January 31, 2007 |
Florida Man Sentenced in Cross Burning (07-064)
Neal Chapman Coombs, a 50-year-old resident of Hastings, Fla., was sentenced
today to 14 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised
release, the Justice Department announced today. Coombs pleaded guilty on
August 16, 2006 to a racially-motivated civil rights crime involving a cross
burning. (Read more) |
Justice Department Settles Voting Rights Claims
with Cibola County, New Mexico (07-063)
The Justice Department announced today the filing and successful resolution of
its claims against Cibola County, N.M., alleging violations of the Help America
Vote Act (HAVA) and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). (Read more) |
RightCHOICE Managed Care to Pay United States $975,000
to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations (07-062)
RightCHOICE Managed Care, Inc., has agreed to pay the United States $975,000 to
settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act in connection with
providing health care benefits to federal employees and their dependents in the
state of Missouri, the Justice Department announced today. (Read more) |
Fact Sheet: Civil Rights Division Efforts to Combat Modern-Day Slavery (07-061)
Trafficking in persons is the equivalent of modern-day slavery. It is a crime
that often involves the recruitment and smuggling of foreign nationals into the
United States to force or coerce them into prostitution, labor or illicit sexual
activity, and in many circumstances, it also victimizes U.S. citizens. Under
the leadership of the President, this Administration has taken unprecedented
efforts to combat the scourge of human trafficking. The Justice Department,
along with federal, state and local partners, plays a key role in battling this
deeply troubling, violent and often hidden crime. (Read more) |
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales Announces Creation Of
Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit within the Civil Rights Division
(07-060)
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Assistant Attorney General for the
Civil Rights Division, Wan J. Kim, announced today the creation of the Human
Trafficking Prosecution (HTP) Unit within the Criminal Section of the Justice
Department’s Civil Rights Division. The Unit is designed to develop new
strategies to combat modern-day slavery by focusing the Division’s human
trafficking expertise and expanding its anti-trafficking enforcement program to
further increase human trafficking investigations and prosecutions throughout
the nation. (Read more) |
January 30, 2007 |
Former Political Party Officials In Puerto Rico Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Extortion, Conspiracy and Tax Fraud (07-059)
WASHINGTON – Two residents of Puerto Rico were each sentenced to five years in
prison for their involvement in a scheme to extort a group of contractors in
connection with the Superaqueduct construction project along the north coast of
Puerto Rico, (Read more) |
Massachusetts Residents Sentenced for
Conspiring to Transport a Minor to Engage in Prostitution (07-057)
Massachusetts residents were sentenced for their role in arranging for a minor
to work as a prostitute in several New England states, Assistant Attorney
General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Michael J.
Sullivan of the District of Massachusetts announced today. (Read more) |
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civilian Employee
Sentenced on Corruption Charges
(07-056)
Gheevarghese Pappen, a retired U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee was
sentenced for soliciting and accepting nearly $50,000 in illegal gratuities,
Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced
today. (Read more) |
January 29, 2007 |
Former DOD Contractor Sentenced in Case Involving Bribery, Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme in al-Hillah, Iraq (07-055)
A former Department of Defense (DOD) contractor was sentenced to nine years in
prison and ordered to forfeit $3.6 million for his role in a bribery and fraud
scheme involving contracts in the reconstruction of Iraq, Assistant Attorney
General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more) |
Two Vessel Corporations Plead Guilty,
Are Sentenced for Illegal Dumping (07-053)
Greek-based shipping companies Chian Spirit Maritime Enterprises, Inc. and
Venetico Marine each pleaded guilty today in District court in Delaware to a
felony violation related to the operation of the M/V Irene E.M., a large bulk
carrier. (Read more) |
United States Joins Suit Against Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane, Inc. (07-052)
The United States has intervened in a whistleblower suit filed in the District
of Massachusetts against Boehringer Ingelheim Roxane, Inc. and various related
entities, alleging that Roxane violated the False Claims Act, the Justice
Department announced today. (Read more) |
Dutch Citizen Arraigned in Washington, D.C., on Charges of
Terrorism Conspiracy Against Americans in Iraq
(07-051)
An Iraqi-born Dutch citizen who was extradited from the Netherlands on Saturday
made his initial appearance today in federal court in Washington, D.C., to face
charges for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to attack Americans based in
Iraq, announced Kenneth L. Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for the
National Security Division, Jeffrey A. Taylor, U.S. Attorney for the District of
Columbia, and Joseph Persichini Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office. (Read more) |
