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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland Annual Luncheon

"In so many different ways, this organization – along with its ever-expanding network of partners – has been instrumental in improving lives and bringing positive change to communities across this city," said Attorney General Holder.




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New Jersey Glass Manufacturer to Install State-of-the-Art Emissions Controls to Resolve Violations of the Clean Air Act

Under a settlement announced today by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Durand Glass Manufacturing Company Inc. has agreed to install emissions controls on its three glass furnaces that will reduce more than 173 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 23 tons of particulate matter (PM) per year.



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Two Miami-Area Doctors Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Participating in $205 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Miami-area residents Dr. Mark Willner and Dr. Alberto Ayala, former medical directors at the mental health care company American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), were each sentenced today to 10 years in prison for participating in a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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El Paso-Based ReadyOne Industries to Pay $5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

ReadyOne Industries Inc. has agreed to pay $5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false certifications regarding the annual percentages of direct labor hours performed by people with severe disabilities.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference

"That’s why today’s Justice Department is determined – and I am determined – to meet acts of senseless violence with renewed vigilance. It’s also why we’re striving to promote innovative, evidence-based strategies, programs, and information-sharing tools that can help us to analyze and address specific types of threats," said Attorney General Holder.




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Justice Department Obtains Comprehensive Agreement to Resolve Racial Harassment in Ohio School District

The Justice Department announced that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the Northeastern Local School District in Springfield and South Vienna, Ohio, to resolve allegations of racial harassment of African-American students in the district. The district serves approximately 3,700 students, less than two percent of whom are African-American.



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Acting Associate Attorney General Tony West Speaks at the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group Press Conference

"While the Task Force’s goals are ambitious, its foundation is simple: Those in all levels of the government charged with protecting the public from fraud and abuse cannot work in compartmentalized silos. Instead, we must be cohesive, coordinated, and committed to a common purpose, because working together, we can achieve more than we can separately," said Acting Associate Attorney General West.




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Two Men Sentenced to Prison for Participation in Online Conspiracy to Trade Child Pornography

An Oregon man and a Virginia man were sentenced to prison for their role in a conspiracy to advertise, distribute and possess child pornography.



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Army National Guard Soldier Pleads Guilty in Connection with Fraudulent Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

Specialist Stephanie Heller, 37, of Wharton, Texas, pleaded guilty to a two-count criminal information charging her with one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud.



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Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supplier Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Los Angeles medical equipment supplier, who submitted almost $1 million in false claims to Medicare for expensive, high-end power wheelchairs, was sentenced today to serve 30 months in prison.



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US Customs and Border Protection Officer and Two Associates Charged with Undertaking Multi-Year Bribery and Alien Smuggling Operation Along the US/Mexico Border

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer, his girlfriend and an associate have been charged in Brownsville, Texas, for engaging in a multi-year bribery and alien smuggling operation along the U.S./Mexico.



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Justice Department Files Fair Housing Lawsuit Against Florida Homeowners Association and Management Company for Discrimination Against Families with Children

The Justice Department today filed a lawsuit against the homeowners association and former manager of a 249-townhome community in Gibsonton, Fla., for violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against families with children.



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Miami-Area Therapist Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Participating in $205 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Miami-area resident Vanja Abreu (Ph.D), former program director at the mental health care company American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for participating in a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Former U.S. Navy Seaman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

James Driver, 24, of Midland, Mich., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington in the Eastern District of Michigan.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Southeastern Regional Investor Fraud Summit

"At every level, my colleagues and I have made the fight against financial fraud a top priority. We’re more determined than ever to eradicate these crimes – and, alongside more than two dozen additional federal government agencies and private sector partners, we’ve made an historic commitment to advancing this work at the national level," said Attorney General Holder.




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Owner of Miami Home Health Company Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for $42 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Eulises Escalona, 44, of Monroe County, Fla., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard in the Southern District of Florida.



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Louisiana Man Sentenced in Virginia to 25 Years in Prison for Filming His Sexual Abuse of a Minor Girl

Gregory Thomas Miller, 57, of Deville, La., pleaded guilty on April 27, 2012, to a 10-count indictment charging him with seven counts of production of child pornography, one count of transporting child pornography, one count of possessing child pornography and one count of marijuana possession.



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Ohio Insurance Salesman Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Tax Evasion

A federal judge today sentenced William A. Herder of Richland County, Ohio, to 37 months in prison for tax crimes, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi also ordered Herder to pay restitution to the IRS. On May 21, 2012, an Akron, Ohio, jury convicted Herder on all counts of an indictment that charged Herder with one count of tax evasion, one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue laws and five counts of willful failure to file tax returns.



