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Swiss Lawyer Indicted for Helping to Hide Swiss Bank Accounts and Monies Returned to U.S. Clients

The Justice Department announced today that a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., returned an indictment charging Felix M. Mathis, an attorney practicing in Zurich, Switzerland, with conspiring to defraud the United States and structuring the importation of currency into this country.



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U.S. Announces Settlement of Actions to Enforce Payment Obligations for Cleanup of New Jersey Superfund Site

Champion Chemical Company, Imperial Oil Company Inc. and Imperial’s two former officers have agreed to pay at least $1.4 million to resolve actions to enforce a prior agreement to reimburse cleanup costs incurred by the federal government at the Imperial Oil Company Inc./Champion Chemical Company Superfund Site in Marlboro Township, N.J.



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Indiana-Based Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative Reaches Settlement to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative Inc., an Indiana electric generation and transmission cooperative, has agreed to install state-of-the-art pollution control technology at its two coal-fired power plants in Indiana.



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Houston-Area Resident Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

Paula Whitfield, a patient recruiter for a Houston durable medical equipment company, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison in connection with a $3 million power wheelchair fraud scheme.



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Miami-Area Husband and Wife Plead Guilty in $13.7 Million HIV Infusion Clinic Fraud Scheme

Modesto and Victoria de la Vega pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for their participation in a $13.7 million HIV infusion Medicare fraud scheme.



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U.S. Files Suit Against Georgia Medical Center and Physician; Allegedly Submitted Claims for Worthless Services to Federal Health Care Programs

The United States has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Dr. Najam Azmat and the Satilla Regional Medical Center in Waycross, Ga.



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Settlement Reached to Expedite Cleanup for Walpole, Massachusetts, Superfund Site

A $13 million settlement has been reached between four parties and the United States to expedite cleanup of the contaminated Blackburn and Union Privileges Superfund Site in Walpole, Mass.



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Spokane, Washington, Man Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Charges Related to Threats to Reproductive Health Services Clinic

Donald Hertz pleaded guilty today in federal court in Spokane to one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and one count of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.



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United States Files Complaint Against Oracle Alleging Contract Fraud

The United States has intervened and filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Oracle Corporation and Oracle America Inc.



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Georgia Defense Contractor and Its President to Pay $750,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Quantum Dynamics Inc, located in Macon, Ga., and its president, Audrey Price, have agreed to pay the United States $750,000 to settle claims that they fraudulently obtained contracts from the Army.



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Miami-area Clinic Owner, Patient Recruiter, Two Nurses and Medicare Beneficiary Plead Guilty in Home Health Care Fraud Scheme

Arturo Fonseca, Isis Torres, Francisco Portillo, Eduardo Romero and William Madrigal pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan to various health care fraud charges.



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Freight Forwarder Panalpina Pays U.S. $375,000 to Settle False Claims and Kickbacks Allegations

Swiss-based freight forwarder Panalpina Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $375,000 to settle allegations that the company paid kickbacks to employees of Kellogg Brown & Root Inc. (KBR).



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Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to Spend Millions to Reduce Commuter Train Emissions in Clean Air Act Settlement

In response to a federal enforcement action for excessive train engine idling, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company (MBCR) will spend more than $2 million to reduce diesel locomotive emissions throughout the MBTA’s commuter rail system.



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Operator of Miami HIV Clinic Pleads Guilty for Role in Medicare Fraud Ring

Jose Garcia, 55, who was a fugitive for nearly two years, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for his participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving a Miami-area HIV clinic.



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New York Merchant Bank Pleads Guilty to FCPA Violation; Bank Chairman Pleads Guilty to Failing to Disclose Control of Foreign Bank Account

– The Mercator Corporation, a merchant bank with offices in New York, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Manhattan, N.Y., to one count of making an unlawful payment to a senior government official of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).



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New Jersey Landfill Owners Agree to Comply with Clean Air Act

The second of two agreements to resolve longstanding problems with landfill gas emissions and their negative impacts on air quality at the Middlesex County and Edgeboro landfills in New Jersey has been reached to bring them into compliance with the Clean Air Act.



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Houston-based Plains Pipeline to Spend More Than $44 Million to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations

Plains All American Pipeline L.P. and several of its operating subsidiaries will spend approximately $41 million over the next three years to prevent and remediate corrosion, improve leak detection practices and capabilities, and enhance pipeline oversight on 10,420 miles of crude oil pipeline operated in the United States.



