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Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos Across the United States

The co-founder of a criminal enterprise known as the "Tran Organization" pleaded guilty today in San Diego to conspiring to participate in the organization’s scheme to cheat casinos across the country out of millions of dollars.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the King Center’s Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Event

"Dr. King’s example provides proof that, in the work of promoting peace and ensuring justice, one person can make a difference," said Attorney General Holder.




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Alleged Terrorist Charged with Conspiracy to Kill Americans in Iraq

Faruq Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa, 38, was arrested in Canada today pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest warrant, based on a complaint in the United States charging him with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and with providing material support to that terrorist conspiracy to kill Americans abroad.



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Belarusian National Pleads Guilty to International Online Scheme to Steal U.S. Tax Refunds

A Belarusian national and resident of Nantucket, Mass., pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from his participation in an international online scheme to steal income tax refunds from U.S. taxpayers around the country.



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Importer of Defective Zylon Fiber Used in Bullet Proof Vests Reaches Settlement with United States

N.I. Teijin Shoji Co. Ltd., aka N.I. Teisho of Japan, and an American subsidiary, N.I. Teijin Shoji (USA) Inc., have agreed to pay the United States $1.5 million to resolve potential claims under the False Claims Act in connection with the companies’ importation and sale of defective Zylon fiber which was used as the key ballistic material in bulletproof vests.



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Patient Recruiter Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for His Role in a Fraudulent Diagnostic Testing Scheme

A Detroit-area patient recruiter was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program.



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Illinois Firefighter Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Charges

A Rochester, Ill., firefighter pleaded guilty today to one count of production of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography and one count of destruction of evidence.



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California Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Stephen Sims was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Gustave Diamond in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 17 years in prison for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



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Food Processor to Pay $390,000 Penalty for Illegal Wastewater Discharges into Kansas-Oklahoma River

An Illinois food processing company has agreed to pay a $390,000 civil penalty to the United States to settle allegations that its Baxter Springs, Kan., processing facility overloaded the city’s wastewater treatment system with millions of gallons of industrial wastewater, at times causing pollution along a 22-mile-long section of the Spring River in southeast Kansas and northeast Oklahoma.



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New York Broker Indicted for Alleged Role in International Stock Fraud Scheme

An indictment unsealed today in Detroit charges stock broker Gregg M. Berger of New York for his role in a wide-ranging fraud scheme to illegally pump-and-dump thinly-traded Chinese and Israeli stocks.



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Pennsylvania Woman Pleads Guilty in Plot to Recruit Violent Jihadist Fighters and to Commit Murder Overseas

Colleen R. LaRose, aka “Jihad Jane,” 47, pleaded guilty today to all counts of a superseding indictment charging her with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements and attempted identity theft. LaRose faces maximum potential sentence of life in prison and a $1 million fine when she is sentenced.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Meeting

"As part of this fight against human trafficking, specialized Anti-Trafficking Coordination Teams, known as ACTeams, will be convened in a number of pilot districts nationwide," said Attorney General Holder.




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Executive of California Aftermarket Auto Lights Distributor Agrees to Plead Guilty in Price-Fixing Conspiracy

An executive of a U.S. distributor has agreed to plead guilty and serve jail time for his participation in a global conspiracy to fix the prices of aftermarket auto lights.



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Five Individuals and One Tennessee Company Charged with Conspiracy to Violate Arms Export Control Act and Related Offenses in International Arms Trafficking Scheme

Five individuals and a Nashville, Tenn., firearms manufacturer have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges relating to international firearms and trafficking violations of the Arms Export Control Act.



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North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges

Daniel Patrick Boyd, aka “Saifullah,” 40, pleaded guilty today in federal court in New Bern, N.C., to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons in a foreign country.



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Virginia Man Sentenced to 102 Months in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Ryan Chiles of Hampton, Va., was sentenced today in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 102 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



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FBI and Justice Department Response to NAS Review of Scientific Approaches Used During the Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters

The FBI and Department of Justice response to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences report, "Review of the Scientific Approaches Used During the FBI’s Investigation of the 2001 Anthrax Letters."



