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U.S. Government Intervenes in False Claims Suit Against CH2M Hill Hanford Group

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against CH2M Hill Hanford Group Inc. (CH2M Hill) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Annual Luncheon

"In so many different ways, this organization – along with its ever-expanding network of partners – has been instrumental in improving lives and bringing positive change to communities across this city," said Attorney General Holder.




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El Paso-Based ReadyOne Industries to Pay $5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

ReadyOne Industries Inc. has agreed to pay $5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false certifications regarding the annual percentages of direct labor hours performed by people with severe disabilities.



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Federal and Tribal Officials Mark Domestic Violence Awareness Month at Annual Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation in Oklahoma

Federal and tribal officials joined together in Tulsa, Okla., today in commemorating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month at opening ceremonies before the department’s annual tribal consultation on Violence Against Native Women, held this year in Tulsa.



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Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Members Announce First Legal Action

The Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Working Group members today announced their first legal action since the working group formation earlier this year.



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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Press Conference

"While the Task Force’s goals are ambitious, its foundation is simple: Those in all levels of the government charged with protecting the public from fraud and abuse cannot work in compartmentalized silos. Instead, we must be cohesive, coordinated, and committed to a common purpose, because working together, we can achieve more than we can separately," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




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U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado John Walsh Speaks at the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Press Conference

"As we promised when Attorney General Holder announced the Working Group back in January, we have worked closely together to share information and assess our respective investigations and, where appropriate, provide substantial resources in support of our partners," said U.S. Attorney Walsh.




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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against City of Selma, Texas, for Retaliating Against Firefighter

The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a settlement to resolve allegations that the city of Selma, Texas violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by engaging in retaliation against a firefighter for filing a complaint against a superior for using ethnic slurs in the workplace.



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Florida Homeowners Association and Management Company for Discrimination Against Families with Children

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the homeowners association and former manager of a 249-townhome community in Gibsonton, Fla., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Las Vegas Casino for Unfair Documentary Practices

The Justice Department today reached an agreement with Tuscany Hotel and Casino LLC in Las Vegas resolving a lawsuit alleging that the company discriminated in the employment eligibility verification and re-verification process. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires employers to treat all authorized workers equally during the hiring, firing and employment eligibility verification process, regardless of their national origin or citizenship status.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Three Related Companies for Violating Fair Credit Reporting Act

The United States has filed a complaint against three related companies that bought and sold consumer credit reports, the Justice Department announced today. The government’s complaint charges these companies with violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The companies have agreed to pay a $1.2 million civil penalty to resolve these charges.



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Man Pleads Guilty in Ohio Federal Court to Tax and Mortgage Fraud Conspiracies

Steven R. Hinz pleaded guilty today to tax fraud and mortgage fraud charges in Cleveland federal court, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Hinz’s guilty pleas followed recent guilty pleas of three other defendants – Heather L. English, Patricia A. Polk and William E. Phillips III – who were charged in indictment in December 2011 on a tax conspiracy and various false return charges. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Gaughan, who scheduled the sentencing for January 2013.



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Detroit Area Gas Station Owner and His Bookkeeper Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Duggan sentenced Elsayed Kazem “Tom” Safiedine to 21 months in prison and Mary Fawaz to 12 months and one day in prison for tax fraud, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Safiedine and Fawaz were convicted by a Detroit jury of conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding and impairing the lawful functions of the IRS.



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Four Members of LSP Street Gang Sentenced in Ohio for Roles in Racketeering Conspiracy

Four LSP street gang member were sentenced today for their roles in a racketeering conspiracy (RICO) that used violence, including attempted murder, to control territory and sell heroin, cocaine and other drugs.



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Justice Department Intervenes in Lawsuit Against Law School Admission Council on Behalf of Test Takers with Disabilities Nationwide

A federal judge issued an order today allowing the Justice Department to intervene in a disability discrimination lawsuit against the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The department’s intervention expands the case from a statewide class action limited to California residents to a nationwide pattern or practice lawsuit.



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Former FBI Agent and Alleged Co-Conspirators Indicted for Scheme to Obstruct Federal Fraud Investigation

The indictment charges former FBI special agent Robert G. Lustyik Jr., 50, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; Michael L. Taylor, 51, of Harvard, Mass., the principal of Boston-based American International Security Corporation (AISC); and Johannes W. Thaler, 49, of New Fairfield, Conn., each with one count of conspiracy, eight counts of honest services wire fraud, one count of obstructing justice and one count of obstructing an agency proceeding.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at Announcement of Charges Against Kolon Industries

"By allegedly conspiring to steal DuPont’s and Teijin’s intellectual property, Kolon threatened to undermine an economic engine at both companies. We cannot, and we will not, stand idly by in the face of such flagrant alleged conduct," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Justice Department Files Complaint Against Warren County, North Carolina, Board of Education for Violating the Employment Rights of an Army Reserve Sergeant

The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced today the filing of a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina against the Warren County, N.C., Board of Education for violating the employment rights of Army Reserve Sergeant Dwayne Coffer under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Former Officers of American Mortgage Specialists Inc. Plead Guilty in North Dakota to Conspiracy in $27 Million Fraud Against Bnc National Bank

Two former officers of Arizona-based residential mortgage loan originator American Mortgage Specialists Inc. (AMS) pleaded guilty today for their roles in a $27 million scheme to defraud North Dakota-based BNC National Bank.



