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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Louisiana Crane Company Alleging Discrimination Against Work-authorized Immigrants

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a lawsuit with the Executive Office for Immigration Review against Louisiana Crane Company LLC (Louisiana Crane), which is headquartered in Eunice, Louisiana.



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Detroit Gang Leader Convicted for Planning Armed Robbery by Gang Members

A leader of a street gang that operated on the east side of Detroit was found guilty today by a federal jury of aiding and abetting an armed robbery.



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Former Arthrocare Executives Sentenced for Orchestrating $750 Million Securities Fraud Scheme

The former chief executive officer of ArthroCare Corporation was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, and the former chief financial officer was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison today for their leading roles in a $750 million securities fraud scheme.



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Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination Claim Against a Restaurant Management Company

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Culinaire International, a catering and restaurant management company headquartered in Houston, Texas, resolving a claim that Culinaire engaged in citizenship discrimination during the employment eligibility reverification process in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).



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Maryland MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty in Violent Racketeering Conspiracy

A Maryland MS-13 gang member pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as the La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, and acknowledged his involvement in attempted murder and extortion in furtherance of MS-13.



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Justice Department Seizes an Additional $500,000 in Corrupt Assets Tied to Former President of Republic of Korea

The Department of Justice has seized approximately $500,000 in assets traceable to corruption proceeds accumulated by Chun Doo Hwan, the former president of the Republic of Korea. This seizure brings the total value of seized corruption proceeds of President Chun to more than $1.2 million.



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Attorney General Holder Statement on the Planned Departure of Associate Attorney General Tony West

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Wednesday on the departure, effective September 15, of Associate Attorney General Tony West:



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South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Fraud in Foreign Labor Contracting, Visa Fraud and Wage and Hour Violations

Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Civil Rights Division and United States Attorney Bill Nettles announced today that Reginald Wayne Miller, of Marion, South Carolina, has entered a guilty plea in federal court in Florence to fraud in foreign labor contracting. Additionally, Miller entered a guilty plea to visa fraud and wage and hour violations. United States District Judge R. Bryan Harwell of Florence accepted the guilty plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed the presentence report which will be prepared by the U.S. probation office.



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New England Compounding Center Supervising Pharmacist Arrested at Logan International Airport

A Canton, Massachusetts, man was arrested today at Boston's Logan International Airport in connection with the ongoing criminal investigation of New England Compounding Center by the Justice Department’s Civil Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.



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Attorney General Holder Announces Next Steps to Address Concerns Regarding the City of Ferguson and St. Louis County Police Departments

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Justice Department has launched two initiatives to address concerns about police services in the city of Ferguson and in St. Louis County, Missouri.



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Former Virginia Governor and Former First Lady Convicted on Public Corruption Charges

A federal jury returned guilty verdicts today against former Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell and former First Lady of Virginia Maureen G. McDonnell for participating in a scheme to violate federal public corruption laws.



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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Press Conference Announcing Pattern or Practice Investigation into Ferguson Police Department

"These anecdotal accounts underscored the history of mistrust of law enforcement in Ferguson that has received a good deal of attention. As a result of this history – and following an extensive review of documented allegations and other available data – we have determined that there is cause for the Justice Department to open an investigation to determine whether Ferguson Police officials have engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal law."




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Attorney General Holder Announces Stuart Delery to Serve as Acting Associate Attorney General

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement Friday announcing that Stuart Delery, who currently serves as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, will serve as Acting Associate Attorney General, which is the Justice Department’s third-ranking post.



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Justice Department Participates in Child Cyber Safety Night at Nationals Park, Saturday, September 6th

Child Cyber Safety Night at the Ballpark is the latest effort by the Justice Department and its law enforcement and community partners to encourage parents to speak with their children about online and cell phone safety and provide prevention materials.



