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Georgia Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A Georgia real estate investor pleaded guilty today for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Georgia.



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Real Estate Developer Sentenced to Jail for Filling Protected Mississippi Wetlands

William R. “Rusty” Miller, a real estate developer from Fairhope, Ala., was sentenced today in federal district court in Gulfport, Miss., for the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., in violation of the Clean Water Act.



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Former Certified Nursing Assistant and Co-Conspirators Sentenced to Prison for Identity Theft Tax Scheme

Kimberly Banks, Donalene Mosley and Arneshia Austin were sentenced today in Albany, Ga., to serve 192 months, 37 months and 21 months in prison, respectively, for crimes relating to filing fraudulent income tax returns using stolen identities.



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Armenian Power Gang Leaders Convicted for Their Role in Racketeering Conspiracy

Two leaders of the Armenian Power gang were found guilty today by a federal jury in Los Angeles for their participation in a racketeering conspiracy that included extortion, bank fraud targeting elderly bank customers and a sophisticated credit and debit card skimming scheme.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at an Interfaith Service of Unity and Hope Honoring the Victims of Last Week’s Tragic Shootings

A few days ago, many of you observed the beginning of Passover, marking the start of a long and difficult journey from tyranny and persecution toward freedom in the Promised Land. Today, this community begins its own journey of healing. And although the road ahead will not be easy, I promise you that I, and millions of others throughout our nation, will be here to walk alongside you – not only today, but always. We will never stop fighting for justice. And we will never forget the names, or the stories, of those we lost.




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Attorney General Holder: Justice Department Set to Expand Clemency Criteria, Will Prepare for Wave of Applications from Drug Offenders in Federal Prison

In an important step to reduce sentencing disparities for drug offenders in the federal prison system, Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday announced that the Justice Department will soon detail new, more expansive criteria that the Department will use in considering when to recommend clemency applications for the President’s review.



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Environment and Natural Resources Division Releases FY 2013 Accomplishments Report

The Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) today released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Accomplishments Report detailing its work alongside other federal agencies.



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Two Former S.C. Police Officers Charged with Using Unreasonable Force

A federal grand jury in Florence, S.C., returned a two-count indictment today charging Eric Walters and Franklin Brown, both former police officers with the City of Marion Police Department, with using unreasonable force against a female citizen.



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Federal Court Bars New York Man from Promoting Alleged Tax Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred Ramesh Sarva, a certified public accountant in Little Neck, N.Y., from promoting and selling an alleged nationwide tax scheme, the Justice Department announced today.



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City of New Orleans Agrees to Settlement to Resolve Housing Discrimination Lawsuit

The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana approved its settlement with the city of New Orleans regarding a housing discrimination lawsuit late yesterday.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole at the Environment and Natural Resources Division Event Commemorating Earth Day 2014

"Earth Day is another reminder to me of that commitment, a commitment that the Department of Justice is dedicated not only to protecting the people of our country, but also to protecting its natural resources."




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Announcing New Clemency Initiative, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Details Broad New Criteria for Applicants

As part of the Justice Department’s new clemency initiative, Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole announced six criteria the department will consider when reviewing and expediting clemency applications from federal inmates.



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Pennsylvania Firm and Chief Officer Charged with Shipping Machinery to Iran in Violation of U.S. Export License Requirements

A criminal information has been filed against a Pennsylvania firm and its chief officer, charging them with conspiracy to evade export reporting requirements and with attempting to smuggle to Iran a lathe machine in violation of U.S. export regulations.



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Former Officer at Roxbury Correctional Institution Sentenced for Assaulting Inmate

U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Michael Morgan, formerly an officer at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Md., to serve 30 months in prison for depriving an inmate of his civil rights.



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Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority Signs Agreement That Will Bring It into Compliance with the Clean Air Act

Under an agreement announced today by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Justice, the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA) will come into compliance with air pollution control requirements in the federal Clean Air Act at its Estate Richmond Generating Facility located on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.



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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole at the Press Conference Announcing the Clemency Initiative

We are launching this clemency initiative in order to quickly and effectively identify appropriate candidates, candidates who have a clean prison record, do not present a threat to public safety, and were sentenced under out-of-date laws that have since been changed, and are no longer seen as appropriate.




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Associate Attorney General Tony West at the at the Department of Justice Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series

And then there came this moment during the ceremony, after everyone had taken the citizenship oath in unison, when everyone proudly pulled out miniature American flags and started waving them furiously. All of a sudden this auditorium of people distinguished by their differences became awash in red, white and blue -- everyone bound together by a shared identity; bound together by an idea, this bold experiment in self-government we call the United States of America.