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Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Speaks at the Southeastern Regional Reentry Conference

"As we continue to work with reentry projects and learn about them, we realize more and more that they need to be sustained and continuous if they are to be successful. They need to start the first day an individual arrives at the prison," said Deputy Attorney General Cole.




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Two Former Hospital Employees Sentenced to Serve Time in Prison for Participating in Kickback Schemes at New York City Hospital

Two former high-ranking employees of facilities operations at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) were sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, by Judge George B. Daniels today for their participation in two separate conspiracies involving kickbacks.



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Massachusetts Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion and Conspiracy to Obstruct and Impede the IRS

A federal judge in Boston sentenced Gary Alcock today to 14 months in prison for tax evasion, for conspiring to defraud the United States, and for willfully failing to file tax returns, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor also ordered Gary Alcock to pay restitution in the amount of $515,518. Alcock pleaded guilty to the charges on Dec. 9, 2011, and provided substantial assistance to the government in prosecuting the case against the remaining defendants, which Judge Saylor cited, among other factors, as a basis for a reduced sentence.



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Detroit Area Gas Station Owner and His Bookkeeper Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Duggan sentenced Elsayed Kazem “Tom” Safiedine to 21 months in prison and Mary Fawaz to 12 months and one day in prison for tax fraud, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Safiedine and Fawaz were convicted by a Detroit jury of conspiring to defraud the United States by impeding and impairing the lawful functions of the IRS.



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Three Former Financial Services Executives Sentenced to Serve Time in Prison for Roles in Conspiracies Involving Investment Contracts for the Proceeds of Municipal Bonds

Three former financial services executives were sentenced today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, for their participation in conspiracies related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts.



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Owner and Operator of Florida Halfway House Company Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Role in Medicare Fraud Scheme

Hassan Collins, 41, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kevin Michael Moore in the Southern District of Florida.



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Justice Department Reaches Proposed Agreement with the Town of East Haven, Connecticut, to Resolve Allegations of Misconduct by the East Haven Police Department

The Justice Department today announced that the town of East Haven, Conn., memorialized its intention to enter into a settlement agreement to resolve the department’s civil investigation of allegations that the East Haven Police Department (EHPD) engaged in a pattern or practice of unlawful discrimination against Latinos on account of their race, color or national origin. The proposed agreement also resolves allegations that EHPD engaged in a pattern or practice of use of excessive force, unconstitutional searches and seizures and retaliation against persons who witnessed police misconduct or criticized EHPD’s practices.



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President of Costa Rican Company Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison for Half-Billion Dollar Fraud Scheme with Thousands of Victims Worldwide

Minor Vargas Calvo, 61, a citizen and resident of Costa Rica, is the majority owner of Provident Capital Indemnity (PCI) Ltd., an insurance and reinsurance company registered in the Commonwealth of Dominica and doing business in Costa Rica.



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Alabama Woman Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

Jacqueline Slaton was sentenced to 70 months in prison and order to pay restitution of over $100,000 for her involvement in stolen identity refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Department of Health and Human Services Employee Sentenced in North Carolina to Prison for Theft of Government Funds

Jihan S. Cover, 34, of Arden, N.C., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger in the Western District of North Carolina.



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Former Supervisor at Georgia Prison Is the Third to Plead Guilty to Conspiring with Other Officers to Assault and Injure Inmates

Emmett McKenzie, 31, from Montezuma, Ga., formerly a sergeant at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, Ga., pleaded guilty to conspiring with other correctional officers to violate the civil rights of an inmate in 2010, the Justice Department Announced today. McKenzie, who most recently served as a lieutenant at Dooly State Prison in Unadilla, Ga., is the third officer to plead guilty in the course of the ongoing federal investigation.



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Two Kentucky Men Face up to Life in Prison After Federal Jury Convicts on Kidnapping Charges

A federal jury late last night convicted two Harlan County, Ky., men on federal kidnapping charges and conspiracy charges, exposing them to a maximum of life imprisonment. The jury also acquitted the men of violating the sexual orientation provision of the Matthew Shepard James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. David Jason Jenkins, 37, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, were convicted on the kidnapping and conspiracy charges for their roles in kidnapping and assaulting 28-year-old Kevin Pennington, a gay man.



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Boehringer Ingelheim to Pay $95 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Connecticut-based Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. has agreed to pay $95 million to resolve allegations relating to the improper promotion of the stroke-prevention drug Aggrenox, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) drugs Atrovent and Combivent, and the hypertension drug Micardis, the Justice Department announced today.



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Alleged Trafficker of Counterfeit Automotive Accessories Indicted in Virginia

Katiran Lee, 39, an Indonesian national who allegedly sold the counterfeit goods while he was living in Duluth, Ga., was charged with two counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.



