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Wednesday 13 October 2010
Hombre de Hawai sentenciado a 97 meses de prisión por abusar de menor en un aviónRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Curtis Keith Cooper de Princeville, Hawai fue sentenciado hoy a 97 meses de prisión por abusar de una menor mientras viajaba en un vuelo de Hawai a California en julio de 2003, anunciaron el Secretario de Justicia Auxiliar Lanny A. Breuer de la División Criminal y la Fiscal Federal para el Distrito de Hawai Florence T. Nakakuni.
Cooper, 74, también fue sentenciado por el Juez Federal de Distrito Principal Alan C. Kay a cumplir cinco años de libertad bajo supervisión después de su condena a prisión y a pagar $3,098 dólares en restitución. Cooper se declaró culpable en el Tribunal Federal de Distrito en Honolulu, Hawai el 19 de abril de 2010 de un cargo de abuso sexual agravado de un menor de doce años dentro de la jurisdicción aérea especial de los Estados Unidos. Fue acusado formalmente por esos cargos el 19 de noviembre de 2009.
Según el expediente judicial, Cooper admitió que el 12 de julio de 2003, durante un vuelo de Hawai al norte de California, se sentó al lado de una menor de 12 años. Durante el vuelo, la menor comenzó a dormirse cubierta por una manta. Cooper colocó la mano por debajo de la manta y cometió abuso sexual agravado al tocar a la menor de manera inapropiada sin su consentimiento.
Están a cargo de la acusación en el caso la Abogada Litigante Anitha Ibrahim de la Sección de Explotación y Obscenidad Infantiles de la División Criminal y el Fiscal Federal Auxiliar Larry Butrick de la Fiscalía Federal del Distrito de Hawai. Están a cargo de la investigación del caso el Buró Federal de Investigaciones [Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)] y la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Contra Costa.
Hawaii Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Molesting Minor on an AirplaneRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Curtis Keith Cooper of Princeville, Hawaii, was sentenced today to 97 months in prison for molesting a minor while aboard a flight from Hawaii to California in July 2003, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Florence T. Nakakuni.
Cooper, 74, was also sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Alan C. Kay to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term and to pay $3,098 in restitution. Cooper pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Apr. 19, 2010, to one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under the age of twelve years within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States. He was indicted on those charges on Nov. 19, 2009.
According to court documents, Cooper admitted that on July 12, 2003, during a flight from Hawaii to Northern California, Cooper sat next to a minor who was under 12 years of age. During the flight, the minor started to fall asleep with a blanket over her. Cooper reached under the blanket and committed aggravated sexual abuse by touching the minor inappropriately without her consent.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Anitha Ibrahim of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Butrick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii. This case was investigated by the FBI and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.
ConocoPhillips Company and Sasol North America Agree to Reimburse Costs for Calcasieu Estuary, Bayou Verdine CleanupRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Attorney’s Office announced today, the settlement of claims against ConocoPhillips Company and Sasol North America Inc. to resolve their liability to EPA under CERCLA for contamination in the Calcasieu Estuary of Louisiana. The Justice Department also announced a settlement of claims for natural resource damages against ConocoPhillips Company and Sasol North America Inc. related to contamination in the Estuary.
Under the terms of a consent decree lodged in the federal district court for the Western District of Louisiana together with a filed complaint, ConocoPhillips and Sasol North America will reimburse the EPA Superfund more than $4.5 million and will complete a removal action valued at about $10 million to clean up Bayou Verdine within the Calcasieu Estuary. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is also a plaintiff in the case and party to the settlement.
“These settlements demonstrate the United States’ and Louisiana’s successful and continuing efforts to hold polluters accountable for contamination in the Estuary,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The responsible parties will fund the cleanup and restore the damaged Estuary. This will provide substantial benefits to the health and environment of the citizens of Louisiana.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office remains committed to addressing environmental concerns in Calcasieu Parish and throughout our entire district. Today’s filing is an example of the coordination of federal and state efforts to protect the environment and the health of all area residents,” said United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley.
“It is important that polluters help pay for cleanup,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “Recovering more than $4.5 million is another milestone in our ongoing work to address historical pollution problems in this area of Louisiana.”
Bayou Verdine is a waterway within the Calcasieu Estuary that flows into the Calcasieu River and is located southwest of the City of Westlake and south of the City of Mossville, in Calcasieu Parish, La. Heavy industry dominates the southern reaches of Bayou Verdine which is the recipient of industrial discharges.
ConocoPhillips and Sasol North America previously entered into an agreement with EPA to perform an Engineering Evaluation and Cost Analysis of Bayou Verdine. The project documented the presence of hazardous substances in the sediments and water of Bayou Verdine and nearby Coon Island Loop. ConocoPhillips and Sasol North America also performed a cleanup in the West Ditch area of Bayou Verdine to address high concentrations of contaminants. The parties entered into negotiations with the Justice Department, EPA and LDEQ to perform a cleanup of Bayou Verdine and resolve their liability for past and future response costs for the entire Calcasieu Estuary.
Over the past 10 years, EPA has performed numerous investigations at abandoned hazardous waste sites, made decisions on cleanup actions, addressed industrial non-compliance and monitored ozone and other air toxics associated with the Mossville area. EPA will continue to work with Calcasieu Parish and Mossville to address environmental concerns.
As part of a comprehensive settlement, the Department of Justice also announced the lodging of a second consent decree to resolve the liability of ConocoPhillips and Sasol North America for natural resource damages in the Estuary resulting from discharges of hazardous substances. Over the past several years, federal and state trustees worked cooperatively with ConocoPhillips and Sasol North America to assess injuries and to develop a restoration plan. Under the terms of settlement with state and federal natural resource trustees (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), ConocoPhillips and Sasol North America will reimburse the federal and state trustees a total of nearly $1.2 million for a share of past natural resource damages assessment costs, perform construction of a restoration project selected by the trustees in the Sabine Wildlife Refuge in accordance with the Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Bayou Verdine Site, and pay an additional $750,000 for future monitoring of the restoration project.
Copies of the consent decrees are available on the DOJ website at: www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html
73 miembros y asociados de empresa de delincuencia organizada y otros acusados formalmente de delitos de fraude de servicios médicos de más de $163 millones de dólaresRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Setenta y tres demandados, entre ellos muchos supuestos miembros y asociados de una empresa armenia-estadounidense de delincuencia organizada, fueron acusados en acusaciones formales emitidas hoy en cinco distritos judiciales por diversos delitos de fraude de servicios médicos con facturación fraudulenta de más de $163 millones de dólares, anunciaron el Secretario de Justicia Adjunto Interino Gary G. Grindler, el Director Auxiliar de la División de Investigaciones Criminales del Buró Federal de Investigaciones [Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)] Kevin Perkins y el Inspector General del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos Daniel R. Levinson.
En esta investigación nacional multiagencia, 52 personas fueron arrestadas hoy por agentes del FBI en el mayor ardid de fraude a Medicare de la historia perpetrado por una sola empresa delictiva y acusado por el Departamento de Justicia.
Los demandados son acusados de participar en diversas actividades fraudulentas, entre ellas ardides multimillonarios muy organizados para defraudar a Medicare y a empresas de seguros al presentar facturas fraudulentas por tratamientos médicamente innecesarios o que nunca se realizaron. Según las acusaciones formales, los demandados supuestamente robaron las identidades de médicos y miles de beneficiarios de Medicare y operaban al menos 118 clínicas falsas diferentes en 25 estados con el fin de presentar reembolsos a Medicare.