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Virginia Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Fred Woolum of Lexington, Va., was sentenced today in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



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Secretary Napolitano and Attorney General Holder Form Joint Task Force to Assist Mexico’s Investigation into Yesterday’s Shooting of Two ICE Agents in Mexico

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder today met to discuss the shooting by unknown assailants of two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents in the line of duty yesterday while driving in Mexico.



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Romanian Man Pleads Guilty for Role in International Fraud Scheme Involving Online Auction Websites

A Romanian man pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly in Chicago to one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy for his role in moving and hiding the illicit proceeds of an international fraud scheme.



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Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli Speaks at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium Annual Winter Conference

"Whether it’s an 18-year-old who wants to be the first person in his family to attend college and become a teacher, or a 32-year-old single mother taking evening courses in nursing, or a tribal elder who enjoys participating in courses on tribal history and language, the threads that weave your colleges together with your communities are especially strong and resilient."




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U.S. Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc.

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois.



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Letter from the Attorney General to Congress on Litigation Involving the Defense of Marriage Act

The Attorney General sent the following letter today to Congressional leadership to inform them of the Department’s course of action in two lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States, challenging Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for federal purposes as only between a man and a woman.



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U.S. Sues Two California Lawyers & Kentucky Financial Professional to Block Nationwide Promotion of "Intermediary Transaction" Tax Shelter

The United States has sued two Southern California attorneys and a Kentucky financial professional to bar them from promoting an allegedly abusive tax shelter known as an “intermediary transaction.”



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Horizon Lines LLC Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price Fixing on Coastal Water Freight Services Between the Continental United States and Puerto Rico

Horizon Lines LLC has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $45 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the coastal water freight transportation industry.



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Virginia Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Providing Material Support and Encouraging Violent Jihadists to Kill U.s. Citizens

Zachary Adam Chesser, 21, of Fairfax County, Va., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for communicating threats against the writers of the South Park television show, soliciting violent jihadists to desensitize law enforcement, and attempting to provide material support to Al-Shabaab, a designated foreign terrorist organization.



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Four CD and DVD Counterfeiters and Suppliers in Atlanta Sentenced to Prison

Four individuals have been sentenced this week in Atlanta by U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey Jr., for their involvement in a counterfeit DVD and CD ring.



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New Hampshire Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Patrick Carney of Manchester, N.H., was sentenced today in the Western District of Pennsylvania to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



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Arch Coal to Pay $4 Million to Settle Clean Water Act Violations in Appalachian Mining Operations

Arch Coal Inc., the second largest supplier of coal in the United States, has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty to settle alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky.



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Colorado Woman Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists

Jamie Paulin Ramirez, 32, a U.S. citizen and former resident of Colorado, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.



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Statement of Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security

Chairman Sensenbrenner, Ranking Member Scott, and members of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, thank you for inviting me to testify today concerning the three provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (“FISA”) that were recently reauthorized but are scheduled to sunset again in May.




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Two Contractors Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter for Death of Afghan National in Kabul, Afghanistan

A federal jury in Norfolk, Va., today convicted Justin Cannon, 27, of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Christopher Drotleff, 29, of Virginia Beach, Va., of involuntary manslaughter while working as contractors for the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan.



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Consol Energy to Pay $5.5 Million Penalty and Install Wastewater Treatment Plant to Settle Clean Water Act Violations

The U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of West Virginia announced today that Consol Energy Inc., the largest producer of coal from underground mines in the United States, has agreed to pay a $5.5 million civil penalty for Clean Water Act violations at six of its mines in West Virginia.



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United States Files Counterclaims Against KBR Alleging False Claims and Kickbacks

In response to a pending lawsuit from Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc. (KBR) in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the Department of Justice has filed counterclaims alleging that KBR managers had received kickbacks from a dining facility subcontractor in violation of the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Act.



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Operator of Tax Preparation Business Sentenced to 17 ½ Years in Prison in Fraudulent Tax Shelter Conspiracy

U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Irvin Hannis Catlett Jr., 64, of Crownsville, Md., today to 210 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for tax offenses in connection with a scheme to prepare individual income tax returns for clients, which reported bogus tax losses from a purported car leasing company.



