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Justice Department Sues Cleveland Landlord for Discriminating Against Families with Children

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the manager and owner of the Linden House Apartments in Cleveland for refusing to rent apartments to families with children in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act.



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Additional Charges Brought Against Tax Return Preparers Previously Charged with Helping Clients Hide Millions in Offshore Israeli Banks

David Kalai and Nadav Kalai face additional charges after a federal grand jury in the Central District of California returned a second superseding indictment yesterday.



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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Mississippi Tax Return Preparer for Alledgedly Overstating Tax Refunds

The United States has requested that the federal district court in Jackson, Miss., permanently bar Danee Aikens from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Missouri Man Charged with Attempted Arson of Planned Parenthood Facility

The Justice Department announced today that Jedediah Stout, 30, of Joplin, Mo., was charged today in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., with the attempted arson of a Planned Parenthood facility.



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Las Vegas Street Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison_for Racketeering, Murder, Firearm, and Drug Charges

A member of the Playboy Bloods street gang was sentenced today to life in prison for the retaliation murder of a man in November 2004 and the armed robbery of a Henderson, Nev., casino in 2002, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.



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Administrator and Employee of Two Miami Home Health Companies Sentenced for Role in $74 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

The administrator and employee of two Miami health care companies was sentenced today to serve 60 months in prison for her participation in a $74 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.



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Louisiana Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Assault of Detainee

The Justice Department announced that former Jefferson Parish, La. Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Gary J. Shine pleaded guilty today before Federal District Court Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle to assaulting a detainee at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, La., thereby depriving the detainee of his civil rights.



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Indictment Unsealed and “Wanted” Posters Issued for Fugitives Charged with Multimillion Dollar International Cyber Fraud Scheme

Earlier today, charges were unsealed against Romanian fugitive Nicolae Popescu, the leader of an international organized crime syndicate that ran a multimillion dollar cyber fraud scheme, and six other fugitives charged with participating in the same scheme. Interpol has issued red notices to foreign law enforcement partners seeking assistance in the apprehension of these fugitives, and the FBI has also released “Wanted” posters to facilitate their arrests.



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Puerto Rico Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2009 Mass Shooting

David Oquendo-Rivas, 29, was sentenced today to life in prison for his role in the murder of eight people and an unborn child during a mass shooting at a Puerto Rico nightclub in 2009.



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Rhode Island Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder and Robbery of Gas Station Manager

Jason W. Pleau, 35, of Providence, R.I., was sentenced today to life in prison for the murder and robbery of Woonsocket, R.I., gas station manager David D. Main. Pleau chased, shot at close range and robbed Main on Sep. 20, 2010, as Main approached the doorstep of a Woonsocket bank where he was to have deposited receipts belonging to the gas station that he managed.



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Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to His Involvement in an Identity Theft Scheme Using Stolen Prisoner Names and a Corrupt Postal Employee

Harvey James pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft for his role in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (“SIRF”) scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



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Justice Department Charges California Apartment Owner and Staff with Discrimination Against Families with Children

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owner and operators of a Fremont, Calif., apartment complex, alleging that they had discriminated against families with children in violation of the Fair Housing Act by prohibiting children from playing in the common grassy areas of the complex.



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Justice Department Announces Settlement Agreement with Everett, Wash., Battery Company to Protect Employment Rights of Returning Military Reservist

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with All Battery Sales and Service (ABS) of Everett, Wash., to resolve a lawsuit it filed on behalf of Curtis Kirk, a U.S. Army reservist.



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Five Virginia Charter Fishing Boat Captains Sentenced for Lacey Act Violations

Nolan L. Agner, the last of five Virginia Beach charter fishing boat captains convicted of poaching Atlantic striped bass was sentenced today in federal court in Norfolk, Va. All five captains – including Agner, Jeffery S. Adams, Raymond Carroll Webb, David Dwayne Scott, and William W. “Duby” Lowery IV – were sentenced for violating the Lacey Act by selling illegally-harvested striped bass, the Justice Department announced.



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Justice Department Obtains $167,500 in Discrimination Settlement with Reno, Nev., Apartment Complex

The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court of Nevada has approved a settlement in which the owners and operators of Rosewood Park Apartments, a 902 unit apartment complex in Reno, Nev., will pay $167,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging discrimination against persons with disabilities who use assistance animals.



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Owners and Supervisor of Ambulance Transportation Company Plead Guilty in Los Angeles for Role in Ambulance Fraud Scheme

The owners and supervisor of Alpha Ambulance Inc. (Alpha), a now-defunct Los Angeles-area ambulance transportation company, have pleaded guilty in connection with an ambulance fraud scheme.



