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Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Advertising and Possessing Child Pornography

Mark Edwin Cairnes of Jonestown, Texas, pleaded guilty today to advertising and possessing child pornography.



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UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Failing to Report $6.1 Million in Swiss Bank Accounts

A Saddle River, N.J., man pleaded guilty today to failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank or Financial Accounts (F-BAR. Juergen Homann appeared today before Judge Stanley R. Chesler in Newark, N.J., and accepted responsibility for concealing more than $5 million in Swiss bank accounts.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation by Franklin County, North Carolina

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit in federal court in Raleigh, N.C., against Franklin County, N.C., alleging that the county retaliated against a former employee in its Department of Public Utilities, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, after the employee complained about sexual harassment by a co-worker.



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Florida Limousine Drive Sentenced to Prison for Securities and Tax Fraud

Eli Goldshor of Boca Raton, Fla.,was sentenced today for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and willfully failing to file tax returns. Goldshor, a self-employed limousine driver, was sentenced by Judge William Zloch in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., to 18 months in prison.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit on Behalf of Michigan Servicemember Against Security Company

The Department today filed a lawsuit in federal court in Michigan alleging that Knight Protective Service Inc., willfully violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) by failing to promptly and properly reemploy King A. Gatten, a retired Army servicemember, when he returned from military service.



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Jury Convicts Defense Department Official of Unlawful Communication of Classified Information and Making False Statements

James Wilbur Fondren Jr., was convicted by a federal jury today on charges involving providing classified information to a man working with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and lying to the FBI about it.



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Seafood Wholesaler and Owner Sentenced in a Conspiracy to Illegally Harvest Rock Fish

Robert Lumpkins, owner of Golden Eye Seafood LLC, of St. Mary’s County, Md., was sentenced to 18 months in prison and the company was sentenced today to 3 years probation by U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte after a two day sentencing hearing in the District of Maryland.



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United States Transfers Three Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Three detainees have been transferred from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the control of the governments of Ireland and Yemen.



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Justice Department Announced Public Education Campaign Grants to Fight Immigration-Related Employment Discrimination

The Department today awarded $723,000 in grants to twelve groups serving communities throughout the country.



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Former Enron Broadband Co-Chief Executive Officer Sentenced For Wire Fraud

Joseph Hirko, former co-chief executive officer of Enron Broadband Services (EBS), Enron’s failed telecommunications business, was sentenced today to 16 months in prison.



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Detroit-Area Rehabilition Facility Executive Pleads Guilty To $18.2 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Suresh Chand pleaded guilty today to participating in multiple conspiracies to defraud the Medicare program and to launder the proceeds of the fraud.



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Justice Department Sues Massachusetts and Its Department of Corrections for Discriminating Against Female Job Applicants

The Department’s complaint alleges that Massachusetts and the MDOC are using an unlawful physical abilities test (PAT) that disproportionately screens out female applicants for entry-level correctional officer jobs.



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Justice Department Settlement Will Ensure Accessibility of Donna's Restaurant in Baltimore

The Department announced a settlement agreement to make Donna’s, a café and restaurant located in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore accessible to people with disabilities.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Alleging Retaliation by Franklin County, North Carolina

The Department has reached a consent decree with Franklin County, N.C., that, if approved in federal court in Raleigh, N.C., will resolve the department’s allegation that the county retaliated against a former employee in its Department of Public Utilities, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



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Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Virginia, Agrees to Settle Clean Water Act Violations in Chesapeake Bay Area

Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD), based in Virginia Beach, Va., has agreed to pay a $900,000 civil penalty and to take corrective actions to reduce alleged sanitary sewer overflows from its collection system and nine sewage treatment plants that have polluted the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.



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Formosa Plastics Corp., Texas, and Formosa Plastics Corp., Louisiana, will spend more than $10 million on pollution controls to address air, water, and hazardous waste violations at two petrochemical plants in Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La.

Formosa Plastics Corp., Texas, and Formosa Plastics Corp., Louisiana, will spend more than $10 million on pollution controls to address air, water, and hazardous waste violations at two petrochemical plants in Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La.



