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Government Intervenes in Lawsuits Against Health Management Associates Inc. Hospital Chain Alleging Unnecessary Inpatient Admissions and Payment of Kickbacks

The government has intervened in eight False Claims Act lawsuits against Health Management Associates Inc. (HMA) alleging that HMA billed federal health care programs for medically unnecessary inpatient admissions from the emergency departments at HMA hospitals and paid remuneration to physicians in exchange for patient referrals.



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Attorney General Announces $8.3 Million to Support Victims of Boston Marathon Bombings

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) today announced a $8,355,648 grant to organizations providing direct support to assist the victims, witnesses and first responders involved in the events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013.



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Disc Jockey in Puerto Rico Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Three Minors

A former disc jockey for area high school parties pleaded guilty today in the District of Puerto Rico to producing child pornography.



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Court Rejects Banking Associations’ Challenge to Regulations Addressing Offshore Tax Avoidance

Today the District Court in the District of Columbia dismissed a challenge filed by the Florida Bankers Association and Texas Bankers Association challenging 2012 amendments to the Department of the Treasury’s interest-reporting regulations.



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Former Lorain County, Ohio, Corrections Officer Sentenced to Serve 18 Months in Prison for Repeatedly Striking Inmate

A former Lorain County, Ohio, corrections officer was sentenced today to serve 18 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law.



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Former Sevierville, Tenn., Resident Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that Jimmie Duane Ross, of Lehi, Utah, and formerly of Sevierville, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison based on his Aug. 7, 2013 conviction of five counts of tax evasion following a jury trial.



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Former Miami Real Estate Agents Sentenced for Roles in Multimillion-dollar Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Two former Miami real estate agents were sentenced today for their roles in a $2.4 million mortgage fraud scheme.



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Three Men from Tennessee Charged with Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion in the New Orleans Area

Three men from Tennessee were arrested today for offenses related to their involvement in sex trafficking adult victims to New Orleans as charged in a five-count indictment dated Dec. 20, 2013, and unsealed today by Chief Judge Sarah S. Vance of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, announced the Justice Department’s and U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.



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Two Men Charged in Las Vegas with Biofuels Fraud Scheme

Two men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas for offenses involving the federal renewable fuel program that allegedly netted them more than $37 million.



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Miami Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty for Role in $190 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A patient recruiter for a fraudulent Miami-area mental health company, American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), pleaded guilty today for her participation in a $190 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Nationwide Contract Therapy Providers to Pay $30 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Contract therapy providers RehabCare Group Inc., RehabCare Group East Inc. and Rehab Systems of Missouri and management company Health Systems Inc. have agreed to pay $30 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme related to the referral of nursing home business, the Justice Department announced today.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Associate Attorney General Tony West at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Hosted by the Union League of Chicago

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Associate Attorney General Tony West at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Hosted by the Union League of Chicago




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Justice Department Releases Findings Showing That the Alabama Department of Corrections Fails to Protect Prisoners from Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women

Today the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced its letter of findings determining that prison officials at the Alabama Department of Corrections and the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women violate women prisoners’ constitutional rights by failing to take reasonable steps to protect them from harm due to sexual abuse and sexual harassment caused by correctional staff.



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Three Campaign Workers Charged with Buying Votes in a Donna, Texas School Board Election

A campaign worker was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas for allegedly paying voters to vote in a Donna, Texas school board election. Two other campaign workers were indicted on similar charged last week for alleged vote-buying in the election.



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Three Georgia Men Charged in Alleged Widespread Corruption Schemes at Local Military Base

Three Georgia men have been charged in a 51-count indictment for their alleged participation in fraud and corruption schemes at the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) in Albany, Ga., resulting in the loss of millions of dollars to the United States government.



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General Electric Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas Agrees to Pay $2.7 Million for Alleged False Claims Related to Design of Advanced Nuclear Reactor

The Justice Department announced today that General Electric Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC (GE Hitachi) has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that it made false statements and claims to the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concerning an advanced nuclear reactor design.



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Owner of Houston Medical Equipment Companies Indicted for $3.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Huey P. Williams Jr., the owner and operator of two durable medical equipment (DME) companies, was arrested yesterday for his alleged role in a $3.4 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Government and Contractors Seek to End Long-Running “A-12” Litigation

The Boeing Company, General Dynamics Corporation, and the United States have formally asked the United States Court of Federal Claims to dismiss, as part of a settlement, their 23-year old dispute involving the Department of the Navy's 1991 default termination of a $4.8 billion contract awarded to Boeing's predecessor, McDonnell Douglas Corporation, and General Dynamics, to develop the A-12 carrier-based stealth aircraft.



