Three Former Milwaukee Police Officers Sentenced on Civil Rights-related Charges (07-956)

Former Milwaukee, Wis., police officers Jon Bartlett, Andrew Spengler, and Daniel Masarik were sentenced today in federal court on civil rights charges arising out of the October 2004 assault of Frank Jude and Lovell Harris by off-duty Milwaukee police officers. Bartlett was sentenced to 208 months imprisonment; Spengler was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment; and Masarik was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment. After release from prison, each will be on federal supervised release for three years. (Read more)

Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Supporting Hizballah (07-955)

DETROIT — A former resident of Dearborn, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to providing material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization, Stephen J. Murphy, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, and Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced today. (Read more)

Muncie, Indiana Man Indicted for Burning a Cross (07-954)

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Rena J. Comisac and Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Timothy Morrison announced today that Kyle Milbourn of Muncie, Ind., was indicted by a federal grand jury for a hate crime stemming from a cross-burning last year that was directed at a woman and her three biracial children. (Read more)

Three Former British Bankers Plead Guilty to Wire Fraud in Enron Case (07-949)

WASHINGTON – Three former employees of the British bank National Westminster Bank Plc (Nat West) have pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud in connection with a secret investment with former executives of the Enron Corporation, (Read more)

Vessel Operator Sentenced to Pay $525,000 for Environmental Crime (07-948)

A federal district court in Maine sentenced Petraia Maritime Ltd., late yesterday, to pay a fine of $525,000 and serve two years probation for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution From Ships (APPS), the Justice Department announced. (Read more)

$82.7 Million Provided to Tribal Communities for Law and Justice System Improvements (07-947)

The Department of Justice today announced more than $82.7 million in grant funds and assistance to tribal communities for law enforcement and justice system improvements in fiscal year 2007. These awards include funds for tribal courts assistance, alcohol and substance abuse prevention, juvenile and mental health programs, victim assistance, and developing responses to violent crimes against Indian women. (Read more)

Fact Sheet: the National Gang Intelligence Center and the National Gang Targeting, Enforcement and Coordination Center (07-945)

The Department of Justice is leading the effort to combat the threat to the public order posed by national and international street gangs. The Department’s strategy is to achieve maximum impact at the national level against the most violent gangs in this country. A newly opened facility in Northern Virginia will serve as a central location for interagency cooperation and collaboration, and house approximately 80 agents, analysts, support staff and prosecutors. (Read more)

Ohio Man Sentenced to Ten Years Imprisonment for Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to Terrorists (07-944)

An Ohio man has been sentenced to serve ten years in prison for conspiring to provide material support to terrorists, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Kenneth L. Wainstein, U.S. Attorney Gregory G. Lockhart of the Southern District of Ohio, Assistant Director Joseph Billy, Jr., of the FBI Counterterrorism Division, and Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), announced today. (Read more)

Qantas Airways Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay Criminal Fines for Fixing Prices on Cargo Shipments (07-943)

Australian-based Qantas Airways Limited has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $61 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix rates for international air cargo shipments, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Former Indiana Police Officer Indicted for Assaulting an Arrestee (07-942)

Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Rena J. Comisac today announced that a former Gary Police Department officer was indicted in federal district court in Hammond, Ind., on charges that he assaulted an arrestee and falsified a police report. (Read more)

Justice Department Settles Civil Contempt Claim Against Cal Dive International Inc. and Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (07-941)

Cal Dive International Inc. and its parent company Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (collectively Cal Dive) have agreed to pay $2 million as part of a civil settlement with the Department of Justice that resolves Cal Dive’s alleged violations of a 2005 consent decree. (Read more)

Former Wrestler Found Guilty on Human Trafficking Charges in Georgia (07-939)

A federal jury returned guilty verdicts Wednesday against former professional wrestler Harrison Norris Jr., known in the wrestling world as “Hardbody Harrison,” on multiple charges of sex trafficking and slavery related to a scheme to force women into prostitution, announced Rena J. Comisac, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and David E. Nahmias, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. (Read more)

Court Approves Water Rights Settlement in Washington State (07-938)

A federal judge in Seattle approved a water rights settlement that resolves a longstanding dispute regarding the regulation and use of groundwater in northwest Washington State, the Justice Department announced today. Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division Ronald J. Tenpas remarked that “This settlement brings the parties together, reducing the possibility of future litigation and builds a framework for cooperation between the tribe, state, and private parties.” (Read more)

