is

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary Speaks at the National Intertribal Youth Summit

"You’ve already shown that leadership is a quality available in abundance in tribal communities. The future clearly is in good hands. Thank you for everything you’re doing for your communities, and keep up the good work," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.




is

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer at Public Hearing on Potential Regulation to Strengthen Anti-Money Laundering Safeguards

"This rulemaking presents an important opportunity to close a gap in our financial regulations that makes it easier for criminals to move illicit proceeds through the United States financial system," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




is

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary Speaks at the COPS Community Policing Conference

"Providing information, strengthening police-community relationships, and protecting officers – these are all ways the Office of Justice Programs is working to support law enforcement," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.




is

Final Missouri Defendant Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Vandalism and Arson of Biracial Man’s Home

A Missouri man was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in the vandalism and arson of a biracial man’s home in Independence, Mo., the Department of Justice announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

United States Settles Fair Housing Act Lawsuit Against Wisconsin Housing Provider

The Justice Department announced today that the owner and former manager of the Lowrey Hotel and Café in New Richmond, Wis., has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging they had sexually harassed a homeless woman who sought shelter at the hotel.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Alabama School District to End the Use of Race in Extracurricular Activities

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an out-of-court agreement with the Escambia County School District in Alabama to end the use of race-based selection criteria for homecoming courts and other student activities in two of the district’s high schools.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

District of Columbia Return Preparer Convicted of Preparing False Tax Returns

Following a jury trial that began on Aug. 1, 2012, a federal jury convicted Enyinnaya Udo on all 25 counts of an indictment charging him with aiding and assisting in the preparation of false individual income tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

United States Joins Lawsuit Against San Francisco Area’s North East Medical Services

The United States has joined a whistleblower action pending in the Northern District of California against the federally-qualified health center (FQHC), North East Medical Services (NEMS), alleging that the center under-reported income it received from a managed care organization in order to artificially inflate reimbursements it received from the California Medicaid program, the Justice Department announced today. North East serves the San Francisco Bay area.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Baltimore County, Maryland, Alleging Disability Discrimination

The Justice Department today announced it has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Baltimore County, Md.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Cleanup and Natural Resources Improvement Agreement Reached at Ashland Lakefront Superfund Site in Wisconsin

Northern States Power Co. will begin cleanup of the Ashland/Northern States Power Lakefront Superfund Site in Northwestern Wisconsin under a settlement the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Alabama Return Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Conspiracy Involving Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Yumeitrius Manuel, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama to 81 months in federal prison for filing false tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings Showing Constitutional Rights of Children in Mississippi Being Violated

The Justice Department released a letter of findings today determining that the Lauderdale County Youth Court, the Meridian Police Department (MPD), and the Mississippi Division of Youth Services (DYS) are violating the constitutional rights of juveniles in Meridian, Miss. The department’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that these agencies have violated the constitutional due process rights of children in the city of Meridian and the county of Lauderdale under the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Indiana Online Identity Thief Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Counterfeit Credit Card Conspiracy Involving More Than $3 Million in Losses

Peter Borgia Jr., 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

South Carolina Pharmaceutical Distribution Company Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme to Purchase and Sell Drugs in the Grey Market

The Department of Justice announced the guilty plea and sentencing of Easley, S.C.-based Aletec Medical for engaging in a multi-million dollar prescription drug scheme. Altec Medical pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Miami to one count of conspiring to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to commit federal offenses in connection with a drug-diversion scheme that lasted from 2007 to 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Arizona Tax Defier Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Fraud and Tax Conspiracy

Richard Kellogg Armstrong, 77, of Prescott, Ariz., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Blackburn ordered the sentence to run consecutively to the 660 day prison term and $1,021,500 of fines cumulatively imposed upon Armstrong as punitive sanctions for 10 acts of contempt of court. He also ordered Armstrong to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $1,678,834 and to forfeit two residences and a personal aircraft. The sentence was announced by the Justice Department’s Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. Codefendant Curtis L. Morris, age 43, of Elizabeth, Colo., is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, 2012.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Florida and Wisconsin

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on Aug. 14, 2012, in the following jurisdictions to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other federal voting rights statutes: Collier, Hendry, Lee, Osceola and Polk Counties, Fla.; and the city of Milwaukee, Wis.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Miami-Area Patient Broker Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Role in $200 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Jean-Luc Veraguas, 51, of Plantation, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Frederico A. Moreno in the Southern District of Florida.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against South Carolina Landlord for Discriminating Against Families with Children

