Press Releases for August 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Software Pirate Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison (07-679)
WASHINGTON — An Illinois man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for participating in an organized online software distribution conspiracy, (Read more)
Owner And Operator Of Florida Durable Medical Equipment Company Convicted Of Medicare Fraud (07-678)
WASHINGTON — The owner and operator of a Florida durable medical equipment company and an assisted living facility has been convicted by a federal jury in Miami of Medicare fraud, (Read more)
Two Men Indicted in Florida on Explosives Charges (07-677)
Two University of South Florida (USF) students have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Tampa, Florida, for transporting explosives materials without permits, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Justice Department Tells Court that Microsoft Settlement Promotes Competition and Consumer Choice (07-673)
The Department of Justice said today that competition and consumers have benefitted from the final judgements entered because of the Department‘s antitrust enforcement efforts against Microsoft. (Read more)
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
United States Sues to Stop Illegal Grazing on Federal Lands (07-672)
The Justice Department today sued two ranchers and the estate of a third rancher for trespassing on federal lands in Nevada. (Read more)
Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Race Discrimination at Livonia, Michigan Apartment Complex (07-671)
The Department of Justice has reached a $725,000 settlement, resolving allegations that the owners and operators of Apple Ridge Apartments (formerly known as Whispering Woods) in Livonia, Mich. have discriminated against African Americans seeking to rent apartments at the complex. (Read more)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Former Memphis Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Violations (07-670)
Antoine Owens, a former officer with the Memphis Police Department (MPD), pleaded guilty today in federal court in Memphis to felony civil rights charges, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
Michigan Man Sentenced to Over 17 Years for Hate Crime (07-669)
A Taylor, Mich. man was sentenced to 17 years and three months in prison today for violating the civil rights of an African-American family by attempting to burn down the family‘s house, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
United States Files Suit Against Long Island Housing Development Company and Architect for Violating Fair Housing Act Requirements (07-668)
Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division and Roslynn R. Mauskopf, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, today announced the filing of a federal complaint against Sayville Development Group LLC and Stephen Ray Fellman for violations of the Fair Housing Act. (Read more)
Attorney General Announces New Funding to Assist Recovery Efforts in New Orleans (07-667)
Together with federal, state and local officials, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today participated in the opening ceremony for the New Orleans Family Justice Center, where he announced more than $21 million in grants to New Orleans and the surrounding area from the Department‘s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). (Read more)
Fact Sheet: Department of Justice Efforts to Rebuild New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina (07-666)
In the two years since Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans, the Department of Justice has provided significant resources to assist in the efforts to rebuild the city. (Read more)
Monday, August 27, 2007
Statement of Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim on Today‘s Ruling in United States V. Brown (07-665)
Today, U.S. District Court Judge Tom S. Lee barred Ike Brown from participating as an administrator of Democratic primary elections in Noxubee County. Judge Lee appointed the Hon. Reuben V. Anderson, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, as a Referee-Administrator to replace Brown as the administrator of primary elections through 2011. (Read more)
Former White County Tennessee Corrections Officer Sentenced for Civil Rights Violations (07-663)
Stanley Hawkins, a former corrections officer at the White County Jail in Sparta, Tenn., was sentenced today in federal court in Nashville to 12 months imprisonment for violating the civil rights of an inmate. After release from prison, Hawkins will be on federal supervised release for one year. (Read more)
Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Mississippi (07-662)
On Tuesday, August 28, 2007, the Justice Department will monitor primary run-off elections in Bolivar and Wilkinson Counties, Miss., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act. (Read more)
Friday, August 24, 2007
Patients And Clinic Operator Charged With Conspiracy To Defraud Medicare After Undercover Investigation (07-659)
WASHINGTON — Nine Miami residents have been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud as the result of an undercover operation... (Read more)
British National Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Visa Fraud (07-658)
WASHINGTON — Michael J. Leggett, 52, a citizen of the United Kingdom residing in St. Cloud, Fla., has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with two counts of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, (Read more)
Former Chief Engineer Arraigned on Charges Related to Vessel Pollution (07-657)
Patrick K. Brown, a former Chief Engineer of the M/V Fidelio was arraigned today on a six count indictment related to deliberate vessel pollution that was originally returned by a federal grand jury on July 26, 2007. The indictment was announced by Ronald J. Tenpas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Environment & Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. (Read more)
