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Justice Department Issues Statements Regarding AT&T Inc.'s Abandonment of Its Proposed Acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc.

“This result is a victory for the millions of Americans who use mobile wireless telecommunications services,” said Deputy Attorney General Cole.



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Nurse, Administrator and Two Recruiters for Miami Home Health Companies Sentenced to Prison in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Two patient recruiters, a nurse and an administrator for two Miami home health care companies were sentenced today for their participation in a $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).



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Three Operators of Miami Home Health Company Plead Guilty in $60 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Roberto Gonzalez, 61, Olga Gonzalez, 57, and their son, Fabian Gonzalez, 39, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Aon Corporation Agrees to Pay a $1.76 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Aon Corporation, a publicly traded corporation headquartered in Chicago and one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the world, has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to pay a $1.76 million penalty to resolve violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.



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Attorney Charged in Multi-Million Dollar Stock Fraud

An attorney for a South Carolina health care device company, Signalife, was arrested on Dec. 18, 2011, at Los Angeles International Airport on charges related to his alleged role in a multi-million dollar market manipulation fraud scheme.



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Twelve Charged in Cleveland for Assaulting Practitioners of the Amish Religion

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a seven-count indictment charging 10 men and two women, all residents of Ohio, with federal crimes arising out of a series of religiously-motivated assaults on practitioners of the Amish religion.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation by the Town of Rome, Wisconsin

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a consent decree with the town of Rome, Wis., to resolve allegations that the town retaliated against an employee after she made a complaint of discrimination based on sex.



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Former Des Moines, Iowa, Police Officers Indicted for Civil Rights Violations and Obstruction of Justice

A federal grand jury in Des Moines, Iowa, returned an indictment today charging two former Des Moines Police Department Officers Mersed Dautovic and John Mailander with violations of federal criminal laws related to an incident involving an alleged assault against a civilian on Sept. 13, 2008.



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Florida-Based Defense Contractor Pays US $4.75 Million to Resolve Allegations Related to Defective Bomb Fuzes

Kaman Precision Products Inc., an Orlando, Fla., defense contractor, will pay the United States $4.75 million to resolve allegations that the company submitted false claims for non-conforming fuzes sold to the U.S. Army for use in “bunkerbuster” bombs.



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Justice Department Requires Divestiture in $7.9 Billion Merger of Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy Group

The Department of Justice requires Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy Group Inc. to divest three electricity generating plants in Maryland in order to proceed with their $7.9 billion merger.



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North Carolina Businessman Guilty of Failing to Pay More Than $15 Million in Payroll Taxes for Temporary Staffing Companies

Bruce Gregory Harrison III was convicted yesterday following a jury trial in federal court in Winston-Salem, N.C.



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Defendant Charged with Alleged Participation in the Murder of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the Attempted Murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila Is Extradited from Mexico to the United States

Julian Zapata Espinoza, also known as “Piolin,” has been extradited from Mexico to the United States to face charges for his alleged participation in the murder of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.



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Justice Department Reaches $335 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by Countrywide Financial Corporation

The Department of Justice today filed its largest residential fair lending settlement in history to resolve allegations that Countrywide Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries engaged in a widespread pattern or practice of discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers in their mortgage lending from 2004 through 2008.



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Chinese National Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Economic Espionage and Theft of Trade Secrets

Kexue Huang, a Chinese national and a former resident of Carmel, Ind., was sentenced today to 87 months in prison and three years of supervised release on charges of economic espionage to benefit components of the Chinese government and theft of trade secrets.



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Two Las Vegas Men Sentenced to 20 and 25 Years in Prison for Cocaine Distribution and Money Laundering Conspiracy

U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro sentenced Jose Lopez-Buelna, aka “Miguel,” 51, to 20 years in prison, and Erik Dushawn Webster, 47, to 25 years in prison.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Countrywide Financial Corporation Settlement Announcement

"In today’s settlement with Countrywide Financial Corporation, we resolved the government’s allegations that Countrywide and its subsidiaries – which are now owned by Bank of America – engaged in discriminatory mortgage lending practices against more than 200,000 qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers from 2004 through 2008," said Attorney General Holder.