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Former Marine Hose Executive Who Was Extradited to United States Pleads Guilty for Participating in Worldwide Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

A former executive of a rubber hose manufacturer, who was extradited from Germany in early April 2014, today pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve two years in prison for participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Justice Department Announces Joseph F. Klimavicz as New Chief Information Officer

The Department of Justice today announced that Joseph F. Klimavicz will become its new chief information officer (CIO), arriving in late May.



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Barrio Azteca Lieutenant Who Ordered the Consulate Murders in Ciudad Juarez Sentenced to Life in Prison

Arturo Gallegos Castrellon, aka “Benny,” “Farmero,” “51,” “Guero,” “Pecas,” “Tury,” and “86,” 35, of Chihuahua, Mexico, the Barrio Azteca Lieutenant who ordered the March 2010 murders of a U.S. Consulate employee, her husband and the husband of another U.S. Consulate employee, was sentenced today to serve life in prison.



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New Mexico Man Charged with Federal Hate Crime for Threats Against Businesswoman

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against John W. Ng, 58, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, charging him with hate crime offenses related to anti-Semitic threats he made against a Jewish woman who owns and operates the Nosh Jewish Delicatessen and Bakery in Albuquerque.



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U.S. Seeks to Recover Over $700,000 in Kleptocracy Proceeds of Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan

The Department of Justice filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California seeking to recover more than $700,000 in alleged corruption proceeds of Chun Doo-hwan, the former president of the Republic of Korea.



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Alabama Woman Sentenced for Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Ivory Bolen, of Dothan, Alabama, was sentenced to serve 42 months in prison today to be followed by three years of supervised release for committing stolen identity refund fraud crimes.



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Maryland Man Sentenced for Defrauding Thousands of Homeowners in $4 Million Nationwide Home Loan Modification Scam

A Maryland man was sentenced today to serve one year and a day in prison for defrauding thousands of homeowners in a $4 million nationwide home loan modification scheme.



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Owner of Baton Rouge Pharmacy Pleads Guilty for Directing $2.2 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

The owner of a Louisiana pharmacy pleaded guilty today for directing a $2.2 million Medicare fraud scheme to repackage and redistribute prescription medications. Mona Patrice Carter, 47, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James J. Brady of the Middle District of Louisiana to one count of health care fraud.



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Former Army Contracting Officials Sentenced for Filing False Tax Returns and Filing False Financial Ethics Disclosure Forms

Velma I. Salinas-Nix and Kenneth H. Nix, of Boerne, Texas, were sentenced today to serve 20 months in prison and 30 months in prison, respectively, for filing false tax returns and making false statements to the U.S. Army by filing false financial ethics disclosure forms.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at the Department of Justice’s 2014 Nationwide Tour to Raise Awareness of Sexual Assault on College Campuses

"We want to make sure that survivors everywhere know that they have a place – and a voice. Survivors have this Administration’s commitment to build toward a future where domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking and teen dating violence are eradicated," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.




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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at Department of Justice’s 2014 Nationwide Tour to Raise Awareness of Sexual Assault on College Campuses

As Reverend Garanzini mentioned, I am the Associate Attorney General of the United States, the number three official at the Justice Department. And throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to hold many titles. But they all pale in importance to the roles I play as the father of an intelligent and talented daughter; as the older brother of two amazing sisters and brother-in-law to a third; as an uncle, a son and a husband.




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Principal Deputy Director Bea Hanson Speaks at the District of Columbia’s Women’s Bar Association Foundation Annual Grant Award Reception

"Each of the 2014 grant recipients are doing amazing work – day in and day out they are changing the lives of the most vulnerable residents in the District of Columbia. And they are strengthening our nation’s legal community," said Principal Deputy Director Hanson




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International Competition Network Adopts Recommended Practices for Predatory Pricing Analysis and Advances Convergence on Confidentiality Protections

The International Competition Network (ICN) adopted new recommended practices for predatory pricing analysis and competition assessment, and approved new work product on international merger enforcement cooperation, confidentiality protections during investigations, leniency policy and digital evidence gathering.



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Office on Violence Against Women Announces Two New Grants to Support Prosecutorial and Victim Services in Rural and Tribal Communities in the Bakken Region

The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women announced the release of two grant solicitations to launch a new $3 million special initiative for the Bakken Region.



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Alabama Man Sentenced for Tax Fraud and Identity Theft

Nakia Jackson, of Montgomery, Alabama, was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison today for conspiring to defraud the United States and one count of aggravated identity theft for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme.



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Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Announce the Publication of Additional Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Filings, Opinions and Orders Regarding Collection Under Section 501 of the Foreign Intelligence Su

On January 3, 2014, the Director of National Intelligence declassified and disclosed publically that the U.S. government had filed an application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that, the FISC renewed that authority. The Office of the Director National Intelligence also announced that the Administration was undertaking a declassification review of the FISC's January 3 primary order. On February 12, 2014, and following a declassification review by the Executive Branch, the FISC released in redacted form the previously classified January 3 primary order it had issued in Docket Number BR 14-01, along with a number of other documents.