Former Mississippi Klansman Sentenced to Three Life Terms in Prison for Role in 1964 Kidnapping and Murder of Two African-American Men (07-656)
James Ford Seale, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, was sentenced today to three life terms in prison for his role in the 1964 abductions and eventual slayings of two African-American men. Seale was convicted by a federal grand jury in Mississippi on June 14, 2007. The jury determined that Seale and other Klansmen conspired to abduct, interrogate, beat and eventually murder Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charlie Eddie Moore, both 19 years old at the time of their murders. (Read more)
Michigan Attorneys Indicted for Alleged Campaign Finance Violations (07-655)
Oakland County, Mich., attorneys Geoffrey Fieger and Vernon Johnson have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Michigan for alleged crimes relating to fundraising for the 2004 presidential campaign including violations of the Federal Election Campaign Act, making false statements, and obstruction of justice, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)
Justice Department Seeks to Bar Topsham, Maine Resident from Preparing Federal Tax Returns for Others (07-654)
The United States has brought suit against Carol East Palesky, a Topsham, Maine resident, seeking to bar her from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Ten Puerto Rico Police Officers Indicted on Civil Rights and Drug Charges (07-653)
A grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a two-count indictment against 10 officers of the Mayaguez Narcotics & Vice Unit of the Police of Puerto Rico (“POPR”) for civil rights violations, the Department of Justice announced today. The officers are charged with conspiring to fabricate evidence against individuals and conspiring to unlawfully possess and distribute controlled substances. (Read more)
Statement of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales on the Resignation of Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim (07-652)
Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Civil Rights Division, today announced his resignation, effective at the end of this month. President Bush nominated Mr. Kim to the position on June 16, 2005, and the Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment on November 4, 2005. (Read more)
Justice Department Settles Disability Rights Case with National Provider of Retirement Housing (07-651)
The Justice Department today announced that it has reached an agreement resolving a lawsuit against Chicago-based Covenant Retirement Communities Inc. and its subsidiaries. The complaint alleged that this nationwide provider of retirement housing violated the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against residents based on disability. (Read more)
Justice Department Will Not Oppose Proposal for Joint Research Related to Oil and Gas Exploration (07-650)
The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that it does not intend to challenge a proposal by a group of petroleum producing and oil field service companies and the University of Texas at Austin to engage in joint research and development concerning the application of nanotechnology to the exploration and production of oil and gas. (Read more)
Indianapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges (07-649)
Michael Barnhorst, 42, of Indianapolis, pleaded guilty to three counts of receiving child pornography, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Susan W. Brooks of the Southern District of Indiana announced today. (Read more)
Court Accepts British Airways/Korean Air Lines Plea (07-648)
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today accepted the Department of Justice‘s plea agreements with British Airways Plc and Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd. that had been announced on August 1, 2007. In court today, the companies pleaded guilty and were sentenced to pay separate $300 million criminal fines for their roles in conspiracies to fix the prices of passenger and cargo flights. (Read more)
Former U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Contract Employee Charged with Bribery on a New Orleans Levee Reconstruction Project (07-647)
A former contract employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to plead guilty to bribery in connection with a $16 million hurricane protection project for the reconstruction of the Lake Cataouatche Levee, south of New Orleans, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)
Textron Inc. Agrees to $1.15 Million Fine in Connection with Payment of $600,000 in Kickbacks by its French Subsidiaries under the United Nations Oil for Food Program (07-646)
The Department of Justice has entered into an agreement with Textron Inc. which requires the payment of a $1.15 million fine, as part of the Department‘s ongoing investigation into the United Nations “Oil for Food” program, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Three Defendants Indicted in Case Involving Bribery, Conspiracy, Money Laundering, and Obstruction Offenses Related to Contracts in Iraq and Kuwait (07-645)
A major in the U.S. Army, his wife and his sister have been indicted on bribery, conspiracy, money laundering, and obstruction charges arising out of the major‘s service as an Army contracting officer in Kuwait in 2004 and 2005, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and Assistant Attorney General Thomas O. Barnett of the Antitrust Division announced today. (Read more)
Ship Operator Pleads Guilty and Sentenced to Pay $10 Million Related to Charges Arising from Grounding in the Aleutians (07-644)
