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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Historic Settlement in Lawsuit by Black Farmers Claiming Discrimination by USDA

The settlement agreement reached today, which is contingent on appropriation by Congress, will provide a total of $1.25 billion to African American farmers who alleged that they suffered racial discrimination in USDA farm loan programs.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S. Army Contracting Official Charged with Bribery and Related Crimes in Off-Post Housing Scheme

A U.S. Army contracting official was charged today with bribery and unlawful salary supplementation in connection with two schemes to solicit more than $30,000 in bribes from an Egyptian businessman in Kuwait.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Statement of the Department of Justice Antitrust Division on Its Decision to Close Its Investigation of the Internet Search and Paid Search Advertising Agreement Between Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo! Inc.

"After a thorough review of the evidence, the division has determined that the proposed transaction is not likely to substantially lessen competition in the United States."



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks Before the Alliance of Concerned Men Town Hall Meeting on Fatherhood and Youth Violence

The plain truth is that youth violence is far-too common. There’s no single cause and no simple solution. But we know one important contributor is the absence of a responsible, loving father. Here in D.C., where half of African-American households don’t include even one grown man, the implications of this fact could not be clearer.




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Justice Department and FBI Announce Formal Conclusion of Investigation into 2001 Anthrax Attacks

The investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks, which killed five individuals and sickened 17 others, has formally concluded.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Shipping Firm Sentenced to Pay $10 Million for Causing Cosco Busan Oil Spill and Coverup

Fleet Management Ltd. was ordered to pay $10 million today for its role in causing the Cosco Busan oil discharge and a subsequent cover-up after the ship struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge in November 2007.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Obtains More Than $2 Million to Settle Claims of Housing Discrimination Against Former Owners and Managers of Kansas City Apartment Complex

The combined $2.13 million settlement represents the second largest monetary payment ever obtained by the department in a fair housing case alleging housing discrimination in the rental of apartments.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Najibullah Zazi Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Use Explosives Against Persons or Property in U.S., Conspiracy to Murder Abroad and Providing Material Support to Al-Qaeda

Among other things, Zazi admitted that he brought TATP [Triacetone Triperoxide] explosives to New York on Sept. 10, 2009, as part of plan to attack the New York subway system.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice and USDA Workshops to Explore Competition and Regulatory Issues in the Agriculture Industry to Begin March 12 in Iowa

The goals of the workshops are to promote dialogue among interested parties and foster learning with respect to the appropriate legal and economic analyses of these issues, as well as to listen to and learn from parties with experience in the agriculture sector.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Representative of Backfill Subcontractor Sentenced to 33 Months in Jail for Kickback and Fraud Scheme

James E. Haas Jr., a former representative of a New Jersey subcontractor, pleaded guilty in October 2009, to an indictment charging that he engaged in a kickback and fraud conspiracy at the Federal Creosote Superfund site in Manville, N.J.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Court in Texas Bars 12 Sub-Promoters of Alleged $30 Million Scam Involving Tax Credits Based on Fictitious Methane Production at Landfills

A federal judge in Beaumont, Texas, has permanently barred 12 people from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving bogus income tax credits.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Texas Gang Members Found Guilty of Multiple Murder, Narcotics and Firearms Charges

The leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) in Texas and one of his enforcers were found guilty this afternoon on multiple charges related to their participation in a large scale narcotics and firearms trafficking conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Atlanta-Based Nursing Home Chains and Their Principals Pay $14 Million to Settle False Claims Act Case

Atlanta-based Mariner Health Care Inc. and SavaSeniorCare Administrative Services LLC, as well as their principals, Leonard Grunstein, Murray Forman and Rubin Schron, have agreed to pay the United States and several states $14 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Mort’s Concrete Inc., and Owner to Enforce Employment Rights of Wisconsin Army National Guardsman

The Department has reached a settlement in its lawsuit filed on behalf of Wisconsin Army National Guardsman Rocco Sylvester Jr., against Mort’s Concrete Inc. and Kevin Mortimer.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler on the OPR Investigation into OLC Memoranda

"Although some may disagree with our conclusions, we are confident that the Department followed an appropriate process in reviewing the OPR results and reaching a final resolution of this matter," said the Acting Deputy Attorney General.