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Detroit-area Clinic Operator Sentenced to 56 Months in Prison for Role in Fraudulent Diagnostic Testing Scheme

Carlos Grana, a Miami resident, was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff in the Eastern District of Michigan to three years of supervised release following his prison term and was ordered to pay $2 million in restitution.



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Barclays Bank PLC Agrees to Forfeit $298 Million in Connection with Violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act

Barclays Bank PLC, a United Kingdom corporation headquartered in London, has agreed to forfeit $298 million to the United States and to the New York County District Attorney’s Office in connection with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act.



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Los Angeles Men Arrested for Clean Air Act Asbestos Worker Protection Violations

Charles Yi and John Bostick were arrested Wednesday for violations of the Clean Air Act’s asbestos work practice standards committed during the renovation of a 204-unit apartment building in Winnetka, Calif., in January through February of 2006.



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Employee of Federal Contractor Charged with Disclosing National Defense Information to National News Reporter

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has returned an indictment charging Stephen Jin-Woo Kim with unlawfully disclosing national defense information to a reporter for a national news organization and making false statements to the FBI.



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Doctor and Clinic Owner Who Moved Fraud Operation from Florida to Detroit Convicted for Role in $2.3 Million Scheme

The owner of a Detroit-area medical clinic, Juan De Oleo, and a doctor who helped falsify files at the clinic, Dr. Rosa Genao, were convicted today by a federal jury in Detroit for their roles in a $2.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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South Florida Doctor, Clinic Owner and Five Nurses Plead Guilty in Home Health Care Fraud Scheme

A medical doctor, a clinic owner and four nurses, all South Florida residents, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan in U.S. District Court in Miami for their participation in a fraudulent Medicare home health care scheme, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.



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Cisco Systems and Westcon Group North America Pay $48 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Cisco Systems and Westcon Group North America (formerly d.b.a. Comstor) have agreed to pay the United States $48 million to settle claims that they made misrepresentations to the General Services Administration (GSA) and other federal agencies in violation of the False Claims Act.



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Miami-area Clinic Owner Pleads Guilty in $23 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Flor Crisologo, 58, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Barry L. Garber in U.S. District Court in Miami to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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North Carolina Real Estate Speculator Pleads Guilty to Bid Rigging in Real Estate Foreclosure Auctions

A Raleigh, N.C., real estate speculator pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig bids for public real estate foreclosure auctions held in multiple counties in eastern North Carolina.



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MS-13 Gang Leader Sentenced to Life in Prison for Racketeering Offenses Including the Murder of a Witness

Juan Carlos Moreira, aka “Stokey” and “Stocky,” was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow to life in prison for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise known as MS-13, conspiring to and committing murder in aid of racketeering, witness tampering murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.



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Drug Maker Forest Pleads Guilty; To Pay More Than $313 Million to Resolve Criminal Charges and False Claims Act Allegations

Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to plead guilty to charges relating to obstruction of justice, the distribution of Levothroid, which at the time was an unapproved new drug, and the illegal promotion of Celexa for use in treating children and adolescents suffering from depression.



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Former Workers at Los Alamos Charged with Transmitting Classified Nuclear Weapons Data to Injure the United States

The Justice Department today announced that a scientist and his wife, who both previously worked as contractors at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, have been indicted on charges of communicating classified nuclear weapons data to a person they believed to be a Venezuelan government official and conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon for Venezuela, among other violations.



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U.S. Reaches Agreements with Kings Mountain, N.C., and Sandy Springs, Ga., to Terminate Coverage from Preclearance of the Voting Rights Act

The Justice Department announced that it reached agreements this week with the city of Kings Mountain, N.C., and the city of Sandy Springs, Ga., in the form of consent decrees filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.



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Three Individuals Plead Guilty for Their Roles in a Houston Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Claims of Hurricane Damage to Power Wheelchairs

Three individuals pleaded guilty today in connection with a Medicare fraud scheme operated out of a Houston-area durable medical equipment (DME) company.



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BP Products to Pay Largest Single-facility Clean Air Act Penalty for Releases of Hazardous Pollutants at Texas City Refinery

BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to pay a $15 million penalty to resolve federal Clean Air Act violations at its Texas City, Texas, petroleum refinery.



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United States Sues Marine Engine Manufacturer and Shipbuilder Under Clean Air Act

The United States filed a civil complaint today against Coltec Industries Inc., a subsidiary of EnPro Industries Inc., and the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp.



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Bank to Pay $2.2 Million to Settle Allegations of False Claims to Small Business Administration

Saehan Bank has agreed to pay the United States $2.2 million to settle allegations arising under the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act with respect to a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, the Justice Department announced.



