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Justice Department Seeks to Intervene in Lawsuit Alleging H&s Tax Preparation Website Is Inaccessible to Individuals with Disabilities

The Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz announced today that they have moved to intervene in National Federation of the Blind et al v. HRB Digital LLC et al, a private lawsuit alleging disability discrimination by HRB Digital LLC and HRB Tax Group Inc., subsidiaries of H&R Block Inc.



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Former Suppliers of Beef to National School Lunch Program Settle Allegations of Improper Practices and Mistreating Cows

Several California companies and individuals that formerly supplied beef to the National School Lunch Program have agreed to settle allegations of inhumane handling of cattle, circumventing appropriate inspection of nonambulatory disabled (“downer”) cattle and false representations regarding their eligibility to process beef.



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Former KKK Leader Indicted for Cross Burning in Alabama; Second KKK Member Indicted for Perjury

Steven Joshua Dinkle, former Exalted Cyclops of a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in Ozark, Ala., was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 27, in Mississippi for burning a cross at the entrance to a predominantly African-American neighborhood and for obstructing the investigation into the offense.



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Health Care Clinic Owners Sentenced for Role in $8 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Two health care clinic owners were sentenced today in connection with an $8 million health care fraud scheme involving the now-defunct home health care company Flores Home Health Care Inc.



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CVS’ Caremark Will Pay $4.25 Million for Allegedly Denying Medicaid Claims for Reimbursement of Prescription Drug Costs

Caremark LLC, a pharmacy benefit management company (PBM), will pay the government and five states a total of $4.25 million to settle allegations that it knowingly failed to reimburse Medicaid for prescription drug costs paid on behalf of Medicaid beneficiaries, who also were eligible for drug benefits under Caremark-administered private health plans.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

Clarence Hicks, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 57 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $210,555.62 in restitution for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit to Stop Tennessee Woman from Preparing Tax Returns

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in a federal court in Memphis today to stop Stephanie Edmond and her businesses, the Tax Factory and Tax Factory Enterprise Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination at Hartville, Ohio, Condominium Complex

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit late yesterday against the owners, builders and designers of a 54-unit condominium complex in Hartville, Ohio, for violations of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).



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United States Agrees to Comprehensive Settlement with Suffolk County Police Department to Resolve Investigation of Discriminatory Policing Against Latinos

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced today that they have tentatively agreed to a settlement with the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) which calls for SCPD to implement new and enhanced policies and procedures to ensure nondiscrimination in the provision of police services to Latino communities in Suffolk County.



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Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud and Mail Fraud

Michael Edwards pleaded guilty today to one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and one count of mail fraud, the Justice Department and IRS announced.



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Former Medical Doctor Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Minors in Kenya

A former medical doctor was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Kenya.



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Miami Home Health Company Owner and Recruiter Sentenced for Role in $48 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A patient recruiter of a Miami health care company was sentenced to serve 108 months in prison today for his participation in a $48 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.



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Government Files Suit Against Canton, Ohio-based Tab Construction and Its Owner for Allegedly Defrauding the Historically Underutilized Business Zone Program

The government has filed a complaint against Canton, Ohio-based TAB Construction Co. Inc. (TAB) and its owner, William E. Richardson III, for allegedly making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) to obtain certification as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) company.



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California Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Defraud the IRS

Gary Mach, of Palm Desert, Calif., was sentenced to 16 months in prison, two months of house arrest, and 18 months of probation and ordered to pay $270,725 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced today.



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20 Detroit-area Residents Charged in Medicare Fraud Strike Force Takedown for Approximately $34 Million in False Billing

Twenty Detroit-area residents have been charged for their roles in physician home visit, home health care, chiropractic and psychotherapy schemes to submit more than $34 million in false billing to Medicare.



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New York Antiques Dealer Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Wildlife Smuggling

Qiang Wang, aka Jeffrey Wang, a New York antiques dealer, was sentenced in federal court in Manhattan today to 37 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for conspiracy to smuggle Asian artifacts made from rhinoceros horns and ivory and violating wildlife trafficking laws



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit to Stop Tennessee Man from Preparing Tax Returns

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit today in Memphis federal court to stop Grady Smith, who does business as One Price Refunds, from preparing federal tax returns.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Newseum to Improve Access for People with Disabilities

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Newseum Inc., which owns and operates the Newseum, to address alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



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Virginia Man Sentenced for Conducting $270 Million Investment Fraud Scheme

The owner of a Virginia-based investment firm was sentenced today to serve 144 months in prison for orchestrating a $270 million stock loan scheme that defrauded his clients of more than $35 million.



