Press Releases for October 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Hercules, Inc. Pays $12.95 Million for Environmental Cleanup Costs at Navy-owned, Contractor-operated Site (07-874)
Hercules, Inc., a former defense contractor, has agreed to pay the United States nearly $13 million toward the cleanup of the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) site in Rocket Center, West Virginia, according to a settlement reached today with the Department of Justice, the Department of the Navy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (Read more)
Ingersoll-Rand Agrees to Pay $2.5 Million Fine in Connection with Payment of Kickbacks Under the U.N. Oil for Food Program (07-872)
WASHINGTON — The Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited has agreed to pay a $2.5 million fine as part of an agreement with the U.S. government regarding charges brought in connection with an ongoing investigation of the U.N. “Oil for Food” program, (Read more)
Former HHS OIG Special Agent Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Forgery Charges in Connection with Theft of More Than $1 Million (07-871)
WASHINGTON — A former Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General pleaded guilty to a two-count information charging him with bank fraud and forging the signature of a judge or court officer, (Read more)
Operation Falcon-2007 Nets Thousands of Fugitives (07-870)
The U.S. Marshals Service, assisted by federal, state and local law enforcement, arrested 6,406 fugitives and cleared 8,219 warrants in 27 operations across 22 states as part of Operation FALCON-2007 (Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally), Acting Deputy Attorney General Craig Morford, and U.S. Marshals Service Director John Clark announced today. Starting in Baton Rouge and concluding in Philadelphia, Operation FALCON-2007 brought together the talents and resources of 22 federal agencies, 70 state agencies, 206 county sheriffs departments and 242 police departments, to again make the program a success. (Read more)
Former FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Employee Convicted for Concealing Information From the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (07-868)
David Geisen, a former manager at FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), was convicted today by a federal jury in Toledo, Ohio for concealing information from and making false statements to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the Justice Department announced. (Read more)
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Dianon Systems Agrees to Pay U.S. $1.5 Million to Resolve Claims of Mischarging Medicare (07-865)
WASHINGTON -- Dianon Systems Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $1.5 million to resolve claims under the False Claims Act that the company mischarged Medicare and TRICARE for certain tests it performed, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
Florida Men Plead Guilty to Production and Receipt of Child Pornography (07-864)
WASHINGTON — Two men from Indiantown, Fla., entered guilty pleas today in the Southern District of Florida for the production and receipt of child pornography, (Read more)
Justice Department Requires Divestitures in AT&T‘s Acquisition of Dobson Communications (07-863)
The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement requiring AT&T Inc. (AT&T) to divest assets to address competition concerns in seven markets in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas, including rights to the “Cellular One” brand in order to proceed with its $2.8 billion acquisition of Dobson Communications Corporation (Dobson). (Read more)
Hexcel Corp. Pays $15 Million to the U.S. in Connection With the Sale of Defective Zylon Bullet-proof Vests (07-861)
Hexcel Corporation of Stamford, Conn., has agreed to pay the United States $15 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act in connection with its role in the manufacture and sale of defective Zylon bullet-proof vests to federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department announced today. As part of the agreement with the government, the manufacturer has pledged their cooperation in the government‘s on-going investigation of other participants involved in the fraudulent conduct. (Read more)
Monday, October 29, 2007
Two Colombian Men Plead Guilty to Alien Smuggling and Conspiring to Support the FARC (07-862)
WASHINGTON — Two defendants have pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and alien smuggling, (Read more)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Asbestos Abatement Supervisor Pleads Guilty to Clean Air Act Violations Arising From U.S. Naval Air Station Cleanup (07-859)
Robert Langill of Woburn, Mass., pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act in connection with asbestos abatement at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Ronald J. Tenpas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland announced today. (Read more)
Acting Attorney General Announces Results of Operation Home Sweet Home (07-858)