The Justice Department announced today that John Wingard Altman has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a lawsuit involving violations of the Fair Housing Act at Altman Apartments, a 16-unit apartment complex he owns in Summerville, S.C. In July 2012, the court, ruling on a motion filed by the government, found that the defendant had violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Settles Claims of Discrimination Against Philadelphia Employment Agency

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement agreement with Best Packing Services Employment Agency Inc., which is based in Philadelphia, resolving allegations that the company discriminated under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when it impermissibly delayed the start date of two refugees after requiring them to provide specific Form I-9 documentation.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary Speaks at the Visit to the San Jose, Calif., National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Site

"The message we’re sending is that youth violence is not inevitable. When communities engage partners across disciplines and use a data-driven, balanced approach – one that emphasizes prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry – they can reduce violence and improve outcomes for our youth," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.




is

Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the Visit to the San Jose, Calif., National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Site

"By emphasizing collaborative partnerships, evidence-based and data-driven strategies and a balanced, holistic approach, we know we can help communities to curb violence and promote the health, safety and development of our young people," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




is

Delaware Company Fined for Unlawful Discharges of Oil in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

Cedyco Corporation, headquartered in Houston, was sentenced today in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

New Zealand Fishing Company Found Guilty in Washington, D.C., of Environmental Crimes and Obstruction of Justice

A federal jury in Washington, D.C., today returned guilty verdicts against Sanford Ltd., a New Zealand fishing company, on six counts of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Italian Ship Owner and Chief Engineer Sentenced in Alabama for Crimes Related to Illegal Discharges from Cargo Ship

Giusseppe Bottiglieri Shipping Company S.P.A, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Ginny Granade in the Southern District of Alabama to pay a $1 million criminal fine, serve four years of probation, and make a $300,000 community service payment to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Requires Changes to Verizon-Cable Company Transactions to Protect Consumers, Allows Procompetitive Spectrum Acquisitions to Go Forward

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Verizon and four of the nation’s largest cable companies—Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Cox Communications—to make changes to a series of agreements concerning both the sale of bundled wireless and wireline services, and the formation of a technology research joint venture. The department said that, if left unaltered, the agreements would have harmed competition by diminishing the companies’ incentive to compete, resulting in higher prices and lower quality for consumers.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Settles Race Discrimination Case Against Pennsylvania Country Club

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a settlement agreement with Valley Club, a former swimming facility located in Huntingdon Valley, Pa, resolving allegations that the company discriminated against persons because of race. The Justice Department’s investigation was conducted under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin and religion in places of public accommodation, such as hotels, restaurants and places of entertainment.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Arizona Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Prison in Money Laundering and Tax Scheme

Gino Carlucci was sentenced to 188 months in prison for his role in conspiracies to commit money laundering and to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and for filing a false income tax return, the Justice Department and the IRS announced today. On July 25, 2011, a federal jury in Phoenix convicted Carlucci of both conspiracies and the tax crime after an eight-day trial.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Court Approves Consent Order in Long-Standing Louisiana School Desegregation Case

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana has approved a consent order in United States v. West Carroll Parish School Board, a long-standing school desegregation case, the Justice Department announced. The consent decree comes after an in-depth review by the department of the West Carroll Parish School District's compliance with its outstanding desegregation obligations.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission to Hold Workshop on “Most-Favored-Nation” Clauses

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today that they will hold a joint public workshop on most-favored-nation clauses (MFNs) on Sept.10, 2012, to explore the use of MFN clauses and the implications for antitrust enforcement and policy.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Owner of Pavement Painting Business Pleads Guilty in Alaska to Illegally Disposing Hazardous Waste

William Duran Vizzerra Jr. pleaded guilty today to illegally disposing of hazardous waste, a felony criminal offense, at a storage lot in Anchorage, Alaska.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Florida Assisted Living Facility Owner Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

Bobby Ramnarine, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in the Southern District of Florida.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Iraqi National Pleads Guilty to 12-count Terrorism Indictment in Kentucky

Iraqi citizen Mohanad Shareef Hammadi pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges today in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky before Senior Judge Thomas B. Russell.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Medical Equipment Company Owner Sentenced in Louisiana to 180 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

Henry Lamont Jones, 37, of Prairieville, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James J. Brady of the Middle District of Louisiana.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Federal Courts Order Seizure of Three Website Domains Involved in Distributing Pirated Android Cell Phone Apps

The department said that this is the first time website domains involving cell phone app marketplaces have been seized.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Civil Rights Enforcement Unit