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Alabama Woman Pleads Guilty to a Sophisticated Million Dollar Identity Theft Scheme

Antoinette Djonret pleaded guilty today in two cases: one involving the filing of more than a million dollars worth of false tax returns using stolen identities and the other case involving the filing of false tax returns for clients, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Washington, DC, Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Preparing False Tax Returns

Enyinnaya Udo was sentenced to 24 months in prison today and ordered by U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein to pay more than $262,966 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a condition of supervised release, the Justice Department and IRS announced.



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Portsmouth, Va., Bail Bondsman Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Bribing Public Officials

A bail bondsman in Portsmouth, Va., was sentenced today to serve 30 months in prison for bribing public officials in exchange for receiving favorable treatment, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride.



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Ohio Attorney Sentenced to 85 Months in Prison for Tax Fraud and Obstruction of Justice Crimes

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that attorney Aristotle R. Matsa (Rick Matsa), of Worthington, Ohio, was sentenced to 85 months in prison by the Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Judge Sargus also ordered Matsa to pay a criminal fine of $265,000, make restitution to the IRS in the amount of $388,000, and pay restitution to a client from whom Rick Matsa embezzled funds in the amount of $24,069.



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Missouri Hospital System Agrees to Pay $9.3 Million to Resolve False Claims Act and Stark Law Violations

Freeman Health System, a healthcare provider and hospital system located in Joplin, Mo., has agreed to pay $9,316,139 to resolve allegations that it violated the Stark Law and the False Claims Act by knowingly providing incentive pay to physicians in a manner that violated federal law, the Justice Department announced today.



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Owner of Miami Assisted Living Facility Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Role in Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

Alba Serrano, 66, of Miami, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Seitz in the Southern District of Florida.



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Former New Mexico Navajo Police Officer Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison on Sexual Abuse Charges

Lawrence Etsitty , 31, a former police officer with the Navajo Police Department (NPD), was sentenced today in federal court on charges related to the sexual abuse of a woman who was in his custody on Jan. 25, 2009. Earlier this year, Etsitty pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of the victim when he groped, touched and kissed her against her will, while she was handcuffed. Etsitty also was charged and pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI.



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Barbados National Sentenced to Prison for Using Stolen Identities to Obtain Tax Refunds

Andrew J. Watts, a Barbados national, was sentenced in Chicago by U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall to 114 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of just under $1.7 million for devising and executing a stolen identity federal income tax refund fraud scheme, the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today.



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Mexican Pecan Company Owner Sentenced to 48 Months in Prison for Scheme to Defraud the U.S. Export-Import Bank

Leopoldo Valencia-Urrea, 50, was sentenced by Judge Kathleen Cardone in U.S. District Court in El Paso, Texas.



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Two Former U.S. Soldiers Sentenced for Roles in Fraudulent Military Recruiting Referral Bonus Scheme

Grant E. Bibb, 41, of Eagle Pass, Texas, and Paul Escobar, 32, of San Antonio, were sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in the Western District of Texas.



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Michigan Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Microsoft Software Worth More Than $1.2 Million

Bruce Alan Edward, 48, of Atlanta, Mich., was charged in an indictment returned on Oct. 24, 2012, and unsealed on Nov. 1, 2012, by the federal grand jury in Bay City, Mich.



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Former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Miami Office Special Agent in Charge Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Transporting Child Pornography

Anthony Mangione, 52, of Parkland, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach, Fla.



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Saudi Student Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 22, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter in federal court in Amarillo, Texas, to life in prison.



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Justice Department Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against the City of San Jacinto, California, Alleging Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against the city of San Jacinto, Calif., alleging violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act based on its treatment of group homes for persons with disabilities. This lawsuit is part of the Justice Department’s continuing effort to enforce civil rights laws that require states and municipalities to end discrimination against, and unnecessary segregation of, persons with disabilities.



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Former U.S. Army Major Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Bribery Scheme Related to Department of Defense Contracts in Kuwait

A former U.S. Army Major was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his participation in a bribery scheme related to his activities as a contracting official in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in 2005 and 2006.



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South Carolina Man Sentenced for Committing Federal Hate Crime Against an African-American Teenager

Chase McClary, 24, of Johnsonville, S.C., was sentenced today in federal court to four years in prison followed by three years supervised release for his racially-motivated attack of an African-American teenager.



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Vehicle and Engine Importers to Pay Civil Penalty to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with two former importers of highway motorcycles, recreational vehicles and small spark ignition engines.



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The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission Release FCPA Resource Guide

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today released A Resource Guide to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the Guide). The 120-page Guide provides a detailed analysis of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and closely examines the DOJ and SEC’s approach to FCPA enforcement.



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