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Two Companies to Pay $3.75 Million for Allegedly Causing Submission of Claims for Unreasonable or Unnecessary Rehabilitation Therapy at Skilled Nursing Facilities

Life Care Services LLC, a manager of skilled nursing facilities based in Des Moines, Iowa, and CoreCare V LLP, doing business as ParkVista, a skilled nursing facility in Fullerton, California, have agreed to pay a total of $3.75 million to the government for causing the submission of false claims to Medicare for unreasonable or unnecessary rehabilitation therapy purportedly provided by RehabCare Group East Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Healthcare Inc.



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Caribbean-Based Investment Advisor Sentenced for Using Offshore Accounts to Launder and Conceal Funds

Joshua Vandyk, an investment advisor, was sentenced today to serve 30 months in prison for conspiring to launder monetary instruments, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service announced.



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Federal Court Bars Southern California Man from Promoting Alleged Tax Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred a Rancho Santa Margarita, California, man from promoting and selling an alleged nationwide tax scheme that involved using welfare benefit plans to unlawfully increase and accelerate tax deductions and avoid income taxes.



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Owner of Home Heath Care Company Sentenced to 75 Months in Prison for $6.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner and operator of a Miami home health care company was sentenced to 75 months in prison today for her participation in a $6.5 million Medicare fraud scheme involving the now defunct home health care company, Nestor’s Health Services Inc.



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United States Pursues Claims Against Neurosurgeon, Spinal Implant Company, Physician-Owned Distributorships and Their Non-Physician Owners for Alleged Kickbacks and Medically Unnecessary Surgeries

The United States has filed two complaints under the False Claims Act against Michigan neurosurgeon Dr. Aria Sabit, spinal implant company Reliance Medical Systems, two Reliance distributorships—Apex Medical Technologies and Kronos Spinal Technologies—and the companies’ owners, Brett Berry, John Hoffman and Adam Pike.



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Former Maryland Resident Sentenced for His Role in $3.7 Million Advance Fee Scheme and Tax Evasion

A Corona, California, man was sentenced today to serve six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release in connection with a fraudulent advance fee scheme and tax evasion.



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Kent State University for Discrimination Against Students with Disabilities in University Housing

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the Kent State University, the Kent State University Board of Trustees and university officials for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against students with disabilities in student housing.



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Justice Department Settles Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Against School District of Philadelphia

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the School District of Philadelphia that resolves a religious accommodations lawsuit filed in March 2014. In its lawsuit, the United States alleged that the school district violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) by failing to accommodate the religious beliefs, observances and/or practices of Siddiq Abu-Bakr, a school police officer who is Muslim, and similarly-situated employees who maintain a beard longer than one-quarter inch for religious purposes.



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Jose Padilla Re-Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Conspiracy to Murder Individuals Overseas, Providing Material Support to Terrorists

John P. Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security and Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, announced today that U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke re-sentenced Jose Padilla to serve 21 years in prison for his 2007 conviction for conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim individuals in a foreign country; conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; and providing material support to terrorists.



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Readout of Attorney General Holder’s Meeting with Counterparts from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras

The following statement is attributable to Justice Department spokesman Brian Fallon regarding Attorney General Eric Holder’s visit to Mexico City today to meet with his fellow attorneys general from across Central America to discuss the situation involving migrant children.



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Former TierOne Bank Executive Pleads Guilty for His Role in Scheme to Defraud Bank’s Shareholders and Regulators

A former senior vice president and chief credit officer of TierOne Bank, a publicly traded commercial bank formerly headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud TierOne’s shareholders and regulators.



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Remarks by Assistant Attorney General Karol Mason Before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn and distinguished members of the committee, thank you for inviting me to speak with you today about the Department of Justice’s role in supporting state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.




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Arvada Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization

Shannon Conley, age 19, of Arvada, Colorado, pleaded guilty this morning before U.S. District Court Judge Raymond P. Moore to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, U.S. Attorney John Walsh for the District of Colorado and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle of the FBI Denver Division announced. Conley is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Moore on January 23, 2015. The defendant appeared at the change of plea hearing in custody, and was remanded at its conclusion.



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Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Mississippi Tax Return Preparer

The United States has requested that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi permanently bar Nathaniel Kimble, Greenville, Mississippi, man from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys Director’s Awards Ceremony

Thank you, Monty [Wilkinson], not only for your kind words – but also for your outstanding leadership of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.