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Justice Department Reaches Proposed Agreement with the Town of East Haven, Connecticut, to Resolve Allegations of Misconduct by the East Haven Police Department

The Justice Department today announced that the town of East Haven, Conn., memorialized its intention to enter into a settlement agreement to resolve the department’s civil investigation of allegations that the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination against Latinos on account of their race, color or national origin. The proposed agreement also resolves allegations that EHPD engaged in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, unconstitutional searches and seizures and retaliation against persons who witnessed police misconduct or criticized EHPD’s practices.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at IBC Legal’s World Bribery & Corruption Compliance Forum

"As a result both of increased FCPA enforcement and increased policing of corporate conduct in general, I think that the culture of corporate compliance has improved in recent years," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Justice Department Settles Discrimination Claim Against New Jersey Company

The Justice Department announced today that it reached an agreement with Advantage Home Care LLC, a home health care provider based in Hackensack, N.J., resolving claims that the company violated the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when it required newly-hired lawful permanent residents to provide more or different documents during the Form I-9 employment eligibility verification process.



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Boehringer Ingelheim to Pay $95 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Connecticut-based Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve allegations relating to the improper promotion of the stroke-prevention drug Aggrenox, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drugs Atrovent and Combivent, and the hypertension drug Micardis, the Justice Department announced today.



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Federal Court in Ohio Issues Preliminary Injunction Against Instant Tax Service Franchiser and Its CEO

A federal court has preliminarily enjoined ITS Financial LLC, the parent company that owns the Instant Tax Service tax-preparation franchise operation, the Justice Department announced today. Dayton, Ohio-based ITS claims to be the fourth-largest tax-preparation firm in the nation, according to the government complaint in the civil lawsuit. Judge Timothy Black of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio signed the order, which also applies to the company’s CEO, Fesum Ogbazion. The defendants consented to the preliminary injunction.



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Orthofix Subsidiary, Blackstone Medical, Pays U.S. $30 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Orthofix International NV, has agreed to pay the United States $30 million to settle allegations that an Orthofix subsidiary, Blackstone Medical Inc., paid illegal kickbacks to physicians in order to induce use of the company’s products, the Justice Department announced today. Orthofix, which manufactures spinal implants and other spinal surgery products, is a publicly traded company headquartered in Curacao.



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Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Member Sentenced in Houston for Violent Crime in Aid of Racketeering

Bobby Teets, 46, aka “Bull,” pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2010, to racketeering aggravated assault for his role in the assault of an applicant for membership in the gang, and was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. Teets is to serve the 72-month sentence consecutively to the state prison term he is currently serving.



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Two Pakistani Nationals Indicted for Conspiring to Illegally Ship Pharmaceuticals into the US

Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on charges alleging that they operated Internet sites that illegally shipped pharmaceuticals from Pakistan and the United Kingdom to customers in the United States.



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US Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Fluor Companies

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against Fluor Hanford Inc. and its parent company, Fluor Corporation (collectively Fluor), in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, the Justice Department announced today. Fluor Hanford, Inc. is a subsidiary of Fluor Corporation, a Texas-based corporation that provides a wide variety of services to government and private customers. The False Claims Act lawsuit was originally filed by whistleblower Loydene Rambo, a former employee of Fluor.



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Michigan Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Microsoft Software Worth More Than $1.2 Million

Bruce Alan Edward, 48, of Atlanta, Mich., was charged in an indictment returned on Oct. 24, 2012, and unsealed on Nov. 1, 2012, by the federal grand jury in Bay City, Mich.



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Alabama Real Estate Developer Charged with Illegally Filling Protected Mississippi Wetlands

William R. “Rusty” Miller, a real estate developer from Fairhope, Ala., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Jackson, Miss., for the unpermitted filling of wetlands near Bay St. Louis, Miss., in violation of the Clean Water Act.



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34 Alleged Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Members Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges

Thirty-four alleged members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang (ABT), including four of its most senior leaders, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Houston for allegedly conspiring to participate in a racketeering enterprise.



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Las Vegas Woman Convicted for Role in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

A Las Vegas mortgage agent was found guilty today for participation in a mortgage fraud scheme that netted $1.2 million in fraudulent mortgage loans.



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Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer Speaks at Press Conference to Announce Charges Against Alleged Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Leaders

"The Criminal Division is determined, with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners, to continue disrupting and dismantling ABT and other violent criminal enterprises," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer.




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Justice Department Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against the City of San Jacinto, California, Alleging Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jacinto, Calif., alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act based on its treatment of group homes for persons with disabilities. This lawsuit is part of the Justice Department’s continuing effort to enforce civil rights laws that require states and municipalities to end discrimination against, and unnecessary segregation of, persons with disabilities.



