The Justice Department announced today that it will not pursue criminal charges against three Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers in connection with the events of Jan. 12, 2010, involving former Pittsburgh School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) student Jordan Miles.

Dimitrios Grifakis, 57, of Kallithea, Greece, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Baltimore to obstructing a Coast Guard inspection that took place aboard the M/V Capitola from May 3 to May 11, 2010.

Three Colorado-based gasoline distributors have agreed to pay $2.5 million to resolve claims that they illegally mixed and distributed more than one million gallons of gasoline that did not meet Clean Air Act emissions and fuel quality requirements.

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.

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

Citizens Republic Bancorp Inc. (CRBC) and Citizens Bank of Flint, Mich., will open a loan production office in an African-American neighborhood in Detroit, invest approximately $3.6 million in Wayne County, Mich., and take other steps as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that they engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of race and color.

Karen L. Blyth and David H. M. Phelps were sentenced yesterday in federal court in Mobile, Ala., to 33 months and 24 months in prison, respectively. The pair was also fined $5,000 each, and barred for three years from working in the seafood industry or owning any seafood related business.

Iheanyi Frank Chinasa, 39, of Gaithersburg, Md., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for his participation in a scheme to defraud Cisco Systems Inc.

Patrick Merrill Brody was sentenced on May 6, 2011, to 10 months of prison, 12 months of supervised release and ordered to pay the costs of prosecution for willfully failing to file a federal income tax return for 2001

Brandon Smith, aka “Little One” and “King Little One,” 26, of Hyattsville, Md., was sentenced today to 23 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, in connection with his gang activities as a member and leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings).

Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev was sentenced to 12 years in prison and three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $172,000 in restitution to the foreign worker fraud and forced labor victims in addition to restitution for harm caused by other aspects of the criminal enterprise.

Michael C. Finton, aka “Talib Islam,” pleaded guilty today to attempting to bomb the federal courthouse in Springfield, Ill., in September 2009 and was immediately sentenced to serve 28 years in prison.

GWC Valve International Inc., a company headquartered in Bakersfield, Calif., and its chief executive officer, David Meador, 52, were sentenced today in the Eastern District of California for conspiracy to export services related to industrial valves to Iran.

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today challenging George’s Inc.’s acquisition of Tyson Foods’ Harrisonburg, Va., chicken processing complex.

A former president of an Illinois refuse disposal container repair company was sentenced today for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with bids on a contract for the repair of refuse carts for the city of Chicago.

Lindsey Manufacturing Company, an Azusa, Calif., company, two of its executives and a Mexican intermediary today were convicted by a federal jury on all counts for their alleged roles in a scheme to pay bribes to Mexican government officials at the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), a state-owned utility company.

Two Arkansas men pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, Ark., to charges related to their involvement in the firebombing of the house of an interracial couple.

A federal court has permanently barred Atlanta-area financial planner T. Michael Haney from promoting the use of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Forms 1099-OID to support false tax withholdings.

A retired major in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty today in San Antonio to accepting $400,000 from a contractor following his deployment to Kuwait.

Michael Duane Bracken, of Bolivar, Penn., pleaded guilty today to a charge related to the burning of a cross in the yard of a mixed race family in November 2009.

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block the proposed acquisition by VeriFone Systems Inc. of Hypercom Corp.

A former employee of two Massachusetts-based customer relationship management agencies that purchase direct mail advertising services was sentenced today for participating in fraud conspiracies and committing tax evasion relating to his receipt of more than $1.8 million in kickbacks.

"IP crime is a serious threat. It jeopardizes the health and safety of consumers. It stifles creativity. And it has a negative effect on the American economy. Attorney General Holder and I and other leaders in the Justice Department are 100 percent committed to aggressive IP enforcement. And we want and need you to work with us in this fight. We face real challenges in this area. But we have taken significant strides in the last two years, and I look forward to expanding on those efforts in the months and years ahead."

A federal court has permanently barred Houston-area tax preparers Christopher Helton and Marcia Johnson from preparing federal tax returns for others.