The Justice Department announced the results of Operation Home Sweet Home, the Attorney General‘s initiative to expose housing discrimination in America. In Fiscal Year 2007, the Department conducted a record number of undercover housing discrimination investigations, filed 30 lawsuits alleging unlawful housing discrimination, and obtained settlements and judgments requiring the payment of over $5 million in monetary damages to victims of discrimination and civil penalties. (Read more)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Civil Rights Division Employees Honored for Outstanding Achievements (07-855)
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Peter Keisler presided over the Civil Rights Division Awards Ceremony today in recognition of the outstanding achievements of its employees over the past year. (Read more)
Sarasota County, Florida, to Pay $760,000 to Settle Group Home Lawsuit (07-854)
The Justice Department announced today that Sarasota County, Fla., has agreed to pay $760,000 to settle two lawsuits alleging that the county discriminated against persons with disabilities when it refused to allow group homes for persons in recovery from alcohol and substance abuse to operate. (Read more)
Statement of the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division Regarding its Investigation of Hearst Corporation's Proposed Acquisition of Tracking Stock in Medianews Group Inc. (07-853)
The Department of Justice‘s Antitrust Division announced today that it has closed its investigation of The Hearst Corporation‘s proposed acquisition of a newly created “tracking stock” of MediaNews Group Inc. (MNG). (Read more)
Nantucket Man Arrested and Charged for Producing and Transporting Child Pornography (07-852)
WASHINGTON — A Nantucket, Mass., man was arrested this morning and charged with producing child pornography and transporting it into the United States, (Read more)
Fact Sheet: Prosecution of Environmental Crimes by the Environment and Natural Resources Division (07-851)
The Justice Department‘s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) has 40 prosecutors who enforce federal environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Lacey Act, and the Endangered Species Act, among other statutes. (Read more)
British Petroleum to Pay More Than $370 Million in Environmental Crimes, Fraud Cases (07-850)
British Petroleum and several of its subsidiaries have agreed to pay approximately $373 million in fines and restitution for environmental violations stemming from a fatal explosion at a Texas refinery in March 2005, leaks of crude oil from pipelines in Alaska, and fraud for conspiring to corner the market and manipulate the price of propane carried through Texas pipelines, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)
Fact Sheet: Commodities Fraud and Manipulation (07-849)
As members of the President‘s Corporate Fraud Task Force, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission have worked together to eradicate commodities fraud and manipulation from the markets. The Justice Department‘s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney‘s Offices nationwide, the FBI and CFTC have been responsible for at least 165 criminal indictments and the filing of more than 275 civil enforcement actions. As a result of these criminal and civil proceedings, fines and restitution orders totaling $2,357,472,854 have been levied and prison terms ranging from five years to 21 years have been imposed. (Read more)
Federal Court Rules Alabama in Compliance With Help America Vote Act (07-848)
Following a Department of Justice lawsuit and a court-ordered appointment of a special master, a federal court ruled from the bench yesterday that Alabama is now in compliance with the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The judge noted that Alabama had made remarkable progress in the 14 months following the appointment of the special master. The judge‘s comments followed testimony that Alabama had become HAVA-compliant in record time. (Read more)
Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Case with Iowa Landlord (07-847)
The Justice Department announced that it has reached an agreement resolving a housing discrimination lawsuit against the Municipal Housing Agency of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Mark Schultz, former Executive Director of the agency; and Dee Wentzel, an employee of the agency, concerning alleged discrimination on the basis of disability. Under the consent decree, filed today in federal district court in Des Moines, the defendants will pay $40,000 in monetary relief to the complainants and the United States. (Read more)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Ohio Cardiologist Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Commit Health Care Fraud (07-845)
WASHINGTON — An Ohio physician has pleaded guilty before District Judge John R. Adams to conspiring to engage in a scheme to defraud Medicare and other health care benefit programs, (Read more)
Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison on Child Pornography Charges (07-844)
WASHINGTON — Philip Herzberg, 50, of Hingham, Mass., was sentenced in Boston to 78 months in prison on child pornography charges, (Read more)
Philadelphia Woman Sentenced for Federal Hate Crime (07-843)
A Philadelphia woman, Kia Reid, was sentenced Wednesday in federal court in Philadelphia to eight months confined to a community corrections center as part of two years supervised probation, following her conviction on a federal civil rights charge, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Rena J. Comisac and U.S. Attorney Patrick L. Meehan for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced. (Read more)