Justice Department Intervenes in Lawsuit to Make the University of Michigan Football Stadium Accessible (07-937)

The United States today filed a motion to intervene in Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America v. University of Michigan, in the Eastern District of Michigan, a lawsuit challenging the accessibility of the University of Michigan football stadium for individuals with mobility disabilities. In its complaint in intervention, the United States alleges that the university and its Board of Regents violated and continue to violate Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act by illegally discriminating against persons with disabilities by failing to make its football stadium accessible. (Read more)

Former Telecom Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Scheme to Defraud Federal E-rate Program (07-936)

The former president and owner of ATE Tel Solutions Inc., which does business as ATE Telecom Solutions Inc. (ATE Tel), was sentenced to serve three years in prison following his conviction for his involvement in a scheme to defraud the federal E-Rate program, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Civilian Contractor Indicted for Allegedly Soliciting Bribes While Working at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait (07-935)

WASHINGTON – A civilian contractor from Georgia has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for allegedly soliciting bribes while working at Camp Arifjan, an Army base in Kuwait, (Read more)

MS-13 Member Sentenced to More Than 19 Years in Prison for Involvement in a Racketeering Conspiracy (07-934)

A member of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, has been sentenced to 235 months in prison for his participation in a racketeering enterprise, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Edward M. Yarbrough of the Middle District of Tennessee announced today. (Read more)

Former Department of Defense Employee Pleads Guilty to Making False Statement (07-933)

WASHINGTON – A former Department of Defense employee has pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington, D.C., to a false statement charge for failing to disclose on his annual financial disclosure report cash payments made to his wife, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more)

Justice Department Announces Settlement With Swarthmore College to Increase Access for People With Disabilities (07-932)

The Justice Department yesterday announced a settlement agreement under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Swarthmore College, under which the college will make its campus and services more accessible to individuals with disabilities. (Read more)

Michigan Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Smuggling Scores of Iraqis and Jordanians into the United States (07-931)

WASHINGTON – Neeran H. Zaia, 56, of Sterling Heights, Mich., was sentenced to 15 years in prison for her role in a conspiracy to smuggle Iraqis and Jordanians into the United States (Read more)

U.S. Joins Suit Against Lockheed & Vendor for Allegedly Mischarging the Government (07-930)

The United States has intervened in a whistleblower suit alleging millions of dollars of mischarging by Lockheed Martin Corporation; Lockheed’s vendor, Tools & Metals Inc. (TMI); Todd Loftis, TMI’s former president and CEO; and Linda Loehr, TMI’s former officer, director and beneficial owner, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Two Plead Guilty to Obstruction of Justice in U.S. Investigation of Luis Posada Carriles (07-940)

WASHINGTON— Two associates of Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles have pleaded guilty in the Western District of Texas to charges of obstruction of justice in connection with the U.S. government’s investigation of Posada Carriles, Michael J. Mullaney, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas announced today. (Read more)

Texas Company and Two Individuals Indicted for Environmental Crimes (07-929)

Two individuals including a company executive have been indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to illegally transport and dispose of hazardous waste, the Justice Department announced. John Kessel, the president and owner of Texas Oil and Gathering, Inc., and Edgar Pettijohn, the company’s operations manager, were arrested and charged today with illegally disposing of hazardous waste at facilities only approved to take oil and gas production waste. Texas Oil and Gathering, Inc., a licensed hazardous waste transporter and used oil handler, was also named in the indictment. (Read more)

Justice Department Sues to Shut Down San Diego-area Tax Preparation Firm (07-928)

The United States has sued the operators of a San Diego-area tax preparation firm, asking a federal court to permanently bar them from preparing tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. The civil injunction suit was filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego against Roosevelt Kyle and Rebecca Tyree, both of San Diego, and their businesses—Century One Resorts Ltd., COA Financial Group LLC, and Eagle Financial Services LLC. (Read more)

Statement of Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey Regarding Today's Civil Rights March (07-927)

“The mission of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is as vital today as when it was created 50 years ago. Those who march today should be commended for highlighting the issues of tolerance and civil liberties. We hope that all can agree that it is the criminals who commit violent acts of hate who deserve the loudest protest. And as long as hatred and racism exist, the Justice Department will continue its hard and effective work on behalf of all victims of hate crimes.” (Read more)

Seven Former Public Officials Sentenced for Participating in Bribery and Extortion Conspiracy (07-925)

WASHINGTON – Seven former public officials were sentenced this week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, in Tucson, for their roles in a widespread bribery and extortion conspiracy, (Read more)

