A former executive of a New York-based tax liens company who supervised the purchasing of municipal tax liens at auctions in New Jersey pleaded guilty today for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for the sale of tax liens auctioned by municipalities throughout the state.

The United States has sued to shut down five Florida tax return preparers, the Justice Department announced today.

On April 17, 2012, a federal grand jury returned a four count indictment charging Beverly S. Beavers and James E. Beavers of Knoxville, Tenn., with conspiracy to defraud the United States and filing false claims for tax refunds, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Stephen Murphy, a Utah resident, pleaded guilty in federal court in Salt Lake City to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, and was sentenced the same day to 24 months in prison, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. U.S. District Court Judge Dee Benson presided over the plea hearing and sentencing, which took place yesterday.

American pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharp & Dohme was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris in Boston to pay a criminal fine in the amount of $321,636,000 in connection with its guilty plea related to its promotion and marketing of the painkiller Vioxx (rofecoxib), the Justice Department announced today.

The United States has asked a federal court to bar three Philadelphia-area tax preparers from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. According to the government complaint in the civil injunction suit, defendants Deron Joe, Edmund Dassin and James Tokpawhiea are Liberian nationals who are legal permanent residents of the United States. The suit alleges that most of the customers of their business, Urban Tax Professionals, are also from Liberia and were referred to the defendants by family or friends.

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that attorney Aristotle “Rick” R. Matsa, of Worthington, Ohio, was convicted of numerous tax fraud and obstruction of justice related offenses, including witness tampering and making a false statement.

A financial investor who purchased municipal tax liens at auctions in New Jersey, as well as a company in which he was a partner, pleaded guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids for the sale of tax liens auctioned by municipalities throughout the state.

Tokyo-based Fujikura Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $20 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices of automotive wire harnesses and related products installed in U.S. cars.

On April 20, 2012, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. sentenced Michael Burkett, 34, aka “Redneck,” to 27 months in prison and Shane Dallmeyer, 31, aka “Lock Jaw,” to 33 months in prison.

At the final hearing of Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence in Detroit, officials from the Justice Department and the city of Detroit underscored efforts to keep kids safe and prevent youth violence. The task force is a key part of Attorney General Holder’s Defending Childhood Initiative to prevent and reduce children’s exposure to violence.

Ernst Pierre, a Port St. Lucie, Fla., tax preparer, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Pierre was charged with a scheme to file false federal income tax returns using stolen identity information.

Kevin P. Mahoney of Attleboro, Mass., was sentenced today to 60 months in prison, following trial convictions on corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue laws, filing false tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and criminal contempt of court, the Justice Department and the IRS announced. U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro presided over the trial and imposed the sentence. A Boston jury convicted licensed stockbroker, insurance agent and financial advisor Mahoney on Jan. 25, 2012. Mahoney was charged with one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue laws, eight counts of contempt of court and eight counts of filing false tax returns. He was convicted on all counts. Judge Tauro also ordered Mahoney to pay $367,000 in restitution to the IRS. Mahoney was remanded to prison immediately following the sentencing hearing.

A federal court in New Orleans has permanently barred Cathy and Lashanda Vinnett from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The civil injunction order, to which the Vinnetts agreed without admitting the government’s allegations, was signed by Judge Helen G. Berrigan of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Anthony L. Dinunzio, 53, of East Boston, Mass., the alleged leader of the New England organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra (NELCN), was arrested today on racketeering and extortion charges.

The Justice Department today announced that it has reached a consent decree with Waupaca County, Wis., to resolve allegations that the county discriminated against an employee by denying her a promotion because of her sex.

An executive of Japanese-based DENSO Corporation has agreed to plead guilty and to serve 14 months in a U.S. prison for his role in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for heater control panels (HCPs) installed in U.S. cars.

Howard Levine, owner of a Dix Hill, N.Y., tax preparation business was sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax crimes, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

"This month is an invitation. It’s an invitation for us to stand together and confront the enormity of sexual violence; to re-dedicate ourselves to bringing justice to victims and their families; to break the silence and to redouble our efforts to hold perpetrators of sexual assault accountable," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.

"Over the past couple of years OVW has made a concerted effort to prioritize sexual violence by providing grants to address the gap in services and resources for victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence," said Acting Director Hanson.

Richard Jaensch, 54, of Annandale, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. Jaensch had been found guilty on Dec. 7, 2011, by a federal jury sitting in Alexandria, Va., of corruptly endeavoring to impede the IRS, filing a false claim for a refund and four counts of failing to file tax returns for 2004 through 2007. Judge Lee also sentenced Jaensch to three years supervised release and ordered him to pay $197,984 in restitution to the IRS.

An executive of Korean-based Hitachi-LG Data Storage Inc. (HLDS) has agreed to plead guilty and to serve time in a U.S. prison for his participation in a series of conspiracies to rig bids for the sale of optical disk drives.

National Express Corporation and Petermann Partners Inc. will divest several school bus contracts and associated assets in the states of Washington and Texas in order to proceed with their proposed merger.

The Department of Justice today announced a series of investigations stemming from allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment at the University of Montana and in the greater Missoula, Mont., community. These investigations will seek to determine whether gender discrimination affected the prevention, investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults and sexual harassment in Missoula.