January 26, 2007 |
Justice Department Reaches Settlement in Unlawful
Termination Suit of Louisiana National Guard Soldier (07-050)
The Justice Department today reached a settlement on behalf of a National
Guardsman whose employment was alleged to have been unlawfully terminated in
violation of the Uniform Servicemembers Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
(USERRA). (Read more) |
Ship Chief & Crew Sentenced for Vessel Pollution (07-049)
The Chief Engineer and Second Engineer of the M/V Sun New, owned and operated by
The Sun Ace Shipping Company based in Seoul, South Korea, were sentenced today
for crimes related to vessel pollution in relation to the operation of the bulk
carrier vessel, the Justice Department announced. (Read more) |
Department of Justice/Federal Trade Commission Hearings on Single-Firm Conduct to Continue in Berkeley, Calif. (07-048)
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) today announced that the latest in a series of joint public hearings
designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust
laws will take place on Jan. 30–31, 2007 in Berkeley, Calif. (Read more) |
January 25, 2007 |
Two Officers Plead Guilty on Civil Rights Charges (07-047)
Two former supervisors at the Winston-Choctaw County Regional Correctional
Facility in Louisville, Miss., pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges
relating to physical assaults on prisoners at the facility in October 2001. (Read more) |
Fact Sheet: Department of Justice Law Enforcement
Efforts in New Orleans (07-046)
The Justice Department is committed to working in partnership and continuing its
support of state and local law enforcement in New Orleans. In the wake of the
destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, the Department has endeavored to
strengthen the collective ability of all levels of law enforcement to address
the emerging challenges and find new ways to help reduce crime. (Read more) |
Attorney General Gonzales Announces Additional Federal
Law Enforcement Resources to Fight Violent Crime in New Orleans (07-045)
Today, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced additional federal
resources to help combat the recent increase in violent crime in New Orleans." (Read more) |
Former Klansman Indicted for 1964 Kidnapping and Murder
of Two African American Men (07-043)
A federal court in Mississippi today unsealed a three-count indictment charging
James Seale, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan, with two counts of kidnapping
and one count of conspiracy related to his role in the abductions and slayings
of two African American men in 1964. (Read more) |
January 24, 2007 |
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Honolulu Apartment Complex
to Resolve Fair Housing Act Claims (07-041)
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department today reached a partial settlement with the
owner, builder, architect and civil engineer of the West Loch Village, a
150-unit apartment complex in Ewa Beach, Hawaii. (Read more) |
The PBSJ Corporation Pays $6.4 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations (07-040)
WASHINGTON – The PBSJ Corp. (PBSJ), a design and engineering firm based in
Florida, has paid more than $6.4 million to resolve claims that it violated the
False Claims Act by submitting false and fraudulent claims to the government,
the Justice Department announced.
(Read more) |
Former MBN Agents Sentenced For Using Excessive Force
Against Two Jackson Men (07-039)
WASHINGTON – Former Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents, Gregory Reynolds and
John Forman, were sentenced yesterday for using excessive force to violate the
civil rights of two motorists they assaulted during an unjustified traffic stop.
(Read more) |
American-Based Ship Operator Sentenced for Environmental Crimes (07-038)
WASHINGTON – American-based ship operator, Pacific-Gulf Marine, Inc. (PGM), was
sentenced today for deliberate acts of pollution involving a fleet of four
ships, in violation of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships. (Read more) |
West Virginia Man Convicted of Producing, Receiving,
and Possessing Child Pornography (07-037)
WASHINGTON – A Cross Lanes, W. Va. man has been convicted of producing,
receiving, and possessing child pornography, Assistant Attorney General Alice S.
Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller of the
Southern District of West Virginia announced today. (Read more) |
January 23, 2007 |
Lead Promoter and Two Former Attorneys Sentenced to Prison
for Role in Tax and Investment Fraud Scheme (07-036)
David J. Orr and former attorneys, Todd Cannon and Michael Behunin, were
sentenced in federal court in Salt Lake City, Utah, in connection with the
promotion of a tax and investment fraud scheme, the Justice Department and
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. (Read more) |
Court Bars Buffalo Area Men and Business
from Preparing Income Tax Returns (07-035)
A federal court has permanently barred Brian Duffek of Orchard Park, N.Y.;
Patrick O’Connor of Lake View, N.Y.; and Duffek, O’Connor & Associates, Inc. of
Hamburg, N.Y., from preparing federal income tax returns, the Justice Department
announced today. (Read more) |
January 22, 2007 |
Massachusetts Woman Convicted Of Engaging in Child Prostitution Scheme (07-034)
Chelsea, Mass., woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to conspiring to
engage in a child prostitution scheme, Assistant Attorney General Alice S.
