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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



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

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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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening African-American Man and a Restaurant Manager

Jeremy Heath Higgins, 28, a resident of Quinton, Alabama, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala to two counts of federal civil rights violations, announced the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

United States Seeks Civil Contempt Against Bayer Corporation for Failure to Substantiate Promotional Claims for Phillips’ Colon Health

The Department of Justice announced today that it filed a motion to show cause why Bayer Corporation should not be held in civil contempt for violating a court order in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Community Oriented Policing Services Outlines Best Practices for Use of Body-Worn Cameras for Police Officers

Today the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) released Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned. The report analyzes some of the costs and benefits of law enforcement using body-worn video technology.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.




b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

U.S. Settlement with Michigan Utility to Reduce Emissions at Its Coal-Fired Power Plants, Fund Projects to Benefit Environment and Communities

In a settlement with the United States, Consumers Energy, a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corporation, has agreed to install pollution control technology, continue operating existing pollution controls and comply with emission rates to reduce harmful air pollution from the company’s five coal-fired power plants.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

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.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Attorney General Holder Announces Partnership with Department of Housing and Urban Development to Improve Civil Legal Aid for Juveniles

Attorney General Eric Holder is set to announce a partnership between the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD will offer new grants to support collaborations between HUD-funded organizations, and civil legal aid programs and public defender offices. The grant funded collaborations will focus on expunging and sealing juvenile records – improving the chances that reentering youth will be able to obtain degrees, find work and secure housing. The announcement is set to be made this evening during the Attorney General’s remarks to the Legal Services Corporation 40th anniversary celebration.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Remarks by Attorney General Eric Holder at the Legal Services Corporation 40th Anniversary Event

Thank you, Dean [Martha] Minow, for those kind words – and thank you all for being here. I also want to recognize, and thank, my good friends John Levi and Jim Sandman for their leadership of the Legal Services Corporation over the years – and for the lifetimes of tireless work that they have dedicated to vulnerable populations from coast to coast. Finally, I want to thank each and every one of you – the dedicated men and women who are making LSC’s work possible; who are helping to shine a light on the current challenges facing the legal aid community; and who are leading us to redouble our efforts to forge the more just society that all Americans deserve. It’s gratifying to see so many diverse people and interests – from academia and government service, to private practice and corporate enterprise – converging to support equal justice under law.




b

Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty in Conspiracy to Illegally Export Restricted Laboratory Equipment to Syria

U.S. Attorney Peter Smith for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Special Agent in Charge John Kelleghan for Philadelphia, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Special Agent in Charge Sidney M. Simon of the New York Field Office, Office of Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce announced that yesterday Harold Rinko, 72, of Hallstead, Pennsylvania, appeared before Senior District Court Judge Edwin M. Kosik in Scranton and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to illegally export laboratory equipment, including items used to detect chemical warfare agents, from the United States to Syria, in violation of federal law



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Court Bars Florida Tax Return Preparer from Preparing Returns for Others

A federal district judge in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has permanently barred Jeanne Covington, of Tampa, Florida, and her company, Jeanne’s Tax Preparation and Bookkeeping Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Remarks by Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Leslie R. Caldwell at the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund Conference

Qui tam cases are a vital part of the Criminal Division’s future efforts. We encourage you to reach out to criminal authorities in appropriate cases, even when you are discussing the case with civil authorities. The sooner we on the criminal side learn about potential criminal conduct, the sooner we can investigate.




b

Remarks by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division Marshall L. Miller at the Global Investigation Review Program

A true cooperator – whether a mobster or a company – must forthrightly provide all the available facts and evidence so that the most culpable individuals can be prosecuted. If a corporation wants credit for cooperation, it must engage in comprehensive and timely cooperation; lip service simply will not do. Corporations do not act criminally, but for the actions of individuals. The Criminal Division intends to prosecute those individuals, whether they’re sitting on a sales desk or in a corporate suite.




b

Justice Department Announces National Effort to Build Trust Between Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the launch of the Justice Department’s National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Two Former Rabobank Traders Indicted for Alleged Manipulation of U.S. Dollar, Yen Libor Interest Rates

Two former Coöperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Five Northern California Real Estate Investors Indicted for Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an eight-count indictment against five real estate investors for their role in bid rigging and fraud schemes at foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Alabama Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud

An Alabama real estate investor pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to public real estate foreclosure auctions held in southern Alabama, the Department of Justice announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Eleven Northern California Real Estate Investors Indicted for Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A federal grand jury in San Francisco returned three multi-count indictments against eleven real estate investors for their role in bid rigging and fraud schemes at foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Northern California Real Estate Investor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Justice Department and State Partners Secure $1.375 Billion Settlement with S&P for Defrauding Investors in the Lead Up to the Financial Crisis

Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that the Department of Justice and 19 states and the District of Columbia have entered into a $1.375 billion settlement agreement with the rating agency Standard &s Financial Services LLC, along with its parent corporation McGraw Hill Financial Inc., to resolve allegations that S&s 2013 lawsuit against S& true credit risks. Other allegations assert that S&s business relationships with the investment banks that issued the securities.