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn. Agree to Extensive Sewer System Upgrades (07-842)
The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (Metro), at a cost of between $300 million and $400 million, has agreed to make extensive improvements to its sewer systems to eliminate unauthorized overflows of untreated raw sewage and to control overflows of combined sewage and storm water under a settlement announced today by the Justice Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Tennessee Attorney General‘s Office and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). (Read more)
Federal Inter-Agency Partners Sign Government-wide Watchlisting Redress MOU (000000)
The U.S. Terrorist Screening Center (TSC), the U.S. Government‘s consolidation point for known or appropriately suspected terrorist watchlist information, both foreign and domestic, announced today the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Terrorist Watchlist Redress Procedures (MOU) by senior-level Federal inter-agency partners. The redress MOU serves to enhance inter-agency roles and responsibilities to ensure a fair, timely, and independent review of an individual‘s complaint. (Read more)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Former Lockheed Martin Employee Sentenced to 16 Months for Wire Fraud and Making False Statements (07-841)
WASHINGTON — The former deputy manager and treasurer for Lockheed Martin Corporation‘s political action committee was sentenced today for his embezzlement of more than $160,000 in committee funds, (Read more)
Department of Justice Meets With NAACP and the Family of Martin Lee Anderson (07-840)
U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Gregory Robert Miller and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Rena Comisac announced today that Mr. Miller, together with managing attorneys from the U.S. Attorney‘s Office and the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, the Regional Director of the Community Relations Service of the Justice Department, and the Senior Supervisory Resident agent of the FBI Tallahassee Field Office met today in Tallahassee with Adora Obi Nweze, President of the Florida NAACP, and other representatives from the organization. The meeting was held at the request of the Florida NAACP to discuss the federal investigation of the Jan. 5, 2006, death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson following his collapse at the Bay County, Fla., boot camp for juvenile offenders. The U.S. Attorney‘s Office had previously met with Ms. Nweze and representatives of the NAACP at their request in March 2006. (Read more)
Department of Justice Requires Divestiture in Abitibi/Bowater Merger (07-839)
The Department of Justice announced today that it will require two of the nation‘s largest newsprint manufacturers — Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. and Bowater Inc.— to divest a newsprint mill in Arizona in order to proceed with their proposed $1.6 billion transaction (Read more)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Colombian Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Support the FARC (07-838)
Bernardo Valdes Londono, 49, of Pereira, Colombia, pleaded guilty today in Miami before U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard to one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. In pleading guilty, Valdes admitted that between approximately July 12, 2005, and Jan. 3, 2006, he conspired with others to facilitate travel for an informant posing as a FARC chief who needed to leave Colombia and go to the United States. (Read more)
Former Eastern Idaho Man Sentenced for Hazardous Waste Violations (07-837)
Krister Sven Everston, of Wasilla, Alaska, also known as Krister Ericksson was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for illegally transporting hazardous materials and illegally storing hazardous waste, the Justice Department announced. He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $421,049 and placed on supervised leave for 3 years. (Read more)
U.S. Department of Justice Leads International Effort to Combat Intellectual Property Crime (07-836)
BANGKOK, THAILAND — The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the opening of a regional conference of approximately 70 key law enforcement officials from more than a dozen nations, with the aim of developing an international network targeting large-scale intellectual property (IP) crimes. (Read more)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Former Army Reserve Officer Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison on Bribery, Conspiracy and Money Laundering Charges (07-835)
WASHINGTON — A former major in the U.S. Army Reserve was sentenced today for conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in connection with the fraudulent awarding and administration of U.S. government contracts in Balad, Iraq, (Read more)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Woman Charged in Plot to Illegally Export Military Accelerometers to China (07-833)