“El surgimiento de la delincuencia organizada internacional en ardides internos de fraude de servicios médicos señala una expansión peligrosa que representa una seria amenaza a los consumidores, ya que estas organizaciones están dispuestas a explotar casi a cualquier programa, empresa o persona para percibir ganancias ilegales”, dijo el Secretario de Justicia Adjunto Interino Gary G. Grinder. “El Departamento de Justicia está afrontando esta amenaza cambiante en el país y el extranjero a través de diversas iniciativas, entre ellas el fortalecimiento del Consejo de Delincuencia Organizada del Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos y la creación del Centro Internacional de Inteligencia y Operaciones contra la Delincuencia Organizada (IOC-2) para asegurarnos de estar enfocados y coordinados en nuestra labor contra la delincuencia organizada internacional”.
“La empresa internacional de delincuencia organizada conocida como Mirzoyan-Terdjanian despojó al sistema de servicios médicos a través de diversos ardides fraudulentos para ganar dinero. Los miembros y asociados ubicados en todos los Estados Unidos y Armenia perpetraron un ardid a gran escala en todo el país contra Medicare que facturó fraudulentamente a Medicare más de $100 millones de dólares por tratamientos médicamente innecesarios mediante distintas clínicas fantasma”, dijo Kevin Perkins, Director Auxiliar de la División de Investigaciones Criminales del FBI. “Queremos restablecer la confianza en el sistema de servicios médicos del país y garantizarle a los profesionales que no nos quedaremos de brazos cruzados mientras se usan sus identidades para beneficio de los delincuentes”.
“Hoy agentes especiales de la Oficina del Inspector General en coordinación estrecha con nuestros asociados de las fuerzas del orden público federales realizaron 52 arrestos en todo el país—desde Nueva York hasta Los Ángeles—por cargos que incluyen fraude contra Medicare y robo de identidad médica por un total superior a $163 millones de dólares”, dijo Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General del Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos. “No hace falta que los delincuentes que roban a Medicare miren por sobre el hombro para saber que los perseguimos”.
Cuarenta y cuatro demandados fueron acusados en dos acusaciones formales emitidas hoy en el Distrito Sur de Nueva York de conspiración de delincuencia organizada y conspiración para cometer los siguientes actos: fraude de servicios médicos, fraude bancario, lavado de dinero, fraude en conexión con el robo de identidad, fraude con tarjetas de crédito y fraude de inmigración. Además, siete demandados fueron acusados en el Distrito de Nuevo México de fraude de servicios médicos, fraude postal, fraude telegráfico, conspiración de lavado de dinero, lavado de dinero, confiscación y robo de identidad agravado. Seis demandados fueron acusados en el Distrito Sur de Georgia de fraude de servicios médicos, conspiración para cometer fraude de servicios médicos, conspiración para lavado de dinero y robo de identidad agravado. Seis demandados fueron acusados en el Distrito Norte de Ohio de fraude de servicios médicos, conspiración para cometer fraude de servicios médicos, conspiración para lavado de dinero y robo de identidad agravado. Por último, 10 demandados fueron acusados en dos acusaciones formales en el Distrito Central de California de conspirar para cometer fraude bancario, fraude bancario, lavado de dinero, conspirar para lavar instrumentos monetarios, confiscación criminal, robo de identidad agravado, ayudar y apoyar, y provocar la realización de un acto.
Según los cargos presentados en el Tribunal Federal de Distrito en el Distrito Sur de Nueva York, la Organización Mirzoyan-Terdjanian recibe el nombre de sus principales líderes, Davit Mirzoyan y Robert Terdjanian. El liderazgo de la organización tiene sede en Los Ángeles y Nueva York y sus operaciones se extienden por todos los Estados Unidos y a nivel internacional. Entre los demandados acusados de delincuencia organizada se encuentra Armen Kazarian, que supuestamente es un “Vor”, un término traducido como “Ladrón en Ley” que se refiere a un miembro de un grupo selecto de delincuentes de alto nivel de Rusia y países que han sido parte de la ex Unión Soviética, entre ellos Armenia. Esta es la primera vez que un Vor es acusado de un delito de delincuencia organizada y la primera vez desde 1996 que un Vor conocido ha sido arrestado por cualquier cargo federal.
Los cargos de delincuencia organizada conllevan una sentencia máxima de cadena perpetua y una multa de $250,000 dólares. Los cargos de fraude de servicios médicos y conspiración para cometer fraude de servicios médicos conllevan cada uno una sentencia máxima de 10 años de prisión y una multa de 250,000 dólares. Los cargos de conspiración para cometer fraude bancario conllevan una sentencia máxima cada uno de 30 años de prisión y una multa de $1 millón de dólares. Los cargos de conspiración para cometer lavado de dinero conllevan una sentencia máxima cada uno de 25 años de prisión y una multa de $500,000 dólares. Los cargos de conspiración para cometer lavado de dinero conllevan una sentencia máxima cada uno de 20 años de prisión y una multa de $500,000 dólares. Los cargos de conspiración para cometer fraude relacionado con el robo de identidad conllevan una sentencia máxima de cinco años de prisión y una multa de $250,000 dólares. Los cargos de robo de identidad agravado conllevan cada uno una sentencia obligatoria consecutiva de dos años de prisión a cualquier otra sentencia impuesta, los cargos de conspiración para cometer fraude con tarjetas de crédito conllevan una sentencia máxima de 10 años de prisión y una multa de $250,000 dólares. Los cargos de conspiración para cometer fraude de inmigración conllevan una sentencia máxima de cinco años de prisión y una multa de $250,000 dólares.
Los cargos anunciados hoy son solo alegatos y los demandados son considerados inocentes hasta que se pruebe lo contrario en un tribunal de derecho.
Los demandados acusados en cada distrito serán acusados por Fiscales Federales Auxiliares de cada uno de los respectivos distritos en los que se realizaron las acusaciones de los casos. Estuvieron a cargo de la investigación de los casos agentes de las oficinas del FBI en Los Ángeles y Nueva York.
Los arrestos de hoy son un ejemplo de la capacidad del FBI de realizar investigaciones entre programas y divisiones para controlar una amenaza a nivel nacional. En los últimos años, el Departamento ha tomado una serie de pasos para modernizar su programa de delincuencia organizada y permitir que las fuerzas del orden público federales empleen un enfoque unificado en la lucha contra la delincuencia organizada a nivel internacional. El Consejo de Delincuencia Organizada del Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos reúne el liderazgo del FBI y otras ocho agencias u oficinas federales de las fuerzas del orden público con los fiscales del Departamento para brindarles un alto nivel de atención a estos problemas. El IOC-2 brinda apoyo en forma de información e inteligencia a agencias miembro que mejora la labor para identificar, penetrar y desmantelar los grupos de delincuencia organizada más peligrosos a través de investigaciones y enjuiciamientos. La creación del Comité Internacional contra la Delincuencia Organizada y la Lista de Principales Organizaciones Criminales Internacionales [Top International Criminal Organizations Target (TICOT)] contribuye a que los investigadores y fiscales concentren sus recursos limitados en los grupos internacionales de delincuencia organizada que representan la mayor amenaza a los Estados Unidos. La División Criminal del Departamento, a través de la Unidad de Fraude de Servicios Médicos, la Sección de Delito Organizado y Extorsiones, y la Sección de Confiscación de Activos y Lavado de Dinero, ha creado nuevos programas de capacitación para educar a los investigadores y fiscales sobre las complejidades de la delincuencia organizada internacional y las investigaciones financieras.
73 Members and Associates of Organized Crime Enterprise, Others Indicted for Health Care Fraud Crimes Involving More Than $163 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Seventy-three defendants, including a number of alleged members and associates of an Armenian-American organized crime enterprise, were charged in indictments unsealed today in five judicial districts with various health care fraud-related crimes involving more than $163 million in fraudulent billing, announced Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grindler, FBI Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division Kevin Perkins and Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson.