IMC Shipping Co. Pte. Ltd. (IMC), a Singapore corporation, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Alaska to a three-count information alleging two violations of the Refuse Act for the illegal discharge of oil and soy beans and one violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act for killing of thousands of migratory birds that resulted from the grounding of the M/V Selendang Ayu on Dec. 8, 2004 in the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. IMC was subsequently sentenced to pay a criminal penalty of $10 million. (Read more)
Three Mexican Nationals Indicted in South Carolina Sex Trafficking Case (07-643)
Three Mexican nationals were indicted yesterday for sex trafficking and related crimes, Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Reginald I. Lloyd of the District of South Carolina announced. (Read more)
Justice Department Sues Hawaii Residents to Stop Alleged Tax Fraud Scheme (07-642)
The United States has sued four people and two corporations, all based in Hawaii, seeking to stop an alleged tax fraud scheme, the Justice Department announced today. The civil injunction suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, alleges that Morgan Liddell, Cherie Bright, Edward Coda, Loren Trenholm, along with Bright Enterprises Inc. and Hawaii Financial Specialists Inc., have promoted a scheme that creates false tax deductions for customers through a series of sham transactions involving purported business insurance and retirement accounts. (Read more)
Federal Court Bars California CPA From Claiming So-Called Mariner‘s Tax Deduction (07-641)
A federal judge in Los Angeles has barred Martin A. Kapp, a certified public accountant from El Segundo, Calif., from preparing federal income tax returns claiming a so-called mariner‘s tax deduction, the Justice Department announced today. The permanent injunction was entered by U.S. District Judge George Schiavelli of the Central District of California. (Read more)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Statement of Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim on the Decision in United States v. City Of Euclid, Ohio, et al. (07-640)
“We are extremely pleased with today‘s court ruling, which affirms that the City of Euclid must abandon its illegal method of electing its city council,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Civil Rights Division. “This is an important victory for all the residents of Euclid, and particularly for its African-American citizens who have been denied their right to full and equal participation in the democratic process in city government. We look forward to working with the city to develop a method of election that provides African-American voters the opportunity the Voting Rights Act guarantees.” (Read more)
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Two Philadelphia Car Dealerships Regarding Alleged Race Discrimination in Auto Lending (07-639)
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached separate settlements with two automobile dealerships in the Philadelphia area resolving allegations that the dealerships engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating against African-American customers by charging them higher interest rates on car loans. These are the first two cases alleging discrimination by a car dealership filed by the Justice Department under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. (Read more)
Virgin Islands Government Official Pleads Guilty To Obstructing Federal Investigation Into $1.4 Million Bribery And Kickback Scheme (07-638)
WASHINGTON — The former Director of Permits at the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation into a $1.4 million bribery and kickback scheme, (Read more)
Monday, August 20, 2007
Former California Couple Pleads Guilty to Human Trafficking Charges (07-637)
Elizabeth and James Jackson, of Culver City, Calif., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Los Angeles to felony charges related to forced labor and human trafficking. Elizabeth Jackson pleaded guilty to a single count of forced labor, and James Jackson pleaded guilty to a single count of alien harboring. (Read more)
Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Bar Las Vegas Man from Promoting “Asset Protection” Scheme (07-636)
The United States has sued the founder of a so-called “asset protection” business, alleging that he helps customers evade collection of federal taxes, the Justice Department announced today. According to the government‘s civil injunction complaint, William S. Reed of Las Vegas, operated the now-defunct Asset Protection Group Inc.(APGI), which helped customers place sham liens on their property to deceive creditors, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). (Read more)
Strike Force Charges Miami Infusion Clinic Billing Company Owner with Conspiring to Defraud Medicare of $170 Million (07-635)
The owner of a Miami-based Medicare billing company has been charged with submitting $170 million worth of fraudulent bills to the Medicare program, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta of the Southern District of Florida announced today. (Read more)
Friday, August 17, 2007
Livonia, Mich., Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison and Over $1 Million in Restitution for Civil Rights Violations (07-634)
Michail Aronov, age 34, was sentenced yesterday to 90 months (7 ½ years) in prison and over $1 million in restitution for his role as one of the ringleaders in a conspiracy to force Eastern European women to work as exotic dancers in Detroit area strip clubs, Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy of the Eastern District of Michigan announced. (Read more)
Former Harrison County, Mississippi, Corrections Officer Found Guilty of Criminal Civil Rights Violations, Obstruction of Justice (07-633)