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Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against Massachusetts Staffing Agency

The Justice Department reached an agreement today with SD Staffing LLC (SD Staffing), aka Atwork Personnel Services Inc., a company based in Methuen, Mass., resolving claims that the staffing company engaged in citizenship status discrimination in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.



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Missouri Man and Woman Sentenced for Violating Civil Rights of Family in Racially Motivated Arson

Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson for the Western District of Missouri announced that a man and a woman, both from Independence, Mo., were sentenced in federal court today for violating the civil rights of an African-American family by setting fire to their residence.



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Tennessee and Virginia Orthopedic Clinics to Pay $1.85 Million to Settle Allegations of Billing Medicare for Reimported Products

Two orthopedic clinics will pay a combined $1.85 million to resolve state and federal False Claims Act allegations that they knowingly billed state and federal health care programs for reimported osteoarthritis medications, known as viscosupplements.



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Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced for Role in $11 Million Detroit Medicare Fraud Scheme

A home health agency owner who participated in a Medicare fraud scheme that totaled almost $11 million was sentenced in Detroit today to serve 120 months in prison.



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Disbarred Attorney Pleads Guilty for Role in $28.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A North Carolina woman has pleaded guilty for her involvement in a $28.3 million Medicare fraud scheme involving physical and occupational therapy services.



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Connecticut Man Convicted of Tax Evasion and Conspiracy Charges

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced that John Cote, formerly of Danielson, Conn., was convicted today of four counts of tax evasion along with conspiracy to defraud the IRS following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.



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Joint Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on New Reporting Methods for National Security Orders

Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper released the following joint statement Monday.



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Medicare Fraud Strike Force Set Record Numbers for Health Care Fraud Prosecutions

The Justice Department’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force has set record numbers for health care prosecutions in Fiscal Year 2013, demonstrating the targeted and coordinated approach remains strong as the strike force enters its eighth year of fighting fraud against the government’s health care programs.



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Almighty Imperial Gangster Member Convicted of Murder and Violent Crime Offenses

Richard Reyes, a member of the Almighty Imperial Gangsters, has been convicted at trial for his role in violent acts as a member of a criminal street gang that operated in Northwest Indiana.



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Alabama Jury Convicts Current and Former Corrections Officers of Identity Theft and Tax Fraud

Following a week-long trial, a jury in the Middle District of Alabama convicted Bryant Thompson and Quincy Walton of conspiracy to defraud the United States on Jan. 24, 2014, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.



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Former Corrections Officer Sentenced for His Role in Providing Armed Security for Drug Transactions

A former Puerto Rico Department of Corrections officer was sentenced today to serve 811 months in prison for his role in providing armed security for three drug transactions.



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Patient Recruiter Pleads Guilty in Connection With $13 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Pavel Zborovskiy, 57, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks in connection with a $13 million health care fraud and money laundering scheme.



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Cyber Criminal Pleads Guilty to Developing and Distributing Notorious Spyeye Malware

Aleksandr Andreevich Panin, a Russian national also known as “Gribodemon” and “Harderman,” has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud for his role as the primary developer and distributor of the malicious software known as “SpyEye.”



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Tropical Fish Importer Pleads Guilty in New York Federal Court to Piranha Import Violations

Joel Rakower, along with his solely-owned corporation, Transship Discounts Ltd., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., to violating the Lacey Act by mislabeling imported piranhas.



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Kentucky Hospital Agrees to Pay Government $16.5 Million to Settle Allegations of Unnecessary Cardiac Procedures

Saint Joseph Health System Inc. has agreed to pay $16.5 million to resolve allegations that Saint Joseph Hospital violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Medicare and Kentucky Medicaid programs for a variety of medically unnecessary cardiac procedures, the Justice Department announced today.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Criminal Division Awards Ceremony

Each of the contributions we’ve come together to recognize – and the awardees we’ve gathered to honor – has made a meaningful, measurable difference in the lives of countless Americans. I know I speak for leaders throughout the Administration – as well as the American people we’re privileged to serve – when I say “thank you” for your service. Thank you for your leadership. And thank you for everything that you continue to help us achieve.




