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Justice Department Signs Agreement with the City of Fort Morgan, Colo. to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department announced today an agreement with the city of Fort Morgan, Colo., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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United States Files Lawsuit Against PharMerica Corporation for Violations of the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act

The United States has filed suit against PharMerica Corp. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The lawsuit alleges that PharMerica violated the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act by dispensing controlled drugs without valid prescriptions and causing claims for illegally dispensed drugs to be submitted to the Medicare program.



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Owner of New York Construction Company Indicted for Tax Fraud

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Tomas Olazabal, of Fresh Meadows, N.Y., was arrested today following his indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Aug. 8, 2013, on multiple tax crimes.



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Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Carlos LaMadrid

The Justice Department will not pursue federal criminal civil rights or other federal criminal charges against the United States Border Patrol (USBP) agent involved in the shooting incident that resulted in the death of Carlos LaMadrid, the Department announced today.



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Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Ramses Barron-Torres

The Justice Department will not pursue federal criminal civil rights or other federal criminal charges against the United States Border Patrol (USBP) agent involved in the shooting incident that resulted in the death of Ramses Barron-Torres, the department announced today.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates

"Today, a vicious cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities. And many aspects of our criminal justice system may actually exacerbate these problems, rather than alleviate them," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination on Basis of Race and National Origin in Minneapolis

The Justice Department today announced a settlement of its lawsuit alleging that Highland Management Group Inc., Edina Park Apartments LLC, and Amy Koch violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) by discriminating against Somali prospective renters at Edina Park Apartments in Edina, Minn. a suburb of Minneapolis.



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Former Owner of Liquor Store Pleads Guilty to Tax Crime and Selling Cutting Agents to Local Drug Dealers

Southfield, Mich., resident Bashar Saroki pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return and selling drug paraphernalia, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit in Delaware Against Regal Contractors LLC Et Al., to Enforce the Employment Rights of Air Force Reserve Member

The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware Charles M. Oberly III announced today the filing of a lawsuit alleging that Regal Contractors LLC, Regal Builders LLC and Noble Pond Homes willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by terminating U.S. Air Force Reserve Member Lon Fluman following his return from required military training with his reserve unit.



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Operators of Louisiana Home Health Company Sentenced for $17.1 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

The owner of South Louisiana Home Health Care Inc. and the director of nursing for the Louisiana home health agency were sentenced today for their roles in a Medicare fraud scheme involving the payment of kickbacks and the falsification of documents.



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Department of Justice Reaches Agreement to Improve Conditions at St. Tammany Parish Jail in Louisiana

The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a comprehensive agreement with the Parish of St. Tammany, La., and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff to correct conditions of confinement at the St. Tammany Parish Jail and to ensure that improvements made since the Department’s investigation will be maintained.



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Three Members and One Associate of Violent North Carolina Latin Kings Gang Sentenced to Prison

Three members and one associate of the North Carolina Almighty Latin King/Queen Nation (ALKQN) have been sentenced this week in federal court in the Middle District of North Carolina.



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MS-13 Leader Sentenced for Multiple Racketeering Offenses

Jose Armando Bran, aka “Pantro,” was sentenced today to serve two consecutive life sentences for his role in a murder and maiming that he ordered while he was an MS-13 gang leader in Richmond, Va.



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Former Lorain County, Ohio, Corrections Officer Charged for Assaulting an Inmate

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach and Special Agent in Charge for the FBI Cleveland Field Office Stephen D. Anthony, announced today that former Lorain County, Ohio corrections officer Marlon Taylor, 47, of Vermilion, Ohio, was charged in the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Ohio with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.



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Justice Department Reaches Interim Olmstead Settlement with the State of Texas

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today that it has joined with private plaintiffs in entering an interim settlement agreement with the state of Texas intended to enable Texans with intellectual and other developmental disabilities to live in community settings rather than nursing facilities.



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United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky Reach Agreement with AK Steel Corporation to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

The United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky have reached a settlement with the AK Steel Corporation (AK Steel) in Ashland, Ky., resolving alleged violations of the Clean Air Act, AK Steel’s title V permit, and the Kentucky State Implementation Plan, announced the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).



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Two Plead Guilty to Involvement in Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Racketeering Murder

An Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang member and an ABT associate have pleaded guilty to charges related to the May 2008 murder of Mark Davis Byrd Sr. in Atascosa County, Texas.