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Army Soldier and Civilian Sentenced on Bribery Charges for Facilitating Thefts of Fuel in Afghanistan

A former U.S. Army Sergeant and a co-conspirator have been sentenced in the District of Colorado for their roles in stealing fuel at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Fenty, Afghanistan, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced.



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Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Shut Down North Mississippi Tax Preparer

The United States has sued Eric Hardaway, aka Eric Brittenum, and Yvonne Hardaway, seeking to bar them and their business, Hardaway Taxx, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Illinois Man Arrested for Alleged Role in $12 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Rockford, Ill., man was arrested today in connection with an indictment charging three Chicago-area residents for their roles in an alleged $12 million health care fraud scheme.



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Sex Trafficker Terrence “T-Rex” Yarbrough Sentenced to Serve 536 Months in Prison

U.S. District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Terrence Yarbrough, aka “T-Rex,” 38, of Memphis, Tenn., to serve 536 months in prison, the Justice Department announced today.



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Former Veterans Affairs Psychiatrist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud

A licensed psychiatrist employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pleaded guilty today to health care fraud for falsely billing Medicare for home medical treatment to Medicare beneficiaries and agreed to forfeit more than $1.2 million in illegal profits.



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Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Witness in a Federal Criminal Tax Trial

The Justice Department announced today that Anthony Williams, a resident of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty today to one count of threatening to retaliate against a witness in a federal criminal tax trial.



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Former U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Sentenced to Prison for Role in Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 111 months in prison and three years supervised release, along with an order to pay $82,791 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 for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



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Owner and Marketer of Louisiana Medical Equipment Supply Company Indicted for Roles in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner of a Louisiana medical equipment supply company and a marketer who worked for the company have been indicted for allegedly engaging in a $3 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Debt Collection Employee and Son-in-Law Sent to Prison for Identity Theft Tax Scheme

Quentin Collick of Montgomery, Ala., and Deatrice Williams of Duluth, Ga., were sentenced Nov. 1, 2013, to serve 85 and 51 months in prison, respectively, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



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Los Angeles Businessman Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud the United States by Concealing Israeli Bank Accounts

David Raminfard of Los Angeles pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced.



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Irish National Pleads Guilty in New York to Crimes Relating to Illegal Trafficking of Endangered Rhinoceros Horns

Michael Slattery Jr., 25, an Irish national, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act in relation to illegal rhinoceros horn trafficking, announced Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice, and Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.



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Former Mental-Health Clinic Therapist Sentenced for Role in $55 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A former therapist for Biscayne Milieu, a Miami-based mental-health clinic, was sentenced today to serve 120 in prison for his participation in a $55 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Lutz, Fla., Man Convicted on Drug Distribution and Sex Trafficking Charges

Acting U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III and Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division today announced the conviction of Andrew Blane Fields, 62, of Lutz, Fla., in the Middle District of Florida on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely Oxycodone, Dilaudid and Morphine, and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.



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New Hampshire Man Charged with Passing Fraudulent Documents in Connection with His Sale of Black Rhinoceros Horns for $35,000

Ari B. Goldenberg, 46, of Milton, N.H., was charged today with trafficking in and making a false record for illegally selling a black rhinoceros head mount to an undercover U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) special agent.



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Dentist Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Return

Jeffrey Paper of Potomac, Md., pleaded guilty yesterday to willfully filing a false tax return in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Selects Ronald Davis to Lead Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced Ronald L. Davis as the director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.



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Justice Department Selects Four Courts to Identify Promising Practices in Custody and Visitation Decisions in Domestic Violence Cases

The Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), in partnership with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), announces the selection of four courts to participate in the Family Court Enhancement Project (FCEP) to improve custody and visitation decision-making for families who have experienced domestic violence.



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Justice Department and HUD Settle Discrimination Claims Against the City of Joliet, Ill.

The Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the City of Joliet, Ill., have settled housing discrimination litigation that will preserve affordable housing for low-income residents in the southwest Chicago suburb for at least the next 20 years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and the Civil Rights Division announced today.