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Florida Man Indicted In Alleged Fraudulent Lobbying and Fund Raising Scheme

A Florida doctor was charged today by a federal grand jury in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., with allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent political fund raising and lobbying scheme through which he secretly diverted to himself more than $350,000 from contributions to political organizations he controlled.



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Man Indicted for Civil Rights Violations in Connection with Cross-Burning in Athens, Louisiana

Daniel Earl Danforth, 30, of Minden, La., has been indicted by a federal grand jury for hate crime violations and obstruction of justice charges stemming from a cross-burning in Athens, La., last year near the home of an interracial couple. Danforth was arrested today following the return of the indictment on Sept. 25, 2009.



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Polembros Shipping LTD. Pleads Guilty to Crimes Related to Pollution from Cargo Ship Traveling to New Orleans

Polembros Shipping LTD pleaded guilty today for violating anti-pollution laws, ship safety laws, and making false statements during a U.S. Coast Guard investigation of the M/V Theotokos.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Challenging Conditions at Two Erie County, New York, Correctional Facilities

The lawsuit alleging that conditions at the Erie County Holding Center and the Erie County Correctional Facility routinely and systematically deprive inmates of constitutional rights.



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Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Indianapolis Law Firm to Enforce the Employment Rights of Indiana National Guardsman

The consent decree will resolve the Department’s complaint on behalf of an Indiana National Guardsman alleging that the law firm violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA).



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Columbus, Indiana

The city violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to grant a nonprofit organization a permit to operate a group home for 11 men recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.



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AGCO Corp. to Pay $1.6 Million in Connection with Payments to the Former Iraqi Government Under the U.N. Oil-For-Food Program

AGCO Corp., a U.S. corporation based in Duluth, Ga., has agreed to pay a $1.6 million penalty for illegal kickbacks paid to the former government of Iraq.



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New Jersey Hospital to Pay $8.3 Million for Alleged Kickbacks and Causing Submission of False Claims to Medicare

“Today’s settlement reflects the Justice Department’s ongoing commitment to protect the integrity of the doctor-patient relationship,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division.



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Owner of Tennesse Salvage and Demolition Company Pleads Guilty to Environmental Crimes

Gary Fillers pleaded guilty to one criminal felony count for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act’s “work practice standards” related to the proper stripping, bagging, removal and disposal of asbestos.



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New OCDETF Strike Force Site Unveiled, Successes of Phoenix Operation Highlighted

Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden, along with federal and local officials today officially unveiled the new Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force site in Phoenix.



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Five Detroit Residents Plead Guilty to Health Care Fraud Charges

Detroit residents Dierdre Teagen, Robert Wynn, Ernest Neal, James Harris and Steve Sherman pleaded guilty for their roles in various Medicare fraud schemes.



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Former U.S. Army Reserve Major Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Conspiracy and Bribery Charges

Theresa Jeanne Baker was sentenced for her participation in two separate bribery conspiracies relating to DOD contracts at Camp Vistory, Iraq.



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Justice Department Reaches Settlement with First United Security Bank of Thomasville, Alabama, Regarding Alleged Discrimination in Lending

The Bank will invest more than $600,000, open a new branch in an African-American neighborhood in west central Alabama and take other steps as part of a settlement.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Auto Lending Discrimination in Los Angeles

The United States has filed a lawsuit alleging that a bank and two automobile dealerships in Los Angeles violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act by charging non-Asian-American customers higher interest rate mark-ups for a period of at least two years.



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Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli's Testimony "Advancing Freedom of Information in the New Era of Responsibility"

"We at the Department are especially committed to encouraging compliance with the Act and to fulfilling President Obama's goal of making this Administration the most open and transparent in history."




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Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden Speaks at the Phoenix OCDETF Strike Force

The OCDETF Program -- now in its 27th year -- is a model of interagency coordination, innovation, and teamwork, and is the cornerstone of the Justice Department’s anti-cartel strategy.




