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Four Members of LSP Street Gang Sentenced in Ohio for Roles in Racketeering Conspiracy

Four LSP street gang member were sentenced today for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy (RICO) that used violence, including attempted murder, to control territory and sell heroin, cocaine and other drugs.



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Family Members in Alabama Plead Guilty in Million Dollar Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Scheme

Several family members, all residents of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty in the Middle District of Alabama to their involvement in a million dollar stolen identity refund fraud scheme, the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Justice Department Intervenes in Lawsuit Against Law School Admission Council on Behalf of Test Takers with Disabilities Nationwide

A federal judge issued an order today allowing the Justice Department to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit against the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The department’s intervention expands the case from a statewide class action limited to California residents to a nationwide pattern or practice lawsuit.



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Former FBI Agent and Alleged Co-Conspirators Indicted for Scheme to Obstruct Federal Fraud Investigation

The indictment charges former FBI special agent Robert G. Lustyik Jr., 50, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; Michael L. Taylor, 51, of Harvard, Mass., the principal of Boston-based American International Security Corporation (AISC); and Johannes W. Thaler, 49, of New Fairfield, Conn., each with one count of conspiracy, eight counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of obstructing justice and one count of obstructing an agency proceeding.



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Justice Department Files Complaint Against Warren County, North Carolina, Board of Education for Violating the Employment Rights of an Army Reserve Sergeant

The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced today the filing of a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina against the Warren County, N.C., Board of Education for violating the employment rights of Army Reserve Sergeant Dwayne Coffer under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Former Officers of American Mortgage Specialists Inc. Plead Guilty in North Dakota to Conspiracy in $27 Million Fraud Against Bnc National Bank

Two former officers of Arizona-based residential mortgage loan originator American Mortgage Specialists Inc. (AMS) pleaded guilty today for their roles in a $27 million scheme to defraud North Dakota-based BNC National Bank.



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United States Sues Jacintoport International for False Claims in Connection with the Delivery of Humanitarian Food Aid

The United States has filed a complaint against Jacintoport International LLC under the False Claims Act in connection with a warehousing and logistics contract for the storage and redelivery of humanitarian food aid, the Justice Department announced today. Jacintoport is a cargo handling and stevedoring firm headquartered in Houston.



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Former New Mexico Corrections Officer Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Inmate

Sylvester Bruce, 45, a former corrections officer with Navajo Nation’s Shiprock Detention Center (SDC) in Shiprock, N.M., was sentenced today in federal court on charges related to the sexual abuse of an inmate during the summer and fall of 2010. In July 2012, Bruce pleaded guilty to one count of violating the victim’s civil rights when he touched her breasts against her will. Bruce also pleaded guilty to making material false statements to the FBI when he denied taking pictures of inmates inside the cells of the SDC.



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Justice Department Reaches Proposed Agreement with the Town of East Haven, Connecticut, to Resolve Allegations of Misconduct by the East Haven Police Department

The Justice Department today announced that the town of East Haven, Conn., memorialized its intention to enter into a settlement agreement to resolve the department’s civil investigation of allegations that the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination against Latinos on account of their race, color or national origin. The proposed agreement also resolves allegations that EHPD engaged in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, unconstitutional searches and seizures and retaliation against persons who witnessed police misconduct or criticized EHPD’s practices.



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President of Costa Rican Company Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Half-Billion Dollar Fraud Scheme with Thousands of Victims Worldwide

Minor Vargas Calvo, 61, a citizen and resident of Costa Rica, is the majority owner of Provident Capital Indemnity (PCI) Ltd., an insurance and reinsurance company registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica and doing business in Costa Rica.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at IBC Legal’s World Bribery & Corruption Compliance Forum

"As a result both of increased FCPA enforcement and increased policing of corporate conduct in general, I think that the culture of corporate compliance has improved in recent years," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Conference

"At the Department of Justice, we are fully aware of how critically important, and oftentimes life-saving, this work really is for countless children nationwide," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.




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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the National Congress of American Indians’ 69th Annual Convention

"At the Justice Department, we have made enforcing the rights of American Indians a priority," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Justice Department Files Lawsuit in Mississippi to Protect the Constitutional Rights of Children

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the city of Meridian, Miss.; Lauderdale County, Miss.; judges of the Lauderdale County Youth Court; and the state of Mississippi alleging that the defendants systematically violate the due process rights of juveniles.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Maryland Restaurant Over Accessibility Violations

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement with Mrs. K’s Tollhouse Restaurant of Silver Spring, Md., to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement resolves allegations that the restaurant failed to remove architectural barriers that made parts of it inaccessible to people with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs.



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Former San Juan County, New Mexico, Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty to Violating Civil Rights of Man by Assaulting Him with a Flashlight

R. Dale Frazier, 57, of Flora Vista, N.M., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, N.M., to a federal civil rights charge in connection with the unlawful assault and beating of Dovovan Tanner with a flashlight.



