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Alabama Return Preparers Sentenced to Jail for Tax Conspiracy

James E. Moss and Avada L. Jenkins were both sentenced yesterday to 160 months and 41 months in prison respectively for their involvement in a fraudulent tax return perpetration scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge Mark E. Fuller of the Middle District of Alabama also ordered Moss and Jenkins to pay over $120,000 in restitution, jointly and severally, to the IRS.



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Federal Agencies Convene Week-Long Intertribal Youth Summit

More than 200 American Indian and Alaska Native youth and adult leaders from 53 tribal communities across the country have convened at the 2012 National Intertribal Youth Summit.



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Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary Speaks at the COPS Community Policing Conference

"Providing information, strengthening police-community relationships, and protecting officers – these are all ways the Office of Justice Programs is working to support law enforcement," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.




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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at the COPS Community Policing Conference

"We realize that the protection of our communities, in so many ways, falls directly on your shoulders. But you are not in this alone. If there is one idea that you walk away from this conference with, I hope it will be that we at the Justice Department are your partners in this effort," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.




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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the COPS Community Policing Conference

"I appreciate the various agencies and backgrounds here today – from counterparts within the federal government, to chiefs and sheriffs and their rank and file, plus practitioners, analysts and researchers from numerous institutions and organizations. It’s that collaborative effort that will drive what Barney mentioned earlier – an evolution of policing," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




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Former Georgia Police Chief Convicted on Federal Civil Rights Violation

A federal jury in Valdosta, Ga., convicted defendant Walter Young, 54, the former chief of the Omega Police Department in Omega, Ga., for physically abusing a man in his custody, the Justice Department announced.



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Chicago Police Officer and Three Members of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation Plead Guilty to a Racketeering Conspiracy and Other Related Charges

A Chicago police officer and three members of the Almighty Latin Kings Nation pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy and other related charges in a superseding indictment involving alleged members or associates of the Latin Kings, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney David Capp of the Northern District of Indiana.



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United States Settles Fair Housing Act Lawsuit Against Wisconsin Housing Provider

The Justice Department announced today that the owner and former manager of the Lowrey Hotel and Café in New Richmond, Wis., has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging they had sexually harassed a homeless woman who sought shelter at the hotel.



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Member of the Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Family Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

Gaeton Lucibello, 59, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving extortion and illegal gambling, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and George Venizelos, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division.



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Two Individuals Convicted in Florida in Foresclosure Rescue Scheme

The Department of Justice today convicted two defendants for their roles in a South Florida mortgage fraud scheme that took advantage of homeowners on the brink of foreclosure and left many without their homes.



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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the United Neighborhood Centers of America Neighborhood Revitalization Conference

"For more than a century, UNCA has worked to improve conditions in distressed neighborhoods and restore opportunity to those who live there," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




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Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman Re-Sentenced on Bribery, Conspiracy, Fraud and Obstruction of Justice Charges

Former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman was resentenced today to serve 78 months in prison for his role in bribery, conspiracy, fraud and obstruction of justice charges involving former HealthSouth CEO Richard M. Scrushy.



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District of Columbia Return Preparer Convicted of Preparing False Tax Returns

Following a jury trial that began on Aug. 1, 2012, a federal jury convicted Enyinnaya Udo on all 25 counts of an indictment charging him with aiding and assisting in the preparation of false individual income tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Former Chief of Party in Baghdad for the United States Institute of Peace Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy

The former chief of party in Baghdad for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Robert Nathan Boorda, pleaded guilty to an information unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for conspiring to enrich himself by having USIP award a security contract at a fraudulently inflated price in exchange for a purported monthly consulting fee of $20,000 paid by the contractor.



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Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Capo Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

Martin Angelina, 50, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving loan sharking and illegal gambling.



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Cleanup and Natural Resources Improvement Agreement Reached at Ashland Lakefront Superfund Site in Wisconsin

Northern States Power Co. will begin cleanup of the Ashland/Northern States Power Lakefront Superfund Site in Northwestern Wisconsin under a settlement the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.



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Alabama Return Preparer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Tax Conspiracy Involving Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

Yumeitrius Manuel, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced today in the Middle District of Alabama to 81 months in federal prison for filing false tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Former Co-Owner of Contracting Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding U.S. Government

Jill Ann Charpia, 33, formerly of San Antonio and currently of Colorado, pleaded guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Bemporad in San Antonio to a criminal information charging her with one-count of false statements to a government agency.



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Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings Showing Constitutional Rights of Children in Mississippi Being Violated

The Justice Department released a letter of findings today determining that the Lauderdale County Youth Court, the Meridian Police Department (MPD), and the Mississippi Division of Youth Services (DYS) are violating the constitutional rights of juveniles in Meridian, Miss. The department’s investigation found reasonable cause to believe that these agencies have violated the constitutional due process rights of children in the city of Meridian and the county of Lauderdale under the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.