In this national, multi-agency investigation, 52 were arrested today by FBI agents in the largest Medicare fraud scheme ever perpetrated by a single criminal enterprise and charged by the Department of Justice.
The defendants are charged with engaging in numerous fraud activities, including highly-organized, multi-million dollar schemes to defraud Medicare and insurance companies by submitting fraudulent bills for medically unnecessary treatments or treatments that were never performed. According to the indictments, the defendants allegedly stole the identities of doctors and thousands of Medicare beneficiaries and operated at least 118 different phony clinics in 25 states for the purposes of submitting Medicare reimbursements.
“The emergence of international organized crime in domestic health care fraud schemes signals a dangerous expansion that poses a serious threat to consumers as these syndicates are willing to exploit almost any program, business or individual to earn an illegal profit,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary G. Grinder. “The Department of Justice is confronting this evolving threat here and abroad through a number of initiatives including a strengthened Attorney General’s Organized Crime Council and the creation of the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2) to ensure that we are focused and coordinated in our efforts to combat international organized crime.”
“The international organized crime enterprise known as the Mirzoyan-Terdjanian, fleeced the health care system through a wide-range of money making criminal fraud schemes. The members and associates located throughout the United States and in Armenia, perpetrated a large-scale, nationwide Medicare scam that fraudulently billed Medicare for more than $100 million of unnecessary medical treatments using a series of phantom clinics,” said Kevin Perkins, FBI Assistant Director of the Criminal Investigative Division. “We want to restore the confidence in the nation’s health care system and assure practitioners we will not stand by and let their identities be used for criminal gain.”
“Today, special agents of the Office of Inspector General working in tight coordination with our federal law enforcement partners made 52 arrests across the nation—from New York to Los Angeles—on charges including Medicare fraud and medical identity theft totaling more than $163 million,” said Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Criminals stealing from Medicare needn’t look over their shoulders to know that we are in hot pursuit.”
Forty-four defendants were charged in two indictments unsealed today in the Southern District of New York with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit the following acts: health care fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, fraud in connection with identity theft, credit card fraud and immigration fraud. In addition, seven defendants were charged in the District of New Mexico with health care fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, money laundering, forfeiture and aggravated identity theft. Six defendants were charged in the Southern District of Georgia with health care fraud, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, money laundering conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Six defendants were charged in the Northern District of Ohio with health care fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and aggravated identity theft. Lastly, 10 defendants were charged in two indictments in the Central District of California with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, criminal forfeiture, aggravated identity theft, aiding and abetting, and causing an act to be done.
According to the charges filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, the Mirzoyan-Terdjanian Organization is named for its principal leaders, Davit Mirzoyan and Robert Terdjanian. The leadership of the organization is based in Los Angeles and New York, and its operations extend throughout the United States and internationally. Among the defendants charged with racketeering is Armen Kazarian, who is alleged to be a “Vor,” a term translated as “Thief-in-Law” and refers to a member of a select group of high-level criminals from Russia and the countries that has been part of the former Soviet Union, including Armenia. This is the first time a Vor has ever been charged for a racketeering offense, and the first time since 1996 that a known Vor has been arrested on any federal charge.
The racketeering charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit bank fraud charges each carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The conspiracy to commit money laundering charges each carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit money laundering charges each carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with identity theft charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The aggravated identity theft charges each carry a required two-year consecutive prison sentence to any other sentence imposed, the conspiracy to commit credit card fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The conspiracy to commit immigration fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The charges announced today are merely allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The defendants charged in each district will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys from each of the respective districts in which the cases were charged. The cases were investigated by special agents from the FBI’s Los Angeles and New York field offices.
Today’s arrests are an example of the FBI’s ability to conduct cross-program, multi-divisional investigations targeting a national level threat. In recent years, the department has undertaken a series of steps to modernize its organized crime program and enable federal law enforcement to take a unified approach to combating international organized crime. The Attorney General’s Organized Crime Council brings together the leadership of the FBI and eight other federal law enforcement agencies or offices with the department’s prosecutors, focusing high-level attention on these issues. The IOC-2 provides support in the form of information and intelligence to the member agencies that enhance efforts to identify, penetrate and dismantle the most dangerous organized crime groups through investigations and prosecutions. The creation of the International Organized Crime Targeting Committee and the Top International Criminal Organizations Target (TICOT) List, directs investigators and prosecutors to concentrate their limited resources on those international organized crime groups that pose the greatest threat to the United States. The department’s Criminal Division, through the Health Care Fraud Unit, Organized Crime and Racketeering Section and the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, has created new training programs to educate investigators and prosecutors on the intricacies of international organized crime and financial investigations.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Owner of Two Houston Health Care Companies Pleads Guilty<br /> in Connection with Schemes to Defraud Medicare of $6.3 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An owner of two Houston health care companies pleaded guilty today in connection with schemes to defraud Medicare of $6.3 million, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).
Princewill Njoku, 51, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Gray Miller in Houston to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In his plea, Njoku admitted that he defrauded Medicare of $6.3 million.
According to court documents, Njoku was an owner of Family Healthcare Services (Family Services). Family Services maintained a valid Medicare provider number in order to submit Medicare claims for the costs of durable medical equipment (DME) and purported to provide orthotics and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries. According to court documents, Njoku and co-defendant Clifford Ubani hired co-conspirators to recruit Medicare beneficiaries for the purposes of filing claims with Medicare for DME. Once Njoku and Ubani obtained Medicare beneficiary numbers, Family Services submitted claims to Medicare for DME, including orthotic devices, which were medically unnecessary and/or not provided. Many of the orthotic devices were components of what was referred to as an "arthritis kit," and purported to be for the treatment of arthritis-related conditions, although they were not medically necessary or appropriate for such conditions. The arthritis kit generally contained a number of orthotic devices including braces for both sides of the body and related accessories such as heat pads. Njoku admitted that he paid kickbacks to the recruiters for their referrals. In total, Family Services submitted approximately $1.1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Additionally, Njoku was an owner and operator of Family Healthcare Group (Family Group), a home health care company. Family Group purported to provide skilled nursing to Medicare beneficiaries. According to court documents, Njoku hired co-conspirators to recruit Medicare beneficiaries for the purposes of filing claims with Medicare for skilled nursing. Family Group then used the Medicare beneficiary numbers to submit claims to Medicare for skilled nursing that was medically unnecessary and/or not provided. Njoku admitted that he paid kickbacks to the recruiters for their referrals. In total, Family Group was paid approximately $5.2 million by Medicare for the submission of fraudulent claims.
At sentencing, Njoku faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Ubani, Njoku’s business partner and co-owner of Family Services and Family Group, pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2010, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Ubani and Njoku are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2011.
Today’s guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent-in-Charge Richard C. Powers of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Fields of the Dallas Regional Office of HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations; and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Charles D. Reed and Sam S. Sheldon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 810 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $1.85 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Justice Department Announces Lawsuit to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in New YorkRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York seeking relief to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election and future federal elections.
The lawsuit, brought under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), was filed in federal district court in Albany , N.Y “Our laws guarantee that uniformed service members and other overseas citizens will have a meaningful opportunity to participate in the elections of our nation’s leaders,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “This suit seeks both immediate and permanent relief to ensure that New York’s military and overseas voters, many of whom are members of our armed forces and their families serving our country around the world, can exercise their right to vote and have their votes counted in the upcoming federal elections.”
UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters (serving both overseas and within the United States) and their families and citizens living overseas to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office. In 2009, Congress enacted the MOVE Act, which made broad amendments to UOCAVA. Among those changes was a requirement that states transmit absentee ballots to voters covered under UOCAVA, by mail or electronically at the voter’s option, no later than 45 days before federal elections. Under the new law, states can apply to the Department of Defense for a hardship waiver of this requirement for a particular fede ral election if the state’s primary election date prohibited it from sending ballots by the 45 th day before the election; if a legal contest causes a delay in generating ballots; or if the state ’s constitution prohibits compliance. To obtain a waiver, states must 1) establish that one or more of these circumstances creates an undue hardship, and 2) present a comprehensive plan that provides UOCAVA voters sufficient time to receive and submit marked absentee ballots in time to have them counted in that election. Waiver determinations are made by the Department of Defense, after consulting with the Department of Justice.
The state of New York submitted a waiver application on April 23, 2010, claiming that its Sept. 14, 2010, primary election date created an undue hardship that prohibited the state from complying with UOCAVA. On Aug. 27, 2010, the Department of Defense granted New York’s waiver under the agreement that New York would transmit absentee ballots for the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election to its UOCAVA voters no later than Oct. 1, 2010, and that absentee ballots would be accepted and counted up to Nov. 15, 2010.
Today’s action was necessary because New York failed to mail ballots to its military and overseas citizens by the Oct. 1, 2010, deadline in the state’s waiver application in nine New York counties, including those comprising New York City. The lawsuit seeks a further extension of the deadline for counting UOCAVA ballots which will ensure military and overseas voters have a 45-day period to receive, mark and return their ballots.
The department previously reached agreements with Alaska, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Nevada, North Dakota and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and filed lawsuits against Wisconsin and Guam seeking relief to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in the upcoming election. More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/crt/voting/misc/activ_uoc.php. Complaints may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
Former U.S. Marshals Service Employee Pleads Guilty to Theft of $104,000 in Government FundsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — A former U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) employee pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Washington to stealing $104,000 in government funds, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.
According to court documents, Sno H. Rush, 40, of Upper Marlboro, Md., worked as an administrative officer for USMS in the District of Columbia Superior Court from 2002 to 2008. Rush’s responsibilities included, among other things, handling payroll-related matters for USMS, authorizing payment to USMS employees and outside entities, drafting and signing U.S. Treasury checks for USMS expenditures, as well as supervising and directing other USMS employees to draft and sign such checks.
According to the plea agreement, Rush admitted that between April 2006 and February 2009, she unlawfully used a USMS credit card for personal expenses totaling approximately $15,000. In addition, Rush admitted creating a fictitious employee in the USMS payroll system and submitting falsified time-and-attendance records for the employee, resulting in fraudulent payments totaling $31,000 between November 2007 and October 2008, which Rush converted to her personal use. Rush also admitted that between June 2007 and November 2008, she caused to be issued $51,000 in U.S. Treasury checks to pay down the balance on a personal credit card, disguising the theft with fraudulent business invoices she created to make the payments appear legitimate. According to the plea agreement, Rush converted an additional $7,000 in U.S. Treasury checks used to pay the balance on another personal credit card. In total, Rush admitted stealing approximately $104,000 in USMS funds.
Rush pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to a one-count criminal information, filed Sept. 9, 2010, charging Rush with theft of government property. Rush faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set by the court.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Eric G. Olshan of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. This case was investigated by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.
Friday 8 October 2010
North America’s Largest Lead Producer to Spend $65 Million to Correct Environmental Violations at Missouri FacilitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Doe Run Resources Corp. of St. Louis, North America’s largest lead producer, has agreed to spend approximately $65 million to correct violations of several environmental laws at 10 of its lead mining, milling and smelting facilities in southeast Missouri, the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources announced today.
As part of the settlement, Doe Run will pay a civil penalty of $7 million for violating a series of environmental laws, including the federal Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Emergency Planning and Right-to-Know Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (known as Superfund), and the Missouri Air Conservation Law, Clean Water Law and Hazardous Waste Management Law. The penalty will be paid by Doe Run in a $3.5 million payment to the United States and a $1.5 million payment to the state of Missouri, with an additional $1 million plus interest to be paid to the state each year for the next two years.
“This settlement will reduce lead pollution in the town of Herculaneum and in other southeastern Missouri communities, as well as encourage the development of innovative technology and projects to improve the environment in impacted communities,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resource Division. “It should also send a message to all companies that handle hazardous waste, such as lead: You must comply with the laws that are intended to protect public health and the environment.”
“For years families with children near Doe Run’s facilities have been exposed to unacceptable levels of lead, one of the most dangerous neurotoxins in the environment,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Infants and young children are at the greatest risk from lead exposure, which even at low levels can cause behavioral problems, learning deficits and lowered IQ. Today’s settlement requires Doe Run to take aggressive actions to clean up their act and work to ensure that families living near the company’s facilities are protected from lead poisoning and other harmful pollution.”
The settlement also requires Doe Run to establish financial assurance trust funds, at an estimated cost of $28 million to $33 million, for the cleanup of Herculaneum and the following active or former mining and milling facilities: Brushy Creek, Buick, Fletcher, Sweetwater, Viburnum and West Fork. This commitment ensures that financing will be available to fund the clean up of the smelter property and the six mining and milling sites whenever they are eventually closed. Doe Run will also take steps to finalize and come into compliance with more stringent Clean Water Act permits at 10 of its facilities, including Herculaneum, Glover, Buick Mill, Brushy Creek, Fletcher, Sweetwater, Viburnum, West Fork, Mine #35 (Casteel), and Buick Resource Recycling, and will spend an estimated $5.8 million on stream mitigation activities along 8.5 miles of Bee Fork Creek, an impaired waterway near Doe Run’s Fletcher mine and mill facility.
The company will also spend $2 million on community-based mitigation projects to reduce pollution from other sources in southeastern Missouri. At least $1.1 million of this amount will be spent on diesel engine retrofits, school science lab clean outs, school energy efficiency projects and installations of heat pumps. Other projects, such as the purchase of sulfur dioxide allowances, wastewater infrastructure projects for the city of Herculaneum, or the development and improvement of environmental management systems at Doe Run’s facilities may also be included.
Instead of installing pollution control technologies needed to reduce sulfur dioxide and lead emissions as required by the Clean Air Act, Doe Run has made a business decision to shut down its lead smelter in Herculaneum, Mo., by Dec. 31, 2013. The company will also provide an initial $8.14 million in financial assurance to guarantee cleanup work at the Herculaneum facility. The closing of the Herculaneum smelter is expected to result in significant benefits to public health and the environment by annually reducing air emissions of at least 101,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 42,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, 30 tons of lead, 23 tons of particulate matter, 22 tons of carbon monoxide, 13.5 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 2.5 tons of volatile organic chemicals. These reductions will result in significant health and environmental benefits to the Herculaneum and St. Louis areas, which are currently exceeding federal air standards for lead, ozone and particulate matter.
In addition to the consent decree, EPA is issuing for public comment a new administrative order that requires Doe Run to sample residential properties within 1.5 miles of the Herculaneum smelter, and clean up all residential properties with lead soil concentrations of 400 parts per million or higher within that zone. The order requires Doe Run to conduct a final round of soil sampling and residential property cleanups in Herculaneum after the smelter is shut down.
EPA is also issuing for public comment a modified May 2007 administrative order addressing issues related to the transportation of lead-bearing materials between Doe Run facilities. The modified order requires Doe Run to spend an estimated $3.2 million to improve the washing and inspection of its trucks, conduct additional sampling of soil from residential properties along the haul routes, provide independent auditing of its washing and inspection activities, and conduct a study to assess and improve its transportation and handling operations.
