ag

Government Settles False Claims Act Allegations Against Florida-Based Baptist Health System for $2.5 Million

Baptist Health System Inc. (Baptist Health), the parent company for a network of affiliated hospitals and medical providers in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle allegations that its subsidiaries violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to federal health care programs for medically unnecessary services and drugs.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against Master Klean Janitorial

The Justice Department reached an agreement today with Master Klean Janitorial, a company based in Denver, resolving claims that the company engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminatory documentary requests based on citizenship status in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

United States Files Complaint Against Stevens-Henager College, Inc. Alleging False Claims Act Violations for Illegal Recruiting

The United States has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act against Stevens-Henager College, Inc. and its owner, The Center for Excellence in Higher Education, for illegally compensating recruiters, the Department of Justice announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Attorney General Holder Delivers Remarks at Justice Department Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Event

Within the Department, we have moved forward with our groundbreaking Diversity Management Initiative to promote diversity within our own ranks. Through our close partnership with the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, we have helped to create considerable new opportunities for our employees to thrive – both personally and professionally. And thanks to the tireless efforts of employee organizations like DOJ Pan Asia and others, we continue to encourage every member of the DOJ family to grow, to learn, and to advance in their lives and careers.




ag

Swiss Asset Management Firm and Related Companies Agree to Resolve Criminal Tax Investigation

Swisspartners Investment Network AG, a Swiss-based asset management firm, and three of its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the Swisspartners Group), entered into a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and agreed to pay $4.4 million to the United States.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Dallas-Based Physician and Home Health Agency Director of Nursing Convicted in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

Late yesterday, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted a physician and a home health agency manager for their participation in a $3 million Medicare fraud conspiracy.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Electrolux Agrees to Pay $750,000 Civil Penalty for Delay in Reporting Oven Hazard

The Justice Department’s Civil Division announced today that Electrolux Home Products Inc., of Charlotte, North Carolina, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $750,000 to settle allegations that it knowingly failed to report immediately to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission a safety hazard associated with certain wall ovens sold to consumers.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Tennessee Salvage Company Owner and Operator Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Violate the Clean Air Act

The owner and operator of a Tennessee salvage and demolition company, A&E Salvage Inc., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Greeneville, Tennessee, for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Six Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty to Mortgage Fraud Scheme Involving Four Condominium Developments

Six Miami-area residents, including three former loan officers, pleaded guilty in the Southern District of Florida this week to participating in a fraudulent scheme designed to enrich real estate developers.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

U.S. Charges Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage Against U.S. Corporations and a Labor Organization for Commercial Advantage

A grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania (WDPA) indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking, economic espionage and other offenses directed at six American victims in the U.S. nuclear power, metals and solar products industries.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Press Conference Announcing U.S. Charges Against Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage

When a foreign nation uses military or intelligence resources and tools against an American executive or corporation to obtain trade secrets or sensitive business information for the benefit of its state-owned companies, we must say, ‘enough is enough.’




ag

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin Speaks at the Press Conference Announcing U.S. Charges Against Five Chinese Military Hackers for Cyber Espionage

At the Department of Justice, we have repeatedly pledged that we would do more to hold accountable those that engage in these actions. Today, we begin to fulfill that pledge.




ag

Justice Department Requires ConAgra, Cargill, CHS, Horizon Milling to Divest Four Significant Flour Mills to Go Forward with Ardent Mills Joint Venture

The Department of Justice will require ConAgra Foods Inc., Cargill Inc., CHS Inc. and Horizon Milling LLC to divest four competitively significant flour mills in order to proceed with the formation of Ardent Mills, a flour milling joint venture.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Law School Admission Council Agrees to Systemic Reforms and $7.73 Million Payment to Settle Justice Department’s Nationwide Disability Discrimination Lawsuit

The Justice Department filed a joint motion today for entry of a landmark consent decree to resolve allegations that the Law School Admission Council engaged in widespread and systemic discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle and Traffic Counterfeit Viagra Tablets

A Texas man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to smuggle and to traffic in counterfeit and misbranded pharmaceuticals, including Viagra tablets, from China.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Detroit-Area Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison for His Role in $13.8 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Zahir Yousafzai, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen in the Eastern District of Michigan. In addition to his prison term, Yousafzai was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $4,131,135 in restitution, jointly and severally with his co-defendants.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Ex-Casino Owner, Nevada Businessman and Former National Football League Player Found Guilty in Massive Tax Fraud Scheme

A Las Vegas jury returned guilty verdicts yesterday against Alan Rodrigues, a former casino owner from Henderson, Nevada, Weston Coolidge, a former businessman from Las Vegas, and Joseph Prokop, a former National Football League punter from Upland, California, for conspiracy and fraud related to their promotion of a fraudulent tax product through the now-defunct National Audit Defense Network.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Government Files Complaint Against CA Inc. for False Claims on GSA Contract

The government has filed a complaint against CA Inc. (CA) for violations of the False Claims Act in connection with a General Services Administration (GSA) contract, the Justice Department announced today.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

