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Federal Court Bars Missouri Lawyer from Promoting Individual Retirement Account Tax Arrangements

A federal judge in St. Louis has permanently barred a Missouri attorney and his law firm from promoting any Individual Retirement Account-based arrangement.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreements to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters from Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached agreements with Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii officials to help ensure that military service members and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010 federal general election.



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Woman Indicted for Trafficking Young Women from Nigeria to Work as Nannies

Bidemi Bello, formerly of Buford, Ga., and presently from Nigeria, was arraigned today, following an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Sep.10, 2010.



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U.S. Reaches Agreements with Kings Mountain, N.C., and Sandy Springs, Ga., to Terminate Coverage from Preclearance of the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it reached agreements this week with the city of Kings Mountain, N.C., and the city of Sandy Springs, Ga., in the form of consent decrees filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.



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Department Announces Agreement to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters from Nevada

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached an agreement with Nevada officials to help ensure that military service members and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election.



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Army Major Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for False Statements Charge Related to Attempt to Smuggle Currency from Iraq to the United States

U.S. Army Major Charles E. Sublett, 46, of Huntsville, Ala., was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for making false statements to a federal agency, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.



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Justice Department Reached Agreements to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters from New York, Kansas and Mississippi

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached agreements with New York, Kansas and Mississippi officials to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election.



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Army Contracting Officer from Colorado Pleads Guilty to Bribery Related to Contracts

U.S. Army Major Roderick D. Sanchez pleaded guilty today to a one-count criminal information charging him with bribery for accepting money and items of value in return for being influenced in the awarding of Army contracts.



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Federal Court Bars Texas Man and His Corporations from Pyramiding Employment Taxes

A federal court Tuesday issued a memorandum opinion and a preliminary injunction against Arthur Piner Grider, III; Asgard Avionics Corp. of Florida; and 14 other corporate defendants who operate as employee leasing companies, from violating the Internal Revenue Code.



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Federal Court Bars Owner and Employees of Providence, Rhode Island, Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal judge in Providence, R.I., entered a preliminary injunction against Michael Brier, individually, and doing business as Refunds Now Inc., RNTS Inc., FTIRS Inc., POTIRS Inc. and IHIRS Inc. from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with University of South Carolina to Ensure Students Are Free from Harassment

The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement with the University of South Carolina to resolve an investigation into the university’s policies and procedures related to discrimination and harassment.



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Companies to Pay More Than $6 Million for Natural Resource Damages from Buzzards Bay Oil Spill

The Department of Justice, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the state of Rhode Island announced today that Bouchard Transportation Co. Inc. and its affiliates will pay more than $6 million to settle a portion of the federal and state natural resource damages claims for the April 2003 spill of up to 98,000 gallons of oil into Buzzards Bay.



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Former Executives from Two Japanese Airlines Indicted in Conspiracy to Fix Rates on Air Cargo Shipments

An Atlanta grand jury returned an indictment today against a former executive of Japan Airlines International Co. Ltd. (JAL) and two former executives of Nippon Cargo Airlines Co. Ltd. for participating in a conspiracy to fix and coordinate components of rates for air cargo shipments to and from the United States.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Texas Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Maritza Villanueva of Irving, Texas, from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Fifteen Individuals Extradited from Mexico to the United States

Fifteen individuals have been extradited over the past week from Mexico to the United States to stand trial, to be sentenced or to serve sentences.



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Justice Department Sues to Bar Florida Man from Promoting Alleged Tax Fraud Schemes

According to the government complaint in the civil injunction case in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, David Miner promotes a “decoder” scheme through a website.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Florida Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Dianelys Armengol Guevara of Pembroke Pines, Fla., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars South Florida Man from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Sony Ducasse of Greenacres, Fla., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Assistant Attorney General David Kris Announces Departure from National Security Division

David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced his resignation from the Department of Justice today, effective March 4, 2011.



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Lockheed Martin to Pay $2 Million to Resolve Allegations Resulting from Fraudulent Submission of Government Contract

Lockheed Martin Inc. has reached a $2 million settlement with the United States to resolve False Claims Act claims in a whistleblower suit.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Joliet, Illinois, Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court in Chicago has permanently barred Sidney Dove, a tax-return preparer from Joliet, Ill., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Iranian National Charged with Illegally Exporting Specialized Metals from the United States to Iran

Milad Jafari, 36, a citizen and resident of Iran has been indicted for illegally exporting and attempting to export specialized metals from the United States through companies in Turkey to several entities in Iran, including some entities that have been sanctioned for involvement in ballistic missile activities.



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Detroit-Area Man Who Shot Jews While Serving as Nazi Policeman Ordered Removed from the United States

An immigration judge in Detroit has ordered John (Ivan) Kalymon of Troy, Mich., removed from the United States because of his participation in Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution while serving during World War II as an armed member of the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police (UAP) in Nazi-occupied L’viv, Ukraine.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars North Carolina Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

A federal court has permanently barred Jody S. Ball of Bryson City, N.C., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Arkansas Woman Barred from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

An Arkansas woman who operates Foster’s Income Tax Service in Knobel, Ark., has been permanently barred from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Bars Florida Woman from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

"A Florida woman has been permanently barred from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Department of Justice announced today."



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Justice Department Sues Georgia Man to Stop Him from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

The United States has asked a federal court to stop Cecil Collier, who operates under the trade name “Cairo Fast Tax,” from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

The Attorney General sent the following letter today to Congressional leadership to inform them of the Department’s course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman.