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Justice Department Settles Discrimination Claim Against New Jersey Company

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Advantage Home Care LLC, a home health care provider based in Hackensack, N.J., resolving claims that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when it required newly-hired lawful permanent residents to provide more or different documents during the Form I-9 employment eligibility verification process.



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Boehringer Ingelheim to Pay $95 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Connecticut-based Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve allegations relating to the improper promotion of the stroke-prevention drug Aggrenox, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drugs Atrovent and Combivent, and the hypertension drug Micardis, the Justice Department announced today.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement to Extend Critical Reforms at the Los Angeles County Juvenile Probation Camps

The Justice Department has reached an agreement with the county of Los Angeles to extend critical reforms at the Los Angeles County Juvenile Probation Camps that were set to expire later this month. The agreement amends a memorandum of agreement (MOA) entered into in 2008 to resolve the department’s investigation into conditions of confinement at the juvenile camps.



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Assistant Attorney General for National Security Lisa Monaco Speaks at the “2012 Cybercrime Conference”

"We often think of national security threats, like that of a catastrophic terrorist attack, as questions about prevention. But the cyber threat is not simply looming – it is here. It is present and growing," said Assistant Attorney General Monaco.




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Ohio Insurance Salesman Pleads Guilty to Tax Obstruction and Currency Structuring

William R. Herder of Bellville, Ohio, pleaded guilty yesterday to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the tax laws and currency structuring, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division Kathryn Keneally, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Stephen M. Dettelbach and Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Darryl K. Williams announced. Herder was previously indicted in June of this year.



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Miami Area Assisted Living Facility Owners Plead Guilty for Roles in $63 Million Fraud Scheme

Raymond Rivero, 55, of Homestead, Fla., and Ivon Perez, 50, of Miami, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga in the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to solicit and receive cash kickbacks.



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Detroit Area Physician, Home Health Agency Owner and Patient Recruiter Convicted in $14.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Detroit today convicted a physician, a home health agency owner and a patient recruiter for their participation in a $14.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Japanese Automobile Parts Manufacturer Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing and Obstruction of Justice

Nagoya, Japan-based Tokai Rika Co. Ltd., has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $17.7 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices of heater control panels (HCPs) installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty to a Sophisticated Million Dollar Identity Theft Scheme

Antoinette Djonret pleaded guilty today in two cases: one involving the filing of more than a million dollars worth of false tax returns using stolen identities and the other case involving the filing of false tax returns for clients, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Former Middle School Employee Pleads Guilty in Texas to Production and Distribution of Child Pornography

Robert Ramos Jr., 33, of Austin, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Lane in the Western District of Texas to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.



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Federal Court in Ohio Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Instant Tax Service Franchiser and Its CEO

A federal court has preliminarily enjoined ITS Financial LLC, the parent company that owns the Instant Tax Service tax-preparation franchise operation, the Justice Department announced today. Dayton, Ohio-based ITS claims to be the fourth-largest tax-preparation firm in the nation, according to the government complaint in the civil lawsuit. Judge Timothy Black of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio signed the order, which also applies to the company’s CEO, Fesum Ogbazion. The defendants consented to the preliminary injunction.



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Northern California Real Estate Investor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.



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Orthofix Subsidiary, Blackstone Medical, Pays U.S. $30 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Orthofix International NV, has agreed to pay the United States $30 million to settle allegations that an Orthofix subsidiary, Blackstone Medical Inc., paid illegal kickbacks to physicians in order to induce use of the company’s products, the Justice Department announced today. Orthofix, which manufactures spinal implants and other spinal surgery products, is a publicly traded company headquartered in Curacao.



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Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Member Sentenced in Houston for Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering

Bobby Teets, 46, aka “Bull,” pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2010, to racketeering aggravated assault for his role in the assault of an applicant for membership in the gang, and was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. Teets is to serve the 72-month sentence consecutively to the state prison term he is currently serving.



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Justice Department to Monitor Polls in 23 States on Election Day

The Justice Department announced today that its Civil Rights Division plans to deploy more than 780 federal observers and department personnel to 51 jurisdictions in 23 states for the Nov. 6, 2012, general election.



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Owner of Tax Preparation Firm Operating in Alabama and Georgia Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Filing False Returns

Bruce King, the owner and operator of Premier Tax, pleaded guilty in federal court this week to charges of conspiring to defraud the United States and filing false tax returns, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Additionally, on Thursday, Vonecia Orum, a return preparer who worked at Premier Tax, pleaded guilty to delivering false tax returns to the IRS.



