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Two Chinese Defendants Plead Guilty in Brooklyn, N.Y., to Trafficking in Counterfeit Perfume

Shaoxiong Zhou and Shaoxia Huang, both of Shantou, Guangdong, China, have pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit perfume.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Pickens County, Ala., Board of Education to Eliminate Racial Disparities

The Department of Justice today announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with private plaintiffs and the Pickens County, Ala., Board of Education that requires the board to institute a series of educational reforms designed to eliminate the remaining vestiges of its formerly segregated school system.



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Four Florida Men Charged in Boston with Defrauding Homeowners in Home Loan Modification Scam

Four Florida men were arrested today on charges that they defrauded homeowners in Massachusetts and elsewhere in connection with a home loan modification scam.



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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Terrorist Solicitation and Firearms Offense

Emerson Winfield Begolly, 22, of New Bethlehem, Pa., pleaded guilty today in Pittsburgh to soliciting others to engage in acts of terrorism within the United States and to using a firearm during and in relation to an assault on FBI agents.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Role in Tax Fraud Conspiracy

Eric Bernard Caldwell, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison.



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Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Online Identity Theft Involving More Than $700,000 in Reported Fraud

A Brooklyn, N.Y., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., for his role in managing a credit card fraud operation that operated throughout the East Coast of the United States.



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Los Angeles Jury Convicts Two Church Pastors and Their Employee of $14.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

After a two-week trial in federal court in Los Angeles, a jury found Christopher Iruke, 60; his wife, Connie Ikpoh, 49; and Aura Marroquin, 30, guilty of multiple charges.



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Former TSA Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime for Assaulting Elderly Somali Man

George Thompson, 64, a former employee of the Transportation Security Administration in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by assaulting an 83-year-old Somali man on May 4, 2010.



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U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant from South Carolina Pleads Guilty for Role in Scheme to Steal Military Equipment in Iraq

Eric Scott Hamilton, 40, of Pelzer, S.C., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs in the District of South Carolina to a criminal information charging him with two counts of conspiracy to steal public property.



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Justice Department Settles Allegations of Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Against Summit Steel Fabricators in Houston

The Justice Department today reached a settlement agreement with Summit Steel Fabricators Inc. in Houston resolving allegations that the company engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against non-citizens in the employment eligibility verification process.



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The City of Newport, R.I., Will Upgrade Facilities and Pay Fine to Settle Clean Water Violations

Under the terms of a settlement filed today in federal court, the city of Newport has agreed to eliminate illegal discharges of sewage into Narragansett Bay from its wastewater treatment plant and wastewater collection system.



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Former Russell County, Ala., Sheriff Deputy Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Charge for Assaulting a Handcuffed Man

Kirby Dollar, 37, a former detective with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty in federal court in Montgomery, Ala., for his role in the assault of a handcuffed man.



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Mansfield, Texas, Man Admits to Theft of Government Property and Aggravated Identity Theft

Thomas W. Richardson of Mansfield, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft before the Honorable Jane J. Boyle in Dallas.



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Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty in Relation to Staged Kidnapping in Guatemala

Sheena Flores, 34, of Manassas, Va., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee to one count of transmitting in foreign commerce, with intent to extort money, a communication containing a threat to injure another person.



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Former NASDAQ Managing Director Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Insider Trading

Donald Johnson, a former managing director of the NASDAQ Stock Market, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for engaging in insider trading on multiple occasions based on material, non-public information he obtained in his capacity as a NASDAQ executive.



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Former Member of Virginia House of Delegates Sentenced to 114 Months in Prison for Bribery and Extortion

Phillip A. Hamilton, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, was sentenced today to 114 months in prison after he was previously convicted of soliciting employees of Old Dominion University (ODU) for a paid position in exchange for introducing a budget amendment to fund the position, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia.



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Former Owners of Florida Airline Fuel Supply and Indiana Flight Management Services Companies Plead Guilty in Schemes to Defraud Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company and a former owner and operator of an Indiana-based flight management services company pleaded guilty today to participating in separate schemes to defraud Ryan International Airlines, a charter airline company located in Rockford, Ill.