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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Farewell Ceremony for Associate Attorney General West

"At every level, Tony West has come to exemplify what it means to be a public servant in the truest sense. To many who are at risk and in need, he has become known as a champion. To those who have broken the law and victimized others, he has been a fierce and determined guardian of the public trust. And to me, he has been a trusted advisor, a dedicated colleague, and a dear friend."




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Associate Attorney General West Delivers Farewell Remarks

"I love this department because of its unique mission. It's an audacious one -- I suppose with a name like “Justice” audacity is appropriate. It's a mission that speaks to the fundamental importance of the Rule of Law, as represented by that statue on your far right, aptly named the “Majesty of Law,” a bundle of arrows in hand."




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Black P-Stones Gang Member Sentenced to Over 20 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy and Firearm Charges

A 26-year-old man from Newport News, Virginia, was sentenced today to serve 255 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for engaging in numerous gang-related crimes as a member of the Black P-Stones, including the shooting of a rival gang member, marijuana dealing and lying to a federal grand jury.



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County Deputy Auditor in Indiana Charged with Embezzlement and Tax Fraud

A former LaPorte County deputy auditor has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Indiana for embezzling over $150,000 from the LaPorte County government and committing tax fraud.



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East Side Bloods Gang Member Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy, Attempted Murder and Firearms Charges

An East Side Bloods (ESB) gang member from Scottsdale, Arizona, was sentenced late yesterday to serve 30 years in prison for his role in the violent street gang, which operated on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community reservation.



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Owner of Tax Return Preparation Franchise and Health Provider Business Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud, Healthcare Fraud and Money Laundering

Claude Arthur Verbal II, formerly of Raleigh, North Carolina, and now of Miami, was sentenced today to serve 135 months in prison for tax fraud, healthcare fraud and money laundering crimes in two separate cases in federal court



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Statement by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the Declassification of Documents Related to the Protect America Act Litigation

On January 15, 2009, the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISC-R) published an unclassified version of its opinion in In Re: Directives Pursuant to Section 105B of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, 551 F.3d 1004 (Foreign Intel. Surv. Ct. Rev. 2008). The classified version of the opinion was issued on August 22, 2008, following a challenge by Yahoo! Inc. (Yahoo!) to directives issued under the Protect America Act of 2007 (PAA). Today, following a renewed declassification review, the Executive Branch is publicly releasing various documents from this litigation, including legal briefs and additional sections of the 2008 FISC-R opinion, with appropriate redactions to protect national security information. These documents are available at the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), www.dni.gov; and ODNI’s public website dedicated to fostering greater public visibility into the intelligence activities of the U.S. Government, IContheRecord.tumblr.com. A summary of the underlying litigation follows.



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Hewlett-Packard Russia Pleads Guilty to and Sentenced for Bribery of Russian Government Officials

ZAO Hewlett-Packard A.O. (HP Russia), an international subsidiary of the California technology company Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Co.), pleaded guilty today to felony violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and was then sentenced for bribing Russian government officials to secure a large technology contract with the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation.



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Two Men, Including Former Car Salesman at Prominent Los Angeles Dealership, Charged with Conspiring to Roll Back Odometers in Large-Scale Scheme That Defrauded Car Buyers

A former salesman at a prominent Los Angeles car dealership and another Southern California man were charged with odometer tampering, the Justice Department announced today.



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Federal Court Bars Louisiana Woman from Preparing Federal Tax Returns

A federal court in New Orleans has permanently barred Shawanda Nevers, of La Place, Louisiana, from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Wisconsin Pharmacist and Nevada Pharmacologist Charged with Smuggling Counterfeit Pharmaceuticals Using a Costa Rican Internet Pharmacy

A Wisconsin pharmacist and a Nevada pharmacologist were arraigned on an indictment today in Federal Court in Central Islip, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Gary Brown. The defendants are charged with conspiring to supply at least four million misbranded and counterfeit pharmaceuticals to an illegal Internet pharmacy based in Costa Rica that catered to U.S. customers.