A federal grand jury sitting in San Diego today handed up an indictment charging Qing Li, 39, with conspiracy to procure the illegal export of military-grade accelerometers from the United States to the Republic of China (“China”) based on an undercover operation by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). (Read more)
Justice Department Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Red Wing, Minnesota, Landlords (07-832)
The Justice Department announced today that Red Wing, Minn., landlords Thomas and Dawn Fischer have agreed to pay $240,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that Mr. Fischer sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. (Read more)
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
U.S. Freight Forwarder Pleads Guilty to Criminal Charges Involving the Military‘s Program for Shipment of Household Goods (07-830)
Criminal charges were filed today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. against Lift Forwarders Inc. (Lift). Under the terms of a plea agreement, Lift pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to restrain trade, in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act, and agreed to pay a $140,000 criminal fine. (Read more)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Ship‘s Chief Engineer Convicted in Vessel Pollution Case (07-829)
Mark Humphries, the chief engineer of the M/V Tanabata, an American-flagged car-carrier ship based in Baltimore, was convicted today by a jury on one count of conspiracy and two counts of making false statements, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. (Read more)
Federal Court Bars Ft. Lauderdale Man From Preparing Tax Returns for Others (07-828)
A federal judge in Ft. Lauderdale has permanently barred Joshua Chikudo from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The civil injunction order was entered in a lawsuit in which the Justice Department alleged that Chikudo, who operates Quick Return Tax Services and Income Tax Services, prepares federal income tax returns claiming fraudulent fuel tax credits. (Read more)
Former Tennessee Mental Health Aide Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Violations (07-827)
Jarvis Malone, a former aide at the Arlington Development Center (ADC) in Arlington, Tenn., was sentenced today in federal court in Memphis to 27 months imprisonment following his conviction on civil rights violations. After release from prison, Malone will be on federal supervised release for 2 years. (Read more)
Former Owner of New England Gas Charged With Illegally Storing Mercury at a Pawtucket, Rhode Island Site (07-826)
A federal grand jury in Providence has charged the Southern Union Company, the Texas-based former owner of the New England Gas Company, with illegally storing mercury at a Pawtucket, R.I., site and with failing to report mercury spillage. (Read more)
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with the Multiple Listing Service of Hilton Head Island Inc. (07-825)
The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement with Multiple Listing Service of Hilton Head Island Inc. (HHMLS) that requires the group to change its membership rules so that low-priced and innovative real estate brokers can compete in the Hilton Head area. (Read more)
Department of Justice Announces $75 Million to Help Fight Violent Crime (07-824)
Acting Deputy Attorney General Craig S. Morford today announced the award of $75 million in Department of Justice grants to help fight violent crime in communities across the country. The awards, made as part of the Department‘s Violent Crime Reduction Partnership, will bring together state and local law enforcement agencies as part of violent crime task forces. Funding will help the task forces design crime-fighting strategies and carry out activities such as street investigation and intelligence gathering. (Read more)
Two Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring To Support the FARC (07-823)
WASHINGTON — Two South American men have pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, a designated foreign terrorist organization, (Read more)
Monday, October 15, 2007
Former Alaska State Rep. Thomas T. Anderson Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Extortion, Conspiracy, Bribery And Money Laundering (07-822)
WASHINGTON — Thomas T. Anderson, a former elected member of the Alaska State House of Representatives, was sentenced to 60 months in prison (Read more)
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Clerk of Circuit Court for Hillsborough County, Florida, to Defend Employment Rights of Army Reservist (07-821)
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tracey Marshall, a first sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, against the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Hillsborough County, Fla., (“the Clerk”) alleging violations of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA). (Read more)
Iconix Brand Group to Pay $550,000 Civil Penalty for Violating Antitrust Pre-merger Notification Requirements (07-820)
The Department of Justice‘s Antitrust Division today filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., against Iconix for violating the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act of 1976. At the same time, the Department filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, will settle the charges. (Read more)
Former DoD Employee Sentenced on Charges Involving Fraud and Theft From the Army (07-819)