A Brooklyn physical therapist pleaded guilty today for his role in submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for physical therapy services that were medically unnecessary and never provided.

Don W. Watson, former chief financial officer (CFO) of CSK Auto Corp. (CSK), pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to conspiracy to commit securities and mail fraud in connection with a scheme to misstate the company’s reported earnings from 2001 through 2006.

Six individuals located in South Florida and Pakistan have been indicted in the Southern District of Florida on charges of providing financing and other material support to the Pakistani Taliban, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. and IntercontinentalExchange Inc. abandoned their joint bid to acquire NYSE Euronext after the Department of Justice informed the companies that it would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the deal.

Oddie Tribble, 51, a former deputy sheriff with the Kershaw County, S.C., Sherriff’s Office, was sentenced to 63 month in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie for using excessive force on a man in his custody on Aug. 5, 2010.

The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with a state-funded private preschool program, Beginning Montessori Academy, located in Baldwin Park, Calif.

The owner of a Houston-area durable medical equipment (DME) company was sentenced to 84 months in prison for her role in a Medicare fraud scheme.

The principal and co-owner of Integra Capital Management LLC, a North Carolina company, was arrested in Denton, N.C., today for defrauding commodities trading investors of more than $3.2 million, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Anne M. Tompkins of the Western District of North Carolina.

A former civilian employee of the Department of Defense pleaded guilty today in Columbus, Ga., to conversion of Army Emergency Relief (AER) funds while he was employed at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of Korea.

A Boston venture capitalist and director at Boston Private Bank and Trust Company was charged with failing to report his foreign bank account and income to the Department of the Treasury.

A federal court has permanently barred two men from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme involving interests in purported oil and gas wells.

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owners, developers and design professionals involved in the design and construction of nine multi-family housing complexes in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.

An Iowa ready-mix concrete company pleaded guilty to participating in three separate conspiracies to fix prices and/or rig bids for the sales of ready-mix concrete.

VeriFone Systems Inc., Hypercom Corp. and Ingenico S.A. have abandoned plans for Hypercom to divest its U.S. point-of-sale business to Ingenico.

Two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) prison-based gang pleaded guilty today in federal court to racketeering aggravated assault in the 2008 beating of a gang prospect in Tomball, Texas.

"Generations of young people have graduated from this law school - not only with a first-rate education, but also with a deeply-ingrained passion to right wrongs, to improve lives, and to protect and empower our nation's most vulnerable citizens. Public service is not only a key part of Stanford's curriculum - it is a central component of this law school's culture, its DNA. And we can all be encouraged that, today, this tradition is stronger than ever."

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today to block the proposed acquisition by H&R Block Inc. of TaxACT, a digital do-it-yourself tax preparation software provider.

A superseding indictment was unsealed today against 13 members and associates of the Philadelphia organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including its current boss and underboss.

Garsh Lending LLC, a lender located in Miami, has agreed to pay the United States $300,000 to settle allegations involving a Small Business Administration loan.

Lucille Abrahamsen Jackson pleaded guilty on Nov. 18, 2010, to an information charging her with willfully subscribing to a false tax return.

"We are blocking this transaction because the proposed merger would substantially lessen competition in the tax preparation software market, resulting in higher prices, lower quality and reduced innovation," said Assistant Attorney General Varney.

“The challenges facing us in juvenile justice really require that we join together to work on the long term problems… from right-to-counsel issues to disproportionate minority contact to our continued struggles to recognize youth development in disposition decisions. But despite these challenges – and the challenges arising from a tough economy – I’m optimistic that we’re moving in the right direction.”

Harry Abrahamsen previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh to an information charging him with one count of willful failure to file an FBAR.

On Feb. 22, 2011, after a four-day trial, a jury in Montgomery, Ala., convicted Sharon Thurman of 14 counts of making false claims, two counts of theft of government money and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

The court’s preliminary injunction order against Shelia Young, Deane Young and Kennith Defoor will remain in effect while a related criminal case against the defendants proceeds in court.

"It is an honor to be able to help carry forward the legacy of the heroes of our nation’s struggle for civil rights," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.