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Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening a Witness in a Federal Criminal Tax Trial

The Justice Department announced today that Anthony Williams, a resident of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty today to one count of threatening to retaliate against a witness in a federal criminal tax trial.



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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down South Texas Tax Preparer

The United States has filed a lawsuit asking a federal district court in McAllen, Texas, to permanently bar Hector Rangel Jr. from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Owner of Texas-based Ambulance Service Convicted of Health Care Fraud

A federal jury in Houston has convicted Gwendolyn Climmons-Johnson, 53, of multiple counts of health care fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for ambulance services.



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Justice Department Seeks to Shut Down Utah Tax Preparer

The Justice Department announced that on Nov. 1, 2013, it asked a federal court to bar Sergio Fernando Sosa and his company, Sergio Centro Latino, from preparing tax returns for others.



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Justice Department Sues to Stop Georgia Tax Return Preparer

Return Preparer Allegedly Overstated Refunds Through False First-Time Homebuyer Credits



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Debt Collection Employee and Son-in-Law Sent to Prison for Identity Theft Tax Scheme

Quentin Collick of Montgomery, Ala., and Deatrice Williams of Duluth, Ga., were sentenced Nov. 1, 2013, to serve 85 and 51 months in prison, respectively, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



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Lutz, Fla., Man Convicted on Drug Distribution and Sex Trafficking Charges

Acting U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III and Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels of the Civil Rights Division today announced the conviction of Andrew Blane Fields, 62, of Lutz, Fla., in the Middle District of Florida on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, namely Oxycodone, Dilaudid and Morphine, and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.



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Dentist Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Return

Jeffrey Paper of Potomac, Md., pleaded guilty yesterday to willfully filing a false tax return in the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Federal Court in Ohio Shuts Down Nation’s Fourth-Largest Tax-Preparation Firm and Bars CEO from Tax-Preparation Business

Judge Finds that Instant Tax Service Franchisor Defrauded Customers, Obstructed the IRS and Violated Court Orders on Lending Practices



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North Carolina Paving Contractor Pleads Guilty to Tax and Bank Fraud

Tommy Edward Clack pleaded guilty in federal court in Greensboro, N.C., to one count of willfully filing a false federal income tax return and one count of knowingly making a false statement to a federally-insured bank in order to obtain a mortgage loan, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Chicago Lawyer Permanently Barred from Promoting Tax-Fraud Schemes and Preparing Related Tax Returns

A federal court has permanently barred Gary J. Stern from promoting tax fraud schemes and from preparing related tax returns, the Justice Department announced today.



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Former Belen, N.M., Police Department Detective Indicted for Using Excessive Force Against Arrestee

A federal grand jury in Albuquerque, N.M., has returned a one-count indictment charging former Belen Police Department Detective John Lytle with unlawfully assaulting a victim, identified in the indictment as R.A., during an investigative stop and arrest on March 15, 2012.



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Justice Department Sues to Stop Louisiana Tax Return Preparer

The United States has asked a federal court in New Orleans to permanently bar Shawanda Nevers (aka Shawanda Bryant, aka Shawanda Hawkins, aka Shawanda Johnson) of La Place, La., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Court Authorizes IRS to Issue Summonses for Records Relating to U.S. Taxpayers with Offshore Bank Accounts

Five Banks Directed to Produce Records for Accounts at Zurcher Kantonalbank, The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited and Affiliates



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Alleged Leader of Mexican Narcotics Trafficking Organization Extradited to U.S.

The alleged leader of a Mexican narcotics trafficking organization responsible for trafficking multi-ton quantities of cocaine, Juan Juarez Orosco, aka “El Abuelo,” was extradited to the United States from Panama on Nov. 8, 2013, and arraigned on Nov. 10, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom in the Eastern District of New York.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Announces First Public Hearing of Task Force to Examine Impact of Violence on American Indian and Alaska Native Children

Attorney General Eric Holder today announced the first public hearing of a new task force to examine the impact of exposure to violence on American Indian and Alaska Native children. Joining President Obama and other officials at the Department of the Interior for the White House Tribal Nations Conference, Attorney General Holder shared the announcement with leaders from the 566 federally recognized tribes and emphasized the Justice Department’s long-standing collaboration with leaders in American Indian and Alaska Native communities to improve public safety.



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Internet Pharmacy Website Affiliate Pleads Guilty to Filing False Tax Return

Pamela B. Reid pleaded guilty last night to one count of filing a false individual income tax return for the 2006 tax year, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Role in Identity Theft and Tax Refund Scheme

Kevin Jackson of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 102 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, along with an order to pay $150,840.49 in restitution, for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama George L. Beck Jr.