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Former Sea Star Line President Sentenced to Serve Five Years in Prison for Role in Price-Fixing Conspiracy Involving Coastal Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico

The former president of Sea Star Line LLC, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based water freight carrier, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and to pay a $25,000 criminal fine for his participation in a conspiracy to fix rates and surcharges for freight transported by water between the continental United States and Puerto Rico.



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Owner of New York Sportswear Distribution Business Sentenced for Tax Fraud

Harry Neuhoff, a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and three years supervised release for tax evasion, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Ipc the Hospitalist Co. Inc. Alleging Overbilling of Physician Services

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against IPC The Hospitalist Co. Inc., and its subsidiaries (IPC), alleging that IPC submitted false claims to federal health care programs, the Justice Department announced today. IPC, based in North Hollywood, Calif., is one of the largest providers of hospitalist services in the United States, employing physicians and other health care providers who work in more than 1,300 facilities in 28 states. Hospitalists are physicians who work only in hospitals and other long-term care facilities, overseeing and coordinating inpatient care from admission to discharge.



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First Public Hearing of the American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence Task Force Held in Bismarck, N.D.

The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of the Task Force on American Indian/Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence held its first public hearing today in Bismarck, N.D., convening tribal researchers, advocates and local community members to discuss domestic violence and child physical and sexual abuse in Indian Country.



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Utah Resident Pleads Guilty to Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Totaling $653,884

Stanley J. Wardle, 65, of Spanish Fork, Utah, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City to nine counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the American Indian / Alaskan Native Children Exposed to Violence Hearing

ifty years ago Attorney General Robert Kennedy came here to Bismarck and spoke of the "tragic irony" of First Americans living in the freest country in the world yet imprisoned by conditions of poverty and deprivation -- conditions not found in the natural order of things but manmade, imposed and perpetuated by bigotry and greed and violence.




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John Charles Mccluskey to Receive Life Prison Sentence for Murdering Oklahoma Couple

– John Charles McCluskey, 48, will receive a life prison sentence for a host of crimes arising out of the carjacking and murder of a couple from Tecumseh, Oklahoma



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Former Chief Executive of Mortgage Servicing Company Sentenced for Scheme to Withhold Funds from Wells Fargo Bank

Earl Gross, 74, of Las Vegas, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of U.S. Mortgage, a loan servicing company, was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for his role in an $8 million scheme to defraud Wells Fargo Bank



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Emergency Room Doctor Sentenced for Failure to File Tax Returns

Dr. Michael Austin, 57, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced today to serve one year and one day in federal prison for willfully failing to file individual income tax returns for tax years 2008 and 2009, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore for the Middle District of Georgia.



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Former Washington, D.C.-Area Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that John T. Hoang, of Woodbridge, Va., was sentenced in federal district court in Washington, D.C., for willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns for the 2004 tax year.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole, Director Keith B. Alexander and General Counsel Robert S. Litt Testify Before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee

"A key step in promoting greater public confidence in these intelligence activities is to provide greater transparency so that the American people, as well as ordinary citizens around the world, understand what the activities are, how they function, and how they are overseen."




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Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Hacking into Multiple Computer Networks

A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for his role in a scheme to hack into computer networks and sell access to those networks.



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First Deadline Approaches for Participation in the Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks

The Tax Division of the Department of Justice today strongly encouraged Swiss banks that want to seek non-prosecution agreements to resolve past cross-border criminal tax violations to submit letters of intent by the Dec. 31, 2013 deadline required by the Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks.