A federal jury convicted Ryan Michael Teel, a former corrections officer, for his role in abusing inmates at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center in Gulfport, Miss., the Justice Department announced today. Teel was found guilty of conspiracy to violate inmates‘ civil rights, and specifically, for depriving Jessie Lee Williams Jr. of his civil rights on Feb. 4, 2006. (Read more)
Court Approval Sought to Distribute Over $1 Million in Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against Baltimore Housing Authority (07-632)
The Justice Department today announced that it will seek court approval for the pro rata distribution of over $1 million in monetary damages among 756 individuals who were identified through a claims process as part of the resolution of a 2004 lawsuit by the United States that alleged a pattern or practice of discrimination by Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) against persons with disabilities. (Read more)
Former Kentucky State Trooper Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Violation and Witness Tampering (07-631)
Former Kentucky State Police Trooper Jason Christopher O‘Bannon, 33, has pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge for using his authority to attempt to coerce sexual acts from a female confidential informant in June of 2005, the Justice Department announced today. O‘Bannon also pleaded guilty to witness tampering. (Read more)
Richmond Man Sentenced to 87 Months in Prison for Receiving Child Pornography via Peer-to-Peer Software (07-630)
A Richmond, Va., man was sentenced to 87 months in prison for receipt of child pornography, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg of the Eastern District of Virginia announced today. (Read more)
Four Defendants Sentenced in Municipal Bribery and Wire Fraud Conspiracy (07-629)
Two former members of the City Council of Gadsden, Ala., a former city employee, and one consultant have been sentenced for their participation in a bribery and wire fraud conspiracy that operated from August 2005 through February 2006, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, August 16, 2007
American Samoan Prison Warden Pleads Guilty (07-628)
Mika Kelemete, the former warden at the Tafuna Correctional Facility in Pago Pago, American Samoa, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Honolulu to conspiring to violate the civil rights of an inmate. (Read more)
Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Civil Rights of African-American Family (07-627)
Ronald Joshua Youngblood, 25, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Michigan to violating the civil rights of an African-American family by burning a cross at the family‘s home, Assistant Attorney General Wan J. Kim of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy of the Eastern District of Michigan announced today. (Read more)
Valero Energy Agrees to $232 Million in Clean Air Act Pollution Controls (07-626)
The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have reached an agreement with Valero Energy Corp. that provides for a $4.25 million penalty and $232 million in new and upgraded pollution controls at refineries in Tennessee, Ohio and Texas that were formerly owned by Premcor Inc. (Read more)
Texas Man Sentenced to Five Months in Jail for Environmental Crimes (07-625)
Dennis Rodriguez of El Paso, Texas, has been sentenced to five months imprisonment for environmental crimes related to the operation of his company, North American Waste Assistance, LLC (NAWA), which is located in the West Texas city, the Justice Department announced today. Under the plea agreement reached in February of this year, Rodriguez plead guilty to making a material false statement or representation in a manifest used to transport hazardous waste and to two counts of transporting hazardous waste to a facility that did not have a permit issued pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Besides the period of imprisonment, he was also sentenced to five months home confinement, two years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. (Read more)
Jose Padilla and Co-Defendants Convicted of Conspiracy to Murder Individuals Overseas, Providing Material Support to Terrorists (07-624)
A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida has convicted Jose Padilla of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim individuals in a foreign country, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and providing material support to terrorists, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced today. (Read more)
Shipping Company to Pay $1.3 Million for Vessel Pollution Charges (07-623)
Greek-based shipping company Kassian Maritime Navigation Agency Ltd. and Second Assistant Engineer Spyridon Markou were sentenced today in connection with dumping of bilge and wastewater into the ocean from the company‘s ship, M/V North Princess, an ocean-going bulk cargo ship traveling to ports in the United States, the Justice Department announced. Kassian had pleaded guilty in July to charges that the company maintained false records in violation the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. (Read more)
Three Individuals Indicted for Conspiracy to Sell More Than $5 Million in Counterfeit Software (07-622)
Three residents of Lakeland, Fla., were indicted today by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Va., related to their participation in a conspiracy to sell millions of dollars of pirated computer software, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today. (Read more)
Former Congressional Chief of Staff William Heaton Sentenced on Corruption Charge (07-621)
William J. Heaton, former chief of staff for former Congressman Robert W. Ney, has been sentenced to two years of probation and fined $5,000, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)
IBM & PriceWaterHouseCoopers to Pay U.S. more than $5.2 Million to Settle Allegations of False Claims (07-620)