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Justice Department Officials Raise Awareness of Disaster Fraud Hotline for Reporting Fraudulent Charitable Contribution Schemes

The Department of Justice reminds members of the public to be aware of and report any instances of suspected fraudulent charitable contribution schemes related to the natural disasters in Japan.



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Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Rhode Island on Voter Registration at Public Assistance and Disability Offices

“The voting process begins with registration, and it is essential that all citizens have unfettered access to voter registration opportunities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.



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Justice Department Issues Letter Regarding Illegal Exclusion of Individuals with HIV/AIDS from Occupational Training and State Licensing

The Justice Department has issued letters to the attorneys general of all 50 states, as well as U.S. territories to request their assistance in addressing the illegal exclusion of individuals with HIV/AIDS from occupational training and state licensing.



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Former Executive of California Aftermarket Auto Lights Distributor Agrees to Plead Guilty in Price-Fixing Conspiracy

A former executive of a California aftermarket auto lights distributor has agreed to plead guilty for his participation in a global conspiracy to fix the prices of aftermarket auto lights.



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Chinese Counterfeit Perfume Importers Indicted for Allegedly Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods

A federal grand jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., has returned a two- count indictment against Shaoxia Huang, Shaoxiong Zhou and Shaowu Zhou for trafficking in counterfeit goods and conspiracy.



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Justice Department Files Suit Against Winchester, Va., to Protect Employment Rights of U.S. Marine Corps Reservist

The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit on behalf of Jon Fultz, a U.S. Marine Corps reservist, against the city of Winchester, Va., alleging that it violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by failing to properly reemploy Fultz in September 2009 when he returned from military service during which he sustained a knee injury.



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United States and European Union Launch Formal Negotiations for an Agreement to Protect Personal Information Exchanged in the Context of Fighting Crime and Terrorism

A Joint statement on behalf of the United States and the European Union:



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Nebraska Man Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced to 102 Months in Prison for Engaging in a Child Exploitation Enterprise

Brandon Miller, 23, of Omaha, Neb., was sentenced today to 102 months in prison and a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to engaging in a child exploitation enterprise.



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Alabama Sisters Indicted for Tax Fraud and Identity Theft

Loretta and Tracey Fergerson were indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama on a variety of charges stemming from an identity theft and tax fraud conspiracy.



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Statement of Todd Hinnen, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security

Today I will address other national security investigative authorities enacted or amended as part of the USA PATRIOT Act, focusing in particular on the legal authorities relating to national security letters.




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Taiwanese Shipping Company Convicted for Discharging Oily Bilge Waste into the Waters of American Samoa

Koo’s Shipping Company S.A., a Taiwanese corporation, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of making false statements, knowingly failing to fully and accurately maintain an oil record book as required by international treaty and U.S. law, and for knowingly discharging oily bilge waste into Pago Pago Harbor, American Samoa, without using proper pollution prevention equipment.



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Antitrust Division Issues 2011 Edition of Its Annual Newsletter

The newsletter provides information about the recent activities and accomplishments of the Antitrust Division for the general public as well as the legal and business communities.



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Justice Department Refers Five Accused 9/11 Plotters to Military Commissions

The Justice Department today announced that the cases involving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of conspiring to commit the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks have been referred to the Defense Department to proceed in military commissions and that the federal indictment against these defendants that was returned under seal by a grand jury in the Southern District of New York on Dec. 14, 2009 has been unsealed and dismissed.



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Joint Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder and Italian Minister of Justice Angelino Alfano Regarding Continued Cooperation

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Italian Minister of Justice Angelino Alfano today met at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., to re-affirm the joint commitment of the United States and Italy to strengthen cooperation in the ongoing fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime.



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New Jersey Wastewater Treatment and Chemical Supply Company and Owner Sentenced for Their Role in Fraud Conspiracy

A Laurel Springs, N.J., wastewater treatment and chemical supply company and its owner were sentenced today for participating in a fraud conspiracy in connection with sub-contracts for wastewater treatment supplies and services at two Superfund sites in New Jersey.



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