Mark Gonzalez and Andrew Kerber were sentenced for their roles in violating the civil rights of congregants of several houses of worship in Modesto, Calif.

Richard Franco Montejano, 29, of Harbor City, Calif., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit criminal copyright infringement, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.

Three stock promoters have been indicted for their roles in a stock manipulation scheme that defrauded investors.

BP Exploration Alaska, Inc. (BP Alaska) will pay a $25 million civil penalty and carry out a system-wide pipeline integrity management program as part of a settlement for spilling more than 5,000 barrels of crude oil from the company’s pipelines on the North Slope of Alaska in 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today.

The United States has filed a civil mortgage fraud lawsuit against Deutsche Bank AG and its wholly owned subsidiary, MortgageIT Inc.

"As I have stated often, no aspect of our work is more important – or more urgent – than protecting the American people. This is our top priority – and our most fundamental responsibility."

UBS AG has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market and has agreed to pay a total of $160 million in restitution, penalties and disgorgement to federal and state agencies.

"Throughout my tenure as Attorney General, I’ve had the chance to work closely with this Committee to carry out our most important duty: protecting the American people. Today, I’m pleased to report that the Justice Department efforts to fulfill this solemn obligation have never been stronger."

Karen L. Blyth and David H. M. Phelps were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Mobile, Ala., to 33 months and 24 months in prison, respectively. The pair was also fined $5,000 each, and barred for three years from working in the seafood industry or owning any seafood related business.

Iheanyi Frank Chinasa, 39, of Gaithersburg, Md., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his participation in a scheme to defraud Cisco Systems Inc.

Patrick Merrill Brody was sentenced on May 6, 2011, to 10 months of prison, 12 months of supervised release and ordered to pay the costs of prosecution for willfully failing to file a federal income tax return for 2001

Brandon Smith, aka “Little One” and “King Little One,” 26, of Hyattsville, Md., was sentenced today to 23 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, in connection with his gang activities as a member and leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings).

A former U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) employee was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for theft of $104,000 in U.S. government funds.

Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $172,000 in restitution to the foreign worker fraud and forced labor victims in addition to restitution for harm caused by other aspects of the criminal enterprise.

GWC Valve International Inc., a company headquartered in Bakersfield, Calif., and its chief executive officer, David Meador, 52, were sentenced today in the Eastern District of California for conspiracy to export services related to industrial valves to Iran.

A former president of an Illinois refuse disposal container repair company was sentenced today for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with bids on a contract for the repair of refuse carts for the city of Chicago.

Lindsey Manufacturing Company, an Azusa, Calif., company, two of its executives and a Mexican intermediary today were convicted by a federal jury on all counts for their alleged roles in a scheme to pay bribes to Mexican government officials at the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), a state-owned utility company.

Jimmie Duane Ross was indicted by a federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tenn., for five counts of tax evasion.

"One of the Department of Justice’s core missions is protecting the privacy of Americans and prosecuting criminals who violate that privacy," said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Weinstein.

A federal court has permanently barred Atlanta-area financial planner T. Michael Haney from promoting the use of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Forms 1099-OID to support false tax withholdings.

A retired major in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty today in San Antonio to accepting $400,000 from a contractor following his deployment to Kuwait.

Michael Duane Bracken, of Bolivar, Penn., pleaded guilty today to a charge related to the burning of a cross in the yard of a mixed race family in November 2009.

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.

Douglas L. Wright, 41, of North Chelmsford, Mass., was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release for transportation and possession of child pornography.

A former employee of two Massachusetts-based customer relationship management agencies that purchase direct mail advertising services was sentenced today for participating in fraud conspiracies and committing tax evasion relating to his receipt of more than $1.8 million in kickbacks.

A federal court has permanently barred Houston-area tax preparers Christopher Helton and Marcia Johnson from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Don W. Watson, former chief financial officer (CFO) of CSK Auto Corp. (CSK), pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to conspiracy to commit securities and mail fraud in connection with a scheme to misstate the company’s reported earnings from 2001 through 2006.

"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.

"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."

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.

Oddie Tribble, 51, a former deputy sheriff with the Kershaw County, S.C., Sherriff’s Office, was sentenced to 63 month in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie for using excessive force on a man in his custody on Aug. 5, 2010.

"The 21st-century threats we now face – to both our national and economic security – have no precedent. They know no borders. And they demand – not only our constant attention, but also a comprehensive, collaborative, and well-coordinated response."

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.

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.

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.

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.

The principal and co-owner of Integra Capital Management LLC, a North Carolina company, was arrested in Denton, N.C., today for defrauding commodities trading investors of more than $3.2 million, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins of the Western District of North Carolina.

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.

A Boston venture capitalist and director at Boston Private Bank and Trust Company was charged with failing to report his foreign bank account and income to the Department of the Treasury.

A federal court has permanently barred two men from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving interests in purported oil and gas wells.

Jorge Granados, the former chief executive officer of Miami-based telecommunications company Latin Node Inc. (LatiNode), pleaded guilty today to conspiring to pay bribes to government officials in Honduras.

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.

Timothy S. Kelly, 40, of North Attleboro, Mass., was sentenced today to five years in prison and five years of supervised release following his prison term for receipt and possession of child pornography.

"Generations of young people have graduated from this law school - not only with a first-rate education, but also with a deeply-ingrained passion to right wrongs, to improve lives, and to protect and empower our nation's most vulnerable citizens. Public service is not only a key part of Stanford's curriculum - it is a central component of this law school's culture, its DNA. And we can all be encouraged that, today, this tradition is stronger than ever."

Lucille Abrahamsen Jackson pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2010, to an information charging her with willfully subscribing to a false tax return.

“The challenges facing us in juvenile justice really require that we join together to work on the long term problems… from right-to-counsel issues to disproportionate minority contact to our continued struggles to recognize youth development in disposition decisions. But despite these challenges – and the challenges arising from a tough economy – I’m optimistic that we’re moving in the right direction.”

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