Former Val Verde County, Texas, Corrections Officer Indicted on Federal Civil Rights Charges (07-922)

A federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas, returned an indictment today charging former Val Verde County Detention Center corrections officer Emmanuel Cassio with federal civil rights violations. (Read more)

Fact Sheet: Hate Crimes and Prosecution of Civil Rights Violations (07-921)

The U.S. Department of Justice has always been, and remains, deeply committed to the vigorous enforcement of our nation’s civil rights laws. In recent years, the Department has prosecuted a number of high-profile hate crime cases. As permitted by federal criminal law, the Department of Justice continues to aggressively prosecute those within our society who attack others because of the victims’ race, color, national origin, or religious beliefs. (Read more)

Chicago Man Who Served as Former Nazi Police Officer Ordered Removed (07-920)

WASHINGTON – An immigration judge in Chicago has ordered Chicago resident Osyp Firishchak removed from the United States for his role in a Ukrainian police unit that assisted in the annihilation of over 100,000 Jews in Nazi-occupied L’viv, Poland (now in Ukraine), during World War II, (Read more)

Barry Bonds Indicted for Perjury Arising from His Testimony in the Balco Investigation ()

United States Attorney Scott N. Schools, Special Agent in Charge Scott O’Briant of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Special Agent in Charge Charlene Thornton of the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that a federal grand jury in San Francisco indicted Barry Lamar Bonds, age 43, of Beverly Hills, California, on Nov.15, 2007, with four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. (Read more)

Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Transporting Unlawfully Killed Black Bear Across State Lines (07-919)

A Leominster, Mass., man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Boston to a misdemeanor charge for his role in unlawfully killing and transporting a black bear (Ursus americanus) across state lines in violation of the Lacey Act, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts announced. (Read more)

Stryker Corp. & Physiotherapy Associates to Pay U.S. $16.6 Million for Alleged False Claims to Federal Health Care Programs (07-918)

Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker Corporation and its former outpatient therapy division, Physiotherapy Associates Inc., have agreed to pay the United States $16.6 million to settle allegations that Physiotherapy submitted false claims to Medicare and other federal health care programs, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more)

Justice Department Announces Seventh Guilty Plea in P2P Piracy Crackdown (07-917)

WASHINGTON ­– A seventh defendant has pleaded guilty in connection with Operation D-Elite, the first criminal enforcement action targeting individuals committing copyright infringement on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network using BitTorrent technology, (Read more)

Oregon White Supremacist Sentenced for Attack on Synagogue (07-916)

Yesterday, Gabriel Doyle Laskey, 22, was sentenced to six months incarceration (with work release), six months home detention, and five years probation for his role in a 2002 rock attack on Temple Beth Israel, in Eugene, Ore., in which a group of men threw stones etched with swastikas through the synagogue’s windows during a religious service. In April of this year, his brother Jacob Laskey, the ringleader of the group, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for charges relating to the attack and his efforts to obstruct justice in the case. Another defendant, Gerald Poundstone, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment in September 2006. (Read more)

Palestinian National and Former Colombian Detective Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Support the FARC And Alien Smuggling (07-913)

WASHINGTON – A Palestinian national and a former detective with the Colombian Department of Administrative Security (DAS) have pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and alien smuggling, (Read more)

Justice Department Requires Divestitures in Vulcan's Acquisition of Florida Rock (07-912)

The Department of Justice announced today that it has reached a settlement that will require Vulcan Materials Company and Florida Rock Industries Inc. to divest eight quarries that produce coarse aggregate in Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia and one distribution yard in Virginia in order to proceed with their proposed $4.6 billion merger. (Read more)

Former Employee of CIA and FBI Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy, Unauthorized Computer Access and Naturalization Fraud (07-910)

Nada Nadim Prouty, a 37-year-old Lebanese national and resident of Vienna, Va., pleaded guilty today in the Eastern District of Michigan to charges of fraudulently obtaining U.S. citizenship, which she later used to gain employment at the FBI and CIA; accessing a federal computer system to unlawfully query information about her relatives and the terrorist organization Hizballah; and conspiracy to defraud the United States. (Read more)

Former Guatemalan Government Official Convicted of U.S. Drug Charges (07-908)

WASHINGTON – A former police officer in the Guatemalan government was convicted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on drug charges, (Read more)

Former Florida Health Care Company Owner Sentenced to 66 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud (07-907)