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Pittsburgh Repeat Offender Sentenced to Prison for Tax Obstruction

Michael Carlow, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., was sentenced today to serve 35 months in prison for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced.



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Former Puerto Rico Police Officers Sentenced for Roles in Scheme to Extort a State Defendant for $50,000

Two former police officers with the Police of Puerto Rico were sentenced to serve 63 and 60 months in prison for attempting to extort a defendant and soliciting bribe payments of $50,000.



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Six Investors Indicted for Their Roles in Bid-Rigging Scheme at Municipal Tax Lien Auctions in New Jersey

A federal grand jury in Newark, N.J., returned an indictment against six investors for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids at auctions conducted by New Jersey municipalities for the sale of tax liens.



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Nursing Home Operator to Pay $48 Million to Resolve Allegations That Six California Facilities Billed for Unnecessary Therapy

The Ensign Group Inc., a skilled nursing provider based in Mission Viejo, Calif., that operates nursing homes across the western U.S. has agreed to pay $48 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted to Medicare false claims for medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy services.



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Cabot Corporation Agrees to Spend Over $84 Million to Control Harmful Air Pollution at Louisiana and Texas Facilities

Boston-based Cabot Corporation, the second largest carbon black manufacturer in the United States, has agreed to pay a $975,000 civil penalty and spend an estimated $84 million on state of the art technology to control harmful air pollution, resolving alleged violations of the New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act (CAA) at its three facilities in the towns of Franklin and Ville Platte, La., and Pampa, Texas, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. This agreement is the first to result from a national enforcement initiative aimed at bringing carbon black manufacturers into compliance with the CAA’s NSR provisions.



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Justice Department, Federal and State Partners Secure Record $13 Billion Global Settlement with JPMorgan for Misleading Investors About Securities Containing Toxic Mortgages

The Justice Department, along with federal and state partners, today announced a $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan - the largest settlement with a single entity in American history - to resolve federal and state civil claims arising out of the packaging, marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) by JPMorgan, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual prior to Jan. 1, 2009. As part of the settlement, JPMorgan acknowledged it made serious misrepresentations to the public - including the investing public - about numerous RMBS transactions. The resolution also requires JPMorgan to provide much needed relief to underwater homeowners and potential homebuyers, including those in distressed areas of the country. The settlement does not absolve JPMorgan or its employees from facing any possible criminal charges.



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Department of Justice Announces New Policy to Address Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking in the Workplace

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole today announced the release of a new Department of Justice policy for employees addressing the effects of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the workplace.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks on New Policy to Address Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking in the Workplace

As all of us know too well, domestic violence inflicts severe harm on our society. So many women, men and children in our country – of every background, ethnicity, age, disability and sexual orientation – are damaged by this devastating crime. According to the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 1 in 3 women in the United States will experience rape, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner at some time in their lives.




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Three Takata Corp. Executives Agree to Plead Guilty to Participating in Global Seatbelt Price Fixing Conspiracy

Three high-level executives of Tokyo-based Takata Corp. have agreed to plead guilty for their participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of seatbelts installed in cars sold in the United States.



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Two Executives Indicted for Roles in Fixing Prices on Automobile Parts Sold to Toyota to Be Installed in U.S. Cars

A Cleveland federal grand jury returned an indictment against two executives of a Japanese automotive supplier for their roles in an international conspiracy to fix prices of automotive anti-vibration rubber parts sold to Toyota and installed in U.S. cars.



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Superseding Indictment Returned Charging Father and Son with Sex Trafficking Offenses

A federal grand jury in Milwaukee has returned an 11-count superseding indictment adding David B. Moore, 45, as a defendant in the federal sex trafficking case involving his son, Najee Moore, 22.



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Three Aryan Brotherhood of Texas Gang Members Plead Guilty to Federal Racketeering Charges

Three members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) gang have pleaded guilty to racketeering charges related to their membership in the ABT’s criminal enterprise, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.



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Federal Court Shuts Down Two St. Louis Tax Return Preparers

A federal district judge in St. Louis has permanently barred defendants Joseph Burns, Joseph Thomas and International Tax Service Inc. from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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Justice Department Seeks to Intervene in Lawsuit Alleging H&s Tax Preparation Website Is Inaccessible to Individuals with Disabilities

The Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz announced today that they have moved to intervene in National Federation of the Blind et al v. HRB Digital LLC et al, a private lawsuit alleging disability discrimination by HRB Digital LLC and HRB Tax Group Inc., subsidiaries of H&R Block Inc.