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Three Miami Residents Indicted for Alleged Roles in $190 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Three Miami residents have been indicted for their alleged participation in a $190 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement to Resolve Claim of Citizenship Status Hiring Discrimination in Waterloo, Iowa

The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with the city of Waterloo, Iowa, resolving allegations that the city violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



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Federal Agencies Partner to Protect Veterans, Service Members and Their Families Using Gi Bill Education Benefits

The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education and Justice, along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission announced today the launch of a new online complaint system designed to collect feedback from veterans, service members and their families who are experiencing problems with educational institutions receiving funding from Federal military and veterans educational benefits programs, including benefits programs provided by the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the DoD Military Tuition Assistance Program.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Deputy Attorney General James Cole at the New York State Bar Association Annual Meeting

"I want to talk with you today about the crisis we have in our criminal justice system. A crisis that is fundamental and has the potential to continue to swallow important efforts in the fight against crime. This crisis is the crushing prison population."




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Three Tennessee Men Plead Guilty in $18 Million Ponzi Scheme

Top officers and a salesman for an investment company based in Nashville, Tenn., have pleaded guilty for their roles in an $18 million Ponzi scheme.



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Queens, N.Y., Doctor Sentenced for His Role in $15 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Queens, N.Y., medical doctor was sentenced today to serve 12 months and a day in prison for his role in a scheme that fraudulently billed Medicare more than $15 million.



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Roxbury Correctional Institution Sergeant Convicted of Obstructing Justice

The Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the FBI announced that Josh Hummer, a sergeant at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Md., was convicted today by a federal jury of obstructing justice during the investigation of an assault against an inmate.



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Leader of $28.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Pleads Guilty

A Florida man who had been the owner and operator of multiple physical therapy rehabilitation facilities pleaded guilty today for his role in organizing and leading a $28.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Las Vegas Attorney Pleads Guilty for Role in Multimillion-Dollar Fraud

A Las Vegas attorney pleaded guilty today for his role in multiple schemes to defraud his clients, to defraud the IRS and to fraudulently gain control of condominium homeowners’ associations.



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Former Alabama KKK Leader Pleads Guilty to Cross Burning and Obstruction of Justice

Steven Joshua Dinkle, 28, former Exalted Cyclops of the Ozark, Ala., chapter of the International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, pleaded guilty in federal court today to hate crime and obstruction of justice charges for his role in a 2009 cross burning, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama announced.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the National Commission on Forensic Science Meeting

The fact that we cannot compel other federal, state, and local laboratories and units to adopt this Commission’s guidance does underscore the need to be mindful of the diversity of practice and resources across the country. We must delicately balance the desire to develop meaningful policy with the reality of limited funding at the federal, state, and local levels. And we must do so without taking shortcuts.




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Justice Department Settles with Rite Aid of Michigan Over Alleged HIV Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today that, as part of its Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative, it has reached a settlement with Rite Aid of Michigan to resolve claims that Rite Aid violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.



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JPMorgan Chase to Pay $614 Million for Submitting False Claims for FHA-insured and VA-guaranteed Mortgage Loans

The Department of Justice today announced that JPMorgan Chase (JPMC) will pay $614 million for violating the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting non-compliant mortgage loans submitted for insurance coverage and guarantees by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).



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Testimony as Prepared for Delivery by Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Mythili Raman Before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary on the Topic, “Privacy in the Digital Age”

At the Department of Justice, we are devoting significant resources and energy to fighting computer hacking and other types of cybercrime. The recent revelations about the massive thefts of financial information from large retail stores have served as a stark reminder to all of us about how vulnerable we are to cyber criminals who are determined to steal our personal information. The Justice Department is more committed than ever to ensuring that the full range of government enforcement tools is brought to bear in the fight against cybercrime.




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W.R. Grace Pays Over $63 Million Toward Cleanup and Restoration of Hazardous Waste Sites in Communities Across the Country

W.R. Grace & Co, based in Columbia, Md., paid over $63 million to the U.S. government under its bankruptcy plan of reorganization to resolve claims for environmental cleanups at approximately 39 sites in 21 states.



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South Florida Resident Convicted in Connection with International Fraudulent Lottery Scheme

A federal jury in Miami today convicted a South Florida resident for her role in an international fraudulent lottery scheme that targeted U.S. citizens.



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