WASHINGTON – The owner and operator of a Florida health care company has been sentenced to 66 months incarceration for Medicare fraud, (Read more)

Four Miami Health Care Company Owners Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Medicare Fraud (07-904)

WASHINGTON – Four members of the same family, who owned and operated a series of Miami Durable Medicare Equipment companies and Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facilities have each been sentenced to 57 months in prison for Medicare fraud, (Read more)

New Mexico Business Owners Plead Guilty and Are Sentenced for Transporting Mountain Lion Across State Lines (07-901)

John “Tom” Boyer and his wife Deborah Boyer, owners of Let’s Tree It Outfitters in Reserve, N.M., pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Denver to a criminal information charging each of them with a misdemeanor violation of the Lacey Act, the Justice Department announced today. The Lacey Act prohibits the interstate transportation of wildlife which, in the exercise of due care, the transporter should have known was taken in violation of any state wildlife-related law. (Read more)

Two Former Virgin Islands Commissioners and a Local Businessman Indicted in $1.4 Million Bribery and Kickback Scheme (07-900)

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, has returned a 12-count indictment against the former Commissioner of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), the former Commissioner of the Department of Property and Procurement (DP&P), and a local businessman, (Read more)

Heating and Air-Conditioning Services Company and its Owner Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at New York Presbyterian Hospital (07-899)

Mister A.C. and its owner, Michael Vignola, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan for rigging bids to NYPH from approximately 2002 until January of 2006. Vignola also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud NYPH by paying kickbacks to NYPH employees from approximately 2001 until January 2006. (Read more)

Former Mississippi Corrections Officers Sentenced for Role in Abusing Inmates (07-898)

Acting Assistant Attorney General Rena J. Comisac and U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton announced the sentencing of nine former corrections officers from Harrison County Adult Detention Center in Gulfport, Miss. A 10th defendant, Ryan Michael Teel, a former corrections officer, was sentenced last Thursday in federal court for his role in the death of Jessie Lee Williams Jr. a former inmate at the jail. Williams died from severe brain trauma after he was beaten by Teel in the booking room of the jail. On Nov. 1, 2007, Teel was sentenced to life in prison for his role in Williams’ death and his role in conspiring to abuse other inmates during this tenure as a corrections officer. (Read more)

Justice Department Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Mississippi Bank and Former Bank Vice President (07-897)

The Justice Department today announced a $350,000 settlement to resolve a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment of female borrowers and loan applicants by a former vice president of the First National Bank of Pontotoc in Mississippi. The lawsuit was the first sexual harassment case brought by the Justice Department under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. (Read more)

Phoenix Businessman Pleads Guilty to Charges of Failing to Pay Federal Employment Payroll Taxes (07-896)

Randy L. Bragg, the operator of employee leasing company Consolidated Human Resources Arizona, Inc. (CHRA), pled guilty to two counts of willfully making and subscribing a false income tax return at the federal courthouse in Phoenix, Ariz., the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. (Read more)

Two Executives of French Manufacturer of Marine Hose Agree to Plead Guilty to Participating in Worldwide Bid-Rigging Conspiracy (07-895)

Two executives of Trelleborg Industrie S.A.S., a manufacturer of marine hose located in Clermont-Ferrand, France, agreed to plead guilty to participating in a conspiracy to rig bids, fix prices and allocate market shares of marine hose in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today. (Read more)

Two Individuals Charged in $16 Million Scheme to Defraud the Export-Import Bank of the United States (07-894)

WASHINGTON – Two men from the Philippines have been charged in connection with a $16 million scheme to defraud the Export-Import Bank of the United States (the Ex-Im Bank), (Read more)

Federal Court Bars North Carolina Woman From Preparing Tax Returns for Others (07-893)

A federal judge in Durham, North Carolina has permanently barred Nicole Baine from preparing federal income tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today. According to the government’s civil injunction complaint, Baine prepared federal income tax returns for customers claiming fraudulent fuel tax credits, a scam that the complaint says is a serious enforcement problem for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The court in September entered a similar injunction order against Baine’s co-defendant, Anthony Green. (Read more)

Prepared Statement of Lee J. Lofthus Assistant Attorney General for Administration Before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Government Reform Concerning "Telework: Breaking New Ground" (07-892)

DOJ components continue to look for opportunities to expand the use of telework where it supports the Department’s mission. DOJ has many positions that are technically eligible for teleworking. (Read more)

Justice Department to Monitor Elections in Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Pennsylvania (07-891)

