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Federal Inmate Indicted in Pennsylvania for Murder of Correctional Officer

A federal grand jury in Scranton, Penn., returned an indictment today charging Jessie Con-Ui, a federal inmate, with the murder of federal corrections officer Eric Williams.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks on the Supreme Court Decision in Shelby County v. Holder

The Department of Justice will continue to carefully monitor jurisdictions around the country for voting changes that may hamper voting rights. Let me be very clear: we will not hesitate to take swift enforcement action – using every legal tool that remains available to us – against any jurisdiction that seeks to take advantage of the Supreme Court’s ruling by hindering eligible citizens’ full and free exercise of the franchise.




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Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Supreme Court Ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act

Attorney General Eric Holder today issued the following statement regarding the Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Two Florida Residents Arrested on Charges of Fraud

Two individuals were arrested on a federal warrant alleging that they operated a series of fraudulent businesses targeting Spanish-speaking consumers.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Alabama Corrections Officer Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Offenses and Obstruction of Justice for Beating Death of an Inmate

The Justice Department announced that yesterday a federal jury convicted a former corrections officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections, of two civil rights violations and five obstruction of justice-related violations in connection with the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Mississippi Corrections Officer Sentenced for Orchestrating Assault on Inmate

A corrections officer at the Stone County Regional Correctional Facility in Stone County, Miss., was sentenced today to serve one year in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $6,000 for ordering the beating of an inmate at the detention facility in violation of federal civil rights laws.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Tennessee Man Indicted for Romney Tax Return Fraud and Extortion Scheme

Michael Mancil Brown was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Nashville, Tenn., for allegedly engaging in an extortion and wire fraud scheme involving former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s tax returns.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Resident Charged with Submitting False Claims for Tax Refunds and Ficticious Financial Instruments

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today returned an indictment charging a resident of Sandy, Utah, with five counts of presenting false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the United States, and three counts of passing fictitious obligations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Utah Man Previously Charged with Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Indicted for Additional Charge of Passing a Fictitious Financial Instrument

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City today returned a superseding indictment charging a resident of Heber City, Utah, with 18 counts of presenting false, fictitious and fraudulent claims to the United States and one count of passing a fictitious obligation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Statement on the Request to Hong Kong for Edward Snowden’s Provisional Arrest

The U.S. is disappointed and disagrees with the determination by Hong Kong authorities not to honor the U.S. request for the arrest of the fugitive, Edward J. Snowden.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Portland, Ore. Couple Indicted on Charges Related to an Anti-gay Assault

Yesterday a federal grand jury in Portland, Ore., indicted George Allen Mason Jr., 23, and his wife, Saraya Sophia Lisa Gardner, 23, on charges related to a the assault of a 26-year-old gay man who was walking his dog with his boyfriend on the streets of Hillsboro, Ore., which occurred because of animus against the victim’s sexual orientation.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against the Reading, Pa. Parking Authority for National Origin Discrimination and Retaliation

The Justice Department announced today the filing of a lawsuit against the Reading Parking Authority in the city of Reading, Pa., alleging that the Reading Parking Authority discriminated against former employee Henry Perez, as well as other current and former employees, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by subjecting them to harassment based upon their national origin.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Department of Health and Human Services Employee Sentenced to Prison for Wire Fraud Scheme

A former employee of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (HHS-ASPR) was sentenced today to serve six months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the United States by submitting fraudulent employment offers in order to claim retention bonuses totaling $138,875



  • OPA Press Releases

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Four Northern California Real Estate Investors Agree to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Public Foreclosure Auctions

Four Northern California real estate investors have agreed to plead guilty for their role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Sinovel Corporation and Three Individuals Charged in Wisconsin with Theft of Amsc Trade Secrets

A manufacturer and exporter of wind turbines based in the People’s Republic of China, two employees of that manufacturer and a former employee of a subsidiary of AMSC, a United States-based company formerly known as American Superconductor Inc., were charged today with stealing trade secrets from AMSC causing an alleged loss of more than $800 million to the company.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Member Sentenced in Houston to 150 Months in Prison for Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

A member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) was sentenced today to serve 150 months in prison for his role in the ABT’s criminal enterprise.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Pulaski County, Ky. Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted for Federal Civil Rights Violations

