Criminal Division Press Releases for January 2009
Thursday, December 31, 2009
UTStarcom Inc. Agrees to Pay $1.5 Million Penalty for Acts of Foreign Bribery in China
UTStarcom Inc. (UTSI) has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice, agreeing to pay a $1.5 million fine for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by providing travel and other things of value to foreign officials, specifically employees at state-owned telecommunications firms in the People’s Republic of China. (Read more)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Major International Hacker Pleads Guilty for Massive Attack on U.S. Retail and Banking Networks
Albert Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to hack into computer networks supporting major American retail and financial organizations, and to steal data relating to tens of millions of credit and debit cards, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Paul J. Fishman, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen Milagros Ortiz and Director of the U.S. Secret Service Mark Sullivan. (Read more)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling to the Philippines for Sex Tourism
Donald Mathias of Davie, Fla., pleaded guilty today to engaging in sex tourism in the Philippines. (Read more)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Former New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Spargo Sentenced for Attempted Extortion and Bribery
Former New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Spargo was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe in Albany, N.Y. to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for attempted extortion and bribery, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge John F. Pikus of the FBI’s Albany office announced. (Read more)
Friday, December 18, 2009
Oklahoma Man Sentenced to 12 Months in Prison for Kickback Scheme Involving Government Contract in Afghanistan
An Oklahoma man was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison for his role in a scheme to solicit kickbacks in connection with the award of a private security services subcontract to protect U.S. government personnel and contractors in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney of the Antitrust Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia. (Read more)
Texas Man Sentenced to 292 Months in Prison for Advertising and Possessing Child Pornography
Mark Edwin Cairnes, 51, was sentenced today to 292 months in prison and lifetime supervised release following his prison term for advertising and possessing child pornography. (Read more)
Friday, December 17, 2009
Guyanese National Charged with Smuggling Indian Nationals to the United States
A Guyanese national has been indicted on charges of conspiracy and alien smuggling in connection with her role in the smuggling or attempted smuggling of four Indian nationals to the United States. (Read more)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Retired Army Major Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Role in Bribery Scheme Involving DOD Contracts in Kuwait
A retired major in the U.S. Army today was sentenced to 57 months in prison for his role in a bribery scheme related to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts awarded in Kuwait, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division Christine Varney. (Read more)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Former State Department Employee Sentenced for Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Files
A former State Department employee was sentenced today to 24 months of probation for illegally accessing more than 65 confidential passport application files. Karal Busch, 28, of District Heights, Md., was also ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay in the District of Columbia to perform 25 hours of community service. (Read more)
Former Senate Employee Charged with $75,000 Wire Fraud Scheme
Ngozi T. Pole, 39, a former office manager in the U.S. Senate, was charged today in a six-count indictment for an alleged scheme to defraud the U.S. Senate of more than $75,000, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)
Medicare Fraud Strike Force Expands Operations into Brooklyn, N.Y.; Tampa, Fla.; and Baton Rouge, La.
Thirty people have been charged in three cities for their alleged roles in schemes to submit more than $61 million in false Medicare claims as part of the continuing operation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)
Tuesday, December 11, 2009
Former Navy Master Chief Petty Officer Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Participating in Scheme to Steal Large Quantities of Fuel from U.S. Army in Iraq
Robert Jeffery, 55, a former master chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy, was sentenced today to four years in prison for his participation in a scheme to steal approximately 10 million gallons of fuel from the U.S. Army in Iraq, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride. (Read more)
Physical Therapist, Money Launderer and Patient Recruiter Plead Guilty in Connection with Multiple Detroit Health Care Fraud Schemes
Detroit-area residents Baskaran Thangarasan, Sandeep Aggarwal and Wayne Smith pleaded guilty this week for their roles in connection with several Detroit-area health care fraud schemes, Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Terrence I. Berg, Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Daniel Levinson, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Former DOD Contracting Officer Sentenced to 110 Months in Prison for Filing False Tax Returns
A former civilian employee of the U.S. Department of Defense was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for filing false tax returns in which he failed to report more than $2.4 million in income, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division Christine A. Varney. (Read more)
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Former U.S. Army Officer Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in Bribery Conspiracy in Al-hillah, Iraq
Curtis Whiteford, a former colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, was sentenced today to five years in prison for his participation in a wide-ranging bribery conspiracy in Al-Hillah, Iraq. U.S. District Court Judge Mary L. Cooper for the District of New Jersey, Trenton Division, also ordered Whiteford to pay $16,200 in restitution and to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term. (Read more)
Monday, December 7, 2009
Two Florida Executives, One Florida Intermediary and Two Former Haitian Government Officials Indicted for Their Alleged Participation in Foreign Bribery Scheme
Two Florida executives of a Miami-Dade County-based telecommunications company, the president of Florida-based Telecom Consulting Services Corp., and two former Haitian government officials were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged roles in a foreign bribery, wire fraud and money laundering scheme. (Read more)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Roles in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving Online Sales
Two Bulgarian nationals have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia for their roles as money launderers for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. (Read more)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Army Officer, Wife and Relatives Sentenced in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to DOD Contracts in Support of Iraq War
A former U.S. Army contracting officer, his wife, his sister and his niece were sentenced today for their participation in a bribery and money laundering scheme related to bribes paid for contracts awarded in support of the Iraq war, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division Christine A. Varney. All four defendants were sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division by Judge Royal Furgeson. (Read more)