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Justice Department Sues to Stop Louisiana Tax Return Preparer

The United States has asked a federal court in New Orleans to permanently bar Shawanda Nevers (aka Shawanda Bryant, aka Shawanda Hawkins, aka Shawanda Johnson) of La Place, La., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Court Authorizes IRS to Issue Summonses for Records Relating to U.S. Taxpayers with Offshore Bank Accounts

Five Banks Directed to Produce Records for Accounts at Zurcher Kantonalbank, The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited and Affiliates



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Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer Delivers Remarks at the Conference Call Regarding the Justice Department’s Proposed Settlement with US Airways and American Airlines

The Department of Justice filed a proposed settlement with US Airways and American Airlines that, if approved by the court, would resolve our lawsuit challenging their proposed merger. Under the agreement, we are requiring US Airways and American Airlines to divest critically important facilities at seven key airports across the country




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Justice Department Officials Raise Awareness of Disaster Fraud Hotline Following Typhoon Haiyan

The Department of Justice, the FBI, and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) remind the public that there is a potential for disaster fraud in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Suspected fraudulent activity pertaining to relief efforts associated with Typhoon Haiyan should be reported to the toll-free NCDF hotline at 866-720-5721. The hotline is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the purpose of reporting suspected scams being perpetrated by criminals in the aftermath of disasters.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Calls on Congress to Pass Bipartisan Second Chance Act

Attorney General Eric Holder today endorsed the reauthorization of the Second Chance Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy and Rob Portman and its companion legislation by Representatives Danny Davis and F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. that provides resources and support to people reintegrating into their communities after being incarcerated.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Identity Theft and Tax Refund Scheme

Kevin Jackson of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 102 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, along with an order to pay $150,840.49 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 for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



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Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer and Assistant Director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division Ronald T. Hosko Testify Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights on Cartel Prosecution

Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer and FBI Assistant Director Ronald T. Hosko testify on cartel prosecution before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights




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Justice Department and San Francisco Restaurant Settle Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim

The Justice Department today reached an agreement with Kim Hoang Coffee and Fast Food, a restaurant in San Francisco, resolving claims that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



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Northern California Couple Indicted for Filing False Claims for Refunds and for Filing Liens Against the IRS Commissioner

Robert Eldon Robertson and his wife Esther Lynne Robertson of Manteca, Calif., were indicted on charges of filing two false claims for federal tax refunds, filing liens against the former Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner and impeding the administration of federal tax laws, the Justice Department and IRS announced today.



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Pittsburgh Repeat Offender Sentenced to Prison for Tax Obstruction

Michael Carlow, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., was sentenced today to serve 35 months in prison for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced.



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Joint Statement Following the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting

Attorney General Eric Holder and Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Rand Beers today hosted an EU/U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial with their counterparts in the European Union: Lithuanian Minister of Justice Juozas Bernatonis and Lithuanian Vice Minister of Interior Elvinas Jankevicius representing the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU; Greek Minister of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights Charalampos Athanasiou representing the incoming Greek Presidency of the EU; and European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding and Commissioner Cecilia Malmström representing the EU Commission.



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Statement of Mythili Raman Acting Assistant Attorney General U.s. Justice Department Criminal Division Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs United States Senate for a Hearing Entitled “Beyond the Silk Road: Potential Risks, T

Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn, and distinguished Members of the Committee: Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Committee today to discuss the Department of Justice’s work regarding virtual currencies.



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Department of Justice Announces Investigation of the St. Louis County Family Court

The Justice Department announced today that it has opened a pattern or practice investigation of the Family Court of St. Louis.



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Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman Testifies Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

"Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the Committee today to discuss the Department of Justice’s work regarding virtual currencies. I am honored to represent the Department at this hearing and to describe for you our approach to virtual currencies"




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Cabot Corporation Agrees to Spend Over $84 Million to Control Harmful Air Pollution at Louisiana and Texas Facilities

Boston-based Cabot Corporation, the second largest carbon black manufacturer in the United States, has agreed to pay a $975,000 civil penalty and spend an estimated $84 million on state of the art technology to control harmful air pollution, resolving alleged violations of the New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its three facilities in the towns of Franklin and Ville Platte, La., and Pampa, Texas, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. This agreement is the first to result from a national enforcement initiative aimed at bringing carbon black manufacturers into compliance with the CAA’s NSR provisions.



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Justice Department, Federal and State Partners Secure Record $13 Billion Global Settlement with JPMorgan for Misleading Investors About Securities Containing Toxic Mortgages

The Justice Department, along with federal and state partners, today announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan - the largest settlement with a single entity in American history - to resolve federal and state civil claims arising out of the packaging, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) by JPMorgan, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual prior to Jan. 1, 2009. As part of the settlement, JPMorgan acknowledged it made serious misrepresentations to the public - including the investing public - about numerous RMBS transactions. The resolution also requires JPMorgan to provide much needed relief to underwater homeowners and potential homebuyers, including those in distressed areas of the country. The settlement does not absolve JPMorgan or its employees from facing any possible criminal charges.



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