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Mississippi Companies to Pay $2 Million for Selling Thousands of Engines from China That Failed to Meet Clean Air Act Standards

Mississippi-based PowerTrain Inc., Wood Sales Inc., and Tool Mart Inc., (collectively known as “PowerTrain”) will jointly pay a civil penalty of $2 million to resolve claims that the company imported and sold almost 80,000 nonroad engines and equipment that were not covered by emissions-related certificates of conformity, and in most cases could not be certified because they exceeded emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.



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Natchez, Mississippi, Police Officer Convicted of Civil Rights Offense for Stealing from Arrestee

A jury in Natchez, Miss., yesterday convicted a Natchez Police Department officer of violating the civil rights of an arrestee by stealing credit and debit cards from the arrestee.



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U.S. Seeks to Bar Georgia Man from Assisting Others in Preparing False Tax Returns

The United States has asked a federal court to stop an Atlanta-area financial planner from assisting persons in preparing false tax returns claiming fraudulent tax refunds based on fabricated income tax withholdings.



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Former Campaign Treasurer for U.S. Congressman from New Jersey Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Campaign Funds

The former campaign treasurer for Representative Frank LoBiondo of New Jersey pleaded guilty today to embezzling more than $450,000 from the congressman’s election and re-election campaign accounts.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Owner and Employees of Rhode Island Firm from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court in Providence, R.I., has ordered that Michael Brier, the owner of the tax return preparation firm Refunds Now Inc., and his employees, Jeffrey Sroufe, Esther Santiago and Carmen Miranda, be permanently barred from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Kentucky Couple Charged with Lacey Act Crimes Based on the Illegal Harvest of Paddlefish from the Ohio River

A Kentucky couple and their caviar companies were charged today with trafficking in and falsely labeling illegally harvested paddlefish.



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Federal Court Bars Two Los Angeles Residents from Promoting Sham Trust Tax Scheme

A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction barring Gwenn Wycoff and Frank Ozak, both of Los Angeles, from promoting so-called “common-law trusts” that help individuals evade taxes.



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Justice Department Issues Letter Regarding Illegal Exclusion of Individuals with HIV/AIDS from Occupational Training and State Licensing

The Justice Department has issued letters to the attorneys general of all 50 states, as well as U.S. territories to request their assistance in addressing the illegal exclusion of individuals with HIV/AIDS from occupational training and state licensing.



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Occidental Oil Companies to Pay $2.05 Million to Resolve Allegations of Royalty Underpayments from Federal Land

Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Occidental Oil and Gas Corporation, and OXY USA Inc. have agreed to pay the United States $2.05 million plus interest to resolve claims that the companies violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal leases.



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Four Men and One Woman from Arkansas Indicted on Charges Stemming from the Firebombing of an Interracial Couple’s Home

Jason Barnwell, Gary Dodson,Jake Murphy and Dustin Hammond were indicted by a federal grand jury on civil rights charges and other federal charges stemming from their participation in an incident in January 2011 involving Molotov cocktails thrown at and into the home of a mixed-race couple living near Hardy, Ark.



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U.S. Court Bars California Man from Selling or Administering Pension and Employee Welfare-Benefit Plans

A federal court in Los Angeles has permanently barred William Alexander of Pasadena, Calif., and his two companies, Retirement Plan Services Inc. and Lyons Pensions Inc., from selling or administering pension plans or employee welfare-benefit plans.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Texas Man from Operating Businesses Because of Unpaid Payroll Taxes

A federal court in Dallas has barred Arthur Piner Grider III from operating businesses under any name.



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Federal Court Bars Philadelphia Tax Firm and Ownerfrom Claiming First-Time-Homebuyer Tax Credit for Customers

A federal court has barred a Philadelphia tax preparation firm and its owner from preparing federal tax returns claiming first-time-homebuyer tax credits and tax deductions for certain expenses.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars San Antonio Man from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal court has barred Eddie Madrigal of San Antonio and his business, Madrigal Tax Express Inc., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Jefferson County, Texas, Drainage District Number Seven on Bailout from the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement with Jefferson County, Texas, Drainage District Number Seven on the terms of a consent decree filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.



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Former Texas Correctional Officer Sentenced on Conviction Arising from Inmate Beating and Subsequent Cover-Up

A former Bexar County Sherriff’s Office Deputy was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia to 27 months in prison for depriving a man of his constitutional right to be free from excessive force and for obstructing justice.



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Federal Court Bars Chicago Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Rita Augustus from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Federal Court Bars Colorado Man from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred George Thomas Gaines of Aurora, Colo., from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Former Leader of the Arellano-Felix Organization Extradited from Mexico to United States to Face Charges

Alberto Benjamin Arellano-Felix, an alleged leader of the Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was extradited today by the government of Mexico to the United States to face racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking charges in the Southern District of California.



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Washington Man Agrees to Order Barring Him from Reproductive Clinic and Surroundings

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington ordered that John C. Kroack must adhere to a 25-foot buffer zone around a Planned Parenthood Reproductive Health Services Clinic in Lynnwood, Wash.



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Federal Court Bars North Carolina Man from Promoting Alleged Tax Fraud Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred a North Carolina man from selling an alleged tax fraud scheme.



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Shell Oil Companies to Pay $2.2 Million to Resolve Allegations of Royalty Underpayments from Federal Lands

Shell Oil Company and other Shell affiliates have agreed to pay the United States $2.2 million to resolve claims that the companies violated the False Claims Act by knowingly underpaying royalties owed on natural gas produced from federal leases.



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