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BAE Systems PLC Pleads Guilty and Ordered to Pay $400 Million Criminal Fine

"Today, BAE Systems pleaded guilty to knowingly and willfully making false statements to U.S. government agencies. The actions of BAE Systems impeded U.S. efforts to ensure international trade is free of corruption and to maintain control over sensitive U.S. technology," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Orange City Landlord and Manager to Pay $100,000 in Civil Penalties as Part of Settlement of Justice Department Housing Discrimination Lawsuit

“Equal access to housing is a basic necessity and a civil right, and the Fair Housing Act guarantees that all individuals can access that right free from discrimination,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Delivers Remarks at Naturalization Ceremony for 50 Citizenship Candidates

You are about to become our newest citizens. Hailing from 24 different countries, each of you represents a different culture, a different language, a different way of dress. But you will each now be American.




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Cincinnati Packaged-Ice Manufacturer Sentenced to Pay $9 Million for Its Role in a Customer and Territory Allocation Conspiracy

The Home City Ice Company pleaded guilty in 2008 to conspiring to suppress and eliminate competition by allocating packaged-ice customers and territories in the Detroit metropolitan area and southeastern Michigan.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Ohio Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Mail and Wire Fraud

Robert E. Alick, the operator of used medical equipment sales business and resident of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to five counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud, and one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue laws.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Four Former Owners and Employees of Three Video Relay Service Companies Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program

Four former owners and employees of three different video relay service companies pleaded guilty today and yesterday to engaging in conspiracies to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service (VRS) program of more than $2.5 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno Announces Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Senior Leadership

Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division, welcomes the members of the division’s senior leadership.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Physicians Health Plan of Mid-Michigan Abandon Merger Plans

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan abandoned its attempt to purchase Physicians Health Plan of Mid-Michigan after the Department informed the companies that it would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the acquisition.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Former Owners and Employees of Two Video Relay Service Companies Plead Guilty to Defrauding FCC Program

Three former owners and employees of two different video relay service companies pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service (VRS) program of more than $2.5 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pennsylvania Woman Indicted in Plot to Recruit Violent Jihadist Fighters and to Commit Murder Overseas

An indictment was unsealed today charging Colleen R. LaRose, aka "Fatima LaRose," aka "Jihad Jane," with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to a government official and attempted identity theft.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Department of Justice and USDA Announce Updated Schedule for Agriculture Workshop on March 12 in Iowa

The workshops, which were first announced by Attorney General Eric Holder and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Aug. 5, 2009, are the first joint Department of Justice/USDA workshops ever to be held to discuss competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three South Florida Men Charged in Obstruction of Justice and Money Laundering Operation

Three Florida men were arrested today on charges including obstruction of justice and money laundering as part of a joint U.S. and Italian law enforcement action.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Second Former Employee of Financial Products and Services Firm Pleads Guilty for Role in Bid-rigging and Fraud Conspiracies Involving Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

According to the charges filed today in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Matthew Adam Rothman of Los Angeles engaged in separate bid-rigging and fraud conspiracies with companies that provide a type of contract, known as an investment agreement, to state, county and local governments and agencies throughout the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Father and Son Plead Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Software Worth $1 Million

Robert D. Cook, 56, and his son, Todd A. Cook, 23, both of Wichita Falls, Texas, pleaded guilty late yesterday to criminal copyright infringement and conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement before U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, in Alexandria, Va.



  • OPA Press Releases

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DOJ and USDA Hold First-ever Workshop on Competition Issues in Agriculture

“Today’s workshop provided the Department with an important opportunity to hear from a variety of perspectives and individuals about competition in the agriculture sector,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Securities Attorney Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Role in Pump-and-Dump Schemes

David B. Stocker, 50, of Phoenix pleaded guilty on March 11, 2009, in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., for his participation in a stock manipulation conspiracy known as a "pump-and-dump" scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Department of Justice and USDA Agriculture Workshop

"The Justice Department, as well as the USDA and the entire administration, is committed to protecting competition vigorously," said Attorney General Holder.




