The Justice Department announced today that Orland Park, Ill., property owner Terence Flanagan has agreed to pay $35,000 in monetary damages and civil penalties to settle consolidated Fair Housing Act lawsuits against him.

The president and the auditor of a Costa Rican company selling reinsurance bonds to life settlement companies were arrested and charged, along with the company itself, in a seven-count indictment unsealed today for their alleged role in a $670 million fraud scheme involving victims throughout the United States and abroad.

Ninety-one members and associates of seven organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including the New England LCN family, all five New York-based families and the New Jersey-based Decavalcante family have been charged with federal crimes in 16 indictments returned in four judicial districts.

In fiscal year 2010, the Department of Justice secured approximately $2.072 billion in judgments and settlements as a result of enforcement actions led by the Criminal Division, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy’s swearing-in as the nation’s 64th Attorney General, the Justice Department today welcomed Kennedy family members, including Ethel Kennedy, renowned civil rights leaders, historians and current and former Justice Department employees to pay tribute to Attorney General Kennedy’s service.

A judge sentenced Thomas Hayward Lewis to 12 months and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for violating the civil rights of congregants of the Congregation Tree of Life Messianic Synagogue, as well as possession of an unregistered firearm.

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report showing that the government’s health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered more than $4 billion in taxpayer dollars in Fiscal Year 2010.

Karen L. Blyth and David H.M. Phelps pleaded guilty today in federal court in Mobile, Ala., to 13 felony offenses for their roles in purchasing and selling farm raised Asian catfish and Lake Victoria perch falsely labeled as grouper; selling foreign farm-raised shrimp falsely labeled as U.S. wild caught shrimp, selling shrimp that falsely claimed to be larger, more expensive shrimp than they actually were; and for buying fish they knew had been illegally imported into the United States

"The Departments of Justice and HHS have a long history of working together in this fight against health care fraud. While we know that most health care dollars are spent on healing sick Americans and most companies and providers work hard to play by the rules, we also know that too much money is lost to fraud and abuse. So, we have been fighting back together, on behalf of American taxpayers and patients."

Noshir S. Gowadia, 66, of Maui, Hawaii, was sentenced late yesterday to 32 years in prison for communicating classified national defense information to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), illegally exporting military technical data, as well as money laundering, filing false tax returns and other offenses.

Richard A. Muto of Buffalo, N.Y., has pleaded guilty to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the administration of the internal revenue laws.

Deputy Attorney General James Cole today announced the appointment of Lisa O. Monaco as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Stuart M. Goldberg as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Attorney General.

HOVENSA LLC, owner of the second largest petroleum refinery in the United States, has agreed to pay a $5.375 million civil penalty and spend more than $700 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, refinery.

A federal jury in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has convicted Matthew Nestor and William Moyer of falsifying information related to the investigation into the beating death of Luis Ramirez.

The United States has filed a complaint against Boston Scientific Corp. and related Guidant entities under the False Claims Act for conduct relating to certain of its cardiac devices.

The Justice Department announced today that former Lucas County Sheriff’s Sergeant John E. Gray was sentenced today by Judge David A. Katz to three years in prison, followed by two years supervised release, for federal civil rights violations and records falsification relating to the in-custody death of a pretrial detainee at the Lucas County Jail.

Leon Pullen, 32, of Foley, Mo., a former police officer employed by the Uplands Park Police Department in suburban St. Louis, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on civil rights violations stemming from several incidents where he sexually assaulted and stole money from women.

Maxwell Technologies Inc. has agreed to pay an $8 million criminal penalty to resolve charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for bribing Chinese government officials to secure sales of Maxwell’s products to state-owned manufacturers of electric-utility infrastructure in several Chinese provinces.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against Cincinnati landlord Henry E. Bailey alleging that Bailey sexually harassed female tenants at residential properties he has owned and managed in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

Andrew Kerber, 22, of Chico, Calif., pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill in Fresno, Calif., to violating the civil rights of congregants of Congregation Beth Shalom, a synagogue in Modesto, Calif.

Colleen R. LaRose, aka “Jihad Jane,” 47, pleaded guilty today to all counts of a superseding indictment charging her with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements and attempted identity theft. LaRose faces maximum potential sentence of life in prison and a $1 million fine when she is sentenced.

"As part of this fight against human trafficking, specialized Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams, known as ACTeams, will be convened in a number of pilot districts nationwide," said Attorney General Holder.