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Two Patient Recruiters for Miami Home Health Companies Sentenced for Roles in $48 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Two patient recruiters for Miami health care companies were sentenced today for their participation in a $48 million home health Medicare fraud scheme



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Ukrainian National Who Co-founded Cybercrime Marketplace Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison

One of the world’s most prolific cybercriminals was sentenced today to serve 18 years in prison for his role in co-founding the notorious website CarderPlanet. At the time of his arrest, Vega possessed more than half a million stolen credit card numbers



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Former Contractor of a Florida Property Management Company Sentenced to Serve Time in Prison for Wire Fraud

A former repair contractor of a Florida property management company was sentenced to serve time in prison for his participation in a wire fraud scheme related to housing repairs made under a contract between Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).



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Convergex Group Subsidiary and Two Employees Plead Guilty to Securities and Wire Fraud Charges

A brokerage subsidiary of ConvergEx Group LLC pleaded guilty today to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud and wire fraud.



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Tennessee Cardiologist to Pay $1.15 Million to Settle Allegations That He Performed Medically Unnecessary Heart Procedures

Cardiologist Dr. Elie H. Korban will pay $1.15 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that he billed Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary cardiac stent placement.



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Ringleader of International Rhino Smuggling Conspiracy Pleads Guilty in New Jersey to Wildlife Trafficking Crimes

Zhifei Li, the owner of an antique business in China, pleaded guilty today to being the organizer of an illegal wildlife smuggling conspiracy in which 30 rhinoceros horns and numerous objects made from rhino horn and elephant ivory worth more than $4.5 million were smuggled from the United States to China.



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Health Care Clinic Owner Sentenced for Role in $7 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner of a Miami home health care company was sentenced to serve 235 months in prison today for her participation in a $7 million health care fraud scheme involving defunct home health care company Anna Nursing Services Corp.



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Trinidad and Tobago Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Kidnapping Scheme

A woman from Trinidad and Tobago was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison for her role in the 2005 kidnapping of naturalized U.S. citizen



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Previously Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced to 25 Years for Sex Trafficking a Minor and Two Adults

Terrance Anderson, aka Scooby, was sentenced to serve 25 years in a federal prison on charges of sex trafficking of a minor and two counts of transporting adults in interstate commerce for prostitution.



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International Arms Smuggler Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison

Siarhei Baltutski, aka Sergey Boltutskiy, 41, of Minsk, Belarus, was sentenced today to serve 180 months in prison for conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and conspiracy to commit money laundering.



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Justice Department Announces Fair Housing Settlement with W.V. Developer

The Justice Department announced today that developer Douglas Pauley and entities affiliated with him have agreed to pay $110,000 and make all retrofits required to remove accessibility barriers at 30 apartment complexes, involving more than 750 units, in West Virginia that were developed through the federal government’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Fort Davis State Bank to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today that Fort Davis State Bank, based in Fort Davis, Texas, will implement uniform pricing policies, conduct employee training and pay $159,000 as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of national origin.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with State of New Hampshire to Expand Community Mental Health Services and Prevent Unnecessary Institutionalization

The Justice Department announced today that the United States and a coalition of mental health advocacy organizations have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the state of New Hampshire that will transform New Hampshire’s mental health system by significantly expanding and enhancing mental health service capacity in integrated community settings.



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Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Reach $98 Million Settlementto Resolve Allegations of Auto Lending Discrimination by Ally

The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced the federal government’s largest auto loan discrimination settlement in history to resolve allegations that Detroit-based Ally Financial Inc. and Ally Bank have engaged in an ongoing nationwide pattern or practice of discrimination against African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander borrowers in their auto lending since April 1, 2011.



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Unlicensed Miami Clinic Nurse Convicted at Trial and Sentenced for Role in $11 Million HIV Infusion Fraud Scheme

An unlicensed nurse who fled after being charged in 2008 and was captured this year was sentenced today to serve 108 months in prison.



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Justice Department Recovers $3.8 Billion from False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2013

The Justice Department secured $3.8 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud against the government in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2013.



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Patient Recruiter and Therapy Staffing Company Owner Sentenced for Roles in $7 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A patient recruiter and a therapy staffing company owner were sentenced today to serve 50 months and 46 months in prison, respectively, for their participation in a $7 million health care fraud scheme.



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Army National Guard Colonel and Sergeant Indicted for Allegedly Defrauding Recruiting Assistance Program

A retired colonel and a sergeant in the Army National Guard have been charged in a nine-count indictment in Albuquerque, N.M., for allegedly defrauding the National Guard Bureau.



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