The civil judicial consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by a court before it becomes final. Each of the two administrative orders are subject to similar but separate 30-day public comment periods before they become final.
More information on the settlement:
www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/mm/doerun.html
Foreign National Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Role in International Money Laundering Scheme Involving Online SalesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Bulgarian national was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for his role as a money launderer for a transnational criminal group based in Eastern Europe, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.
Georgi Boychev Georgiev, of Sofia, Bulgaria, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman in the District of Columbia. In addition to his prison term, Georgiev was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following his prison term and was ordered to pay $161,400 in restitution. Georgiev pleaded guilty on May 13, 2010, to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Georgiev was extradited from Poland to the United Stated in December 2009. Prior to his extradition, Georgiev was incarcerated for over three years in Poland for related offenses.
According to court documents, from approximately May 2006 through October 2006, Georgiev participated in a scheme to post advertisements on eBay and other web sites, fraudulently offering expensive vehicles and boats for sale that the conspirators did not possess. When the U.S. victims expressed interest in the merchandise, they were contacted directly by an e-mail from a purported seller. The victims were then instructed to wire transfer payments through “eBay Secure Traders”—an entity which has no actual affiliation to eBay but was used as a ruse to persuade the victims that they were sending money into a secure escrow account pending delivery and inspection of their purchases. Instead, the victims’ funds were wired directly into bank accounts in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Greece and Poland, which were controlled by Georgiev and his co-conspirators. According to court documents, in less than one year, the criminal conspiracy netted more than $1.2 million from U.S. victims.
Georgiev was originally charged on Jan. 9, 2008, along with five additional defendants: Roman Teodor, Georgi Vasilev Pletnyov, Ivaylo Vasilev Pletnyov, Nikolay Georgiev Minchev and Antoaneta Angelova Getova. On Dec. 2, 2009, Ivaylo Vasilev Pletnyov and Nikolay Georgiev Minchev were sentenced to four years and 30 months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the money laundering conspiracy. Georgi Vasilev Pletnyov was extradited to the United States from Poland in May 2010. The United States continues to work with foreign counterparts in Romania and Poland regarding the remaining defendants. An indictment is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty at trial beyond a reasonable doubt.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI – Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation (HNBI) Organized Crime Task Force located in Budapest, Hungary (Budapest Task Force). The Budapest Task Force was established by the FBI in April 2000 in an effort to address the increasing threat of Eurasian organized crime groups to the United States. Its objective was to develop cooperation with law enforcement in Central/Eastern Europe, and to identify transnational cases with a nexus to the United States.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Lisa Page of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance on this case.
El Departamento anuncia $110 millones de dólares para programas de reingreso social; iniciativas para reducir los gastos en correccionalesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – En su discurso en el Foro Europeo de Empleo para Infractores, el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Eric Holder anunció $110 millones de dólares en fondos en el año fiscal 2010 para subsidios para el reingreso a la sociedad de la Ley Segunda Oportunidad y la Iniciativa de Reinversión de Justicia. Estas dos iniciativas se concentran en reducir las tasas de recaída y los gastos estatales y locales en correccionales a través del uso de enfoques inteligentes basados en pruebas implementados por asociados estatales, locales, tribales y sin fines de lucro. La Oficina de Programas Judiciales [Office of Justice Programs (OJP)] del Departamento está administrando los subsidios, investigación, capacitación y asistencia técnica.
"El Departamento de Justicia de hoy se dedica a ser inteligente, y no solo exigente, con respecto a la delincuencia - y nuestra labor de reingreso social no es ninguna excepción", dijo el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Holder. "Es vital que ayudemos a asegurar que las personas que deseen mejorar nuestra sociedad, así como sus propias circunstancias, tengan la oportunidad de crecer, aprender y contribuir. Juntos, creo que podemos hacer realidad nuestra visión compartida de comunidades seguras y prósperas".
De acuerdo con el Buró de Estadísticas Judiciales de la OJP, existen más de 2.3 millones de personas encarceladas en los Estados Unidos. El noventa y nueve por ciento de todas las personas encarceladas hoy eventualmente serán liberadas y regresarán a sus comunidades. La conferencia, del 7-8 de octubre en Washington, D.C. fue convocada por la Red Nacional de Empleos de Transición y el Centro para la Inclusión Económica y Social para discutir pràcticas, políticas y estrategias prometedoras para el reingreso de prisioneros.
"Tenemos la responsabilidad de asociarnos a comunidades para mantener seguro al público y asegurar que los ex transgresores estén plenamente equipados para ser ciudadanos productivos y respetuosos de la ley,” dijo Laurie O. Robinson, Secretaria de Justicia Auxiliar de la OJP, quien también habló en la conferencia. "Esto incluye el apoyo a programas comunitarios exitosos y respaldados por su eficacia comprobada".
Fondos para programas de reingreso
La Ley Segunda Oportunidad, administrada por el Buró de Asistencia Judicial [Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)] de la OJP y la Oficina de Justicia y Prevención de la Delincuencia Juveniles, fue diseñada para brindar apoyo a gobiernos estatales, locales y tribales y organizaciones sin fines de lucro en sus iniciativas para proveer una amplia gama de programas de reingreso para adultos y jóvenes. Durante el año fiscal 2010, la OJP otorgó $100 millones de dólares para apoyo a 178 destinatarios de subsidios de la Ley Segunda Oportunidad en todo el país.
Los fondos para programas de reingreso se ocuparán de una serie de áreas, incluidas capacitación para el empleo, educación, programas de mentores, tratamiento para abusos de sustancias y salud mental, servicios familiares, clases de alfabetización, asistencia para la vivienda y para el empleo. Además, estos fondos incluyen $10 millones de dólares a ser otorgados por el Instituto Nacional de Justicia de la OJP para evaluar la eficacia y el impacto de los programas de reingreso. Y $4.6 millones de dólares de los $100 millones se utilizarán para continuar el trabajo del Centro Nacional de Recursos para el reingreso [National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC)], el que brinda información, capacitación y asistencia técnica a funcionarios gubernamentales, profesionales, organizaciones sin fines de lucro e individuos de todo el país. El NRRC también desarrollará una biblioteca de "lo que efectivamente funciona" con respecto al reingreso, la que ofrecerá información actualizada de la que se pueden realizar búsquedas acerca de los programas, las políticas y las prácticas más efectivas para reducir la recaída, aumentar el empleo, reducir el abuso de sustancias y producir otros desenlaces positivos.
Iniciativa de reinversión judicial
Las investigaciones indican que a lo largo de los últimos 20 años, los gastos estatales en correcciones han crecido con mayor rapidez que cualquier otro punto presupuestario estatal, habiendo pasado de $10 billones a más de $50 billones en un año.
En la conferencia de hoy, el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Holder destacó la necesidad de invertir más en estrategias eficaces de justicia criminal y correcciones, y anunció el otorgamiento de $10 millones de dólares en fondos del año fiscal 2010 para la ampliación de la Iniciativa de Reinversión Judicial.
Esta iniciativa, lanzada en 2006, es un enfoque impulsado por datos que optimiza la seguridad pública, reduce los gastos en correcciones, y redirige ahorros a estrategias alternativas de justicia criminal que reducen la delincuencia y fortalecen los vecindarios. Este enfoque constituye una iniciativa altamente estratégica en curso en 20 estados, múltiples condados y gobiernos tribales para brindar a formuladores de políticas estatales y locales recursos y herramientas para incrementar la seguridad pública, hacer con que los delincuentes paguen por sus actos, y controlar los costos en correccionales. Los fondos del año fiscal 2010 permitirán a la Iniciativa ampliar la colecta y el análisis de datos de correcciones, delincuencia y recursos de modo a incluir gobiernos estatales, de condados y tribales, así como proveer asistencia técnica para implementar las opciones de políticas identificadas como resultado de dichos análisis.