Gregory Pfizenmayer of Foley, Ala., has pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Court Judge Herman J. Weber in Cincinnati to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a drug diversion scheme in which he was involved.

Brandon Smith, aka “Little One” and “King Little One,” 26, of Hyattsville, Md., pleaded guilty today to 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 federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Choctaw County, Miss., Sheriff’s Deputy Billy C. Scott Jr. with civil rights violations and obstructing justice.

A federal jury in Baton Rouge, La., today convicted a former research scientist of stealing trade secrets from Dow Chemical Company and selling them to companies in the People’s Republic of China, as well as committing perjury.

Five individuals and a Nashville, Tenn., firearms manufacturer have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to international firearms and trafficking violations of the Arms Export Control Act.

Two Iowa ready-mix concrete executives were sentenced to serve jail time and pay criminal fines for their participation in separate conspiracies to fix prices and rig bids for sales of ready-mix concrete.

Iheanyi Frank Chinasa, 39, of Gaithersburg, Md., was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in Richmond, Va., of multiple fraud charges and obstruction of an official proceeding related to his participation in a scheme to defraud Cisco Systems Inc., announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride of the Eastern District of Virginia and Michael Morehart, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Richmond Field Office.

The United States has filed six lawsuits in five states to stop tax return preparers from fraudulently claiming the first-time homebuyer tax credit and the earned-income tax credit.

Forty-one members of various street gangs have been charged in indictments or criminal complaints unsealed today in five judicial districts.

CEMEX Inc., one of the largest producers of Portland cement in the United States, will spend an estimated $2 million on pollution controls that will reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), pollutants that can lead to childhood asthma, acid rain, smog and impaired visibility in national parks. Under a settlement to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its cement plant in Fairborn, Ohio, CEMEX will also pay a $1.4 million penalty, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

The owners and operators of a Brooklyn-area durable medical equipment (DME) company pleaded guilty yesterday to defrauding the Medicare program, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).

Michael P.S. Scanlon, 40, a business partner of former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to 20 months in prison for his role in a wide-ranging public corruption and fraud conspiracy.

Tan Nguyen, 35, from Oceanside, Calif., was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge David O. Carter to one year and one day in federal prison for his conviction last year on a federal obstruction of justice charge stemming from lies he told California investigators about his involvement in a letter sent to Latino voters during his 2006 campaign for U.S. House of Representatives.

The FBI and Department of Justice response to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences report, "Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters."

Seizure warrants have been executed against 10 domain names of websites engaged in the advertisement and distribution of child pornography.

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder today met to discuss the shooting by unknown assailants of two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents in the line of duty yesterday while driving in Mexico.

One hundred and two members and associates of transnational organized criminal groups operating in the United States have been charged in indictments unsealed today in Los Angeles; Santa Ana, Calif.; Miami and Denver.

A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., today returned an indictment charging William P. Danielczyk Jr. and Eugene R. Biagi with reimbursing $186,600 in contributions to the Senate and Presidential campaign committees of a candidate for federal office, and obstructing the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the FBI.

The United States and Croatia today signed an Agreement on Preventing and Combating Serious Crime.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force today charged 111 defendants in nine cities, including doctors, nurses, health care company owners and executives, and others, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving more than $225 million in false billing.

An owner of bar in Guam was found guilty today of sex trafficking, and coercion and enticement for prostitution related to a scheme to force young women and one juvenile girl into prostitution.

An Ohio man residing in Switzerland was charged by information in the Northern District of Ohio for filing false personal income tax returns for the years 2004 through 2008, the Department of Justice announced today.

Six individuals, including a securities attorney, were charged in an indictment unsealed today with defrauding investors in a stock manipulation scheme from 2003 to 2008.

"It’s a pleasure to be here with you to talk about the work we’re doing in the Civil Division to promote and protect the Nation’s national security interests," said Assistant Attorney General West.

"Agent Zapata’s story is one that we must not forget. And it’s one that we won’t. He was a hero in every sense of the word, a man whose acts of valor are a testament to what is best about our country and our national – and international – law enforcement community."

Cardiff Marine Inc, a Liberian-registered shipping company, was sentenced today in federal court in Baltimore after pleading guilty to a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.

John Bostick pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in 2006.

Brandon Piekarsky, 19, and Derrick Donchak, 21, both of Shenandoah, Pa., were sentenced today to nine years in prison for the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez.