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Justice Department Sues City of Joliet, Illinois, to Preserve Affordable Housing for City Residents

The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the city of Joliet, Ill., alleging that the city violated the Fair Housing Act and the Housing and Community Development Act by taking a series of actions, culminating in the taking through eminent domain a federally-subsidized affordable housing development, that would displace more than 750 residents with low incomes, more than 95 percent of whom are African-American.



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New Orleans Police Officers Convicted of Civil Rights Violations in Danziger Bridge Case

A federal jury today convicted five officers from the New Orleans Police Department on 25 counts in connection with the federal prosecution of a police-involved shooting on the Danziger Bridge in the days after Hurricane Katrina and an extensive cover-up of those shootings.



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Four Florida Men Charged in Boston with Defrauding Homeowners in Home Loan Modification Scam

Four Florida men were arrested today on charges that they defrauded homeowners in Massachusetts and elsewhere in connection with a home loan modification scam.



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Brooklyn Man Pleads Guilty to Online Identity Theft Involving More Than $700,000 in Reported Fraud

A Brooklyn, N.Y., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., for his role in managing a credit card fraud operation that operated throughout the East Coast of the United States.



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Mansfield, Texas, Man Admits to Theft of Government Property and Aggravated Identity Theft

Thomas W. Richardson of Mansfield, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property and one count of aggravated identity theft before the Honorable Jane J. Boyle in Dallas.



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Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty in Relation to Staged Kidnapping in Guatemala

Sheena Flores, 34, of Manassas, Va., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee to one count of transmitting in foreign commerce, with intent to extort money, a communication containing a threat to injure another person.



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Former NASDAQ Managing Director Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Insider Trading

Donald Johnson, a former managing director of the NASDAQ Stock Market, was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for engaging in insider trading on multiple occasions based on material, non-public information he obtained in his capacity as a NASDAQ executive.



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Former Owners of Florida Airline Fuel Supply and Indiana Flight Management Services Companies Plead Guilty in Schemes to Defraud Ryan International Airlines

A former owner and operator of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company and a former owner and operator of an Indiana-based flight management services company pleaded guilty today to participating in separate schemes to defraud Ryan International Airlines, a charter airline company located in Rockford, Ill.



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Four Individuals Convicted in $4.7 Million Louisiana Medicare Fraud Scheme

The owner of a Baton Rouge, La., durable medical equipment (DME) company, a medical doctor and two patient recruiters were each convicted late yesterday for their roles in a $4.7 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Three New Jersey Investors Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging at Municipal Tax Lien Auctions

Three financial investors who purchased municipal tax liens at auctions in New Jersey pleaded guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids at tax liens auctions held by municipalities.



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Florida Woman Charged with Witness Tampering, False Statements and Obstruction of Justice in Relation to Her Husband’s Disappearance

Abby Beard Hogan, 50, was charged with two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials, one count of witness tampering and four counts of obstruction of justice.



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Iowa Company Pleads Guilty to Participating in Ready-Mix Concrete Price-Fixing and Bid-Rigging Conspiracy

An Iowa ready-mix concrete company pleaded guilty today to participating in a price-fixing and bid-rigging conspiracy for the sales of ready-mix concrete.



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Michigan Man Convicted of Obstructing the Internal Revenue Service in IRS Form 1099-OID Schemes and Gun Crime

Karl Herrington of Parma, Mich., was convicted of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue laws, of filing false tax forms with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and of being a felon in possession of six different firearms.



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Florida Owner of Construction Business Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Employment Tax Fraud

Richard Rosaire Routhier of Lake Worth, Fla., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,243,574 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.



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Bridgeport, Conn., Man Admits to Participating in the Murder of Three Individuals in 2005

Azikiwe Aquart, also known as “Z” and “Ziggy,” pleaded guilty today in Bridgeport, Conn., to three counts of murder in aid of racketeering stemming from his role in the murder of three Bridgeport residents in August 2005.



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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness Conference and Exposition

"From key federal partners, to policy experts, researchers, and front-line practitioners, each of you is an essential part of the incident response community," said Attorney General Holder.




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Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson Speaks at the Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness Conference and Exposition

"Our resilience is due, in great part, to our ability to come together at all levels of government to build and bolster a solid public safety infrastructure," said Assistant Attorney General Robinson.




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New Mexico Farmer Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Tax Fraud, Fraudulently Collecting Farm Subsidies

Bill Melot, a Hobbs, N.M., farmer, was sentenced to five years in prison yesterday to be followed by three years of supervised release for tax evasion, program fraud and other crimes.



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Florida Couple Indicted for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and Failure to Account for and Pay Over Employment Taxes

Anthony Chaudhuri and Margaret Chaudhuri, of Naples, Fla. were indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 8, 2011, in Detroit, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, 11 counts of failure to account for and pay over employment taxes and one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of the Internal Revenue laws.



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Thirteen Individuals Charged with Illegal Distribution of Anabolic Steroids, Human Growth Hormones and Oxycodone

Thirteen individuals, including five doctors, one pharmacist and one chiropractor, were charged today for their participation in the illegal distribution of pain killers, steroids and human growth hormones through “pill mills” operating in Broward, Palm Beach and Martin Counties in Florida, and through the internet, respectively.



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Five Alleged East Side Los Guada Bloods Gang Members and Associates Indicted in Arizona on Federal Racketeering and Attempted Murder Charges

Five alleged members of the violent gang known as the East Side Los Guada Bloods (East Side Bloods) have been charged in an indictment returned yesterday in Phoenix with various racketeering and attempted murder charges.



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Louisiana Men Plead Guilty to Intimidating Students Based on Race

The Justice Department today announced that brothers Brian Wallis, 21, and James Lee Wallis Jr., 25, pleaded guilty to committing a hate crime by intentionally attempting to intimidate African-American students who were attending Beekman Junior High School in Beekman, Morehouse Parish, La.



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Six Individuals Indicted for Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Schemes in Alabama

Three separate indictments were returned by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Alabama charging six different individuals on a variety of charges stemming from tax fraud and identity theft schemes.



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NinjaVideo Website Operators Charged with Criminal Copyright Conspiracy

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment in Alexandria, Va., charging five individuals with one count of conspiracy and five substantive copyright infringement counts for their involvement with the Internet website NinjaVideo.net.



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Two Los Angeles Residents Permanently Barred by Federal Court from Forming Trusts for Taxpayers

A federal court in California has permanently barred Gwenn Wycoff and Frank Ozak from forming trusts for others.



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U.S. Joined False Claims Act Lawsuit Against Florida’s Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing Inc.

The United States has partially intervened in a lawsuit under the False Claims Act against Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.



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Online Identity Thief Sentenced in Virginia to 14 Years in Prison for Selling Counterfeit Credit Cards Leading to More Than $3 Million in Losses

A Hammond, Ind., man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., to 14 years in prison for operating an online business that sold counterfeit credit cards encoded with stolen account information.



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U.S. Bureau of Prisons Employee Indicted in Florida for Sexual Abuse of a Ward and False Statements

U.S. Bureau of Prisons employee Jack Chris Jackson, 45, was indicted today on charges of sexual abuse of an inmate and false statements.



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Washington, D.C., Resident Sentenced to 80 Months in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

Anthony Moreno, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 80 months in prison for one count of possession of child pornography.



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Three Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to the Pakistani Taliban

At a hearing today before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington, D.C., Irfan Ul Haq, 37; Qasim Ali, 32; and Zahid Yousaf, 43, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.



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Montgomery, Ala., Man Pleads Guilty for Role in Two Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Conspiracies

Alchico Grant, a resident of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty to his role in two tax fraud and identity theft conspiracies.



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New Orleans Man Sentenced in Danziger Bridge Case

David Marion Ryder, a civilian who provided false information about the police-involved shooting on the Danziger Bridge in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, was sentenced today to eight months in prison.



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Former Heber City, Utah, Resident Indicted in Salt Lake City for Presenting False Claims to the United States

April Rampton, formerly a resident of Heber City, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City with 15 counts of presenting false claims to the United States.



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Bridgestone Corporation Agrees to Plead Guilty to Participating in Conspiracies to Rig Bids and Bribe Foreign Government Officials

Bridgestone Corporation has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $28 million criminal fine for its role in conspiracies to rig bids and to make corrupt payments to foreign government officials in Latin America related to the sale of marine hose and other industrial products manufactured by the company and sold throughout the world.



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Alabama Real Estate Investors Agree to Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Rig Bids for the Purchase of Real Estate at Public Foreclosure Auctions

Two Mobile, Ala., real estate investors and one real estate investment company have agreed to plead guilty today for their roles in a conspiracy to rig bids for the purchase of real estate at public foreclosure auctions in southern Alabama.



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Baton Rouge, La., Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Aiding in Preparation of False Tax Returns

Melissa Edwards was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson to 30 months in prison based on her plea of guilty to one count of wilfully aiding and assisting in the preparation and filing of a false income tax return.



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Former Colorado Resident Convicted in Pennsylvania of Conspiring to Defraud the Internal Revenue Service

Donald Turner, formerly of Littleton, Colo., was found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States by a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in Erie, Pa.



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Ship Owners and Operators to Pay $44 Million in Damages and Penalties for 2007 San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge Crash and Oil Spill

Federal, state and Bay-area officials announced a comprehensive civil settlement with the owners and operators of the M/V Cosco Busan, resolving all natural resource damages, penalties and response costs that resulted from the ship striking the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2007, and subsequent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay.



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Former President of Fraudulent Florida Physical Therapy Company Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud Scheme

The former president and administrator of a fraudulent physical therapy company in Lakeland, Fla., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare.



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Federal Court Shuts Down South Florida Tax Return Preparer

A federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has permanently barred Danesa Webb from preparing federal tax returns for others.



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Professional Illinois Duck Hunter Jeff Foiles Sentenced to More Than One Year in Jail and Fines for Illegal Hunting and Guiding Activities

Professional duck hunter and guide Jeffrey B. Foiles was sentenced today by a federal judge in Springfield, Ill., to 13 months in prison.



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Alabama Defense Contractor and Its President to Pay $200,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Future Research Corp., located in Huntsville, Ala., and its president, Jesse Nunn, have agreed to pay the United States $200,000 to settle claims that they inappropriately obtained contracts from the Navy.



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Ten Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Ten Miami-area residents pleaded guilty today and yesterday in U.S. District Court in Miami for their participation in a $25 million home health Medicare fraud scheme.



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Florida Manufacturer of Skin Products Agrees to Consent Decree to Resolve Allegations of FDCA Violations

The complaint and consent decree were filed today in accordance with an agreement with the defendants resolving numerous violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.



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Alabama Woman Convicted of Stealing Identities and Conspiring with Tax Preparer

Janika Fernae Bates Millbrook, Ala., was convicted of identity theft, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to make false claims for tax refunds.



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Founder of NinjaVideo Pleads Guilty to Criminal Copyright Conspiracy

Matthew David Howard Smith pleaded guilty today for his role in founding a website that provided millions of users with the ability to illegally download copyright-protected movies and television programs.



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Fourth Las Vegas Resident Pleads Guilty in Connection with Scheme to Fraudulently Control Condominium Homeowners' Associations

A Las Vegas woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a scheme to fraudulently gain control of condominium homeowners’ associations (HOA) in the Las Vegas area so that the HOAs would direct business to a certain law firm and construction company.



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Boston Scientific Subsidiary Guidant Pays U.S. $9.25 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Guidant LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boston Scientific Corp. of Natick, Mass., has agreed to pay the United States $9.25 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations.



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Two Miami-Area Residents Plead Guilty in $25 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

Maritza Vidal, 44, and Richard Diaz, 26, each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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President of Virginia-Based Connection Newspapers Sentenced to Six Months in Prison for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

Peter Labovitz of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.



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