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Indiana Online Identity Thief Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Counterfeit Credit Card Conspiracy Involving More Than $3 Million in Losses

Peter Borgia Jr., 22, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema.



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Arizona Tax Defier Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Fraud and Tax Conspiracy

Richard Kellogg Armstrong, 77, of Prescott, Ariz., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Judge Blackburn ordered the sentence to run consecutively to the 660 day prison term and $1,021,500 of fines cumulatively imposed upon Armstrong as punitive sanctions for 10 acts of contempt of court. He also ordered Armstrong to pay restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the amount of $1,678,834 and to forfeit two residences and a personal aircraft. The sentence was announced by the Justice Department’s Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the IRS Criminal Investigation Denver Field Office. Codefendant Curtis L. Morris, age 43, of Elizabeth, Colo., is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 6, 2012.



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Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Florida and Wisconsin

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor elections on Aug. 14, 2012, in the following jurisdictions to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other federal voting rights statutes: Collier, Hendry, Lee, Osceola and Polk Counties, Fla.; and the city of Milwaukee, Wis.



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Six Indicted in Alabama in Million-dollar Conspiracy to Use Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a superseding indictment charging Antoinette Djonret, Angelique Djonret, Tabitha Stinson, Melba Wilson, Chantresa Hayes and Corey Means with conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The 49-count indictment charges Djonret with filing false claims, theft of government funds, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft and possession of unauthorized access devices. Angelique Djonret is also charged with filing false claims, theft of government funds and aggravated identity theft. Corey Means and Chantresa Hayes are charged with theft of government funds.



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Alabama Women Indicted in $2.8 Million Conspiracy to Use Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned a 25-count indictment charging Larreka Jackson for conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, filing false claims, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Second Former Georgia Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiring with Other Officers to Assault and Injure Inmates

Darren Douglass-Griffin, 35, a former member of the Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT) at Macon State Prison (MSP) in Oglethorpe, Ga., pleaded guilty to a two-count bill of information charging him with conspiracy to violate the civil rights of inmates and falsification of records in a federal investigation, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced today.



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Justice Department Requires Changes to Verizon-Cable Company Transactions to Protect Consumers, Allows Procompetitive Spectrum Acquisitions to Go Forward

The Department of Justice announced today that it will require Verizon and four of the nation’s largest cable companies—Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Cox Communications—to make changes to a series of agreements concerning both the sale of bundled wireless and wireline services, and the formation of a technology research joint venture. The department said that, if left unaltered, the agreements would have harmed competition by diminishing the companies’ incentive to compete, resulting in higher prices and lower quality for consumers.



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Alabama Man Indicted in a Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

A federal grand jury in Montgomery, Ala., returned an indictment charging Quentin Collick for conspiring to file false tax returns using stolen identities, theft of public funds, and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Court Approves Consent Order in Long-Standing Louisiana School Desegregation Case

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana has approved a consent order in United States v. West Carroll Parish School Board, a long-standing school desegregation case, the Justice Department announced. The consent decree comes after an in-depth review by the department of the West Carroll Parish School District's compliance with its outstanding desegregation obligations.



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Sinclair Oil to Pay $3.8 Million Penalty and Install Pollution Controls at Wyoming Refineries to Resolve Violations of 2008 Consent Decree

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with two subsidiaries of Sinclair Oil Corporation to resolve alleged violations of air pollution limits established in a 2008 consent decree at refineries in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo.



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North Carolina Poultry Processing Plant Convicted for Knowing Violations of Clean Water Act

A federal jury today found House of Raeford Farms Inc., the owner and operator of a poultry slaughtering and processing facility located in Raeford, North Carolina, guilty of 10 counts of knowing violations of the Clean Water Act.



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Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Civil Rights Enforcement Unit

"I extend my sincere congratulations to everyone in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the civil rights advocates and stakeholders on the ground, and the communities throughout Northern Alabama who worked so hard in recent months to make this Civil Rights Unit possible," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Two Plead Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Seeking Immigration Services

Two Missouri men pleaded guilty today for their roles in a scheme to defraud consumers seeking immigration-related services, the Department of Justice announced.



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Wisconsin Neurosurgeon Convicted of Filing False Tax Return and Failing to File Report of Foreign Bank Accounts

A jury convicted Arvind Ahuja yesterday on federal tax charges stemming from his failure to disclose offshore bank accounts maintained in India and the Bailiwick of Jersey, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Trial began on Aug. 15, 2012 before U.S. District Judge Charles N. Clevert, Jr., in Milwaukee. Ahuja, a prominent neurosurgeon in Milwaukee, was convicted of one count of filing a false 2009 individual income tax return and one count of failing to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR).