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Third Former Employee of Financial Products and Services Firm Pleads Guilty for Role in Bid-Rigging and Fraud Conspiracies Involving Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

According to the charges filed today, Douglas Alan Goldberg engaged in separate bid-rigging and fraud conspiracies with companies that provide a type of contract, known as an investment agreement, to state, county and local governments and agencies throughout the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Purchasing Official at a New York City Hospital Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud

According to the charges, Salvatore Scotto-DiVetta, who held various supervisory positions at NYPH, participated in a conspiracy that took place from as early as 2000 until at least March 2005.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Nexus Technologies Inc. and Three Employees Plead Guilty to Paying Bribes to Vietnamese Officials

Nexus Technologies Inc., a Philadelphia-based export company, pleaded guilty today in connection with 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 (FCPA).



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Testifies Before the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee

"Although unprecedented challenges and new demands have emerged, our key priorities remain clear," Attorney General Holder said.




and

Chicago Resident David Coleman Headley Pleads Guilty to Role in India and Denmark Terrorism Conspiracies

David Coleman Headley, a U.S. citizen of partial Pakistani descent, pleaded guilty today to a dozen federal terrorism charges, admitting that he participated in planning the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, as well as later planning to attack a Danish newspaper.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Innospec Inc. Pleads Guilty to FCPA Charges and Defrauding the United Nations; Admits to Violating the U.S. Embargo Against Cuba

Innospec Inc., a Delaware corporation, pleaded guilty today to defrauding the United Nations (UN), to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to violating the U.S. embargo against Cuba.



  • OPA Press Releases

and

United States Transfers Two Uighur Detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Switzerland

The Swiss Government, with the support of the Canton of Jura, accepted the two Chinese nationals of Uighur ethnicity for resettlement in Switzerland.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Maryland MS-13 Gang Leader Convicted of Racketeering Charges Related to Murder; Sentenced to Life in Prison

U.S. District Judge Deborah K. Chasanow today sentenced Roberto Antonio Argueta, aka "Alex Antonio Cruz," aka "Buda," 29, of Hyattsville, Md., to life in prison, plus an additional 35 years, for ordering the murder of Nancy Diaz and the attempted murder of another juvenile girl.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Maryland Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking, Firearm and Drug Charges

Lloyd Mack Royal, III aka “Blyss”, aka “B”, aka “Furious” was convicted late yesterday of sex trafficking of minors and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion, as well as firearm and drug charges.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Sues to Permanently Enjoin Orlando Tax Preparer

The United States filed suit today asking the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to permanently bar Elisa Veronica Barron from preparing federal tax returns.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Kentucky Attorney Pleads Guilty for Role in Stock Manipulation Scheme and Obstruction of Justice

Louisville, Ky., attorney James Reskin, 51, pleaded guilty late yesterday in U.S. District Court in Tulsa for his role in a scheme to defraud investors through the manipulation of the publicly traded stocks of three companies.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Leader of Hacking Ring Sentenced for Massive Identity Thefts from Payment Processor and U.S. Retail Networks

Albert Gonzalez, of Miami, the leader of the largest hacking and identity theft ring ever prosecuted by the U.S. government, has been sentenced to 20 years and one day in prison for his role in a series of hacks into a major payment processor and several retail networks.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Will Not Challenge Cisco’s Acquisition of Tandberg

“This investigation was a model of international cooperation between the United States and the European Commission,” said Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department’s Antitrust Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Nine Members of a Militia Group Charged with Seditious Conspiracy and Related Charges

Six Michigan residents, along with two residents of Ohio and a resident of Indiana, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Detroit on charges of seditious conspiracy, attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pamrapo Savings Bank of New Jersey Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Bank Secrecy Act Violations and Forfeits $5 Million

Pamrapo Savings Bank S.L.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pamrapo Bancorp Inc., based in Bayonne, N.J., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to conspiracy to violate the Bank Secrecy Act and has agreed to forfeit $5 million to the United States



  • OPA Press Releases

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Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation Gang Member Sentenced to 210 Months in Prison for His Role in Drug Conspiracy

Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) member John Guzman, 31, of Big Spring, Texas, was sentenced today to 210 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks for the Northern District of Texas



  • OPA Press Releases

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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Announces New Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section in Criminal Division

Today Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced the formation of the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section (HRSP), the first new section to be formed in the Criminal Division since 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

and

Settlement Reached at Allied Chemical and Ironton Coke Superfund Site in Ohio

A settlement with Honeywell International Inc. estimated to be worth more than $10 million will ensure that cleanup of the remaining areas of the Allied Chemical and Ironton Coke Superfund Site in Ironton, Ohio, will move forward.



  • OPA Press Releases