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Former Illinois Firefighter Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation Charges

A former Rochester, Ill., firefighter was sentenced today to 30 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for child exploitation charges, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois James A. Lewis.



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Braintree, Mass., Waste Facility Agrees to Spend More Than $1.7 Million to Settle Alleged Hazardous Waste Violations

In a settlement valued at more than $1.7 million, Clean Harbors of Braintree Inc. has agreed to pay a significant penalty and perform additional projects, to settle a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regarding numerous violations of hazardous waste management and emergency planning laws at the company’s Braintree, Mass., facility.



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Nautilus Hyosung Holdings Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstruction of Justice for Submitting False Documents in a Merger Investigation

Nautilus Hyosung Holdings Inc. has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $200,000 criminal fine for obstruction of justice in connection with a premerger filing and investigation by the Antitrust Division.



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Michigan Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Selling More Than $400,000 in Counterfeit Business Software

Jacinda Jones, 31, of Ypsilanti, Mich., also was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge David M. Lawson in Detroit to serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and to pay $441,035 in restitution.



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California-Based Taleo Corp. Agrees to Pay U.S. $6.49 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Taleo Corp. has agreed to pay the United States $6.49 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly caused false claims to be submitted to the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department announced today.



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Justice Department Seeks to Require Iowa Construction Company to Pay Employment Taxes It Withholds from Employees’ Wages

The United States has filed a lawsuit in an Iowa federal court against a Des Moines, Iowa, metro area company, Advanced Underground Construction LLC and its principal, William David Ward II, the Justice Department announced today.



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Justice Department Signs Agreement to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities in Maryland

The Justice Department today announced an agreement with Montgomery County, Md., and Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



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Retired Army Colonel Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Bribery Scheme Involving Department of Defense Contracts in Iraq

Levonda J. Selph, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of the District of Columbia.



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U.S. Files Lawsuit Against Bollinger Shipyards for Material False Statements Made to the Coast Guard

“Companies which make false statements to win Coast Guard contracts do a disservice to the men and women securing our borders,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.



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Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Order for Regal Beloit Corporation to Proceed with Its Acquisition of A.O. Smith Corporation’s Electric Motor Business

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement that will require Regal Beloit Corporation (RBC) to divest its U.S. business for electric motors for pool and spa pumps to SNTech Inc. and to divest A.O. Smith Corporation’s (AOS) development work and related assets for draft inducers for high-efficiency furnaces to Revcor Inc., in order to proceed with RBC’s acquisition of AOS’s electric motor business.



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Former Worth County Sheriff Pleads Guilty to Violating the Civil Rights of Eight Women in Missouri

The Department of Justice announced today that Neal Wayne “Bear” Groom, former sheriff of the Worth County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty to depriving eight Missouri women of their civil rights by coercing the women to expose parts of their bodies to him, which was in violation of the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable seizures.



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Maryland Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Importing and Selling Counterfeit Cisco Computer Networking Equipment

Donald H. Cone, 48, of Frederick, Md., was sentenced today in Alexandria, Va., to 30 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated conspiracy to import and sell counterfeit Cisco-branded computer networking equipment.



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Former Owner of New York City Garment Assembly Company Pleads Guilty for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

David Chui, a resident of Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty to failing to pay employment taxes in connection with his former ownership of a garment assembly business.



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Justice Department Announces Agreement to Protect Prisoners from Life-threatening Conditions at Erie County, New York, Facilities

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a stipulated order of dismissal to resolve its lawsuit concerning conditions of confinement at the Erie County Holding Center, a pre-trial detention center in Buffalo, N.Y., and the Erie County Correctional Facility, a correctional facility in Alden, N.Y.



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Puerto Rican-based Shipping Company Sentenced to Pay $700,000 Penalty for Intentional Cover-Up of Oil Pollution

Epps Shipping Company, a Liberian corporation doing business out of Carolina, Puerto Rico, was sentenced in federal court for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and making false statements to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors.