WASHINGTON — Jesse D. Lane, Jr., a former civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DOD) and former member of the California Army National Guard, was sentenced for defrauding the United States and conspiring with four other individuals to do the same, (Read more)
Federal Court Permanently Bars Las Vegas Man From Promoting “Asset Protection” Scheme (07-818)
A federal judge in St. Louis has permanently barred William S. Reed, the founder of a so-called “asset protection” business, from preparing fraudulent liens for customers and helping customers conceal their funds by having shell corporations own their bank accounts, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)
Justice Department‘s Antitrust Division to Host Symposium on Telecommunications Competition Issues (07-816)
The Department of Justice‘s Antitrust Division today announced that it will host a symposium entitled, “Voice, Video and Broadband: The Changing Competitive Landscape and Its Impact on Consumers.” (Read more)
Department Of Justice Announces Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces In All 50 States (07-061)
The Department of Justice announced today that 13 new state and local law enforcement agencies will receive more than $3 million to form Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces in their regions. The funding marks the presence of ICAC task forces in all 50 states, and will support a seamless network making communities and children safer nationwide. (Read more)
Friday, October 12, 2007
Former Motivational Speaker Re-Sentenced to 20 Years for Transporting Child Pornography (07-817)
WASHINGTON — Michael Fortino, 47, a motivational speaker whose original prison sentence was recently vacated, was re-sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison for transporting child pornography, (Read more)
Nationwide Trafficker of Counterfeit Clothing Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison (07-815)
WASHINGTON —A national distributor of more than $7 million in counterfeit clothing has been sentenced to 57 months in prison, (Read more)
Two Men Sentenced for Running International Pornographic Spamming Business (07-813)
WASHINGTON — Two men have been sentenced to more than five years in prison for organizing and running an international pornographic spamming business that grossed over $1 million (Read more)
Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography (07-812)
WASHINGTON — A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to attempted receipt of child pornography, (Read more)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Eight Charged in Connection With $80 Million Scheme to Defraud the Export-import Bank of the United States (07-811)
WASHINGTON — A total of eight defendants have been charged in connection with an $80 million scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the United States, (Read more)
Massachusetts Man Indicted as Part of Nationwide Investigation of Internet Child Pornography Trade (07-810)
WASHINGTON — A West Townsend, Mass., man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of receipt and possession of child pornography, (Read more)
West Virginia Health and Safety Official Pleads Guilty to Bribery (07-809)
Paul Prendergast, a resident of Gaithersburg, Md., pleaded guilty today to violating the Travel Act in connection with accepting bribes in violation of the West Virginia Bribery and Corrupt Practices Act, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department‘s Environment and Natural Resources Division and Rod J. Rosenstein, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. (Read more)
Fact Sheet: Major U.S. Export Enforcement Actions in the Past Year (07-807)
Below is a snapshot of some of the major export-related criminal cases and prosecutions handled by the Justice Department in the past year. These cases resulted from investigations by the Department of Homeland Security‘s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Commerce‘s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of Defense‘s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and other federal law enforcement agencies. This list of cases is not exhaustive. (Read more)
Justice Department and Partner Agencies Launch National Counter-Proliferation Initiative (07-806)
The Justice Department and several partner agencies today launched a national initiative that will harness the counter-proliferation assets of U.S. law enforcement, licensing, and intelligence agencies to combat the growing national security threat posed by illegal exports of restricted U.S. military and dual-use technology to foreign nations and terrorist organizations. (Read more)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Antitrust Division Launches Web Site on Competition in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry (07-803)
The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice launched a new Web site today to educate consumers and policymakers about the potential benefits that competition can bring to consumers of real estate brokerage services and the barriers that inhibit that competition. (Read more)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Rowan Companies and Nine Supervisory Employees Plead Guilty to Environmental Crimes in Connection with Oil and Gas Drilling Operations (07-802)