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Final Defendant Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Seeking Immigration Services

A Missouri woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to defraud consumers seeking immigration-related services, the Justice Department announced.



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Eight Individuals and a Corporation Convicted at Trial in Florida in $50 Million Medicare Fraud

Eight individuals and a Miami-based corporation were convicted by a federal jury for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving the submission of more than $50 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare.



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Two Investment Advisors Convicted in California of High Yield Investment Fraud

William J. Ferry, a former stock broker and investment advisor, and Dennis J. Clinton, a former real estate investment manager, were found guilty by a federal jury in Santa Ana, Calif., today for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud a wealthy investor of $1 billion in a high-yield investment fraud scheme.



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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the 20th Annual Four Corners Indian Country Conference

"We have reason to hope because over the last three and a half years, President Obama and Attorney General Holder have been unmistakable and unwavering in making Indian country issues in general -- and tribal sovereignty in particular -- a high, Administration priority, consistent with our desire to see all tribes thrive as prosperous, vibrant, and safe communities," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




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Leader of Internet Piracy Group “IMAGiNE” Pleads Guilty to Copyright Infringement Conspiracy

Jeramiah B. Perkins, 39, of Portsmouth, Va., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement.



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Former U.S. Consulate Guard Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Communicate National Defense Information to China

Bryan Underwood, a former civilian guard at a U.S. Consulate compound under construction in China, pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia in connection with his efforts to sell for personal financial gain classified photographs, information and access related to the U.S. Consulate to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).



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Puerto Rico Man Found Guilty of Cocaine Distribution Conspiracy and Murder of a Witness

Edison Burgos-Montes, of Puerto Rico, was convicted after a two-month jury trial of cocaine possession with intent to distribute and killing a government witness.



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Three Former UBS Executives Convicted for Frauds Involving Contracts Related to the Investment of Municipal Bond Proceeds

A federal jury in New York City today convicted three former financial services executives for their participation in frauds related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.



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Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the Islamic Society of North America Convention

"I am here to say that the United States Department of Justice will stand with you, and all people of good will, to preserve this great nation and its fundamental values of freedom, equality and justice," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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3M Company Abandons Its Proposed Acquisition of Avery Dennison’s Office and Consumer Products Group After Justice Department Threatens Lawsuit

3M Co. abandoned its plan to acquire Avery Dennison Corp.’s Office and Consumer Products Group, its closest competitor in the sale of adhesive-backed labels and sticky notes, after the Department of Justice informed the companies that it would file a civil antitrust lawsuit to block the deal.



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Philadelphia La Cosa Nostra Associate Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

Louis Barretta, 48, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to participating in a racketeering conspiracy involving loan sharking and illegal gambling.



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Justice Department Releases Investigative Findings Showing Violation of Constitutional Rights in Kansas Correctional Facility

Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department today released its letter of findings determining that the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF), an all-female facility in Topeka, Kan., under the jurisdiction of the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), fails to protect women prisoners from harm due to sexual abuse and misconduct from correctional staff and other prisoners in violation of their constitutional rights. The Justice Department delivered a letter detailing the findings to Governor Samuel D. Brownback and Secretary of the KDOC Ray Roberts.



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Massachusetts Tax Fraud Promoter Sentenced to Prison for Conspiracy to Obstruct and Impede the IRS

A federal judge in Worcester, Mass., sentenced William Scott Dion today to 84 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States, and for obstructing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor also ordered Dion to pay restitution in the amount of $3 million.



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Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in Belize

Roland J. Flath, 72, of Fond du Lac, Wis., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin by Judge J.P. Stadtmueller.



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Acting New England Crime Boss Pleads Guilty in Racketeering and Extortion Conspiracy

Anthony L. Dinunzio, 53, of East Boston, Mass., the acting leader of the New England La Cosa Nostra (NELCN) crime family, pleaded guilty today for his role in a conspiracy to extort protection payments from adult entertainment businesses in Rhode Island, according to a signed plea agreement filed today in U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I.



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Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez Speaks at the City of Portland, Ore., Press Conference

"We have developed a blueprint for sustainable change that will enhance public safety and officer safety, ensure constitutional policing, and enhance public confidence in Portland Police Bureau," said Assistant Attorney General Perez.




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Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs Mary Lou Leary Speaks at the National Center for Victims of Crime Annual Conference

"There’s still much more we need to do, and it’s incumbent on all of us in the field – and throughout the justice system – to work together to meet the challenges that we – and all victims – continue to face," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Leary.