Curtis Morris, 43, of Elizabeth, Colo., and Richard Kellogg Armstrong, 77, of Prescott, Ariz., were found guilty on April 30, 2012, by a jury for mail fraud, filing false claims against the United States and conspiracy to file false claims against the United States, announced the Justice Department’s Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and IRS-Criminal Investigation. In addition to these counts, Armstrong was also found guilty of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from the mail fraud. The guilty verdicts were the result of a three week trial before U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn. Morris and Armstrong are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 10, 2012.

A federal grand jury sitting in Montgomery, Ala., has returned an indictment charging David Marrero, formerly a resident of Florida, with corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and filing false claims, the Justice Department and IRS announced today.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that a nationwide takedown by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in seven cities has resulted in charges against 107 individuals, including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $452 million in false billing.

Michael Dewayne Smith, 31, aka “Bucky,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in the Western District of Texas.

An executive of South Korean-based Hyosung Corporation has agreed to plead guilty and to serve time in a U.S. prison for obstruction of justice charges in connection with an automated teller machine (ATM) merger investigation conducted by the Antitrust Division.

A federal court in Dallas has permanently barred Joseph Rivas of DeSoto, Texas, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The civil injunction order, to which Rivas consented without admitting the allegations against him, was signed by Judge Sidney Fitzwater of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Frederic Alan Gladle, 53, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel.

Barbara Murry, Douglas Murry, Douglas Murry III, Yolanda Moses, Lee Moses, Veronica Temple, Jeffrey Temple, Almetta Johnson and Courtney Johnson were charged in an indictment by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of counts stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Lawrence Etsitty, 30, a former police officer with the Navajo Police Department, pleaded guilty today in federal court to two charges related to the sexual abuse of a woman who was in his custody on Jan. 25, 2009. Etsitty pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of the victim when he touched and kissed her against her will, while she was handcuffed. Etsitty also pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI in connection with the sexual assault. Etsitty did not enter a plea to the portion of the indictment that alleged the offense included kidnapping.

James Mozie of Oakland Park, Fla., was sentenced today to life in prison on charges of sex trafficking of minors and production of child pornography.

Margaret Kirksey, 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.

Karl Herrington, of Parma, Mich., was sentenced today to 97 months in prison, following convictions at trial for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue laws, filing false tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and being a felon in possession of firearms, the Justice Department, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the IRS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced today.

Pharmacia Corporation and Bayer CropScience Inc. have agreed to pay $4.25 million to federal and state natural resource trustees to resolve claims for natural resource damages connected with the Industri-plex Superfund site located in Woburn, Mass.

The city of Unalaska, Alaska, will undertake a major upgrade of its municipal sewage treatment plant under a settlement of a Clean Water Act enforcement action filed against the city and the state of Alaska by the Department of Justice on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor municipal elections on May 12, 2012, in Dallas, Galveston, and Jasper Counties in Texas to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Luigi “Louie” Manocchio, an admitted former boss and underboss of the New England La Cosa Nostra (NELCN), was sentenced today to 66 months in federal prison for his leadership of and participation in a racketeering and extortion conspiracy that demanded and received between $800,000 and $1.5 million in “protection” payments from several Rhode Island adult entertainment businesses from 1995-2009.

Al J. Hurley, 54, is charged in a three-count indictment filed in the Middle District of Georgia with attempted extortion, bribery and false statements.

George Anderson, 57, an anesthesiologist from Farmville, Va., pleaded guilty today to two counts of filing a false corporate and false individual income tax return, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.

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

Douglas Kuester, a tax preparer from Silver City, N.M., pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of filing false claims and aggravated identity theft the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Kuester was indicted on Jan. 18, 2012.

The Justice Department, along with U.S. Attorney Michael J. Moore, Middle District of Georgia, today announced that a grand jury returned a superseding indictment against former Wilcox County Sheriff Stacy Bloodsworth; his son, Austin Bloodsworth; and former Wilcox County Jailer Casey Owens. The superseding indictment charges the defendants with assaulting three different inmates inside of the Wilcox County Jail on July 23, 2009, thereby violating their civil rights. As a result of the assaults, one inmate suffered a broken jaw, and two other inmates sustained bruises and scratches. The indictment also charges the defendants with conspiring to cover up the assaults. In addition, Stacy Bloodsworth and Austin Bloodsworth were charged with lying to the FBI, while Owens was charged with writing a false report about the incident. Stacy Bloodsworth was charged with tampering with one of the victims, as well as two witnesses.

Thomas K. Frye and Kathy M. Frye, husband and wife, and residents of Andalusia, Ala., pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.

Two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been sentenced to federal prison for their role in an aggravated assault that took place in Tomball, Texas, in September 2008.

Massoud Habibion, 49, a U.S. citizen, Mohsen Motamedian, 44, a U.S. citizen, and their Costa Mesa, Calif., company, Online Micro LLC, were sentenced today in the District of Columbia in connection with a scheme to illegally export millions of dollars worth of computer-related goods from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The indictment charges Paul Ben Arredondo, 63, of Tempe, with one count of federal programs bribery, two counts of honest services mail fraud, one count of attempted Hobbs Act extortion and one count of making false statements.

The United States has sued Pete Gutierrez and Jeanette Gutierrez, who do business as Fast Cash Refund Express and Fast Cash Refund Express Electronic Services, seeking to bar them and their companies from preparing any federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. In addition to the Gutierrezes, the civil injunction suit also named FCRE Inc., and Fast Cash Refund Express Electronic Tax Service LLC, as defendants.