IBM Corporation and PriceWaterhouseCoopers have both agreed to pay the United States more than $5.2 million to settle allegations that the companies solicited and provided improper payments and other things of value on technology contracts with government agencies, the Justice Department announced today. IBM has agreed to pay $2,972,038.50, while PWC will pay $2,316,662. (Read more)
Massachusetts Man Who Helped Carry Out WWII Nazi Mass Murder of Jews in Poland is Ordered Deported (07-619)
An immigration judge in Boston has ordered the removal of Vladas Zajanckauskas, a Sutton, Mass., man who served during World War II in a notorious Nazi unit that took part in the brutal liquidation of the Warsaw Jewish Ghetto in German-occupied Poland, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher for the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Albuquerque, N.M. Law Office Agrees to Provide Effective Communication to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Clients (07-598)
The Justice Department has entered into a settlement agreement with Joseph David Camacho, a private attorney in New Mexico, that establishes a policy ensuring effective communication for clients with disabilities, including providing qualified sign language interpreting services when necessary for effective communication. (Read more)
Nine Charged in Sex Trafficking Ring Involving Minors (07-597)
Six members of a Guatemalan family and three associates were indicted for their roles in a sex trafficking ring that recruited young women in Guatemala with false promises of high-paying jobs, smuggled the victims into the United States, and forced them to work as prostitutes to pay smuggling fees. (Read more)
Atlanta Federal Court Bars Two Jackson Hewitt Franchise Employees from Preparing Tax Returns for Others (07-596)
A federal judge in Atlanta has permanently barred Hileah Braxton and Tameka Donaldson—both of whom worked at a Jackson Hewitt franchise in Atlanta—from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The court found that the two women “interfered with the enforcement of the internal revenue laws by continually and repeatedly understating their customers‘ tax liabilities.” (Read more)
New York Federal Court Orders Halt to Nationwide “Tax Termination” Scheme (07-595)
A federal court in Binghamton, N.Y., today permanently barred Robert L. Schulz of Queensbury, N.Y., and his organizations, We the People Congress and We the People Foundation, from promoting a tax scheme that helped employers and employees improperly stop tax withholding from wages, the Justice Department announced. Schulz and his organizations called the scheme the Tax Termination Package. (Read more)
Justice Department Seeks to Bar Ft. Lauderdale Man from Preparing Tax Returns for Others (07-594)
The United States has brought suit against a Ft. Lauderdale man, seeking to bar him from preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. According to the government‘s complaint, Joshua Chikudo operates Quick Return Tax Services and Income Tax Services, which prepare federal income tax returns claiming fraudulent fuel tax credits. (Read more)
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
U.S. Coast Guard Officer Indicted for Lying About Vessel Pollution (07-593)
David G. Williams, a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and the Main Propulsion Assistant for the Coast Guard Cutter RUSH, was indicted today by a federal grand jury for obstructing the investigation into his authorization of the direct overboard discharge of bilge wastes through the deep sink into the Honolulu Harbor, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Environment & Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Edward H. Kubo Jr. (Read more)
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Justice Department Sues University of North Carolina for Alleged Sex Discrimination (07-592)
The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against the University of North Carolina, alleging sex discrimination in employment by its component, the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (North Carolina A&T), against a current and former employee. (Read more)
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against DTI to Defend Employment Rights of Navy Reservist (07-591)
The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against DTI Associates Inc. (DTI), a Virginia-based service contractor, alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). (Read more)
Deputy U.S. Marshal Indicted for Federal Civil Rights Violation (07-590)
Stephen Cook, a deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service in Washington, D.C., was indicted today by a federal grand jury on seven counts for using excessive force against a bound arrestee in violation of his federally protected civil rights and for covering up his illegal use of force. (Read more)
Virginia Executive Agrees To Plead Guilty To Bid Rigging On Contracts With The U.S. Navy And Others (07-589)
William Alan Potts, a British citizen who is vice president of a marine products company located in Clearbrook, Va., entered a plea agreement today in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk, Va. According to the one-count felony charge, Potts participated in a conspiracy between December 2000 and May 2003 to allocate customers and rig bids for contracts to sell plastic marine pilings. (Read more)
Monday, August 6, 2007
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with YMCA Child Care Centers Over Policies Relating to Children with Autism (07-588)
The Justice Department today announced a settlement agreement with the West End YMCA, headquartered in Ontario, Calif., that resolves an investigation into alleged discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The agreement covers associated YMCA branches in Ontario, Chino, Upland, and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. (Read more)