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Justice Department Announces Success in Battle Against Firearms Trafficking and Recovery Act Funds to Build on Project Gunrunner

Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Acting Director Kenneth E. Melson today announced the results of ATF’s Gun Runner Impact Team (GRIT) initiative, a 120-day deployment of ATF resources to the Houston Field Division to disrupt illegal firearms trafficking by Mexican drug cartels



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Justice Department Observes October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month

“We know domestic violence is an epidemic that affects communities across this country regardless of age, race or socio-economic background,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.



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Former New Jersey Firefighter Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

Matthew Fox, a former Atlantic City, N.J., firefighter, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Jerome B. Simandle in Newark, N.J.



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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Georgia Tax Preparer

The United States has sued a tax return preparer in Marietta, Ga., seeking to bar him from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Owner of Alabama Tire Store Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion

Timothy Smith, a resident of Cullman, Ala., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for tax evasion.



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Southern Union Company Is Penalized $18 Million for Illegally Storing Mercury at a Rhode Island Site

A federal judge today assessed the Southern Union Company $18 million for illegally storing mercury at a company-owned site in Pawtucket.



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Three Gang Members Plead Guilty to Murder and Drug Conspiracy Charges; Two Others Sentenced on Drug Charges

Guilty pleas were entered today in federal court in Lubbock, Texas, by three admitted gang members who were charged for their participation in a violent drive-by shooting in which two people, a man and a pregnant woman, were killed, and four others were wounded.



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Seattle Area UBS Client Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Tax Return

According to court documents and statements made in court, Cittadini, a retired sales manager for Boeing, failed to report income from bank accounts under his control at UBS AG in Switzerland on his individual income tax returns from 2001 through 2003.



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Sulfuric Acid Manufacturer Agrees to Resolve Clean Air Violations

Mosaic Fertilizer will spend approximately $30 million on air pollution controls that are expected to eliminate harmful emissions from its sulfuric acid production plant in Uncle Sam, La.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference

"Talk alone isn’t going to keep crime rates down. Talk alone isn’t going to protect innocent victims. Talk alone isn’t going to stop rival gangs from shooting up our streets, or drug dealers from peddling dope in our schools, or terrorists from attacking our cities. Indeed, we all know that the best ideas in the world are worth little without the resources to implement them."




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Hunting Guides Plead Guilty for Knowingly Attempting to Acquire Protected Alligator

Travis Dardenne and Jeffery Brown of Plaquemine, La., each pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., to a violation of the Lacey Act for knowingly attempting to acquire an American alligator in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act and Louisiana law.



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Federal Court Bars Texas Woman from Preparing Tax Returns

A federal district court in Texas has permanently enjoined Ludivina Salinas of Mission, Texas, from preparing federal income tax returns for others.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Welcomes Thomas E. Perez as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division

“One of my highest priorities as Attorney General has been to ensure that the Civil Rights Division will again continue to advance the interests of justice and equal protection for all Americans. Tom is an exceptional lawyer and both the Department and the nation will benefit from his leadership and legal expertise,” said Attorney General Eric Holder.



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Indiana Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges

James M. Tanksley, 52, pleaded guilty today to receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 80 months in prison.



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Colorado Man Sued by the Justice Department for Promoting Alleged Tax Fraud Schemes

The United States has asked a federal court in Denver to bar Curtis Morris, an Elizabeth, Colo., tax return preparer, and his business, Numbers & Beyond, from preparing tax returns.



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Attorney General and Education Secretary Call for National Conversation on Values and Student Violence

“Youth violence isn’t a Chicago problem, any more than it is a black problem or a white problem. It’s something that affects communities big and small, and people of all races and colors. Today is the beginning of what will be a sustained, national effort on behalf of this entire administration to address youth violence and to make our streets safe for everyone,” Holder said.



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Rhode Island Machine Shop Owner Sentenced to Prison for Tax Crimes

Bruce Lapierre of Pascoag, R.I., was sentenced to 51 months in prison today for tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States



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Indianapolis Man Sentenced for Transportation and Possession of Child Pornography

Michael Wildridge, 41, pleaded guilty today to transportation and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.



  • OPA Press Releases