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Statement of the Attorney General on Resignation of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride

Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today on the resignation of U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride:



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Justice Department to File New Lawsuit Against State of Texas Over Voter I.D. Law

The Department of Justice announced today that it will file a new lawsuit against the State of Texas, the Texas Secretary of State, and the Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety over the State’s strict voter photo identification law (SB 14).



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Alleged Members of Violent Loan Sharking and Illegal Gambling Organization Charged in Philadelphia

An indictment was unsealed today charging nine people in a loan sharking and illegal gambling ring allegedly run out of several Philadelphia businesses.



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Former Owner of Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supply Company Pleads Guilty to $2.6 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A former owner of a Los Angeles-area medical equipment supply company pleaded guilty today to a $2.6 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Independence, Mo., Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Violating Civil Rights of Family by Torching Their Home

Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, and Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, announced that an Independence, Mo., man and woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to violating the civil rights of an African-American family by setting fire to their residence.



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Two California Firms and Owner Agree to Settle Clean Air Act Violations Stemming from Illegal Import of Vehicles

Two Los Angeles-based consulting firms, MotorScience Inc., and MotorScience Enterprise Inc., (MotorScience) and their owner, Chi Zheng, have agreed to settle alleged Clean Air Act (CAA) violations stemming from the illegal import of 24,478 all-terrain, recreational vehicles into the U.S. from China without testing to ensure emissions would meet applicable limits on harmful air pollution, announced the Department of Justice, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (ARB).



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Truck Broker Sentenced for Dumping Thousands of Tons of Asbestos Contaminated Debris in Violation of the Clean Water Act

Jonathan Deck, 59, of Norwood, N.J., was sentenced today in federal court in Utica, N.Y., to 15 months in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud in connection with the illegal dumping of thousands of tons of asbestos-contaminated construction debris on a 28-acre piece of property on the Mohawk River in upstate New York, the Justice Department announced.



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Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Kentucky to Bribery Charges for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan

U.S. Army Sergeant Kevin Bilal Abdullah pleaded guilty today to bribery charges for his role in the theft of fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty, near Jalalabad, Afghanistan.



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Former North Carolina Probation Officer Sentenced for Coercing Probationer into Sexual Acts

Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced today that former North Carolina Department of Correction’s Division of Community Corrections Probation Officer Willie James Steele Jr., 43, has been sentenced for violating the constitutional rights of a female probationer that he was supervising by coercing her into sexual acts on two separate occasions.



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Three Former Broker-dealer Employees Plead Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Bribery of Foreign Officials, Money Laundering and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

Three employees of a New York-based U.S. broker-dealer have pleaded guilty for their roles in bribery schemes involving two state economic development banks in Venezuela.



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Two Patient Recruiters of Miami Home Health Company Plead Guilty in $48 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Two patient recruiters of a Miami health care company pleaded guilty late yesterday for their participation in a $48 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.



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United States, Utah, Juab County and Environmental Groups Reach Settlement Over Use of Public Roads on Federal Lands

The U.S. District Court in Utah has concluded proceedings and approved a settlement of a lawsuit involving three claimed highway rights-of-way on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) administered public land adjacent to and within the Deep Creek Mountains Wilderness Study Area (WSA.



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United States Reaches Settlement with Safeway to Reduce Emissions of Ozone-Depleting Substances Nationwide

In a settlement agreement with the United States, Safeway, the nation’s second largest grocery store chain, has agreed to pay a $600,000 civil penalty and implement a corporate-wide plan to significantly reduce its emissions of ozone-depleting substances from refrigeration equipment at 659 of its stores nationwide, estimated to cost approximately $4.1 million.



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Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Denver to Bribery Charges for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan

Former U.S. Army Specialist Stephanie Charboneau pleaded guilty today to bribery charges for her role in the theft of fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty, near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



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Fourth Georgia Corections Officer Pleads Guilty in Inmate Beating Case

Today, the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced that Kadarius Thomas, a former member of the Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) and a former supervisor at Macon State Prison (MSP), in Oglethorpe, Ga., pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.



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Department of Justice Reaches Settlement with Virginia School District to Ensure Equal Opportunites for English Language Learner Students

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Prince William County School District in Virginia to improve services for approximately 13,000 students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) and provide language access for Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents district-wide.



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Owners of Home Health Companies and Patient Recruiter Plead Guilty in Miami for Role in $20 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

The owners and operators of several Miami home health care agencies and a patient recruiter pleaded guilty today in connection with a health care fraud scheme involving defunct home health care company Trust Care Health Services Inc. (Trust Care).