Fisher for the Criminal Division; United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan for
the District of Massachusetts; Sharon E. Ormsby, Acting Special Agent in Charge
of the FBI in New England; Edward Davis, Commissioner of the Boston Police
Department; and Colonel Mark Delaney, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State
Police, announced today. (Read more) |
Florida Man Sentenced to 250 Months in Prison
for Arranging Sex Tours Involving Minors (07-033)
A Florida man was sentenced today to 250 months in prison and a lifetime of
supervised release for conspiring to arrange for men in the United States to
travel to Honduras to have sex with young teenage girls, Assistant Attorney
General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Paul I. Perez
of the Middle District of Florida announced today. (Read more) |
Fourth Gang Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for
Federal Hate Crime Murders of African-Americans (07-032)
The fourth defendant and member of the Avenues street gang, who was convicted
for his role in the racially-motivated murders of two African-Americans, was
sentenced today to serve life in federal prison without the possibility of
parole. (Read more) |
January 20, 2007 |
Statement of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales on Extradition of 15 Mexican Drug Traffickers and Other Criminals (07-030)
"The actions overnight by the Mexican government are unprecedented in their
scope and importance. Never before has the United States received from Mexico
such a large number of major drug defendants and other criminals for prosecution
in this country, including Osiel Cardenas Guillen, the accused chief of the
notorious Gulf Cartel. We recognize the bold stance of President Felipe Calderon
and his government in targeting the drug-related violence and corruption that
affects both our nations." (Read more) |
January 19, 2007 |
Former San Antonio Police Officer Sentenced
for Violating Citizen’s Rights by Sexual Assault (07-029)
Former San Antonio Police Officer Dean Gutierrez was sentenced today in federal
court to 24 years and four months in prison for violating the civil rights of a
citizen whom Gutierrez detained while on duty, the Justice Department announced
today. (Read more) |
National Security Division Announces
Key Personnel Change in Intelligence Position (07-028)
Further enhancing his distinguished professional career, James Baker, Counsel
for Intelligence Policy at the Department of Justice’s National Security
Division, is taking a temporary leave of absence from the Department to teach at
Harvard University, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth L. Wainstein of the
National Security Division announced today. (Read more) |
Former Congressman Robert W. Ney Sentenced to 30 Months
in Prison for Corruption Crimes (07-027)
Former Congressman Robert W. Ney has been sentenced to 30 months in prison to be
followed by two years of supervised release and fined $6,000, Assistant Attorney
General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more) |
January 17, 2007 |
Ohio Man Sentenced for Criminal Civil Rights Charges (07-026)
David Fredericy, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced today to serve 33 months in
federal prison for conspiring to commit and for committing hate crimes targeting
African-American residents of Cleveland, and for making false statements to
federal investigators. (Read more) |
Justice Department Asks Federal Court to Bar Michigan Man from Preparing Tax Returns for Others (07-024)
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department announced today that it has sued Donald A.
Gray, of Portage, Mich., to bar him from preparing federal tax returns for
others. (Read more) |
January 16, 2007 |
Justice Department Resolves Investigation of Baltimore City Detention Center (07-023)
The Department of Justice today announced a comprehensive agreement with the
state of Maryland into the conditions of confinement at the Baltimore City
Detention Center. The agreement follows the Department’s investigation of the
facility, which found substantial civil rights violations. (Read more) |
Iranian National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to
Commit Visa Fraud in Connection with a Visas-for-Sale
Scheme at the U.S. Consulate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (07-021)
An Iranian national has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit visa
fraud before the Honorable Ricardo M. Urbina in U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal
Division announced today. (Read more) |
Fact Sheet: Department of Justice Efforts to Stop Gang Violence in America’s Communities (07-020)
At the direction of the Attorney General, the Department has taken several
important steps to address gang violence. First, the Department established an
Anti-Gang Coordination Committee to organize the Department’s wide ranging
efforts to combat gangs. Second, each United States Attorney has appointed an
Anti-Gang Coordinator to provide leadership and focus to our anti-gang efforts
at the district level. Third, the Anti-Gang Coordinators, in consultation with
their local law enforcement and community partners, have developed
comprehensive, district wide strategies to address the gang problems in their
districts. (Read more) |
January 12, 2007 |
Justice Department Reaches Settlement with Compass Bank
Regarding Alleged Discrimination in Lending (07-016)
The Justice Department has today reached a settlement resolving allegations that
Compass Bank of Birmingham, Ala., engaged in a pattern of lending discrimination
against individuals based on their marital status. (Read more) |
New York City Man Pleads Guilty
to Human Trafficking Charge (07-015)
A man from Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty today to attempting to recruit a Korean
woman whom he believed to be a minor to work as a prostitute, the Justice
Department announced today. (Read more) |
Federal Law Enforcement Agent
Indicted and Arrested on Bank Fraud Charges (07-014)
An indictment charging a Special Agent of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax
Administration (TIGTA) with bank fraud and related charges was unsealed today
following the agent’s arrest in Nashville, Assistant Attorney General Alice S.