Commercial Fishing Vessel‘s Captain Indicted for Disposing of Spiny Lobster Tails to Prevent their Seizure (07-587)
Zane H. Fennelly, a former captain of a Jacksonville, Fla.-based commercial fishing vessel, was arrested earlier today on an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Aug. 2, 2007, in Jacksonville, Fla., the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
Justice Department Seeks Appointment Of Trustee To Sell Mittal Steel‘s Sparrows Point Steel Mill (07-586)
The Department of Justice today announced that it has asked a federal judge in Washington, D.C., to appoint a trustee to sell Mittal Steel Company N.V.‘s Sparrows Point facility located near Baltimore in light of Mittal‘s failure to complete such a sale prior to the deadline imposed by the consent decree entered by the court. (Read more)
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with the City of San Antonio (07-585)
The Justice Department today reached a settlement agreement with the City of San Antonio, Texas, resolving allegations that the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) violated the rights of a female detective because of her sex, in violation of federal employment laws. (Read more)
American Express Bank International Enters Into Deferred Prosecution Agreement And Forfeits $55 Million To Resolve Bank Secrecy Act Violations (07-584)
WASHINGTON — Miami-based American Express Bank International has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement on charges of failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and will forfeit $55 million to the U.S. government, (Read more)
Friday, August 3, 2007
Former Public Officials Sentenced For Participating In Bribery And Extortion Conspiracy (07-582)
WASHINGTON — Three additional defendants were sentenced in federal court this week for their roles in a widespread bribery and extortion conspiracy which operated from January 2002 through March 2004, (Read more)
Jordanian Man Sentenced For Role In Smuggling Scores Of Iraqis And Jordanians Into The United States (07-581)
WASHINGTON — Thaer Omran Ismail Asaifi was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer to 72 months in prison for his role in a major conspiracy to smuggle Iraqis and Jordanians into the United States, (Read more)
Two South Carolina Businessmen Plead Guilty To Causing False Statements To The Federal Election Commission (07-580)
WASHINGTON — Two South Carolina businessmen have pleaded guilty to causing numerous federal campaigns to make false statements to the Federal Election Commission, (Read more)
Statement Of Brian Roehrkasse, Acting Director Of Public Affairs, On The Appeals Court Ruling In The Jefferson Case (07-579)
The Department of Justice is pleased that the D.C. Circuit opinion does not find that the search of a congressional office is unconstitutional... (Read more)
Specially Designated Global Terrorist and His Brother Indicted for Providing Material Support to Terrorists (07-578)
A fugitive U.S.-designated terrorist, who is the subject of a $5 million U.S. reward and is believed to be at large in the Philippines, has been indicted on terrorism-related charges in the Northern District of California along with his brother in the U.S., who allegedly provided funds and equipment to him even as the fugitive evaded capture and battled Philippine troops, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Illinois Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For Selling Thousands Of Copyrighted Video Games And Movies (07-577)
WASHINGTON — A Mount Vernon, Ill., man was sentenced in the Eastern District of Virginia to two years in prison for the unlawful sale of copyrighted video games, (Read more)
Eighteen Charged with Racketeering in Internet Drug Distribution Network (07-576)
A federal grand jury in San Diego has indicted 18 individuals on racketeering and related charges for allegedly operating an Internet business that generated more than $126 million in gross revenues from the illegal sale of prescription pharmaceuticals, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt for the Southern District of California announced today. (Read more)
Modesto Man Indicted for Federal Hate Crime After Threatening African-Americans (07-575)
Bradley Smith of Modesto, Calif., was indicted today by a federal grand jury for repeatedly threatening to harm a local African-American man in violation of federal civil rights laws. The indictment was announced jointly by Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and McGregor W. Scott, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California. (Read more)
Former Chinese National Convicted of Economic Espionage to Benefit China Navy Research Center (07-572)
Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, 42, formerly a resident of Beijing, China, and resident of Cupertino, Calif., pleaded guilty yesterday to violating the Economic Espionage Act (EAA) and violating the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security Kenneth L. Wainstein and Scott N. Schools U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. (Read more)
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
British Airways Plc And Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd. Agree To Plead Guilty And Pay Criminal Fines Totaling $600 Million For Fixing Prices On Passenger and Cargo Flights (07-569)
U.K.-based British Airways Plc and South Korean-based Korean Air Lines Co. Ltd. have each agreed to plead guilty and pay separate $300 million criminal fines for their roles in conspiracies to fix the prices of passenger and cargo flights, announced the Department of Justice. Today‘s plea agreements are the first to arise from the Antitrust Division‘s ongoing investigation into the air transportation industry. (Read more)