in

Three Plead Guilty to Civil Rights Conspiracy in Connection with Cross Burning in Athens, Louisiana

“Driven by bigotry and hate, the defendants threatened a member of their own family with violence simply because she associated with persons of another race,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at Armenian Power Takedown Press Conference

"I am pleased to be here today with my friend, U.S. Attorney Birotte, and our law enforcement partners to announce these indictments, and the arrest of more than 80 members and associates of transnational organized crime groups, including a particularly powerful one based here in California."




in

Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 111 Individuals for More Than $225 Million in False Billing and Expands Operations to Two Additional Cities

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force today charged 111 defendants in nine cities, including doctors, nurses, health care company owners and executives, and others, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving more than $225 million in false billing.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Arkansas Woman Barred from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others

An Arkansas woman who operates Foster’s Income Tax Service in Knobel, Ark., has been permanently barred from preparing federal tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Utah Businessman Charged with Tax Crimes

The former president of Infinia Healthcare LLC, a company that operated long-term healthcare facilities in several states, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court in Utah for three counts of tax evasion.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Guam Bar Owner Found Guilty for Sex Trafficking and Related Crimes

An owner of bar in Guam was found guilty today of sex trafficking, and coercion and enticement for prostitution related to a scheme to force young women and one juvenile girl into prostitution.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Romanian Man Pleads Guilty for Role in International Fraud Scheme Involving Online Auction Websites

A Romanian man pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in Chicago to one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy for his role in moving and hiding the illicit proceeds of an international fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Announces Settlement with Developer of Idaho Condominium Complex

A developer of a condominium complex in Post Falls, Idaho, has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging that they violated the Fair Housing Act by developing the complex with features that made it inaccessible to persons with disabilities, announced the Department of Justice.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Speaks at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Annual Winter Conference

"Whether it’s an 18-year-old who wants to be the first person in his family to attend college and become a teacher, or a 32-year-old single mother taking evening courses in nursing, or a tribal elder who enjoys participating in courses on tribal history and language, the threads that weave your colleges together with your communities are especially strong and resilient."




in

Federal Court Bars Florida Woman from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

"A Florida woman has been permanently barred from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Department of Justice announced today."



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Ohio Businessman Charged with Failing to Report Foreign Bank Account at UBS in Switzerland

An Ohio man residing in Switzerland was charged by information in the Northern District of Ohio for filing false personal income tax returns for the years 2004 through 2008, the Department of Justice announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Securities Attorney and Five Others Indicted for Conspiracy, Wire and Mail Fraud in Stock Manipulation Scheme

Six individuals, including a securities attorney, were charged in an indictment unsealed today with defrauding investors in a stock manipulation scheme from 2003 to 2008.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Office Manager of Los Angeles Medical Supply Business Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Defraud Medicare of More Than $6 Million in Wheelchair Scheme

The office manager of a Los Angeles durable medical equipment (DME) company pleaded guilty today to conspiring with her former church pastor to run a power wheelchair scheme that defrauded Medicare of more than $6 million, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

U.S. Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc.

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Eleven Alleged Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Members Charged for Roles in Assault

Eleven alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been indicted for their alleged roles in the 2008 beating of a gang prospect in Tomball, Texas.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Assistant Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security Breakfast

"It’s a pleasure to be here with you to talk about the work we’re doing in the Civil Division to promote and protect the Nation’s national security interests," said Assistant Attorney General West.




in

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Memorial Service for Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller

"Although an unspeakable, and devastating, tragedy has unfortunately brought each of us here today, it is an extraordinary life that binds us together," said Attorney General Holder.




in

Justice Department Settles with National Board of Medical Examiners Over Refusal to Provide Testing Accommodations to Yale Medical School Student

The Justice Department today announced a settlement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), a private, non-profit organization that administers the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), a standardized examination related to medical licensing.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Sues Georgia Man to Stop Him from Preparing Tax Returns for Others