U.S. Leads Multi-National Action Against “Gameover Zeus” Botnet and “Cryptolocker” Ransomware, Charges Botnet Administrator

The Justice Department today announced a multi-national effort to disrupt the Gameover Zeus Botnet – a global network of infected victim computers used by cyber criminals to steal millions of dollars from businesses and consumers – and unsealed criminal charges in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Omaha, Nebraska, against an administrator of the botnet.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission Announce Agenda for June 23, 2014, Joint Agency Workshop on Conditional Pricing Practices

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have issued the agenda for their joint public workshop, which will be held on June 23, 2014, to explore the economic and legal analysis of conditional pricing practices among firms in a supply chain.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Conspiracy Charge Filed Against Former Convergex Trader

A former trader for ConvergEx Global Markets Limited (CGM Limited) — a former securities broker-dealer registered in Bermuda — has been charged in the District of New Jersey with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Justice Department Settles Employment Discrimination Allegations Against City of Austin

The Department of Justice announced today that it has entered into and filed a consent decree that, if approved by the court, will resolve the department’s allegations that the city of Austin violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against African-American and Hispanic applicants for entry-level firefighter positions at the Austin Fire Department (AFD).



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Justice Department and Montana Officials to Hold Press Conference Announcing Negotiated Agreements Regarding the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels, U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenburg and Missoula County Commissioner Bill Carey will hold a press conference TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. MDT), to announce negotiated agreements regarding the handling of sexual assault cases



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Justice Department Officials to Hold Press Call Announcing Negotiated Agreements Regarding the Handling of Sexual Assault Cases

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels and U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter will hold a press call TOMORROW, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 2014 at 1:45 p.m. EDT (11:45 a.m. MDT), for reporters who are unable to attend in person the 1:00 p.m. EDT (11:00 a.m. MDT), press conference announcing negotiated agreements regarding the handling of sexual assault cases



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Department of Justice Reaches Landmark Agreement to Improve Missoula County Attorney’s Office’s Response to Reports of Sexual Assault

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a comprehensive agreement with the Missoula County Attorney’s Office, as well as Missoula County, Montana, and the Montana Attorney General’s Office, to resolve the department’s investigation of alleged gender bias in the prosecution of sexual assaults by the Missoula County Attorney’s Office (MCAO).



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

City of San Jacinto, California, Agrees to End Discriminatory Housing Practices

The Justice Department today announced a settlement with the city of San Jacinto, California, that resolves a lawsuit alleging disability discrimination filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Under the settlement, San Jacinto has changed its laws to comply with the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Michael Cotter Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Agreement with Missoula County Attorney’s Office

"These agreements embody a sound plan and a solid program which will improve safety of women, enhance the capacity of the County Attorney’s Office to efficiently and effectively prosecute sexual assault crimes, and increase the community’s confidence in the County Attorney’s Office response to sexual assault."




ag

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels Speaks at Press Conference Announcing Agreement with Missoula County Attorney’s Office

"Today’s groundbreaking agreement represents another important step forward in our ongoing effort to ensure that survivors of sexual assault in Missoula are treated with dignity and respect and have the full protection of the criminal justice system"




ag

Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against Commercial Cleaning Systems

The Justice Department reached an agreement today with Commercial Cleaning Systems, a janitorial services company with headquarters in Denver. The agreement resolves claims that the company discriminated against work-authorized non-U.S. citizens in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach Nearly $1 Billion Agreement with SunTrust to Address Mortgage Loan Origination as Well as Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

The Justice Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), along with 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general have reached a $968 million agreement with SunTrust Mortgage Inc. (SunTrust) to address mortgage origination, servicing, and foreclosure abuses



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Credit Repair Company Agrees to Pay $400,000 Civil Penalty and Halt Illegal Credit Repair Practices

The Justice Department’s Civil Division announced today that RMCN Credit Services Inc. (RMCN), of McKinney, Texas, and the Texas residents who own it, Doug and Julie Parker, have agreed to settle a federal court case charging them with falsely disputing negative information on consumers’ credit reports and collecting illegal upfront fees from customers



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Department of Justice Reaches Settlement with Clay County, Alabama School District to Ensure Equal Opportunities for English Language Learner Students

The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with the Clay County School District in Alabama



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against California-Based Firm and Individuals to Prevent Distribution of Adulterated Dietary Supplements

The Justice Department announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Otis D. Wright II of the Central District of California entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against GM Manufacturing Inc. (GMM) and Mao L. Yang, Mary Chen and David Yang on Friday, June 20, 2014, to prevent the distribution of adulterated dietary supplements



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Criticizing Wisconsin’s Voter Id Statute, Attorney General Holder Pledges Aggressive Enforcement of Remaining Parts of Voting Rights Act

On the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that struck down a key part of the Voting Rights Act, Attorney General Eric Holder pledged Wednesday that the Justice Department would remain aggressive in using Section 2 of the law—which was left intact by the Court’s decision—to guard against unjust voting restrictions



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Denso Corp. Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Automobile Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