Fisher of the Criminal Division announced today. (Read more) |
Justice Department Sues Georgia Man to Halt
Alleged Offshore Trust Tax Fraud Scheme (07-013)
The Justice Department announced today that it has asked a federal court to bar
Victor Carlysle Sullivan Jr. of Albany, Ga., from preparing tax returns for
others and from selling alleged tax fraud schemes. (Read more) |
Another Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking a Juvenile Girl (07-012)
The Department of Justice announced that Raul Santillan-Leon, of Memphis, Tenn.,
pleaded guilty late yesterday to one count of commercial sex trafficking of a
minor, relating to his role in a Memphis trafficking ring. (Read more) |
January 11, 2007 |
Luis Posada Carriles Indicted on Criminal
Immigration Charges (07-011)
A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas has returned a seven-count
indictment charging Luis Posada Carriles with one count of naturalization fraud
and six counts of making false statements in a naturalization proceeding, the
Department of Justice announced today. (Read more) |
January 10, 2007 |
Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking a Juvenile
Girl, Two Others Plead Guilty to Commercial Sex Charges (07-009)
The Department of Justice announced that Fernando Reyes-Santillan, of Memphis,
Tenn., pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of commercial sex trafficking of a
minor, relating to his role in a Memphis trafficking ring. (Read more) |
Thirteen Alleged Members of Ms-13 Gang Indicted on
Racketeering Conspiracy Charges (07-008)
Thirteen alleged members of the street gang called La Mara Salvatrucha, or
MS-13, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of
Tennessee on charges that they conspired to participate in a violent RICO
enterprise responsible for killings and other violent crimes in Nashville,
Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S.
Attorney Craig S. Morford for the Middle District of Tennessee announced today. (Read more) |
M.G. Waldbaum Company Will Pay $1 Million Penalty
to Resolve Clean Water Act Violations (07-007)
M.G. Waldbaum Company, a subsidiary of Minnesota-based Michael Foods Inc., has
agreed to pay a $1.05 million penalty to resolve allegations that the company
violated the Clean Water Act. (Read more) |
Department of Justice/Federal Trade Commission Hearings on Single-Firm Conduct to Continue in Berkeley, Calif. and Chicago (07-006)
The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) today announced that the latest in a series of joint public hearings
designed to examine the implications of single-firm conduct under the antitrust
laws will take place on Jan. 30, 2007, in Berkeley, Calif. and on Feb. 13, 2007,
in Chicago. (Read more) |
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales
Announces Additional Funding to Combat Drug Trafficking
and Border Violence Along the Southwest Border (07-005)
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales today visited the U.S. border in Laredo,
Texas and announced $300,000 in additional funding to boost efforts to combat
drug trafficking in Laredo and McAllen, Texas. (Read more) |
January 5, 2007 |
SCCI Health Services & Subsidiary Pay U.S. $7.5 Million
For Kickback & False Claims Act Violations (07-003)
WASHINGTON – Texas-based SCCI Health Services Corporation (SCCI) and its
subsidiary, SCCI Hospital Ventures Inc., have paid the United States $7.5
million to settle allegations that the companies violated the Stark
self-referral statute and the False Claims Act, the Justice Department announced
today. SCCI, which was purchased by Triumph Hospital in 2005, operates long term
acute care facilities across the United States. (Read more) |
January 4, 2007 |
Statement of Eileen J. O'Connor
Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Tax Division
on the Decision in BB&T v. United States of America (07-002)
WASHINGTON - “Today’s decision by the United States District Court for the
Middle District of North Carolina affirms that, notwithstanding vigorous and
complicated paper shuffling, to have a tax deduction for lease or interest
expense, you must actually incur them. And to incur them, you must have a
genuine lease and genuine indebtedness, respectively. In BB&T vs. United States
of America, the District Court found that the Lease-In, Lease-Out tax shelter
involved neither, and therefore does not result in the tax deductions claimed by
those who participate in it.” (Read more) |
Immigration Judge Orders Deportation of Wisconsin
Man Who Helped Carry Out 1943 Nazi Mass Murder of Jews (07-001)
WASHINGTON – An immigration judge in Chicago has ordered the removal of a
Wisconsin man who, by his own admission, stood guard during a Nazi mass killing
operation in occupied Poland in 1943, with orders to “shoot to kill” any
still-living Jewish victim who
attempted escape, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher for the Criminal
Division announced today. (Read more) |