The Justice Department today announced that on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007, it will monitor elections in Anderson, Ind.; Boston and Springfield, Mass.; Humphreys, Jefferson Davis, Leflore, and Wilkinson Counties, Miss.; and Reading, Pa., to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act. Under the Voting Rights Act, the Justice Department is authorized to ask the Office of Personnel Management to send federal observers to areas that are specially covered in the Act itself or by a federal court order. (Read more)

Afghan National Arraigned on Drug Charges (07-890)

Khan Mohammed, an Afghan national, was arraigned today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges of distributing one kilogram or more of heroin, intending and knowing that it be imported into the United States of America. (Read more)

Six Charged With Business Opportunity Fraud (07-889)

Six defendants were charged today for their participation in various fraudulent business opportunity schemes, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today. The charges form part of the government’s continued crackdown on business opportunity fraud in South Florida. (Read more)

Mississippi Police Department Officials Charged With Civil Rights Violation in Unjustified Use of Police Dog (07-887)

A federal grand jury in Oxford, Miss., returned a five-count indictment earlier this week, which was unsealed today, charging Assistant Chief Scott Gentry, Major Todd Fulwood, and Officer Adam McHann of the Olive Branch Police Department with federal offenses, including civil rights violations, conspiracy, witness tampering, and making false statements. The indictment was announced today by Rena J. Comisac, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, Jim Greenlee, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Miss., and Frederick T. Brink, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office. (Read more)

Former Leader of Arellano-Felix Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Life in Prison (07-886)

Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix, the former leader of the deadly drug trafficking Arellano-Felix Organization (AFO), was sentenced to serve life in prison, the Department of Justice announced today. At the sentencing hearing at federal court in San Diego today, U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns also ordered Arellano-Felix, 37, to forfeit $50 million and his interest in a yacht, the Dock Holiday. Arellano-Felix’s sentence follows his September 2007 guilty plea to operating a continuing criminal enterprise and conspiring to launder monetary instruments. (Read more)

Former Executive of Willbros Subsidiary Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Bribe Nigerian Government Officials (07-885)

WASHINGTON – A former executive of a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (WGI) has pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe officials of the government of Nigeria with more than $6 million in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), (Read more)

Former Texas Border Patrol Agent Sentenced for Civil Rights Violations (07-883)

Pablo Rosario, a former U.S. Border Patrol Agent stationed in El Paso, Texas, was sentenced today in federal court in El Paso to 24 months imprisonment for violating the civil rights of two illegal aliens. After release from prison, Rosario will be on federal supervised release for one year. (Read more)

Former Department of Defense Employee Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the United States (07-882)

WASHINGTON – A former civilian employee of the Department of Defense (DOD) has pleaded guilty in El Paso, Texas, to defrauding the United States of tens of thousands of dollars, (Read more)

West Virginia Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison on Child Pornography Charges (07-880)

WASHINGTON – A Cross Lanes, W.Va., man has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin for producing, receiving and possessing child pornography, (Read more)

Former Arkansas Police Officer Sentenced for Civil Rights Violation (07-879)

Shannon Houchin, a former officer with the Crittenden County Sheriff's Office in West Memphis, Ark., was sentenced today in federal court in Little Rock to one year and one day imprisonment following his conviction on a civil rights violation. (Read more)

Former Alaska State Representative Victor Kohring Convicted on Public Corruption Charges (07-878)

WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Anchorage, Alaska, has found former Alaska State Representative Victor H. Kohring guilty of conspiracy, bribery and attempted extortion, (Read more)

Former Mississippi Corrections Officer Sentenced for Role in Death of Inmate After Beating in Jail Booking Room (07-877)

Ryan Michael Teel, a former corrections officer, was sentenced today in federal court for his role in the death of Jessie Lee Williams Jr. at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center in Gulfport, Miss., on Feb. 4, 2006. (Read more)

Former Franklin County District Attorney Convicted of Civil Rights Violations Against Probationers (07-875)

Former District Attorney John Pilati for Franklin County, Ala. was convicted today by a federal jury on five counts for violating the civil rights of five young men by subjecting them to unreasonable searches while acting under color of law, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Rena J. Comisac and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Alice H. Martin announced. (Read more)

Justice Department Recovers $2 Billion for Fraud Against the Government in Fy 2007; More Than $20 Billion Since 1986 (07-873)

The United States obtained $2 billion in settlements and judgments in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, pursuing allegations of fraud against the federal government, the Justice Department announced today. This brings total recoveries since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act, to more than $20 billion. (Read more)