Four alleged members and associates of the New England La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including an alleged Rhode Island leader, have been arrested and charged in a second superseding indictment returned yesterday in federal court in Providence, R.I., with crimes involving racketeering and extortion.

Janika Fernae Bates Millbrook, Ala., was convicted of identity theft, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to make false claims for tax refunds.

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred Mario Placencia from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Matthew David Howard Smith pleaded guilty today for his role in founding a website that provided millions of users with the ability to illegally download copyright-protected movies and television programs.

A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to fraudulently gain control of condominium homeowners’ associations (HOA) in the Las Vegas area so that the HOAs would direct business to a certain law firm and construction company.

"Today’s operations represent the kind of collaborative law enforcement that breeds success," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.

"In the Criminal Division, and throughout the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, we devote substantial resources to investigating and prosecuting fraud of all kinds – investment fraud, bank fraud, mortgage fraud, procurement fraud, and, of course, fraud in the health care industry," Assistant Attorney General Breuer.

Peter Labovitz of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.

Attorney General Eric Holder today convened the second meeting of the federal interagency Reentry Council to address ways to ensure those returning from prison become productive, law-abiding citizens.

A Detroit federal grand jury returned an indictment today against three former executives from Panasonic Corporation, a Whirlpool Corporation subsidiary and a Tecumseh Products Company subsidiary for their role in an international conspiracy to fix the prices of refrigerant compressors.

A superseding indictment was returned today in Milwaukee against Dr. Arvind Ahuja of Greendale, Wis., adding a charge of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.

Six Japanese freight forwarders have agreed to plead guilty and to pay criminal fines totaling $46.8 million for their roles in a conspiracy to fix certain fees in connection with the provision of freight forwarding services for air cargo shipments from Japan to the United States.

Trident Seafoods Corp., one of the world’s largest seafood processors, has agreed to pay a $2.5 million civil penalty and invest millions in seafood processing waste controls to settle alleged violations of the Clean Water Act.

Bryan Underwood, a former contract guard working at a U.S. Consulate in China, has been charged in a superseding indictment with one count of attempting to communicate national defense information to a foreign government, two counts of making false statements and one count of failing to appear in court pursuant to his conditions of release.

A federal court has permanently barred Dennis Giroud from preparing federal tax returns for others.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $200 million fine for its role in a criminal price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracy involving the sale of parts to automobile manufacturers.

Hana A. Beshara, 29, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty today for her role in founding NinjaVideo.net, a website that provided millions of users with the ability to illegally download infringing copies of copyright-protected movies and television programs in high-quality formats.

A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., yesterday found Manuel Rodriguez guilty of fraud in connection with a coffee machine business opportunity scheme.

A former Colombian maritime training instructor and a co-conspirator were sentenced to federal prison today for conspiring to transport thousands of kilograms of cocaine from various ports along the coast of Colombia to waiting vessels that transported the cocaine to the United States and other countries.

Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $21.1 million criminal fine for its participation in a series of conspiracies to rig bids and fix prices for the sale of optical disk drives.

The Department of Justice today reached a settlement with Morgan Stanley that requires Morgan to pay $4.8 million for violating the antitrust laws by entering into an agreement with KeySpan Corporation that restrained competition in the New York City electricity capacity market.

A Japanese freight forwarder has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $1.84 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix certain fees in connection with the provision of freight forwarding services for air cargo shipments from Japan to the United States.

Harris County Commissioner Gerald R. Eversole and Houston-based real estate developer Michael D. Surface both pleaded guilty today in federal court in Houston to making false statements.

The Justice Department announced today that C&F Mortgage Corporation of Midlothian, Va., will revise its pricing policies, conduct employee training and pay $140,000 as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race and national origin.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit today against the developers, builders and designers of the Gateway Village Apartments, a 275-unit apartment complex in Salem, Ore., for violations of the Fair Housing Act.