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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Countrywide Financial Corporation Settlement Announcement

"At the core of the allegations in the complaint is a simple story: If you were African-American or Hispanic and you went to Countrywide for a loan, and you were qualified, you likely paid more simply because of the color of your skin. You likely paid more than a similarly-qualified white borrower if you were African-American or Hispanic and received your loan from a Countrywide loan officer, or from Countrywide’s mortgage brokers," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Former Grant Administrator and Legal Assistant of American Samoa Non-Profit Legal Aid Corporation Plead Guilty to Stealing More Than $150,000 in Federal Grant Funds

Julie Matau, 49, of San Francisco, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken. Andrea Matau, 28, also of San Francisco, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of theft of federal funds before Judge Wilken.



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US Obtains Injunction Against Chicago Food Processing Firm After Alleging Unsafe Food Production Practices

The United States today obtained an agreed permanent injunction against a Chicago food processing firm, Triple A Services Inc., and three of its executives after filing a federal lawsuit alleging that Triple A’s ready-to-eat sandwiches and produce were not being prepared in compliance with federal regulations to protect food against contamination.



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Former Army National Guard Major Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Receiving Bribes at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan

A former Major in the U.S. Army National Guard who was deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for receiving bribes from military contractors in exchange for fraudulently verifying the receipt of concrete bunkers and barriers that were never received.



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GE Funding Capital Market Services Inc. Admits to Anticompetitive Conduct by Former Traders in the Municipal Bond Investments Market and Agrees to Pay $70 Million to Federal and State Agencies

GE Funding Capital Market Services Inc. entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve the company’s role in anticompetitive activity in the municipal bond investments market and agreed to pay a total of $70 million in restitution, penalties and disgorgement to federal and state agencies.



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Private Security Guard Convicted for Role in Providing Security for Drug Transaction

Ricardo Amaro-Santiago, 39, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction.



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Magyar Telekom and Deutsche Telekom Resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Investigation and Agree to Pay Nearly $64 Million in Combined Criminal Penalties

The department filed a criminal information against Magyar Telekom and a two-year deferred prosecution agreement in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia today.



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Essroc Cement Company to Pay $1.7 Million Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

The settlement will protect Americans’ health by reducing more than 7,000 tons of harmful nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide pollution each year that can lead to childhood asthma, acid rain and smog.



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GE Healthcare Inc. Pays U.S. $30 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

GE Healthcare Inc. has paid the United States $30 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that a company it acquired in 2004, Amersham Health Inc., had violated the False Claims Act by causing Medicare to overpay for Myoview, a radiopharmaceutical used in certain cardiac diagnostic imaging procedures, the Justice Department announced.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Citizenship Status Discrimination and Retaliation Against Georgia Rug Manufacturer

The Justice Department announced a settlement today with Garland Sales Inc., a Georgia rug manufacturer, resolving allegations that it engaged in discrimination by imposing unnecessary documentary requirements on individuals of Hispanic origin when establishing their eligibility to work in the United States, and that it retaliated against a worker for protesting his discriminatory treatment.



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US Files Complaint Against National Chain of Hospice Providers Alleging False Claims on the Medicare Program

The United States has intervened and filed a complaint in a whistleblower suit against AseraCare Hospice, the Justice Department announced today.



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Maersk Line to Pay Us $31.9 Million to Resolve False Claims Allegations for Inflated Shipping Costs to Military in Afghanistan and Iraq

Maersk Line Limited has agreed to pay the government $31.9 million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the United States in connection with contracts to transport cargo in shipping containers to support U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.



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Delaware Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Production and Transportation of Child Pornography

Leonard Wasylyk, 49, was also sentenced to lifetime supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works or attends school.



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Man Pleads Guilty in $3.4 Million Las Vegas Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Hugo Patrick Coutelin, 62, a resident of Santa Fe, N.M., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson in the District of Nevada to conspiring to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and bank fraud.



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Office Manager for Miami Home Health Company Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison for Role in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Two of her co-defendants were also sentenced to prison today for their roles in the fraud scheme.



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Home Health Agency Owner Pleads Guilty in Connection with Detroit Fraud Scheme

Detroit-area resident Tausif Rahman pleaded guilty today for his role in organizing a $14 million Detroit-area home health care fraud and money laundering scheme.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Announces Revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s Definition of Rape

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced revisions to the Uniform Crime Report’s (UCR) definition of rape, which will lead to a more comprehensive statistical reporting of rape nationwide. The new definition is more inclusive, better reflects state criminal codes and focuses on the various forms of sexual penetration understood to be rape.



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Three Philippine Nationals Arrested in International Arms Trafficking Case

Sergio Santiago de Leon Syjuco, aka “Yogi,” 25, of Muntinlupa City, Philippines; Cesar Paolo Inciong Ubaldo, aka “Arvi,” 26, of Paranaque City, Philippines; and Arjyl Revereza, 25, of Manila, Philippines, were charged in criminal complaint unsealed yesterday in the Central District of California with importing defense articles into the United States without a license, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.