Solicite información sobre los subsidios otorgados bajo La Ley de Segunda Oportunidad del Año Fiscal 2010 de BJA y subsidios otorgados bajo Mejora de la Justicia Criminal y Reducción de la Recaída a través de la Reinversión en Justicia Estatal, Local y Tribal del Año Fiscal 2010 de BJA en:www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/FY2010_awards_solicitation.htm .
Department Announces Agreement to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters from NevadaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it has reached an agreement with Nevada officials to help ensure that military service members and U.S. citizens living overseas have an opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election. This agreement was necessary to resolve a violation of the 2009 Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE Act).
“Our uniformed service members and other overseas citizens deserve to have a meaningful opportunity to participate in the election of our nation’s leaders, and to know that their votes will be counted,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “I am pleased that Nevada officials worked quickly and cooperatively with the department and adopted measures that will ensure the state’s military and overseas voters will have their votes counted in the upcoming election.”
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) requires states to allow uniformed service voters (serving both overseas and within the United States) and overseas citizens to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office. In 2009, Congress enacted the MOVE Act, which made broad changes to UOCAVA. Among those changes is a requirement that states transmit absentee ballots to voters covered under UOCAVA no later than 45 days before federal elections.
Following inquiries from the department, Nevada reported that due to a ballot printing delay, one of its counties, Elko County, did not send absentee ballots by the 45th day before the general election to its 34 UOCAVA voters who had requested ballots by that date. To address this MOVE Act violation and permit these voters to have a 45-day period to receive, mark and return their ballots, the Nevada Secretary of State adopted an emergency regulation to provide an additional six days, until 5:00 p.m. PDT on November 8, for Elko County’s UOCAVA voters to return their ballots, provided they are executed and sent by Election Day.
The department previously reached agreements with Wisconsin, Alaska, Colorado, District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands and Hawaii; and filed a lawsuit against Guam seeking emergency relief to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in the upcoming election. More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/misc/activ_uoc.htm . Complaints may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
Department Announces $110 Million for Reentry Programs; Efforts to Reduce Spending on CorrectionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaking at the European Offenders Employment Forum today, Attorney General Eric Holder announced $110 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 funding for the Second Chance Act reentry grants and the Justice Reinvestment Initiative. These two efforts focus on reducing recidivism rates and state and local spending on corrections through the use of evidence-based, smart-on-crime approaches implemented by state, local, tribal and non-profit partners. The department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is administering the grants, research, and training and technical assistance.
“Today’s Department of Justice is dedicated to being smart, not only tough, on crime – and our reentry efforts are no exception,” said Attorney General Holder. “It’s vital that we help ensure that people who want to improve our society, as well as their own circumstances, have opportunities to grow, to learn, and to contribute. By joining together, I believe that we can realize our shared vision of safe, thriving communities.”
According to OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. Ninety-five percent of all people incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to their communities. The conference, Oct. 7-8 in Washington, D.C., was convened by the National Transitional Jobs Network and the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion to discuss promising practices, policies, and strategies for prisoner reentry.
“We have a responsibility to partner with communities to keep the public safe and to ensure ex-offenders are fully equipped to become productive, law-abiding citizens, ” said Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General for OJP, who also spoke at the conference. “This includes supporting community-based programs that are successful, and backed by evidence of effectiveness.”
Funding for Reentry Programs
The Second Chance Act, administered by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, is designed to support state, local and tribal governments, and non-profit organizations in their efforts to provide a full range of adult and juvenile reentry programs. During FY 2010, OJP awarded $100 million to support 178 Second Chance Act grantees across the country.
The funding for reentry programs will address a number of areas, including job training, education, mentoring, substance abuse and mental health treatment, family-based services, literacy classes, housing and employment assistance. In addition, this funding includes $10 million that will be awarded by OJP’s National Institute of Justice to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of reentry programs. And $4.6 million of the $100 million will be used to continue the work of the National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC), which provides information, and training and technical assistance to government officials, practitioners, non-profit organizations, and individuals across the country. The NRRC also will develop a reentry “what works” library that will offer searchable, up-to-date information about the most effective programs, policies, and practices for reducing recidivism, increasing employment, decreasing substance abuse, and producing other positive outcomes.
Justice Reinvestment Initiative
Research shows that over the past 20 years, state spending on corrections has grown at a faster rate than nearly any other state budget item, increasing from $10 billion to more than $50 billion a year.
At the conference today, Attorney General Holder emphasized the need to invest in more effective criminal justice and corrections strategies and he announced that $10 million in FY 2010 funding had been awarded to expand the Justice Reinvestment Initiative.
This initiative, launched in 2006, is a data-driven approach that enhances public safety, reduces corrections spending, and redirects savings to alternative criminal justice strategies that decrease crime and strengthen neighborhoods. This approach is a highly strategic effort underway in 20 states, multiple counties and tribal governments to provide state and local policymakers with the resources and tools to increase public safety, hold offenders accountable, and control corrections costs. The FY 2010 funding will enable the Initiative to expand the collection and analyses of corrections, crime, and resource data to include additional states, counties, and tribal governments, as well as to provide technical assistance to implement the policy options identified as a result of these analyses.
Information about the grants awarded under BJA’s FY 2010 Second Chance Act grant solicitation and the grants awarded under BJA’s FY 2010 Criminal Justice Improvement and Recidivism Reduction through State, Local, and Tribal Justice Reinvestment solicitation is available at: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/FY2010_awards_solicitation.htm .
Army Major Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for False Statements Charge Related to Attempt to Smuggle Currency from Iraq to the United StatesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - U.S. Army Major Charles E. Sublett, 46, of Huntsville, Ala., was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for making false statements to a federal agency, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division.
Sublett was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Samuel H. Mays in Memphis, Tenn. In addition to his prison term, Sublett was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit $107,900 and 17,120,000 Iraqi dinar. Sublett was indicted on Jan. 5, 2010, following his arrest in Huntsville, and pleaded guilty on July 7, 2010. According to the indictment, Sublett smuggled more than $100,000 in currency, concealed in a shipping package, into the United States from Iraq in January 2005.
According to court documents, Sublett was deployed to Balad Regional Contracting Center on Logistical Support Area (LSA) Anaconda in Iraq from August 2004 through February 2005. LSA Anaconda is a U.S. military installation that was established in 2003 to support U.S. military operations in Iraq. According to the indictment, Sublett served as a contracting officer while deployed to LSA Anaconda. As a contracting officer, Sublett was responsible for, among other things, evaluating and supervising contracts with companies that provide goods and services to the U.S. Army.
Sublett admitted that, on Jan. 11, 2005, he sent a package from Balad, Iraq, to Killeen, Texas, which was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Memphis. Sublett admitted that, on the international air waybill, he falsely described the contents of the package as books, papers, a jewelry box and clothes with a total declared customs value of $140 when, in fact, Sublett knew the package contained $107,900 in U.S. currency and 17,120,000 in Iraqi dinar. Sublett also admitted that he failed to file a currency or monetary instruments transaction report (CMIR) as required by federal law when transporting currency in amounts of more than $10,000 into or out of the United States. During the plea hearing, Sublett admitted to making false claims to investigators regarding his attempt to bring the currency into the United States in an effort to impede their investigation.