U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey of the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez of the Civil Rights Division, announced today that Stephen Molen, a Sheriff’s Deputy with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office in Pulaski County, Ky., was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of violating the civil rights of victims by using excessive force in October 2009 and October 2011.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Settles Race Discrimination Lawsuit Against Owners and Managers of Mobile Home Parks in Alabama and Georgia

The Justice Department announced today that Lawrence Properties Inc., Lawrence at Lakewood LLC, Michael Lawrence, and Williams Bounds have agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a lawsuit involving violations of the Fair Housing Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

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El Paso Man Convicted of Making False Statements to Law Enforcement in Reporting Threats to the President

A jury in El Paso, Texas, today convicted Keith Nicholas Aiken, 31, of making false statements to law enforcement while serving as a civilian military employee stationed in Afghanistan.



  • OPA Press Releases

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District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against New Jersey-Based Pharmacy and Company’s Senior Executive

U.S. District Court Judge Peter G. Sheridan entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Med Prep Consulting Inc., a Tinton Falls, N.J., pharmacy licensed by the state of New Jersey, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Security Contractor Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Role as Figurehead Owner in $31 Million Small Business Fraud Scheme

The chief executive officer of a Virginia-based security contracting firm was sentenced today to serve four years in prison for serving as a figurehead owner of a front company created to obtain more than $31 million intended for disadvantaged small businesses through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Section 8(a) program, which allows qualified small businesses to receive sole-source and competitive-bid contracts set aside for minority-owned and disadvantaged small businesses.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Implementation of the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Windsor

Attorney General Eric Holder today issued the following statement regarding the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance to Federal agencies.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Owner of Landscaping Business in Freeport, N.Y. Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that Lawrence Garafola, a resident of Poway, Calif., pleaded guilty to tax evasion.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Swiss Banker Pleads Guilty to Failure to Report Foreign Bank Account

Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally and U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag for the Northern District of California announced that Pius Kampfen of Mill Valley, Calif., pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with willful failure to file the required reports of foreign bank accounts (FBAR) for a Swiss bank account he controlled.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Officers of American Mortgage Specialists Inc. Sentenced for $28 Million Fraud Against BNC National Bank

Scott N. Powers, the former CEO of Arizona-based mortgage loan originator American Mortgage Specialists Inc. (AMS), and David McMaster, a former officer of AMS, were sentenced today to serve 96 and 188 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in a $28 million scheme to defraud North Dakota-based BNC National Bank.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Executives from Miami-Area Mental Health Care Hospital Convicted for Participating in $70 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury today convicted four individuals for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving nearly $70 million in fraudulent billings by Hollywood Pavilion (HP), a mental health care hospital.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Three Florida Residents Arrested on Charges of Fraud

Three individuals charged in connection with operating a series of fraudulent business opportunity companies were arrested Friday following their indictment by a federal grand jury in Miami on June 25, 2013, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Maryland Businessman Pleads Guilty to Concealing Foreign Bank Account at Israel-based Bank on His Tax Return

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) announced that Alexei Iazlovsky of Potomac, Md., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to filing a false tax return for tax year 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Los Angeles-Area Doctor and Patient Recruiter Plead Guilty to Participating in a Power Wheelchair Scheme That Defrauded Medicare of Over $10.1 Million

A Los Angeles-area doctor and a patient recruiter pleaded guilty today for their roles in a power wheelchair fraud scheme that defrauded Medicare of over $10.1 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Los Angeles Medical Supply Company Owner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for $8.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner and operator of a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company was sentenced today to serve five years in prison in connection with a health care fraud scheme involving Latay Medical Services, a DME company based in Gardena, Calif.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Owners and Managers of Rental Homes in Washington State for Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the owners and managers of rental homes in and near Kelso and Longview, Wash., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against persons with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Fifty-Five Hospitals to Pay U.S. More Than $34 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Related to Kyphoplasty

Fifty-five hospitals located throughout twenty-one states have agreed to pay the United States a total of more than $34 million to settle allegations that the health care facilities submitted false claims to Medicare for kyphoplasty procedures.