The United States has asked a federal court to stop Cecil Collier, who operates under the trade name “Cairo Fast Tax,” from preparing federal tax returns for others.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Statement of the Attorney General on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

The Attorney General made a statement today about the Department’s course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

The Attorney General sent the following letter today to Congressional leadership to inform them of the Department’s course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

U.S. Sues Two California Lawyers & Kentucky Financial Professional to Block Nationwide Promotion of "Intermediary Transaction" Tax Shelter

The United States has sued two Southern California attorneys and a Kentucky financial professional to bar them from promoting an allegedly abusive tax shelter known as an “intermediary transaction.”



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Four Swiss Bankers Charged with Helping U.S. Taxpayers Use Secret Accounts at Swiss Banks to Evade U.S. Taxes

Marco Parenti Adami, Emanuel Agustino, Michele Bergantino and Roger Schaerer, bankers at an international bank, were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia and charged with conspiring with other Swiss bankers to defraud the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Liberian Shipping Company Sentenced to Pay $2.4 Million for Falsifying Oil Record Book and Lying to Cover up Illegal Discharges of Waste

Cardiff Marine Inc, a Liberian-registered shipping company, was sentenced today in federal court in Baltimore after pleading guilty to a felony violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Hate Crime in Connection with Mosque Arson in Arlington, Texas

Henry Clay Glaspell, of Arlington, Texas, pleaded guilty today to a hate crime charge stemming from the ethnically-motivated arson of a children’s playground at the Dar El-Eman Islamic Center in Arlington in July 2010.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Two Shenandoah, Pa., Men Sentenced for the Fatal Beating of Luis Ramirez

Brandon Piekarsky, 19, and Derrick Donchak, 21, both of Shenandoah, Pa., were sentenced today to nine years in prison for the fatal beating of Luis Ramirez.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Cincinnati Area Return Preparer Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns

A former resident of Cincinnati was sentenced to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Sandra S. Beckwith for aiding and assisting in the preparation of false client tax returns and for filing a false individual income return.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Six Alleged Bloods Gang Members and Associates Indicted in Tennessee on Federal Racketeering and Murder Charges

A superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Nashville, Tenn., was unsealed today, charging six alleged members of the violent gang known as the Bloods with various racketeering and murder charges.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Circus President and Former Employee Plead Guilty to Violating Endangered Species Act for Unlawful Purchase and Sale of Asian Elephants

John Pugh, Wilbur Davenport, and Cole Brothers Circus Inc., entered plea agreements yesterday in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, Texas to resolve Endangered Species Act (ESA) violations related to the purchase and sale of two Asian elephants named “Tina” and “Jewel.”



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Horizon Lines LLC Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Coastal Water Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico

Horizon Lines LLC has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $45 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the coastal water freight transportation industry.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Virginia Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Providing Material Support and Encouraging Violent Jihadists to Kill U.s. Citizens

Zachary Adam Chesser, 21, of Fairfax County, Va., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for communicating threats against the writers of the South Park television show, soliciting violent jihadists to desensitize law enforcement, and attempting to provide material support to Al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Four CD and DVD Counterfeiters and Suppliers in Atlanta Sentenced to Prison

Four individuals have been sentenced this week in Atlanta by U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr., for their involvement in a counterfeit DVD and CD ring.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Nigerian National Sentenced in North Carolina to 108 Months in Prison for Role in Advance Fee Fraud Scheme

Ugochukwu Enwerem, aka Joseph Smith, was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, N.C., to 108 months in prison for his role in an advance-fee fraud scheme.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois to Pay $25 Million to Settle Civil False Claims Act Allegations

BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, a division of Health Care Service Corporation, has agreed to pay the United States and the state of Illinois $25 million to settle False Claims Act allegations.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Patrick Carney of Manchester, N.H., was sentenced today in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Department of Justice and USDA Announce Process to Resolve Discrimination Claims of Hispanic and Women Farmers

