A leader and two soldiers in the Barrio Azteca (BA), a transnational border gang allied with the Juarez Cartel were sentenced in El Paso, Texas, to life, 30 and 20 years in prison, respectively.

The former co-owner of a Houston-area home health care company was sentenced in Houston to 108 months in prison for his participation in a $5.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Louis Dreyfus Energy Services has paid the United States $4,084,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay money owed on natural gas acquired from the Department of the Interior, the Justice Department announced today. Louis Dreyfus, which is based in Connecticut, is an energy company that is involved in merchandising, transportation, trading and storage of natural gas.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the city of Corpus Christi, Texas, alleging that the city’s police department engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination against women in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PDOC).

A former U.S. civilian contractor was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for conspiring to steal military generators in Iraq and selling them on the black market.

Two individuals and three corporations were sentenced in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan by Judge George B. Daniels today to serve time in prison and to pay criminal fines for their participation in an eight-year conspiracy involving kickbacks in excess of $2.3 million to defraud New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Agriculture and Texas General Land Office alleging that both state agencies are liable for discrimination against three female employees on the basis of sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which occurred at Texas Department of Rural Affairs.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the Robertson Fire Protection District in North Saint Louis County, Mo., for unfairly retaliating against a firefighter who provided testimony against the RFPD, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

"In our system, antitrust and intellectual property policy function together to provide consumers with high-quality products and services at competitive prices, while at the same time preserving strong incentives for the innovation that creates and improves those products," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Wayland.

A former police officer of Puerto Rico was sentenced today in San Juan to 40 years in prison for his role in providing security for drug transactions, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Joseph S. Campbell of the FBI’s San Juan Division.

"At the core of the complaint is a simple story. If you were African-American or Latino, you were more likely to be placed in a subprime loan or pay more for your mortgage loan, even though you were qualified and deserved better treatment. This is a case about real people-African American and Latino- who suffered real harm as a result of Wells Fargo’s discriminatory lending practices," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today an agreement with over three dozen companies and government agencies that will result in a $56.4 million cleanup of the “Malone Services Company” Superfund Site in Texas City, Texas, a former waste-disposal site near the shore of Galveston Bay.

Detroit-area resident Tariq Mahmud, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Three individuals, including Alabama businessman Ronald Gilley, lobbyist Jarrod Massey and former Alabama state representative Terry Spicer were sentenced to prison today in Montgomery, Ala., for bribery-related offenses.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Malaysian Minister for Home Affairs Datuk Seri Hishammuddin bin Tun Hussein met today, during the Attorney General’s official visit to Malaysia, to discuss transnational crime, terrorism and other areas of mutual law enforcement cooperation.

The settlement in this case represents the largest recovery the Civil Rights Division has obtained on behalf of a returning service member since 2004, when it assumed jurisdiction for the enforcement of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

A former financial institution employee pleaded guilty today for his participation in a conspiracy related to municipal bonds.

Michael R. Elliott, former chief financial officer of Caremerica Inc., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced.

Aleksandr Suvorov, of Estonia, was sentenced today to seven years in prison for his role in two separate hacking schemes involving a total of more than 240,000 stolen credit card numbers.

Cincinnati landlord Henry E. Bailey agreed to the entry of an $855,000 civil judgment against him, after admitting that he violated the Fair Housing Act as alleged in a complaint filed by the Justice Department in federal court.

The former director of corporate maintenance and renovations at Medical Facilities of America Inc. (MFA) was today sentenced to serve 63 months in prison for accepting kickbacks from contractors and evading federal income taxes.

Mohamad Anas Haitham Soueid, 48, a resident of Leesburg, Va., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for collecting video and audio recordings and other information about individuals in the United States and Syria who were protesting the government of Syria and to providing these materials to Syrian intelligence agencies in order to silence, intimidate and potentially harm the protestors.

A former financial services executive was indicted yesterday for his participation in a far-reaching conspiracy and scheme to defraud related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement agreement with United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), resolving allegations that the company discriminated under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when it impermissibly “reverified” the work authority of lawful permanent residents and required some non-citizen workers to provide specific Form I-9 documentation.

After a seven week trial in federal court in Camden, N.J., multiple defendants were convicted on various felony counts of creating false records, trafficking in illegally possessed oysters, obstructing the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of public health and safety, and conspiring to commit those crimes.