  • OPA Press Releases

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CyTerra Corporation Agrees to Pay $1.9 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

CyTerra Corporation has agreed to pay the federal government $1.9 million to resolve civil liability arising from its failure to provide the U. S. Department of the Army with accurate, complete and current cost or pricing data for its sales of mine detectors.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Barry Diller to Pay $480,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Premerger Notification Requirements

Corporate investor Barry Diller will pay a $480,000 civil penalty to settle charges that he violated premerger reporting and waiting requirements when he acquired voting securities of The Coca Cola Company.



  • OPA Press Releases

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North Carolina-Based Trans1 to Pay U.S. $6 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Medical device manufacturer TranS1 Inc., now known as Baxano Surgical Inc., has agreed to pay the United States $6 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that the company caused health care providers to submit false claims to Medicare and other federal health care programs for minimally-invasive spine surgeries.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Science Applications International Corporation Agrees to Pay $5.75 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

The Justice Department announced today that Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has agreed to pay $5.75 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims under a contract with the General Services Administration (GSA) that it knew had been awarded in violation of federal procurement regulations.



  • OPA Press Releases

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U.S.Postal Service Mail Carrier Convicted for Involvement with Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

A jury found Vernon Harrison, of Montgomery, Ala., guilty of one count of conspiring to file false claims, eight counts of mail fraud, eight counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of embezzlement from the U.S. mail.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Enters into Memorandum of Understanding with National Labor Relations Board

The Justice Department announced today that the Civil Rights Division’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Labor Relations Board.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Naples Residents Plead Guilty to Tax Fraud for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Anthony Chaudhuri and Margaret Chaudhuri, of Naples, Fla., pleaded guilty today to one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Supervisor of $63 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme Sentenced in Florida to 10 Years in Prison

A former supervisor at defunct health provider Health Care Solutions Network Inc. (HCSN) was sentenced today in Miami to serve 10 years in prison for her central role in a fraud scheme that resulted in more than $63 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Florida Medicaid.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Alabama Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Justice in Federal Criminal Civil Rights Investigation of Beating Death of an Inmate

The Justice Department announced today that Joseph Sanders, 32, a former corrections officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in an investigation into the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former Preschool Director Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion

The Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Susan C. Valentine, a resident of Fairfax County, Va., pleaded guilty today to tax evasion.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Former U.S. Army Reserve Captain Pleads Guilty in Nevada to Bribery Scheme

A former U.S. Army Reserve captain pleaded guilty today to accepting more than $90,000 in bribes from contractors while he was deployed to Iraq, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Las Vegas Agent Convicted in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

A Las Vegas mortgage agent has been convicted for his role in a “cash back at closing” mortgage fraud scheme that netted $1.43 million in fraudulent mortgage loans, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada, and Acting Special Agent in Charge William C. Woerner of the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for Sex Discrimination

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit, against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), alleging that CDCR discriminated against Joe B. Cummings on the basis of his sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Justice Department Report on Revised Media Guidelines

After conducting a rigorous review of internal Justice Department guidelines governing investigations and other law enforcement matters that involve journalists, Attorney General Eric Holder today released a report outlining several key reforms to the department’s protocols.



  • OPA Press Releases

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North Carolina Used Oil Recycling Business and Owner Plead Guilty to Unlawful Handling of PCB-Contaminated Used Oil and Other Crimes

Benjamin Franklin Pass, 60, and P&s Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The defendants admitted to, among other things, the unlawful handling of a toxic substance that resulted in widespread contamination.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Justice Department Statement on the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Case

As the Department first acknowledged last year, we have an open investigation into the death of Trayvon Martin. The Department of Justice's Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation continue to evaluate the evidence generated during the federal investigation, as well as the evidence and testimony from the state trial. Experienced federal prosecutors will determine whether the evidence reveals a prosecutable violation of any of the limited federal criminal civil rights statutes within our jurisdiction, and whether federal prosecution is appropriate in accordance with the Department's policy governing successive federal prosecution following a state trial.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Massachusetts Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Semiconductors Intended for Use on Nuclear Submarines

Peter Picone, 40, of Methuen, Mass., has been charged with importing counterfeit semiconductors from China for sale in the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission and Civil Rights Division Indian Working Group Create Communication Bridge

Today marked the establishment of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission and the Civil Rights Division’s Indian Working Group (IWG).



  • OPA Press Releases