As part of continued efforts to close the chapter on allegations that discrimination occurred at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in past decades.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Texas Hospital Prohibiting Anticompetitive Contracts with Health Insurers

The Department of Justice reached a settlement today with United Regional Health Care System of Wichita Falls, Texas, that prohibits it from entering into contracts that improperly inhibit commercial health insurers from contracting with United Regional’s competitors.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Mississippi Companies to Pay $2 Million for Selling Thousands of Engines from China That Failed to Meet Clean Air Act Standards

Mississippi-based PowerTrain Inc., Wood Sales Inc., and Tool Mart Inc., (collectively known as “PowerTrain”) will jointly pay a civil penalty of $2 million to resolve claims that the company imported and sold almost 80,000 nonroad engines and equipment that were not covered by emissions-related certificates of conformity, and in most cases could not be certified because they exceeded emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

California Man Convicted of Producing and Possessing Child Pornography

Edward Lee Sullivan, of Oakland, Calif., was convicted on Feb. 25, 2011, of one count of producing and one count of possessing child pornography.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Arch Coal to Pay $4 Million to Settle Clean Water Act Violations in Appalachian Mining Operations

Arch Coal Inc., the second largest supplier of coal in the United States, has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Massachusetts Antique Dealer Sentenced to 33 Months in Prison for Trafficking in Illegally-Imported Narwhal Tusks and Sperm Whale Teeth

David L. Place, owner of Manor House Antiques Cooperative in Nantucket, Mass., was sentenced to 33 months in prison for illegally importing and trafficking in Narwhal tusks and Sperm Whale teeth.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Four Individuals Arrested for Armed Home Invasion Robbery in Bartonsville, Pennsylvania

FBI agents today arrested four people in connection with an armed home invasion robbery in Bartonsville, Penn.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Illegal Money Transmitting Business That Moved More Than $172 Million Through Shell Corporations in the United States

Victor Kaganov, who emigrated from Russia and set up numerous shell corporations in Oregon on behalf of Russian clients, pleaded guilty today to charges of operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Alleged New England La Cosa Nostra Members and Associates Charged in Superseding Indictment with Racketeering and Other Crimes

Four alleged members and associates of the New England La Cosa Nostra (LCN), including an alleged former boss, were charged with crimes involving racketeering, extortion and related crimes in a superseding indictment unsealed today in Providence, R.I.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Former Army Major and Wife Convicted on All Charged Counts for Roles in Bribery Scheme Related to Defense Contracts to Support Iraq War

A federal jury in Decatur, Ala., has convicted Eddie Pressley, a former U.S. Army Major, and his wife, Eurica Pressley, on 22 counts in connection with a bribery and money laundering scheme related to defense contracts awarded in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Justice Department Signs Agreement with Des Moines, Iowa, and Des Moines Public Library to Ensure Civic Access for People with Disabilities

An agreement has been reached with the city of Des Moines, Iowa, and the Des Moines Public Library, to improve access to all aspects of civic life for persons with disabilities.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Alabama Man Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud and Identity Theft

Jeffery Leon Ceaser, a resident of Montgomery County, Ala., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Forest Pharmaceuticals Sentenced to Pay $164 Million for Criminal Violations

Drug manufacturer Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner to pay a criminal fine of $150 million and forfeit assets of $14 million.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Owner of Illinois Technology Company Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud the Federal E-Rate Program

Barrett C. White was originally charged in U.S. District Court in New Orleans on Nov. 18, 2010, for his role in the conspiracy to defraud the E-Rate program.



  • OPA Press Releases

in

Natchez, Mississippi, Police Officer Convicted of Civil Rights Offense for Stealing from Arrestee

A jury in Natchez, Miss., yesterday convicted a Natchez Police Department officer of violating the civil rights of an arrestee by stealing credit and debit cards from the arrestee.



  • OPA Press Releases