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Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels Speaks at the Department of Justice’s 2014 Nationwide Tour to Raise Awareness of Sexual Assault on College Campuses

"When universities fail to respond adequately to campus sexual assault, they engage in their own sex discrimination by forcing the affected students to attend school in a hostile sex-based environment."




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International Community Mobilizes to Recover Stolen Assets for People of Ukraine

A high-level international meeting to support the Government of Ukraine in recovering stolen assets begins tomorrow in London. The gathering is a landmark for Ukraine in underscoring the rule of law and international cooperation. The international community and the Government of Ukraine are united in their commitment and determination in returning stolen assets to the people of Ukraine.



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Attorney General Holder: Justice Dept. to Collect Data on Stops, Arrests as Part of Effort to Curb Racial Bias in Criminal Justice System

Noting that African-American and Hispanic males are arrested at disproportionately high rates, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Monday that the Justice Department will seek to collect data about stops, searches and arrests as part of a larger effort to analyze and reduce the possible effect of bias within the criminal justice system.



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Forty-Fifth Defendant Sentenced for Trafficking Identities of Puerto Rican U.S. Citizens

A Dominican national was sentenced today for his role in trafficking the identities and corresponding identity documents of Puerto Rican U.S. citizens.



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Georgia Dentist Sentenced to Jail for Tax Evasion

Dr. Dayo Obebe of Muscogee County, Georgia, was sentenced today to serve 12 months and one day in prison for tax evasion and ordered to pay $189,661 in restitution.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to Prison for Million Dollar Scheme Using Prisoner Identities to Obtain False Tax Refunds

Harvey James was sentenced today to serve 110 months in prison for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.



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California Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Racially Motivated Assault on White Man and African-American Woman

Perry Sylvester Jackson, 28, of Marysville, Calif., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge John A. Mendez to serve 70 months in prison for violating the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in a 2011 racially motivated attack against a white man and an African-American woman in Marysville.



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Florida Resident Sentenced in Connection with International Lottery Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Americans

Charmaine Anne King was sentenced today in connection with her role in a fraudulent international lottery scheme that targeted U.S. citizens.



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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at the Ukraine Forum on Asset Recovery

The goals that bind together every nation represented here are, as ever, rooted in our long shared and defining values. For well over a century, our mutual commitment to cooperation has played an indispensable role in ensuring stability, international security and bolstering global collaboration. And today, once again, this community of nations stands as one – our ranks strengthened by partners, old and new, from around the world, and our peoples united by a joint and pressing obligation: to respond to the challenges of this day, to help resolve the conflicts of this hour, and to stand with the people of Ukraine in this moment as they rightfully chart their own, independent course to safety, prosperity, and peace.




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Deputy Attorney General Cole Delivers Remarks on the White House Task Force Protecting Students from Sexual Assault

It will be no small feat, but we ultimately must change the culture on campuses and in communities, so that everyone understands that sexual assault is never acceptable.




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Swiss Offshore Tax Evasion Enabler Pleads Guilty

Josef Dörig, 72, of Switzerland, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in connection with his work as the owner of a trust company in Switzerland.



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Oklahoma Attorney Pleads Guilty to Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division Kathryn Keneally, U.S. Attorney Sanford C. Coats for the Western District of Oklahoma, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that Larry Douglas Friesen pleaded guilty to three counts of willfully failing to pay employment taxes



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Detroit-Area Physical Therapist, Physical Therapy Assistant and Unlicensed Doctor Convicted in $14.9 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Detroit today convicted a physical therapist, physical therapy assistant and unlicensed doctor for their participation in a nearly $15 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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California Banker Charged with Helping U.S. Taxpayers Conceal Secret Israeli Bank Accounts

Shokrollah Baravarian, of Beverly Hills, California, was charged today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California with conspiracy to defraud the United States.



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Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Ukraine Forum on Asset Recovery Closing Session

Although our Forum has reached its conclusion, the work we perform will not end. We will not lose sight of these critical challenges. And we will not diminish our focus on eliminating corruption wherever it occurs, and whatever form it takes.




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Alabama Man Indicted for Threatening African-American Man and Another Person at Restaurant

Jeremy Heath Higgins was indicted for threatening an African-American man at a Quinton, Alabama, restaurant, and for threatening another person who ordered Higgins to leave the restaurant due to his behavior.



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Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer Speaks at the Conference Call Regarding the Justice Department’s Settlement with eBay Inc. to End Anticompetitive “No Poach” Hiring Agreements

"This is one further step towards closing an unfortunate chapter for Silicon Valley and other companies who unlawfully agreed to deny their employees the opportunity to receive competing job offers. These so-called “do not poach” or anti-solicitation agreements are per se unlawful, and the Antitrust Division takes them very seriously," said Assistant Attorney General Baer.