Ernst Pierre, a Port St. Lucie, Fla., tax preparer, was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced. Pierre was charged with a scheme to file false federal income tax returns using stolen identity information. Pierre was also ordered to pay over $266,000 in restitution to the IRS.

"For too long, our jails and prisons have been thought of as sealed institutions, where all problems – and all dangers – are contained. But that is clearly not the case. Health care is a powerful example of how issues that are unresolved – and, too often, exacerbated – in the corrections setting can lead to public health and public safety risks," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.

“The remarkable public safety achievements of the last 20 years are threatened unless reforms are instituted,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.

Charles Wilhelm, 23, of Independence, was sentenced in the Western District of Missouri by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple.

The Justice Department today announced agreements with Wills Point, Texas, and Randolph County, Ga., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for individuals with disabilities

The Department of Justice announced today that the United States has entered into a comprehensive, cooperative consent decree with the city of New Orleans to resolve allegations of unlawful police misconduct by the New Orleans Police Department.

Miami-area resident Emilio Haber, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan in the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit.

"Attorney General Holder often says that fighting violence in our cities and building a fair and effective justice system – a system that keeps citizens safe and maintains its legitimacy in the eyes of everyone it serves – has never been more difficult, nor more urgent, than right now," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"As we work to help keep our children safe, we cannot view youth violence and violence against women as separate and distinct, but, instead, as intertwined. To realize our vision for safe and healthy communities, we must start with safe and healthy homes," said Acting Director Hanson.

"There is significant emphasis on transparency, community engagement and sustainability. The decree places tools in the hands of the entire community so that long after the agreement has ended, effective, constitutional policing will endure. There are creative approaches to assessing compliance that focus on meaningful outcomes and encourage innovation," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

The agreement is the 200th settlement reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Clifford Ubani, 54, and Princewill Njoku, 53, the former co-owners of Family Healthcare Services, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gray H. Miller in the Southern District of Texas in Houston.

Eduard Arakelyan, 21, and Arman Vardanyan, 23, were each sentenced yesterday to serve 36 months in prison on bank fraud and conspiracy charges, and an additional, consecutive 24 months in prison for the identity theft charge.

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require United Technologies Corporation (UTC) to divest certain assets used in the production of electrical power systems and aircraft engine control systems in order to proceed with its acquisition of Goodrich Corporation.

Albino “Albie” Folcarelli, 54, of Johnston, R.I., an admitted associate of the New England La Cosa Nostra (NELCN), was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I., today to serve 84 months in federal prison for his participation in an extortion conspiracy to extort $25,000 from a Rhode Island individual by using implied threats of violence, including visits to the individual’s place of employment and home.

U.S. Attorney’s offices across the nation are partnering with the Civil Rights Division to target their enforcement efforts on a critical area for individuals with disabilities through a new Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, the Justice Department announced today. The announcement comes on the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was passed on July 26, 1990. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez announced the new initiative today at an event celebrating the anniversary of the ADA in Washington, D.C.

"In the year since I last appeared before this Subcommittee, the Civil Rights Division has continued our vigorous, fair and independent enforcement of civil rights laws. It is fitting that I come before you today, on the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark law that represents a bipartisan tradition of evenhanded civil rights enforcement," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

"Thanks to the work of so many of you in this room, the ADA has both literally and figuratively opened millions of doors for individuals with disabilities across this nation. Just as importantly, it has revolutionized the way our society thinks about individuals with disabilities, and it has revolutionized the way people with disabilities live in our communities," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with a California municipality and a homeowners’ association to resolve allegations of discrimination on the basis of familial status in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The settlement, in the form of a consent order, must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Goher Yaqoob, a resident of Roslyn Heights, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York to tax evasion, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.

An Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang member from Houston was sentenced today to serve 10 years in prison for his role in an aggravated assault that took place in Tomball, Texas, in September 2008.

"Using all the civil and criminal tools at our disposal, we are working hard to strengthen our role in protecting consumers and punishing those responsible. In that effort, we are making the fight against fraud aimed at servicemembers and veterans a top priority," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Delery.

Former Milwaukee Police Officer Ladmarald Cates was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller to 24 years in prison.

Daniyar Zhaxalyk, 26, a citizen of Kazakhstan who entered the United States on a student visa, was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated stock fraud scheme that caused more than $400,000 in losses.