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Three Subsidiaries of Weatherford International Limited Agree to Plead Guilty to FCPA and Export Control Violations

Three subsidiaries of Weatherford International Limited (Weatherford International), a Swiss oil services company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange, have agreed to plead guilty to anti-bribery provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and export controls violations under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA)



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Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Automobile Parts Installed in U.S. Cars

Osaka, Japan-based Toyo Tire & Rubber Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $120 million criminal fine for its role in two separate conspiracies to fix the prices of automotive components involving anti-vibration rubber and driveshaft parts installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Stanley Electric Co. Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Automobile Parts Installed in U.s. Cars

Stanley Electric Co. Ltd., a Tokyo-based company, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $1.44 million criminal fine for its participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of lamp ballasts installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere.



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Alabama Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme

Clarence Hicks, of Montgomery, Ala., was sentenced to serve 57 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $210,555.62 in restitution for his role in a stolen identity refund fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally of the Justice Department's Tax Division and U.S. Attorney George L. Beck Jr. for the Middle District of Alabama.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit to Stop Tennessee Woman from Preparing Tax Returns

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in a federal court in Memphis today to stop Stephanie Edmond and her businesses, the Tax Factory and Tax Factory Enterprise Inc., from preparing federal income tax returns.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination at Hartville, Ohio, Condominium Complex

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit late yesterday against the owners, builders and designers of a 54-unit condominium complex in Hartville, Ohio, for violations of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).



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Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud and Mail Fraud

Michael Edwards pleaded guilty today to one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and one count of mail fraud, the Justice Department and IRS announced.



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Former Medical Doctor Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct with Minors in Kenya

A former medical doctor was sentenced today to serve 20 years in prison for engaging in illicit sexual conduct with minors in Kenya.



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Justice Department Sues to Stop Somerville, N.J., Man from Preparing Tax Returns

The United States filed a lawsuit yesterday in The District of New Jersey to bar Eric Majette of Somerville, N.J., from preparing federal tax returns, the Justice Department announced today.



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20 Detroit-area Residents Charged in Medicare Fraud Strike Force Takedown for Approximately $34 Million in False Billing

Twenty Detroit-area residents have been charged for their roles in physician home visit, home health care, chiropractic and psychotherapy schemes to submit more than $34 million in false billing to Medicare.



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Justice Department Files Lawsuit to Stop Tennessee Man from Preparing Tax Returns

The Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit today in Memphis federal court to stop Grady Smith, who does business as One Price Refunds, from preparing federal tax returns.



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Former Sea Star Line President Sentenced to Serve Five Years in Prison for Role in Price-Fixing Conspiracy Involving Coastal Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico

The former president of Sea Star Line LLC, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based water freight carrier, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and to pay a $25,000 criminal fine for his participation in a conspiracy to fix rates and surcharges for freight transported by water between the continental United States and Puerto Rico.



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Owner of New York Sportswear Distribution Business Sentenced for Tax Fraud

Harry Neuhoff, a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison and three years supervised release for tax evasion, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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First Public Hearing of the American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence Task Force Held in Bismarck, N.D.

The Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of the Task Force on American Indian/Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence held its first public hearing today in Bismarck, N.D., convening tribal researchers, advocates and local community members to discuss domestic violence and child physical and sexual abuse in Indian Country.



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Utah Resident Pleads Guilty to Filing False Claims for Tax Refunds Totaling $653,884

Stanley J. Wardle, 65, of Spanish Fork, Utah, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City to nine counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced.



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Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the American Indian / Alaskan Native Children Exposed to Violence Hearing

ifty years ago Attorney General Robert Kennedy came here to Bismarck and spoke of the "tragic irony" of First Americans living in the freest country in the world yet imprisoned by conditions of poverty and deprivation -- conditions not found in the natural order of things but manmade, imposed and perpetuated by bigotry and greed and violence.




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U.S., U.K. Law Enforcement Launch Task Force to Counter Online Child Exploitation

The U.S. Department of Justice today hosted a meeting to launch a joint task force between the United Kingdom and the United States to counter online child exploitation



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Court Prohibits S.C. Tax Return Preparer from Preparing Returns for Others

A federal district judge in Charleston, S.C., has permanently barred Jessica Geddis, of Summerville, S.C., from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.



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