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Austin, Texas, Man Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud and Identity Theft in Connection with Nationwide Foreclosure-rescue Scheme

Frederic Alan Gladle, 53, was charged on Dec. 9, 2011, in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with one count of bankruptcy fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Memorial for ATF Senior Special Agent John Capano

"On behalf of a grateful nation – and America’s entire law enforcement community – it is a privilege to join you in paying tribute, as well as my last respects, to an extraordinary public servant, a key member of the federal law enforcement family, and a true patriot who was always proud to call Seaford his home," said Attorney General Holder.




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Triad Mining Agrees to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations and Restore Affected Waterways in Indiana

Triad Mining Inc., the owner and operator of 31 surface mines in Appalachia and Indiana, has agreed to pay a penalty and to restore affected waterways for failing to obtain the required Clean Water Act (CWA) permit for stream impacts caused by its surface mining operation in Indiana.



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Los Angeles Church Pastor Sentenced to 180 Months in Prison for $14.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The pastor of a now defunct Los Angeles church who owned and operated several fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies was sentenced today to 180 months in prison for his role in a $14.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.



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Man Sentenced in Connection with Arson at Planned Parenthood and Vandalism of Mosque in Madera, California

Donny Eugene Mower, 38, of Madera, Calif., was sentenced in federal court today following his October 2011 guilty pleas to one count of arson, one count of damaging religious property and one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which makes it a federal crime to damage the property of a reproductive health services facility. These charges stem from Mower’s lighting a fire inside a Planned Parenthood clinic and throwing a brick at a mosque in Madera.



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Los Angeles Woman Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Her Role in a $6.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Carolyn Ann Vasquez, 47, was also ordered to pay $6.2 million in restitution by U.S. District Judge Consuelo B. Marshall of the Central District of California.



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Department of Justice Access to Justice Initiative Issues Report to Assist Foreclosure Mediation Programs

The Access to Justice Initiative today released Foreclosure Mediation: Emerging Research and Evaluation Practices, a report resulting from a March 7, 2011, workshop with dozens of foreclosure mediation program stakeholders and researchers.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against the Berkeley County, S.C., Sheriff’s Office for Violating Detainees’ First Amendment Religious and Speech Rights

The United States alleged that BCSO denied detainees access to books, magazines, newspapers or other expressive materials and denied them the right to practice their religion, in violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).



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Former Milwaukee Police Officer Convicted of Civil Rights Violation for Sexual Assault of Milwaukee Woman

A federal jury today convicted Ladmarald Cates, 44, a former Milwaukee Police Officer, of a civil rights charge stemming from his July 16, 2010, sexual assault of a Milwaukee woman.



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Deputy US Marshal in Chicago Indicted for Civil Rights Violations

A federal grand jury in Chicago returned an indictment today charging Deputy U.S. Marshal Stephen Linder, 36, with violations of federal criminal civil rights law related to two separate incidents in which Linder assaulted a handcuffed civilian.



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Utah Chiropractor Convicted of Attempted Evasion of Payment of Income Tax

Douglas R. Madsen, a chiropractor from Ephraim, Utah, was convicted today after a jury trial in the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City of income tax evasion, the Justice Department announced.



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Owner and Patient Recruiter Sentenced to Prison for Roles in $4.7 Million Louisiana Medicare Fraud Scheme

An owner and a patient recruiter for a Louisiana durable medical equipment (DME) company were sentenced today to 60 and 55 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in a $4.7 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Former L.A. County Sheriff's Deputy Agrees to Plead Guilty to Federal Corruption Charge

A former Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy was charged today with agreeing to accept $20,000 in bribes in exchange for smuggling contraband into the Men's Central Jail.



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Justice Department Settles with Warren, Ohio, Police Department

The investigation focused on whether WPD engages in unconstitutional or unlawful policing through the use of excessive force.



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Federal Officials Close the Investigation into the Death of Native American Woodcarver in Washington State

The U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington announced today that they are closing the federal criminal civil rights investigation of a former Seattle Police Department Officer for the fatal shooting of the late Native American woodcarver John T. Williams, and that charges will not be filed.



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Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Production Charges in Indiana and Is Sentenced to 33 Years in Prison

A Maryland man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Indianapolis to seven counts of child pornography production and was sentenced to 33 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett of the Southern District of Indiana.



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