"Today, as Lisa Monaco and Virginia Seitz are officially sworn into their leadership roles, we not only celebrate the latest achievements in two remarkable careers; we also mark an exciting, and historic, new chapter in the history of our nation’s Department of Justice," said Attorney General Holder.

September 11th Victim Compensa¬tion Fund (VCF) Special Master Sheila L. Birnbaum today announced that the fund is officially open for claimants.

The Justice Department filed a consent decree today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after reaching an agreement with James City County, Va., that will allow for the county’s bailout from its status as a “covered jurisdiction” under the special provisions of Voting Rights Act.

Danfoss Flensburg GmbH has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $3 million criminal fine for its role in an international conspiracy to fix the prices of light commercial compressors.

Neil P. Campbell, 61, of Queensland, Australia, pleaded guilty today before Judge Rosemary M. Collyer in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of accepting an illegal payment as an agent of an organization receiving federal funds.

As part of Attorney General Eric Holder’s call for cost-cutting measures to streamline operations and reduce spending during a time of constrained funding, the Department of Justice today announced that it will realign functions in various offices, lower lease costs by consolidating or reducing office space and continue to look for ways to more effectively utilize the department’s resources.

Larry Lujan, 33, will receive a life prison sentence for a kidnapping that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old, after a federal jury today announced it could not reach a unanimous decision on whether to impose the death penalty.

Scios Inc., a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson, pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for introducing into interstate commerce its heart failure drug, Natrecor, for a use that was not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

A former Columbus County, N.C., Sherriff’s Office sergeant pleaded guilty today in federal court in Greenville, N.C., to a civil rights charge related to the assault of a detainee, the Justice Department announced.

Jeng “Jay” Shih and Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corporation pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates.

The Ryland Group Inc. will pay a civil penalty of $625,000 to resolve alleged Clean Water Act violations at its construction sites, including sites located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Justice Department announced a settlement today with Lorain County, Ohio, to protect the rights of Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican voters under Section 4(e) of the Voting Rights Act.

Donny Eugene Mower of Madera, Calif., pleaded guilty in federal court today 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.

Former Hickman County Deputy Sheriff Kenneth H. Smith was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell to 24 months in prison for civil rights and false statement charges.

A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to fraudulently gain control of condominium homeowners’ associations (HOA) in the Las Vegas area so that the HOAs would direct business to a certain law firm and construction company.

Integrated Production Services, LLC, (IPS), a Houston-based natural gas and oil drilling contractor, pleaded guilty today to a negligent violation of the Clean Water Act in federal court in Muskogee, Okla.

Dennis Glick of Huntington Valley, Penn., was found guilty today by a federal jury in Philadelphia of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue laws and willfully preparing false tax returns.

"Today, the Department of Justice is announcing charges against two people who allegedly attempted to carry out a deadly plot that was directed by factions of the Iranian government to assassinate a foreign ambassador here in the United States," said Attorney General Holder.

Pelican Refining Company LLC, pleaded guilty today to felony violations of the Clean Air Act and to obstruction of justice charges in federal court in Lafayette, La.

Three individuals were charged in an indictment returned today by a federal grand jury in Utah for their alleged roles in a bribery and fraud scheme involving federal procurement contracts.

The owner and operator of a Houston durable medical equipment (DME) company was sentenced yesterday in Houston federal court to 33 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme.

Elmo Antonio George and Nasheba Necia Hunte were indicted today by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on charges of conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and with filing false tax returns for 2005 and 2006 which claimed false refunds totaling more than $1.2 million.

Miami-area residents Angel Gonzalez and Jorge Zamora, who were the owners and operators of a fraudulent physical therapy company in Lakeland, Fla., were sentenced yesterday and today to 42 months in prison and 46 months in prison, respectively, for their leading roles in a scheme to defraud Medicare.

The Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the European Commission today issued an updated set of “best practices” that they use to coordinate their merger reviews.

Veronica Dale, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty today to two tax fraud and identity theft conspiracies.