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Service Members to Receive Over $123 Million for Unlawful Foreclosures Under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act

The Justice Department announced today that under its settlements with five of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers, 952 service members and their co-borrowers are eligible to receive over $123 million for non-judicial foreclosures that violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Northern California Real Estate Investor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud Conspiracies at Public Foreclosure Auctions

A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in bid rigging and fraud conspiracies at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California, the Department of Justice announced



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Deutsche Bank's London Subsidiary Agrees to Plead Guilty in Connection with Long-Running Manipulation of LIBOR

DB Group Services (UK) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG (Deutsche Bank), has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud for its role in manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), a leading benchmark interest rate used in financial products and transactions around the world



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Former Owner of Empire Towers Pleads Guilty for Fraudulent $7 Million Bond Scheme and Filing False Tax Return

Misled More Than 50 Individual Investors Who Bought Bonds

A former Queenstown, Maryland, resident pleaded guilty today to securities fraud and filing a false tax return



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Father Of Former Investment Bank Managing Director Pleads Guilty To Insider Trading Conspiracy

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROBERT STEWART, the father of former investment bank managing director Sean Stewart, pled guilty today to participating in a conspiracy to trade on inside information about several mergers and acquisitions announced between 2011 and 2014



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates Delivers Remarks at New York University School of Law Announcing New Policy on Individual Liability in Matters of Corporate Wrongdoing

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Professor [Jennifer] Arlen, for that kind introduction and for everything you and your colleagues have accomplished at NYU




b

Real Estate Investor Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud Conspiracies at Georgia 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 Fulton and DeKalb counties, Georgia



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates Delivers Remarks at American Banking Association and American Bar Association Money Laundering Enforcement Conference

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you, Buddy [Wilmer Parker], for that kind introduction




b

Justice Department Reaches $470 Million Joint State-Federal Settlement with HSBC to Address Mortgage Loan Origination, Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

The Justice Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, along with 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general, have reached a $470 million agreement with HSBC Bank USA NA and its affiliates (collectively, HSBC) to address mortgage origination, servicing and foreclosure abuses



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Morgan Stanley Agrees to Pay $2.6 Billion Penalty in Connection with Its Sale of Residential Mortgage Backed Securities

The Justice Department today announced that Morgan Stanley will pay a $2



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Navy Senior Chief Indicted in ID Theft and Bank Fraud Scheme

NORFOLK, Va



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Two Former Deutsche Bank Employees Indicted on Fraud Charges in Connection with Long-Running Manipulation of Libor

Two former Deutsche Bank AG (Deutsche Bank) traders—the bank’s supervisor of the Pool Trading Desk in New York and a derivatives trader in London—were indicted for their alleged roles in a scheme to manipulate the U



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Former Director of General Services Administration Division and Husband Indicted for Fraud and Nepotism

ALEXANDRIA, Va



  • OPA Press Releases

b

Former Nurse Pleads Guilty to ID Theft and Bank Fraud

RICHMOND, Va



  • OPA Press Releases

b

What’s New Health Canada? November 2019 Updates

By Alejandra Gomez Perez, M.Sc., Regulatory Affairs Associate   What’s New in: Therapeutic Products Directorate: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/what-new-drug-products-health-canada.html Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/brgtherap/update-miseajour/index-eng.php Medical Devices: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medical-devices/what-new.html Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/natural-non-prescription/what-new.html   Updates from Health Canada Type of Update and Link Date Posted Notice – Update to Clinical Trial Site Information Form 29 November …

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b

New FDA Guidances for November and December 2019 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Alice Li, MD, MSc, RAC(CAN), Regulatory Scientist, Cato Research Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Guidance for Industry: Serving Sizes of Foods That Can Reasonably Be Consumed At One Eating Occasion, Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed, Serving Size-Related Issues, Dual-Column Labeling, and Miscellaneous Topics – Final Guidance 30 Dec 2019 Submission of Plans for Cigarette Packages …

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b

What’s New Health Canada? January and February 2020 Updates

  By Alejandra Gomez Perez, M.Sc., Regulatory Affairs Associate   What’s New in:   Therapeutic Products Directorate: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/what-new-drug-products-health-canada.html Biologics and Genetic Therapies Directorate: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/brgtherap/update-miseajour/index-eng.php Medical Devices: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/medical-devices/what-new.html Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/natural-non-prescription/what-new.html   Updates from Health Canada   Type of Update and Link Date Posted Notice: Product Monograph Implementation Plans 13 January 2020 …

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b

New FDA Gudiances for February 2020 and Upcoming Advisory Committee Meetings

By Sheila Plant, PhD, MHS, RAC, Senior Director, Regulatory Strategy, CATO SMS    Special Interest Guidances/Information Date Posted Policy for Diagnostics Testing in Laboratories Certified to Perform High Complexity Testing under CLIA prior to Emergency Use Authorization for Coronavirus Disease-2019 during the Public Health Emergency: Immediately in Effect Guidance for Clinical Laboratories and Food and …

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b

Curious to know if Bitcoin is here to stay ?

Read the latest developments from the cryptocurrency space, breaking news and analysis on Bitcoin and blockchain on RTTNews. Know more about altcoins, mining, ICOs, warnings and regulation. Find out how to acquire and trade digital currencies.




b

Vir Biotechnology, Alnylam Identify VIR-2703 Candidate For Treatment Of COVID-19

Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR) and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ALNY) announced Monday that they have selected a development candidate (DC) for VIR-2703 (ALN-COV), an investigational RNAi therapeutic targeting the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) genome.




b

Junshi, Eli Lilly Agree To Co-develop JS016 Antibodies Against COVID-19

Junshi Biosciences, a China-based biopharmaceutical company, and Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) have entered into an agreement to co-develop therapeutic antibodies for the potential prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Junshi SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies, or JS016, is a recombinant fully human monoclonal neutralizing antibody that is specific to the SARS-CoV-2 surface spike protein receptor binding domain. It is jointly developed by Junshi Biosciences and Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Science.




b

Sutro Biopharma Reports Updated Data From Ovarian Cancer Study

Sutro Biopharma Inc.'s (STRO) interim phase I updated clinical data for a dose-escalation study of antibody drug-conjugate STRO-002 in ovarian cancer has been encouraging.