"I extend my sincere congratulations to everyone in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the civil rights advocates and stakeholders on the ground, and the communities throughout Northern Alabama who worked so hard in recent months to make this Civil Rights Unit possible," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




is

Justice Department Settles Discrimination Claim Against Illinois Company

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with MicroLink Devices, a manufacturer of semiconductor structures and advanced solar cells based in Niles, Ill. The agreement resolves allegations that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when it placed six online job postings that explicitly stated citizenship status preferences or requirements that excluded certain work-authorized non-citizens from consideration.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Clean Water Act Settlement Ensures That Boston Racetrack Addresses Wastewater and Stormwater Discharges

Sterling Suffolk Racecourse LLC will pay a civil penalty of $1.25 million to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA) at its Suffolk Downs racetrack facility in Revere and East Boston, Mass.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Settlement Requires Boston Water and Sewer Commission to Remedy Sewer and Stormwater Discharges

Under the terms of a consent decree lodged in federal court today, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) will implement extensive remedial measures to minimize the discharge of sewage and other pollutants into the water bodies in and around Boston.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Resolves Race Harassment and Discrimination Lawsuit Against Burke County, N.C., Department of Social Services

The Justice Department today concurrently filed a complaint and consent decree against the Burke County, N.C., Department of Social Services, alleging that the county did not have an effective harassment and discrimination policy in place and did not provide sufficient training in race harassment and discrimination for its employees and supervisors, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. Title VII is a federal statute which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Wisconsin Neurosurgeon Convicted of Filing False Tax Return and Failing to File Report of Foreign Bank Accounts

A jury convicted Arvind Ahuja yesterday on federal tax charges stemming from his failure to disclose offshore bank accounts maintained in India and the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Trial began on Aug. 15, 2012 before U.S. District Judge Charles N. Clevert, Jr., in Milwaukee. Ahuja, a prominent neurosurgeon in Milwaukee, was convicted of one count of filing a false 2009 individual income tax return and one count of failing to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR).



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Court Approves Comprehensive Agreement Between US and the Commonwealth of Virginia Regarding the Rights of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has approved a comprehensive settlement agreement between the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia, resolving the department’s findings that Virginia’s system for serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department had found that Virginia was violating the ADA requirement, as interpreted by the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., to provide people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the opportunity to live and receive services in the community.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Justice Department Reaches Lending Discrimination Settlement with GFI Mortgage Bankers Inc.

GFI Mortgage Bankers Inc., a large independent home mortgage firm that concentrates on the New York, New Jersey, and Florida markets, will pay $3.555 million to resolve a lending discrimination lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit alleges that GFI engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by pricing residential mortgage loans for qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher than for similarly-qualified non-Hispanic white borrowers between 2005 and 2009.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Two Investment Advisors Convicted in California of High Yield Investment Fraud

William J. Ferry, a former stock broker and investment advisor, and Dennis J. Clinton, a former real estate investment manager, were found guilty by a federal jury in Santa Ana, Calif., today for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud a wealthy investor of $1 billion in a high-yield investment fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Former Alabama Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Money and Property from Highway Motorists

Jessie Alan Fuller, 25, of Pensacola, Fla., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins to 37 months in prison and two years supervised release, the Justice Department announced. Fuller pleaded guilty on April 26, 2012, to one count of conspiracy against rights, a felony, and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, a misdemeanor. These charges stemmed from Fuller’s stealing money and property from motorists on Interstate 65 in central Alabama while he was a police officer with the Fort Deposit Police Department.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Miami Man Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Obstruction of Justice and False Statements for Certifying Ships Safe for Sea

Alejandro Gonzalez, 60, of Miami-Dade County, Fla., was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to 21 months in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Puerto Rico Man Found Guilty of Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy and Murder of a Witness

Edison Burgos-Montes, of Puerto Rico, was convicted after a two-month jury trial of cocaine possession with intent to distribute and killing a government witness.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on Decision in Texas v. Holder

The Attorney General released the following statement on the ruling today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Texas v. Holder, the state’s proposed voter ID law.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

British Citizen Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation Charges

Simon Jasper McCarty, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright of the District of Hawaii.



  • OPA Press Releases

is

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Islamic Society of North America Convention

"I am here to say that the United States Department of Justice will stand with you, and all people of good will, to preserve this great nation and its fundamental values of freedom, equality and justice," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




is

Justice Department Announces Agreement to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in the U.S. Virgin Islands

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with U.S. Virgin Islands officials to help ensure that military service members, their family members and U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in the territory’s Sept. 8, 2012 primary election and the Nov. 6, 2012, general election.



  • OPA Press Releases