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Ohio Attorney Sentenced to 85 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud and Obstruction of Justice Crimes

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that attorney Aristotle R. Matsa (Rick Matsa), of Worthington, Ohio, was sentenced to 85 months in prison by the Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Judge Sargus also ordered Matsa to pay a criminal fine of $265,000, make restitution to the IRS in the amount of $388,000, and pay restitution to a client from whom Rick Matsa embezzled funds in the amount of $24,069.



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Missouri Hospital System Agrees to Pay $9.3 Million to Resolve False Claims Act and Stark Law Violations

Freeman Health System, a healthcare provider and hospital system located in Joplin, Mo., has agreed to pay $9,316,139 to resolve allegations that it violated the Stark Law and the False Claims Act by knowingly providing incentive pay to physicians in a manner that violated federal law, the Justice Department announced today.



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Five Men Plead Guilty in Virginia for Roles in Child Pornography Distribution Conspiracy

Manuel Antonio Mares, 57, of Miami; Jeremy Hart Yost, 26, of West Bend, Ore.; Richard Phillip Allen, 66, of Redondo Beach, Calif.; and James Calvin Boyd, 58, of Pell City, Ala., pleaded guilty today before Senior District Judge Norman K. Moon in the Western District of Virginia to one count of conspiring to receive, distribute, possess and access with the intent to view child pornography. Jesse Leon Coleman, 48, of Lynchburg, Va., pleaded guilty today before Judge Moon to one count of receiving child pornography.



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Barbados National Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

Andrew J. Watts, a Barbados national, was sentenced in Chicago by U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of just under $1.7 million for devising and executing a stolen identity federal income tax refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Two Pakistani Nationals Indicted for Conspiring to Illegally Ship Pharmaceuticals into the US

Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges alleging that they operated Internet sites that illegally shipped pharmaceuticals from Pakistan and the United Kingdom to customers in the United States.



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North Carolina Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud Scheme for the Purchase of Real Estate at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A real estate investor pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions held in Raleigh, N.C., and surrounding areas, the Department of Justice announced. This is the second charge in the department’s ongoing investigation into real estate foreclosure auctions in eastern North Carolina.



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Virginia Charter Fishing Boat Captains Indicted for Lacey Act Violations and Other Crimes

Five charter fishing boat captains operating out of Rudee Inlet in Virginia Beach, Va. were indicted today for violating the Lacey Act by selling illegally harvested Striped Bass



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Michigan Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Microsoft Software Worth More Than $1.2 Million

Bruce Alan Edward, 48, of Atlanta, Mich., was charged in an indictment returned on Oct. 24, 2012, and unsealed on Nov. 1, 2012, by the federal grand jury in Bay City, Mich.



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Moneygram International Inc. Admits Anti-Money Laundering and Wire Fraud Violations, Forfeits $100 Million in Deferred Prosecution

MoneyGram International Inc. – a global money services business headquartered in Dallas – has agreed to forfeit $100 million and enter into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the Justice Department in which it admits to criminally aiding and abetting wire fraud and failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program, as charged in an information filed today in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.



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Army National Guard Recruiter Admits Crimes in Fraudulent Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

An Army National Guard recruiter pleaded guilty today in the Western District of Texas for his role in a bribery and fraud scheme that caused approximately $98,000 in losses to the Army National Guard Bureau, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.



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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Ohio Promoter of Alleged Tax-fraud Scheme

The Justice Department announced today that it has asked a federal court in Columbus, Ohio, to permanently bar John Allen from promoting tax-fraud schemes and preparing federal tax returns.



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Former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Miami Office Special Agent in Charge Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Transporting Child Pornography

Anthony Mangione, 52, of Parkland, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach, Fla.



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Saudi Student Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 22, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, to life in prison.



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Justice Department Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against the City of San Jacinto, California, Alleging Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jacinto, Calif., alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act based on its treatment of group homes for persons with disabilities. This lawsuit is part of the Justice Department’s continuing effort to enforce civil rights laws that require states and municipalities to end discrimination against, and unnecessary segregation of, persons with disabilities.



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Roquette America Inc., to Pay $4.1 Million Penalty to Settle Violations of Clean Water Act at Its Keokuk, Iowa, Facility

Roquette America, Inc., has agreed to pay a $4.1 million civil penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit at its grain processing facility in Keokuk, Iowa.



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Vehicle and Engine Importers to Pay Civil Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with two former importers of highway motorcycles, recreational vehicles and small spark ignition engines.



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The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission Release FCPA Resource Guide

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the Guide). The 120-page Guide provides a detailed analysis of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and closely examines the DOJ and SEC’s approach to FCPA enforcement.



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U.S. Forfeits $2.1 Million Worth of Property Purchased with Alleged Bribes Paid to the Family of the Former President of Taiwan

The Department of Justice has forfeited a Manhattan condominium and a Virginia residence – with a combined value of approximately $ 2.1 million – purchased with the proceeds of alleged bribes paid to the family of the former President of Taiwan, Shui-Bian Chen, as part of the department’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.



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