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Statement by Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer on Remedy to Address Apple’s Price Fixing of E-Books

“We’re pleased that the court has issued an order supporting the Department of Justice’s efforts to address Apple’s illegal price fixing conduct. Consumers will continue to benefit from lower e-books prices as a result of the department’s enforcement action to restore competition in this important industry," said Assistant Attorney General Baer.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Jerome County Idaho Sheriff’s Office to Resolve the Employment Rights of Army National Guard Member

The Depatment of Justice and U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson for the District of Idaho announced today that they reached an agreement with the Jerome County, Id., Sheriff’s Office to resolve the allegations that Jerome County violated the employment rights of Idaho Army National Guard Member Mervin Jones while he was recuperating from a knee injury that he sustained while performing military service.



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Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

A member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges related to his membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.



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Attorney General Holder Meets with Mexican Attorney General About Mexico's Release of DEA Agent's Killer

Attorney General Eric Holder met with Mexican Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam today to discuss the release by the Mexican government of Rafael Caro Quintero, who was convicted of murdering Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena in February 1985.



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Former Bernalilo County Corrections Officer Sentenced to Prison for Obstructing Justice

The Justice Department announced today that Kevin Casaus, 24, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning to serve 15 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release for his conviction on obstruction of justice and falsification of records charges.



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Medical Supply Company Officer and Southern California Physician Sentenced for $1.5 Million Medicare Fraud

A former officer of Fendih Medical Supply Inc. was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison yesterday in Los Angeles for his role in a fraud scheme that resulted in $1.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. In addition, a physician was sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in the scheme.



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Former Lorain County Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Assaulting an Inmate

A former Lorain County, Ohio corrections officer pleaded guilty today to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, announced Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office.



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Pest Control Company and Its Owner Charged with Unlawful Application of Pesticides and Falsification

A pest control services company and its owner have been charged today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia with conspiracy, unlawful use of pesticides, false statements, falsification of records and mail fraud, announced Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Michael J. Moore, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.



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Former St. Louis Police Officer Indicted for Assaulting Two Juveniles and One Adult

A federal grand jury in St. Louis has indicted Stan Lee Stanback, 47, a police officer formerly with the Velda City Police Department, on charges related to the assaults of two juveniles and one adult on Sept.17, 2008.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Department of Justice Ceremony Commemorating the Twelfth Anniversary of September 11, 2001

It is an honor to join so many friends and colleagues for today’s observance – as we mark the twelfth anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attacks ever carried out against the United States; remember the nearly 3,000 innocent people whose lives were lost; and pay tribute to the 72 brave law enforcement officers who were called, on that beautiful autumn morning, to make the ultimate sacrifice.




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Mastermind of $11 Million Detroit Medicare Fraud Scheme Sentenced to 50 Months in Prison

Muhammad Shahab, the mastermind of an almost $11 million Medicare fraud scheme in Detroit, was sentenced today to 50 months in prison.



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Former Navy Reservist Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Multiple Minors to Produce Child Pornography

Anthony K. Mastrogiovanni, 30, of Crofton, Md., was sentenced today to serve 25 years in prison for sexually exploiting more than 30 male juveniles – ranging from 9 to 16 years of age – in Maryland and Louisiana to produce child pornography.



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Florida Doctors, Hospitals and Clinics to Pay $3.5 Million to Settle Allegations of Improper Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE Billing

Radiation oncology providers in Pensacola, Fla., will pay $3.5 million to the government and the state of Florida to resolve allegations that they billed Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE – the health care program for uniformed service members, retirees and their families worldwide – for radiation oncology services that were not eligible for payment.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing

We come together today because we’re still striving, as they once did, to realize the dream that Dr. King shared with us 50 years ago last month – on the steps of a memorial to America’s Great Emancipator – when he spoke of an Alabama where children of all races and backgrounds would be able to play together, to learn together, and to grow together.




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Owner of New York Construction Company Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud

Gurmail Singh, a resident of Richmond Hill, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York to filing a false federal tax return, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Commercial Fisherman Charged with Witness Tampering Related to an Investigation into the Illegal Harvesting of Striped Bass

Michael D. Hayden Jr., 41, of Tilghman’s Island, Md., was arrested yesterday on charges of witness tampering and retaliation in connection with an investigation of felony Lacey Act violations related to the illegal harvesting of striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay.



  • OPA Press Releases