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South Carolina Man Sentenced for Committing Federal Hate Crime Against an African-American Teenager

Chase McClary, 24, of Johnsonville, S.C., was sentenced today in federal court to four years in prison followed by three years supervised release for his racially-motivated attack of an African-American teenager.



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Justice Department Settles Civil Contempt Claim Against Exelon Corporation

Exelon Corporation has agreed to pay $400,000 as part of a civil settlement with the Department of Justice that resolves Exelon’s alleged violations of two court orders entered in connection with Exelon’s acquisition of Constellation Energy Group.



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Gamer Charged with Hacking into and Disabling New Hampshire Gaming Company’s Computer Servers

Anil Kheda, 24, of the Netherlands, is charged with one count of conspiring to commit computer intrusion and one count of making extortionate interstate threats.



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Department of Justice Completes Review of Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Use of Force Policies and Practices

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) today announced the completion and delivery of an eight-month review of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s use of force policies and practices. The report, funded by a grant from the COPS Office, lists 75 findings and recommendations regarding officer-involved shootings and other use-of-force issues.



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Justice Department and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Settle Pay Discrimination Lawsuits Against Two Texas State Agencies

The Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that they have reached a settlement with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to resolve allegations that both state agencies were liable for pay discrimination on the basis of sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Ebay Inc. Over Agreement Not to Hire Intuit Inc. Employees

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today against eBay Inc., alleging that it violated antitrust laws when it entered into an agreement not to recruit or hire Intuit Inc.’s employees.



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Federal Court Permanently Bars Michigan Lawyer from Promoting Alleged Tax Fraud Scheme

A federal court has permanently barred a Michigan lawyer, Tammy Daniels of Farmington Hills, from promoting an alleged tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced today. The civil injunction order, to which Daniels consented without admitting the allegations against her, was signed by Judge Paul D. Borman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. In August the court enjoined Daniels’s co-defendants, Damian and Holly Jackson, from preparing federal tax returns for others and promoting the scheme.



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Al-Qaeda Operative Sentenced to Life in Prison in One of the Most Serious Terrorist Plots Against the United States since 9/11

Earlier today, Adis Medunjanin, age 34, a Queens, N.Y., resident who joined al-Qaeda, then plotted and attempted to commit suicide terrorist attacks, was sentenced in the Eastern District of New York to life in prison for multiple federal terrorism offenses.



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Group of Owned and Affiliated Florida Hospitals Agree to Pay US $10.1 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Morton Plant Mease Health Care Inc. and its affiliated hospitals (Morton Plant) have agreed to pay $10,169,114 to the federal government to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for services rendered to Medicare patients, the Justice Department announced today. Morton Plant owns and operates, or is affiliated with, Morton Plant Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Morton Plant North Bay Hospital, St. Anthony’s Hospital, Mease Countryside Hospital and Mease Dunedin Hospital. These hospitals are part of the BayCare Health System in Florida’s Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.



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Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Members Announce Charges Against Credit Suisse

Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Co-Chair New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today filed a Martin Act complaint against Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and its affiliates for making fraudulent misrepresentations and omissions to promote the sale of RMBS to investors.



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Florida’s Technological Research and Development Authority Pays $15 Million to Resolve False Claims Allegations

The Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) has agreed to pay $15 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act in connection with grants from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the Department of Commerce, the Justice Department announced today. TRDA, which was created by the Florida legislature as a special district, owns and operates a system of incubator facilities to nurture small businesses by providing low-rent office space and business development assistance.



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Former Executive at Florida-Based Lender Processing Services Inc. Admits Role in Mortgage-Related Document Fraud Scheme

A former executive of Lender Processing Services Inc. (LPS) – a publicly traded company based in Jacksonville, Fla. – pleaded guilty today, admitting her participation in a six-year scheme to prepare and file more than 1 million fraudulently signed and notarized mortgage-related documents with property recorders’ offices throughout the United States.



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South Carolina-based Harmony Care Hospice Inc. and CEO/Owner Daniel J. Burton to Pay U.S. $1.286 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Harmony Care Hospice Inc. (Harmony) and Harmony owner and chief executive officer Daniel J. Burton have agreed to pay the United States $1,286,999.32 to settle allegations that the South Carolina-based company submitted false claims to Medicare for patients under care at its hospice facilities, the Justice Department announced today.



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Hungarian Woman Pleads Guilty in Tennessee for Role in International Fraud Scheme Involving Online Marketplace Websites

Beatrix Boka, 34, of Hungary, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger in the Middle District of Tennessee to one count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.



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Two Members and One Associate of Violent North Carolina Latin Kings Gang Convicted for Racketeering Conspiracy

A federal jury in Winston-Salem, N.C., has convicted two members of the North Carolina Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) and one associate of the gang for a racketeering conspiracy involving violent crimes and drug distribution for the benefit of the criminal organization.



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Project Longevity Launched to Reduce Gang and Gun Violence in Connecticut’s Cities

Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney David Fein and Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy joined members of law enforcement, public officials, social service providers, community leaders and researchers in New Haven today to launch “Project Longevity,” a comprehensive initiative to reduce gun violence in Connecticut’s major cities.



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