This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Daniel A. Petalas and Deputy Chief Justin V. Shur of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. This case was investigated by Army Criminal Investigation Command; Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the FBI; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation; the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Thursday 7 October 2010
Wyoming Used Car Dealer Sentenced to 33 Months in Prisonfor Odometer Tampering SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jay Lee (aka Michael Smith; John Marks; Ricky Marks; and Anthony Romero) was sentenced today in connection with an odometer tampering scheme that defrauded numerous victims in Wyoming and Colorado, among other places, the Justice Department announced. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson of Cheyenne, Wyo., sentenced Lee to a term of 33 months in prison and a term of three years of supervised release during which he cannot be involved in the sale of motor vehicles. The court ordered Lee to pay $195,654.55 in restitution.
On July 23, 2009, a Casper, Wyo., federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Lee and a co-defendant, Randy Lee, in a 28-count indictment alleging conspiracy, odometer tampering, securities fraud, providing false odometer certifications and mail fraud. Investigators were unable to locate Jay Lee at the time, with the result that Randy Lee proceeded to trial alone. Randy Lee was convicted on Jan. 21, 2010, after a two-week trial, by a federal jury in Cheyenne of 11 felony counts, and is currently serving a 37 month prison sentence. Authorities subsequently located and arrested Jay Lee in Salt Lake City, where he was doing business using the name Michael Smith. On July 29, 2010, Jay Lee pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of mail fraud.
According to the indictment, the Lees purchased high-mileage, used motor vehicles from various businesses in New Mexico and Wyoming, as well as from a wholesale motor vehicle auction in Loveland, Colo. The Lees were charged with altering the odometers, the motor vehicle titles and sales documentation associated with these vehicle titles in order to reflect a false, lower mileage. As a result, the state of Wyoming issued motor vehicle titles reflecting false, lower mileage, which the Lees knew to be untrue. The defendants then sold the motor vehicles to local consumers, other used motor vehicle dealers, and at wholesale auto auctions. As a result, the Lees received higher sales prices for the vehicles they sold.
"Fraud schemes like odometer rollbacks cost consumers by de-valuing one of the most important purchases they make: their automobiles. Corrupt dealers who engage in this fraudulent practice steal consumers' hard-earned money, impede intelligent buying choices, and raise safety concerns by misrepresenting the true condition of the vehicles they sell," said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. "The Justice Department will seek tough and appropriate sentences for those who try to cheat consumers by engaging in this illegal practice."
Assistant Attorney General West thanked the agencies that worked collaboratively to achieve this result. The underlying investigation was conducted by the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Office of Compliance and Investigation and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Denver. The case was prosecuted by attorneys David Sullivan and Alan Phelps in the Office of Consumer Litigation in the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Vendedor de autos usados de Wyoming fue sentenciado a 33 meses en prisión por ardid de alteración de odómetroRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jay Lee (alias Michael Smith; John Marks; Ricky Marks; y Anthony Romero) fue sentenciado hoy en conexión con un ardid de alteración de odómetro que defraudó a numerosas víctimas en Wyoming y Colorado, entre otros lugares, anunció el Departamento de Justicia. El Juez Federal de Distrito Alan B. Johnson de Cheyenne, Wyo., sentenció a Lee a 33 meses en prisión y tres años de libertad bajo supervisión, durante los cuales no podrá dedicarse a la venta de vehículos de motor. El tribunal ordenó a Lee que pagara una restitución de $195,654.55 dólares.
El 23 de julio de 2009, un gran jurado federal en Casper, Wyo. emitió una acusación formal contra Lee y un codemandado Randy Lee, en una acusación formal compuesta por 28 cargos que alegaba conspiración, alteración de odómetros, fraude de valores, provisión de certificaciones de odómetro falsas y fraude postal. Los investigadores no lograron ubicar a Jay Lee en la época y, por lo tanto, Randy Lee fue juzgado solo. Randy Lee fue condenado el 21 de enero de 2010, después de un juicio que duró dos semanas, por un jurado federal en Cheyenne, de 11 cargos de delitos mayores. Actualmente está cumpliendo una sentencia de prisión de 37 meses. Más tarde, las autoridades ubicaron y arrestaron a Jay Lee en Salt Lake City, donde realizaba negocios bajo el nombre Michael Smith. El 29 de julio de 2010, Jay Lee se declaró culpable de un cargo de conspiración y un cargo de fraude postal.
De acuerdo con la acusación formal, los Lee compraron vehículos de motor usados con alto millaje de diversas empresas en Nuevo México y Wyoming, así como en una subasta mayorista de vehículos de motor en Loveland, Colo. Los Lee fueron acusados de alterar los odómetros, los títulos de los vehículos de motor y la documentación de venta asociada a los títulos de estos vehículos a fin de reflejar un millaje más bajo falso. Como resultado, el estado de Wyoming emitió títulos de motor que reflejaban millajes más bajos falsos, a sabiendas de los Lee. Luego, los demandados vendieron los vehículos a consumidores locales, otros vendedores de vehículos de motor y en subastas mayoristas de automóviles. Como resultado, los Lee recibieron precios de venta más altos por los vehículos que vendieron.
Los ardides fraudulentos como la alteración de odómetros perjudican a los consumidores al desvalorizar una de las compras más importantes de realizan: sus automóviles. Vendedores corruptos que utilizan prácticas fraudulentas para robarles a los consumidores de su dinero, impiden decisiones de compra inteligentes y crean inquietudes de seguridad al mentir sobre el verdadero estado de los vehículos que venden", dijo Tony West, Secretario de Justicia Auxiliar de la División Civil del Departamento de Justicia. "El Departamento de Justicia pedirá sentencias pesadas y adecuadas para quienes intenten engañar a los consumidores a través de esta práctica ilegal".
El Secretario de Justicia Auxiliar West agradeció a las dependencias que trabajaron unidas para lograr este resultado. La investigación profunda fue realizada por la Oficina de Cumplimiento e Investigación del Departamento de Transporte de Wyoming y la Administración Nacional de Seguridad de Tráfico de Carreteras del Departamento de Transporte de EE.UU. en Denver. Estuvieron a cargo de la acusación en el caso los abogados David Sullivan y Alan Phelps de la Oficina de Litigios de Consumo de la División Civil del Departamento de Justicia.
Four California Police Officers Indicted for Civil Rights ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging former Fresno, Calif., Police Department (FPD) Officers Christopher Coleman, 42; Paul Van Dalen, 44; and Sean Plymale, 41; and current FPD Sergeant Michael Manfredi, 50, with civil rights and obstruction of justice offenses related to the assault of a man in their custody in October 2005.
Coleman and Van Dalen are each charged with deprivation of rights under color of law. As alleged in the indictment, Coleman used a 12-gauge shotgun to repeatedly shoot the victim with less-lethal ammunition, which consists of a flexible material that is filled with metal shot. Despite its name, less-lethal ammunition can cause death or serious bodily injury. Coleman is also charged with driving a speeding vehicle at the victim, putting him in fear for his life. The indictment further alleges that Van Dalen repeatedly kicked the victim in the side and stepped on his ankle. Plymale and Manfredi are each charged with one count of misprision of a felony for their knowing concealment of the assault carried out by Coleman and Van Dalen. All four defendants also are charged with one count of falsifying an official report to obstruct justice.
The case is being investigated by the Fresno Field Office of the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Benjamin J. Hawk of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin P. Rooney and Elana S. Landau of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
The charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Ochenta y nueve agentes de las fuerzas del orden público y 44 otros fueron acusados formalmente de delitos de narcotráfico en Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Ochenta y nueve agentes de las fuerzas del orden público y 44 otros en Puerto Rico fueron acusados en 26 acusaciones formales reveladas hoy y emitidas por un gran jurado en San Juan, Puerto Rico, durante el mes de septiembre de 2010, anunciaron hoy el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Eric Holder y la Fiscal Federal Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez del Distrito de Puerto Rico.