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Justice Department and CNCS Announce $1.8 Million in Grants to Enhance Immigration Court Proceedings and Provide Legal Assistance to Unaccompanied Children

The Department of Justice and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which administers AmeriCorps national service programs, has awarded $1.8 million in grants to increase the effective and efficient adjudication of immigration proceedings involving certain children who have crossed the U.S. border without a parent or legal guardian.



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Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Hispanic National Bar Association 39th Annual Convention

Buenas tardes. Muchas gracias por sus emotivas palabras y su calurosa bienvenida. It’s a privilege to help welcome the Hispanic National Bar Association to our nation’s capital for your 39th Annual Convention. And it’s a great pleasure, as always, to be in such distinguished company.




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Attorney General Holder Records Message for Cartoon Network’s “I Speak up” Campaign to Combat Bullying

The Justice Department announced Monday that Attorney General Eric Holder has recorded a video message as part of the Cartoon Network’s “I Speak Up” campaign to combat bullying. The project urges young people to speak up in order to help bring bullying situations to an end.



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Federal Court Bars Nevada Corporation from Promoting Alleged Tax Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred Sea Nine Associates Inc. from promoting and selling an alleged nationwide tax scheme that involved using welfare benefit plans to unlawfully increase and accelerate tax deductions and avoid income taxes.



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Episcopal Ministries to the Aging Inc. to Pay $1.3 Million for Allegedly Causing Submission of Claims for Unreasonable or Unnecessary Rehabilitation Therapy at Skilled Nursing Facility

Episcopal Ministries to the Aging Inc., a Maryland not-for-profit corporation that owns skilled nursing facilities, has agreed to pay $1.3 million to the government for submitting false claims to Medicare for unreasonable or unnecessary rehabilitation therapy purportedly provided by RehabCare Group East Inc., a subsidiary of Kindred Healthcare Inc.



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Associate Attorney General West Delivers Remarks at the Legal Services Corporation 40th Anniversary Kick-off Conference

Thank you, John, not only for that kind introduction but also for your exemplary leadership as chair of the LSC Board. LSC really exemplifies that spirit Attorney General Robert Kennedy used to talk about – that as lawyers, we have an obligation to enlist our skills and ourselves in engagements that reach beyond the horizons of our parochial legal practices. And over the last five-and-a-half years I’ve served in this Administration, I’ve been fortunate to get to know John and LSC President Jim Sandman, and I know the movement for expanding access to justice in this country is better and stronger because they’re helping to lead this effort, so my thanks to them.




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Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Sign Cooperation Agreement with Colombian Antitrust Agency

Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has signed an antitrust cooperation agreement with the Colombian antitrust agency on behalf of the Department of Justice. The agreement also was signed by Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez, and went into effect today with the signature of Pablo Felipe Robledo, Colombia’s Superintendent of Industry and Commerce.



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Ambulance Company Manager Pleads Guilty to $5.5 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

The general manager of a Southern California ambulance company pleaded guilty yesterday in Los Angeles to conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud, conspiracy to obstruct a Medicare audit, and making materially false statements to law enforcement officers.



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Detroit-Area Doctor Admits to Providing Medically Unnecessary Chemotherapy to Patients

A Detroit-area hematologist-oncologist pleaded guilty today for his role in a health care fraud scheme, admitting that he administered unnecessary chemotherapy to fraudulently bill the Medicare program and private insurance companies. According to court records, the scheme enabled the doctor to submit approximately $225 million in claims to Medicare over six years.



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Rochester Man Indicted on Charges of Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS, Attempting to Kill U.S. Soldiers and Possession of Firearms and Silencers

Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin and U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. for the Western District of New York announced today that a federal grand jury in Rochester has returned a seven-count indictment charging Mufid A. Elfgeeh, 30, of Rochester, with three counts of attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), aka the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. In addition, Elfgeeh is also charged with one count of attempted murder of current and former members of the United States military, one count of possessing firearms equipped with silencers in furtherance of a crime of violence, and two counts of receipt and possession of unregistered firearm silencers.



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