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ConocoPhillips Company and Sasol North America Agree to Reimburse Costs for Calcasieu Estuary, Bayou Verdine Cleanup

The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Attorney’s Office announced today, the settlement of claims against ConocoPhillips Company and Sasol North America Inc. to resolve their liability to EPA under CERCLA for contamination in the Calcasieu Estuary of Louisiana.



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Justice Department Concludes No Federal Criminal Violation in the Death of Imam Abdullah in Dearborn

The Justice Department announced today that the evidence does not reveal a violation of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute or warrant further federal criminal investigation in the death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, a Detroit Muslim cleric, who was shot during an Oct. 28, 2009, arrest by FBI agents in Dearborn, Mich.



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Jury Finds Asbestos Air Monitoring Company and Employees Guilty of Clean Air Act and Fraud Violations

A federal jury in Utica, N.Y. has found Certified Environmental Services Inc. (CES); two of its managers, Nicole Copeland and Elisa Dunn; and one of its employees, Sandy Allen, guilty of conspiring to aid and abet Clean Air Act violations, commit mail fraud, and defraud the United States.



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U.S. Files PCB Cleanup Lawsuit Against 12 Polluters of Wisconsin’s Fox River

The Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division announced the filing of a major lawsuit today against 10 companies and two municipalities to require continued environmental cleanup work at Wisconsin’s Lower Fox River and Green Bay Site.



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Michigan Clinic Operator Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison for His Role in a Fraudulent Home Health Scheme

A patient recruiter and operator of a Detroit-area home health agency was sentenced to 63 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program.



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Attorney General Holder and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announce Settlement Agreement with Native American Farmers Claiming Discrimination by USDA

Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the settlement of a class action lawsuit filed against USDA by Native American farmers alleging discrimination by USDA.



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California-based Mailing Firms to Pay $4.2 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations for Underpayment of Postage

California-based companies Quicksort Inc., Quicksort LA Inc. and Quicksort Sacramento Inc. have agreed to pay the United States $4.2 million to settle allegations that Quicksort violated the False Claims Act by falsely representing the level to which it had pre-sorted mailings in order to obtain discounted postage rates from the U.S. Postal Service.



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Justice Department Sues Return Preparers in Florida and Missouri Who Allegedly Claimed More Than $70 Million in Fraudulent Tax Refunds

The United States has sued Iliana Sorensen of Hialeah, Fla., and Gerald A. Poynter II of Kansas City, Mo., seeking to bar them from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Clinic Owners and Patient Recruiters Plead Guilty in Detroit-area Diagnostic Testing Fraud Scheme

Miami-area residents Emilio and Maria Haber and Detroit-area residents Genna Yates and Darryl Nichols pleaded guilty yesterday for their roles in a Detroit-area diagnostic testing fraud scheme.



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Rocky Mountain Instrument to Pay U.S. $1 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

The United States has reached a settlement with Rocky Mountain Instrument Company (RMI) to resolve claims that the manufacturer violated the False Claims Act.



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Clean Water Act Settlement with Indianapolis Will Reduce Pollution at Lower Costs

The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the state of Indiana have reached an agreement with the city of Indianapolis on important modifications to a 2006 consent decree that will make Indianapolis’ sewer system more efficient, leading to major reductions in sewage contaminated water at a savings to the city of approximately $444 million.



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St. Joseph Medical Center in Maryland to Pay U.S. $22 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

St. Joseph Medical Center has agreed to pay the United States $22 million to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that it paid unlawful remuneration under the Anti-Kickback Act and violated the Stark Law when it entered into a series of professional services contracts with MidAtlantic Cardiovascular Associates.



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Former Caesars Palace Nightclub Host Pleads Guilty to Tax Crime

Richard Chu, a former "VIP host" at Pure Nightclub located in Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of filing a false federal income tax return for the 2006 tax year.



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Four Student Aid Lenders Settle False Claims Act Suit for Total of $57.75 Million

Four student aid lenders have paid the United States a total of $57.75 million to resolve allegations that they improperly inflated their entitlement to certain interest rate subsidies from the U.S. Department of Education in violation of the False Claims Act.



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Operator of Miami HIV Clinic Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Medicare Fraud Ring

Jose Garcia, 55, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Miami to 57 months in prison for his participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving a Miami-area HIV clinic.



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California UBS Client Charged with Hiding Assets in Secret Swiss Bank Account

Jeffrey Chatfield of San Diego pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nita Stormes to a criminal information charging him with filing a false tax return related to a Swiss bank account that he maintained at UBS.



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