Los demandados enfrentan cargos que varían de conspiración para la posesión con intención de distribuir más de cinco kilogramos de cocaína, intento de posesión con intención de distribuir más de cinco kilogramos de cocaína, y uso de un arma de fuego durante la comisión de un delito de narcotráfico. Los delitos de la acusación se refieren a un periodo desde el 26 de julio de 2008 o fecha aproximada hasta el 21 de septiembre de 2010.
Los arrestos de hoy son el resultado de la Operación "Guard Shack", la mayor investigación de corrupción policial de la historia del Buró Federal de Investigaciones [Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)]. Cerca de 750 agentes del FBI fueron enviados a Puerto Rico de distintos puntos del país para ayudar con los arrestos esta mañana. Actualmente 129 se encuentran detenidos y cuatro sujetos están fugitivos.
"El compromiso del Departamento de Justicia de acabar con y erradicar la supuesta corrupción en nuestras fuerzas del orden público nunca ha sido más fuerte", dijo el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Eric Holder. "Este Departamento tiene un mensaje para cualquiera que esté dispuesto a abusar de la confianza pública por ganancias personales: los atraparemos, los detendremos y serán castigados".
Las acusaciones formales reveladas hoy son el resultado de 125 transacciones de narcotráfico encubiertas llevadas a cabo por el FBI en varias localidades de Puerto Rico de julio de 2008 a septiembre de 2010. La participación de los demandados en las transacciones de narcotráfico consistió en la provisión de protección armada a un narcotraficante durante la venta de múltiples kilos de cocaína. A cambio de sus servicios de seguridad durante las transacciones de narcotráfico encubiertas, los demandados, la mayoría de los cuales son agentes de las fuerzas del orden público, recibieron pagos de entre $500 y $4,500 dólares por transacción.
Los agentes de las fuerzas del orden público acusados formalmente hoy pertenecen a las siguientes dependencias: 60 demandados del Departamento de Policía de Puerto Rico [Puerto Rico Police Department [PRPD]); 16 demandados de diversos departamento de policía municipales; y 12 agentes del Departamento de Correcciones de Puerto Rico. Los restantes demandados incluyen: tres soldados de Guardia Nacional de Puerto Rico; dos oficiales del Ejército de EE.UU.; ocho ex agentes de las fuerzas del orden público ; un examinador administrativo de asuntos asociados al mantenimiento de hijos; un empleado de la Administración del Seguro Social; y 30 civiles.
"Estas acusaciones formales demuestran el compromiso del Departamento de Justicia y la Fiscalía Federal en Puerto Rico de erradicar la corrupción en nuestras fuerzas del orden público. No podemos dejar de asombrarnos debido la conducta delictiva revelada hoy de quienes juraron servir y proteger a los ciudadanos de Puerto Rico. El pueblo de Puerto Rico merece y espera mucho más, y hoy transmitimos un mensaje muy claro. Seguiremos trabajando lado a lado con los muchos miembros honestos de las agencias de las fuerzas del orden público de Puerto Rico en nuestra lucha contra el narcotráfico, la delincuencia violenta y la corrupción en la isla", dijo la Fiscal Federal Rodríguez-Vélez.
"La corrupción pública no solo ataca el centro de la buena gobernación. También pone en peligro la seguridad de nuestras comunidades y nuestra nación", dijo el Director Auxiliar Ejecutivo del FBI Shawn Henry, Oficina de Delincuencia, Cibernética, Respuesta y Servicios. "Acaba con la confianza pública y debilita la fuerza de nuestra democracia. El FBI se compromete plenamente a investigar alegatos de corrupción pública y trabajará estrechamente con el Departamento de Justicia en presentar cargos cuando sea necesario".
Los 61 demandados del Departamento de Policía de Puerto Rico sonOmar Pérez Prado; Tte. Ángel Torres Figueroa; Carlos Fontañéz Mercado, alias "Machazo;" Yacira Vélez Miliàn; Heriberto Cruz Vargas alias "Yopi;" Giovanni Cubertier Morales; Armando Valle Vicenty; Melvin Acevedo Hernández; Jeff Marrero Malpica; José Fuentes-Fuentes; Nelson Álvarez Mendoza; Obed Acevedo Ranero; Joel Hernández Hernández; David González Pérez; Israel Rullan Santiago; Eusebio Hernández Nieves; Xavier Álvarez Pérez; Ángel Acevedo Pérez, Ángel Rivera Ortiz, alias "Kento;" Samuel Acevedo Rivera; Pedro A. Morales Cintrón; Michael Forestier Figueroa; Juan Cruz Ramos, alias "Tito K9;" Jorge Rosado García; José R. Sánchez Quiñones; Rafael Figueroa Quiñones; Mayra Jiménez Pacheco; Juan D. Santiago Rosado; Rolando Nieves Valentín; Brenda Acosta Andújar; Javier A. Díaz Castro; Arnold E. Benítez Rivera; Rafael Rodríguez Valentín; Ramón Benítez Falcón; Carlos M. Méndez Pérez; Juan Hernández Vega; Daviel Salinas Acevedo; Pedro Ayala Rivera; Yamil M. Navedo Ramírez; Ivàn Santiago-Cruz; Daniel E. Ocasio Figueroa; Rafael Bautista Santiago; Isaías Reyes Arroyo; Sgt. Luis E. Pérez Ortiz; Héctor Hernández Aguilar; Karla M. Colón Bracero; Jim Santana Ramírez; Jayson Acevedo; José L. Salva Negrón; Milton L. Martínez Matos; Luis A. González Torres; Miguel Santiago Cordero; Alberto De La Rosa Reyes; José B. Vargas Torres; Héctor López Terrón; Johanna Caraballo López; Silverio Vera Monroy; Juan Jusino Ramos; Raúl Vega Sosa; Jonathan Ortiz Muñiz; y Héctor Olivero Alicea. Ricardo Vázquez (Reclutador del Ejército de EE.UU.); Rafael Ureña Rivera, alias "Indio (ex PRPD);" y William Rivera García (ex funcionario municipal).
Los16 demandados acusados formalmente que son agentes de la policía municipal son:Andy Alejandrino Sánchez; Arcadio Hernández-Soto; Raquel Delgado Marrero; Ángel L. Rivera Claudio; Joel Omar Aldarondo-Montalvo; Neftalí Valentín-Fred; José O. Maldonado García; Luis Joel Avilés Rullan; Mark Anthony Ortiz; Luis Román Herrera; Gabriel Lozada Torres; Onel Saavedra González; Rose M. Serrano Vargas; Wilfredo González Lagares; Francisco J. Riesta Natal; y José Pérez Pérez.
Los 12 demandados acusados formalmente que son agentes del Departamento de Correcciones de Puerto Rico son:Christian Díaz Maldonado; Olvin García Huertas; José L. Román Méndez; Rubén Maldonado Torres; Radamés Cortez Ozoa; Carlos M. Rosado López; Omar Torres Ruperto; Carlos M. Linares Vega; Bernis González Miranda; José R. Bermúdez Quiñones; Joel Díaz Nieves; y Bernardo Cruz Trujillo.
Los 44 demandados restantesson: Carlos Figueroa Cruz; Anthony Cruz; Miguel Sánchez Román (Ejército de EE.UU., ex Municipal de San Juan); Rodolfo E. Torres Negrón; Melquíades Álvarez Mendoza; Juan Carlos González Ortiz; Nelmic De La Cruz Raposo; Jesús LNU; Axel González Terrón; Juan Cruz Tapia (Oficina del Seguro Social); Edgar Rafael Rivera De Jesús (PRPD retirado); Idanis García Morales (examinador de mantenimiento infantil); Christian Sotomayor Filomeno; Omar Cajigas; