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Bloomingdale, Georgia, Landlord to Pay $680,000 to Settle Housing Discrimination Lawsuit

Darwin Kenneth Morgan and his company, D.K. Morgan Consolidated LLC, have agreed to pay $680,000 in monetary damages and civil penalties to settle a Fair Housing Act lawsuit alleging that Morgan discriminated against African-Americans and sexually harassed female tenants and prospective tenants at Morgan Mobile Home Parks in Bloomingdale, Ga.



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North Carolina Man Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

Timothy Christenbury, 47, was sentenced today in Charlotte, N.C., to 72 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release following his prison term for possessing child pornography.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at First Lady Michelle Obama’s Visit to the Department of Justice

"In the recent past, including many miles on the campaign trail, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know our First Lady," said Attorney General Holder.




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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Delivers Remarks on Fair Lending and Fair Housing at the Brookings Institution

"As we emerge from this recession, it is critical that we not only look for ways to hold those who discriminated in the past accountable. We must also find ways to repair some of the damage done to families and to communities. We must use the power of the law to encourage innovative strategies for rebuilding, and be sure that decades of investment have not been permanently lost," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the District of Columbia College Access Program Graduation Celebration

"Over the last decade, you have redefined statistics, expectations, and, most importantly, possibilities for students across this city," said Attorney General Holder.




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Nantucket Man Arrested and Charged with Operating International Online “Phishing” Scheme to Steal Income Tax Refunds

Mikalai Mardakhayeu, a Belarusian national residing in Nantucket, Mass., was arrested Wednesday night and charged for his alleged participation in an international online “phishing” scheme to steal income tax refunds intended for U.S. taxpayers around the country.



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Judge Orders State of Florida to Provide Community Services to Jacksonville Woman at Risk of Institutionalization

The state of Florida must provide Michele Haddad with services that will enable her to remain in her home, a U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Fla., ruled Wednesday.



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Downsville, Louisiana, Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime

Robert Jackson, 37, of Downsville, La., pleaded guilty in federal court to placing a hangman’s noose in the carport of the home of a family in order “to send a message” to African-American males who had been frequently visiting the victim’s home.



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Department of Justice and USDA Hold Workshop Focused on Competition Issues in the Dairy Industry

The workshop explores the appropriate role for antitrust and regulatory enforcement in the dairy industry.



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Virginia Resident Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Bribing Foreign Government Officials

John Webster Warwick, a Virginia Beach, Va., resident, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., to 37 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to pay bribes to former Panamanian government officials to secure maritime contracts.



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Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney Speaks at the Wisconsin Dairy Workshop

"Dairy farming has been a vital American industry since before there was an Antitrust Division, and we are here today to learn about the forces buffeting this important economic sector, and what the government might be able to do to help," said Assistant Attorney General Varney.




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Justice Department and Town of Gretna, Virginia, Reach Agreement to Ensure Nondiscriminatory Zoning Practices

The Department announced a comprehensive settlement agreement with the town of Gretna, Va., under the Americans with Disabilities Act to eliminate barriers for providers of foster care services who wish to provide community placements in their homes for persons with disabilities. 



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Cincinnati Area Man Pleads Guilty to Aegis-Related Tax Crimes

Homer Richardson of Loveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty in federal district court in Cincinnati to corruptly impeding the due administration of the Internal Revenue Code.



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Attorney General Travels to Afghanistan for Meetings with U.S., Afghan Officials

Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan today for meetings with Afghan and U.S. officials.



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Statement of the Attorney General Following Meetings with Afghan President Karzai, Minister of Justice, Attorney General

Attorney General Eric Holder met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Minister of Justice Habibullah Ghalib and Attorney General Mohammad Ishaq Aloko today to discuss the department’s ongoing efforts to foster the rule of law in Afghanistan.



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North Carolina MS-13 Members Sentenced to Prison for Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

Seven members of the gang known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, were sentenced to prison Tuesday for their participation in a racketeering enterprise.



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New Jersey UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report More Than $2 Million in Swiss Bank Account

A Milltown, N.J., man pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of willfully subscribing to a false tax return, admitting he concealed over $2 million in a Swiss bank account.



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Philadelphia Drug Dealer Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison

Quang Nguyen, 22, of Philadelphia was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond to 70 months in prison for his role in distributing large amounts of marijuana and ecstasy pills in the United States.



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Jury Convicts District of Columbia Fish Wholesaler & Two Employees for Purchasing Illegally Harvested Striped Bass

Following a five-week trial, a fish wholesaler and two of its employees were found guilty with purchasing illegally harvested striped bass, known locally as rockfish, from the Potomac River in Virginia and Maryland from 1995 through 2007.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Racial Discrimination at Ann Arbor, Michigan, Michigan Apartment Complex

The owners and operators of Ivanhoe House Apartments, an apartment complex in Ann Arbor, Mich., have agreed to pay $82,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department alleging that they had discriminated against African-American home-seekers, in violation of the Fair Housing Act.



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Houston Computer Administrator Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Hacking Former Employer’s Computer Network

Steven Jinwoo Kim, 40, of Houston pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2009, to one count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization and recklessly causing damage.



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Justice Department Resolves Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Housing Authority

The lawsuit alleged that the Fitchburg Housing Authority and Hill violated the Fair Housing Act by adopting and implementing policies that denied tenants with disabilities other than mobility impairments the opportunity to transfer between apartments within Fitchburg’s public housing neighborhoods.



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New Charges Filed Against Irish Trading Firm for Exporting U.S. Military Items to Iran

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has charged Mac Aviation Group, an Irish trading company, and its officers Thomas and Sean McGuinn of Sligo, Ireland, in a superseding indictment with purchasing F-5 fighter aircraft parts, helicopter engines and other aircraft components from U.S. firms and illegally exporting them to Iran.



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Justice Department Files a Lawsuit Alleging Employment Discrimination by Georgia Rug Manufacturer and Seller

The Department filed a lawsuit against Garland Sales Inc., a rug manufacturer and seller located in Dalton, Ga., alleging it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by imposing unnecessary and discriminatory hurdles to employment for work authorized individuals.



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Former Bureau of Prisons Corrections Officer Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Charges

A federal jury in Orlando, Fla., found former Bureau of Prisons corrections officer Michael Kennedy guilty late yesterday on felony federal civil rights charges related to the fatal assault of an inmate in March 2005.



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Remarks by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer at Violent Crime Program Press Roundtable

Assistant Attorney General Breuer highlights the Criminal Division's recent successes in the fight against gangs and his intention to form an Organized Crime and Gang Section by merging the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section and the Gang Unit.




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Detroit-area Physical Therapist and Physician’s Assistant Plead Guilty in Medicare Home Health Fraud Scheme

Detroit-area residents Faisal Chaudry and Guy Ross pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Detroit for their participation in a fraudulent Medicare home health scheme



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Justice Department Announces Changes in Illinois Rules Concerning English Language Learner Students

Today, the Justice Department announced that, pursuant to its agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education, the state has finalized administrative rules that will ensure school districts throughout Illinois provide appropriate language support services to English language learner students until they no longer need them.



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Justice Department Settles Remainder of Voter Registration Case with State of New York for Violating Rights of Students with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced a court-approved consent decree which resolves a lawsuit against the state of New York and its public university systems for their failure to provide voter registration services at offices serving students with disabilities at each public university and college campus in New York State. 



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Milton, Wash., to Ensure Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the city of Milton, Wash., under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to improve access to city parks and recreational activities for persons with disabilities.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to Enforce the Employment Rights of Former Air Force Reservist

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a consent decree with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that, if approved by the U.S. District Court, will resolve the department’s complaint filed in May 2009, alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. 



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Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Child Pornography Charges

Douglas Carruthers, 46, formerly of Rockland, Mass., was sentenced today to 70 months in prison and eight years of supervised release following his prison term for child pornography offenses.



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Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Engaging in Child Exploitation Enterprise

Two individuals pleaded guilty for their participation in an international group of child pornography collectors who used a social networking site to share thousands of sexually explicit images.



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Georgia Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Production of Child Pornography Using Hidden Videos in Store Bathrooms

Jeffrey Alan Wasley of Kennesaw, Ga., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for producing child pornography through the surreptitious videotaping of young boys using public restrooms in Atlanta-area establishments.



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Forfeiture Complaint Seeks to Recover Bribery Proceeds Paid to Former Taiwan President and His Family

Today, the U.S. government filed civil forfeiture complaints against properties in New York and Virginia that represent a portion of illegal bribes paid to the former president of Taiwan and his wife.



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Justice Department Settles Discrimination Lawsuit Against Pasco County, Florida, Fairgrounds Owner

The Justice Department today announced the filing and settlement of a lawsuit against the Pasco County Fair Association Inc. for allegedly discriminating against Hispanic patrons in the rental of a reception hall on its fairgrounds in Dade City, Fla.



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Swiss Lawyer Indicted for Helping to Hide Swiss Bank Accounts and Monies Returned to U.S. Clients

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., returned an indictment charging Felix M. Mathis, an attorney practicing in Zurich, Switzerland, with conspiring to defraud the United States and structuring the importation of currency into this country.



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Former Missouri County Chief Deputy Charged with Civil Rights Violations

A federal grand jury has charged Vernon Wilson, former Chief Deputy of the Washington County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, in a six-count indictment stemming from four separate incidents in which Wilson allegedly assaulted inmates or caused the assault of inmates in the Washington County Jail in the summer and fall of 2005.



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Two Defendants Sentenced to Prison in International Child Pornography Conspiracy Case

Thomas Attebury, 40, of Bakersfield, Calif., was sentenced yesterday to 38 years in prison for his role in the child pornography conspiracy and David Williams, 46, of Selinsgrove, Pa., was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for his participation in the conspiracy.



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Former State Department Official Sentenced to Life in Prison for Nearly 30-year Espionage Conspiracy

Walter Kendall Myers, a former State Department official, and his wife, Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, have been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and 81 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in a nearly 30-year conspiracy to provide highly-classified U.S. national defense information to the Republic of Cuba.



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination at Apartment Complex in Renton, Washington

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owner, management company and former manager of Summerhill Place Apartments, a 268-unit apartment complex in Renton, Wash., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin and familial status in the rental of apartments.



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Former U.S. Army Contracting Official Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Bribery and Unlawful Salary Supplementation in Off-post Housing Scheme

A former U.S. Army contracting official was sentenced today to 42 months in prison in connection with two schemes to solicit more than $30,000 in bribes and other payments from an Egyptian businessman in Kuwait.



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Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability Discrimination by Ventura County, California

The Justice Department today announced a consent decree resolving a lawsuit filed against Ventura County, Calif., alleging that the county violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it refused to hire a qualified applicant for a children’s social services position because she is deaf and required reasonable accommodations.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Blockbuster Inc. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Blockbuster Inc. to ensure equal access to its stores nationwide for individuals with disabilities who use service animals.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Town of Pomfret, Connecticut, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

“I commend public officials in the town of Pomfret for making this important commitment to ensuring equal access to civic life for individuals with disabilities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Wilson County, North Carolina, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Wilson County, N.C., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement with Pearl River County, Mississippi, to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Pearl River County, Miss., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the American Association of People with Disabilities “Justice for All” Event

"It’s an honor to salute your contributions and to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the ADA – and the 15th Anniversary of the AAPD – with so many friends, colleagues and partners," said Attorney General Holder.




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New Health Care Access Guidance Promotes Preventive Medical Care Services for People with Mobility Disabilities

The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights today issued new technical assistance guidance for medical providers which will help people with mobility disabilities obtain accessible medical care.



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Three Colombian Nationals Extradited to the United States to Face Alien Smuggling and Visa Fraud Charges

Three Colombian nationals have been extradited from Colombia to the United States on charges of conspiracy to smuggle aliens for profit, alien smuggling for profit, and conspiracy to commit visa fraud in connection with their alleged roles in an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud scheme through which they fraudulently procured visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.



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