An executive of Japan-based Denso Corp. has agreed to plead guilty and to serve one year and one day in a U.S. prison in connection with the Antitrust Division’s investigation into a conspiracy to fix the prices of instrument panel clusters, also known as meters, installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

U.S. Bank to Pay $200 Million to Resolve Alleged FHA Mortgage Lending Violations

U.S. Bank has agreed to pay the United States $200 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly originating and underwriting mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet applicable requirements, the Justice Department announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Houston Man Sentenced for Threatening to Bomb Synagogue

Dante Phearse, 33, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt to serve 33 months in prison for calling in a bomb threat to Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in Houston



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

BNP Paribas Agrees to Plead Guilty and to Pay $8.9 Billion for Illegally Processing Financial Transactions for Countries Subject to U.S. Economic Sanctions

According to court documents submitted today, BNP Paribas S.A. (BNPP), a global financial institution headquartered in Paris, agreed to enter a guilty plea to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA) by processing billions of dollars of transactions through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Sudanese, Iranian, and Cuban entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

U.S. Files Complaint and Consent Decree Against Mira Health and Senior Officers

The United States has filed a complaint and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has entered a consent decree against Mira Health Ltd. (Mira), its chief operating officer, Michael S. Ragno Sr., and its quality assurance manager, Michael S. Ragno Jr., all of Farmingdale, New York



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Indiana Man Sentenced for Damaging Property and Equipment at Planned Parenthood

Benjamin David Curell, 28, of Ellettsville, Indiana, pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which makes it a federal crime to damage the property of a reproductive health services facility because of the services offered there. The plea stems from an incident that occurred during the early morning hours on April 11, 2013, when Curell broke into the Bloomington, Indiana, Planned Parenthood Clinic and caused extensive damage to the clinic building and its equipment



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Seven Colombian Nationals Charged in Connection with the Murder of a DEA Agent Extradited to the United States

Seven Colombian nationals were extradited to the United States to face charges relating to the kidnapping and murder of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent James Terry Watson



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

SunTrust Mortgage Agrees to $320 Million Settlement

The Department of Justice today announced an agreement with SunTrust Mortgage Inc. that resolves a criminal investigation of SunTrust’s administration of the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Virginia-Based Move Management Company Pays More Than $500,000 to Settle Overbilling Claims in Connection with Transportation of Personal Property in Relocating Federal Employees

RE/MAX Allegiance Relocation Services, a Virginia-based move management company, has agreed to pay the government $509,807 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by overbilling for transportation services, the Department of Justice announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

District Court Enters Permanent Injunction Against Joint King Dietary Supplement Maker to Prevent Distribution of Adulterated Supplements

The Justice Department announced today that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has entered a consent decree of permanent injunction against Triceutical Inc. and its president, Liqun Zhang, of Farmingdale, New York, to prevent the distribution of adulterated dietary supplements



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Chicago Businessman Pleads Guilty to Failing to File Tax Returns

Jaime Viteri, a Chicago businessman, pleaded guilty to two counts of willfully failing to file federal individual income tax returns today, announced the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Departments of Justice and Education Reach Settlement Agreement with Jefferson Parish Public School System Ensuring Equal Access and Non-Discrimination in Schools

The Departments of Justice and Education announced today that they have reached a comprehensive agreement with the Jefferson Parish Public School System in Louisiana (JPPSS) to ensure that all students can enroll in school regardless of their own national origin or immigration status, or that of their parents or guardians. The agreement also resolves complaints regarding JPPSS’ policies and practices for communicating with parents who have limited English proficiency (LEP) and JPPSS’ response to alleged harassment of Latino students based on their national origin



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Two California Men Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud and Coercion

Two Long Beach, California, men pleaded guilty today to conspiracy charges arising from a sex trafficking scheme that exploited adult women for prostitution. Roshaun Nakia Porter, 39, and Marquis Monte Horn, 35, both pleaded guilty before Judge Josephine L. Staton in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to conspiring to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Justice Department, Federal and State Partners Secure Record $7 Billion Global Settlement with Citigroup for Misleading Investors About Securities Containing Toxic Mortgages

The Justice Department, along with federal and state partners, today announced a $7 billion settlement with Citigroup Inc. to resolve federal and state civil claims related to Citigroup’s conduct in the packaging, securitization, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) prior to Jan. 1, 2009



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Utah Man Sentenced to 60 Months for Religiously-Motivated Attack on Synagogue and Gun Charges

Macon Openshaw, 22, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell for the District of Utah to serve 60 months in prison for a bias-motivated attack at a local synagogue and for two unlawful gun possession charges



  • OPA Press Releases

ag

Justice Department Sues to Stop Chicago Man from Promoting Alleged Tax Scheme and Preparing Tax Returns

The United States filed a complaint today to bar Victor M. Crown, individually and through his businesses Crown and Franklin Accounting and Refunds, Crown-Franklin Accounting Inc., Accurate Accounting PV, and Lourdes Theodossis Estate, from promoting two alleged tax fraud schemes and from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced



  • OPA Press Releases