Rowan Companies, Inc., a major oil and gas drilling company, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, Texas, to three felonies in connection with the routine discharge of pollutants and garbage into the Gulf of Mexico from one of the firm‘s oil rigs, the Justice Department announced. (Read more)
Former Sales Representative of Homeland Security Equipment Charged with Participating in Fraud Scheme (07-799)
A former homeland security equipment sales representative of Pittsburgh-based Fisher Scientific International LLC (Fisher Scientific) is charged with participating in a conspiracy to defraud his former employer, the Department of Justice announced today. The individual, Angel L. Rodriguez Vasquez (Rodriguez), sold homeland security products, including emergency vehicle equipment, in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (Read more)
Fact Sheet: United States Et Al. vs. American Electric Power (07-798)
On October 9, 2007, the United States, eight states, and thirteen citizen groups announced a settlement agreement with American Electric Power (AEP) under the Clean Air Act‘s (Act) New Source Review (NSR) provisions that obtains relief at sixteen (16) of AEP‘s coal-fired power plants (46 units) located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. (Read more)
U.S. Announces Largest Single Environmental Settlement in History (07-797)
American Electric Power has agreed to cut 813,000 tons of air pollutants annually at an estimated cost of more than $4.6 billion, pay a $15 million penalty, and spend $60 million on projects to mitigate the adverse effects of its past excess emissions. The record settlement was announced today by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency. (Read more)
Friday, October 5, 2007
Former Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police Officer Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charges (07-795)
A federal grand jury in Dallas returned an indictment earlier this week, which was unsealed yesterday, charging former Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) police officer Lance Kendall Bonner with federal civil rights violations. Rena J. Comisac, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice‘s Civil Rights Division, Richard B. Roper, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, and Robert E. Casey Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Office, announced the indictment. (Read more)
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Miami Jury Convicts Medical Company Owner of Medicare Fraud (07-794)
WASHINGTON — A federal jury in Miami has convicted the owner and operator of Direct Nursing Assistance Inc. of Medicare fraud, (Read more)
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Recidivist Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Charges in Montana (07-790)
WASHINGTON — A child sex offender with a long history of sexually assaulting minors has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Montana (Read more)
Florida Doctor Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud (07-789)
WASHINGTON — A doctor involved in a $7 million HIV infusion therapy scheme to defraud Medicare has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, (Read more)
Acting Attorney General Honors Employees and Others at the Department of Justice‘s Annual Awards Ceremony (07-787)
Today 191 Justice Department employees — along with 26 other individuals, many of whom are federal employees and law enforcement officers — are being honored at the Department‘s 55th Annual Awards Ceremony at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The Attorney General‘s Annual Awards Ceremony provides an opportunity to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of a number of U.S. Department of Justice employees as well as individuals from outside the Department. (Read more)
Monday, October 1, 2007
Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Arkansas Landlord Alleging Discrimination Against Families with Children (07-786)
The Justice Department announced a settlement agreement with the owners of Phoenix Village Apartments in Fort Smith, Ark. According to the complaint, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, defendants Donald Adams, Drennon G. Adams, Lula Mae Cook (aka Lula Mae Dillard), and A & A Investments d/b/a Phoenix Village Apartments, refused to rent apartments to families with children. (Read more)
Justice Department Seeks Deportation of Former SS Attack Dog Handler Who Guarded Two Nazi Concentration Camps (07-784)
The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have commenced proceedings before an immigration judge in Atlanta seeking the removal of a Lawrenceville, Ga., resident who served the Nazi SS during World War II as a handler of attack dogs and a guard of prisoners at the notorious Dachau and Buchenwald Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany. (Read more)
Justice Department Agrees to Defer Prosecution of York International Corporation in Connection With Payment of Kickbacks Under the U.N. Oil For Food Program (07-783)
WASHINGTON — As part of the Justice Department‘s ongoing investigation into activity involving the United Nations Oil for Food program, the Department has agreed to defer the prosecution of York International Corporation, headquartered in York, Pa., (Read more)