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Two Men Plead Guilty to Racially-Motivated Assault in New Mexico

Paul Beebe and Jesse Sanford of Farmington, N.M., pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque, N.M., to federal hate crime charges related to a racially-motivated assault on a 22-year-old developmentally disabled man of Navajo descent.



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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at a Press Conference Regarding a New Mexico Hate Crimes Case

"Regrettably, as we have seen here in New Mexico and across the nation, the need for aggressive enforcement remains," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Justice Department Opens Investigation into the Antelope Valley Stations of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

The Justice Department has opened a civil investigation into allegations of discriminatory policing by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) members based in the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, Calif.



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Businessman Pleads Guilty in Utah to Tax Charge

Scott Robertson pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke C. Wells in Salt Lake City to one count of making and subscribing a false tax return for 2003.



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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Antelope Valley Investigation Announcement

"Based on our preliminary review, we have decided to expand our investigation to also focus on allegations that the Lancaster and Palmdale stations of the LASD are engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race or national origin," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Mississippi

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor primary runoff elections on Aug. 23, 2011, in Bolivar, Noxubee, Tunica and Wilkinson Counties in Mississippi to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.



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Department of Health and Human Services Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of Government Funds

Jihan S. Cover, 33, of Arden, N.C., pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Dennis L. Howell in the Western District of North Carolina to a one-count criminal information charging her with theft of government property.



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High-Ranking Member of Mexican Gulf Cartel Extradited to the United States to Face Drug Conspiracy Charges

Aurelio Cano-Flores, aka “Yankee” and “Yeyo,” a high-ranking member of the Mexican Gulf Cartel, has been extradited to the United States from Mexico to face drug conspiracy charges.



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Miami-Area Medical Equipment Company Owners Sentenced to Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

Obel Martinez, 39, and Damaris Gil, 30, previously pleaded guilty on May 24, 2010, before U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in Miami to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Miami-Area Doctor Pleads Guilty in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Jose Nunez, 63, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard in Miami to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Three New Jersey Investors Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Municipal Tax Lien Auctions

Three financial investors who purchased municipal tax liens at auctions in New Jersey pleaded guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids at tax liens auctions held by municipalities.



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Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Importation of Polar Bear Trophy from Canada

Rodger Dale DeVries, 73, a resident of Jenison, Mich., has pleaded guilty to illegally importing a polar bear trophy mount in 2007 from Canada into Michigan in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.



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Florida Woman Charged with Witness Tampering, False Statements and Obstruction of Justice in Relation to Her Husband’s Disappearance

Abby Beard Hogan, 50, was charged with two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials, one count of witness tampering and four counts of obstruction of justice.



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Minnesota Transit Constructors to Pay U.S. $4.6 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Liability

Minnesota Transit Constructors Inc. (MnTC), a joint venture comprised of Granite Construction, C.S. McCrossan Inc. and Parsons Transportation Group, as well as a number of subcontractors, have agreed to pay the United States $4.6 million to resolve allegations that they knowingly submitted false claims related to a federally-funded transit construction project in Minneapolis.



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Former “Most Wanted” Health Care Fraud Fugitives Plead Guilty to $9.1 Million Detroit Medicare Fraud Scheme

Caridad Guilarte, 54, and Clara Guilarte, 57, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.



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Iowa Company Pleads Guilty to Participating in Ready-Mix Concrete Price-Fixing and Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

An Iowa ready-mix concrete company pleaded guilty today to participating in a price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracy for the sales of ready-mix concrete.



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Former Department of Defense Employee Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Financial Assistance Funds Intended for Service Members

Tyrone L. Ellis, 56, of Columbus, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land of the Middle District of Georgia.



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Final Charged Pittsburgh Crips Members Plead Guilty to Racketeering Crimes

Lamon Street, 20, aka “M-Dot,” and Dominique Steele, 21, aka “C-Flack,” pleaded guilty before Senior U.S. District Judge Gustave Diamond to one count of conspiracy to engage in a racketeering enterprise.



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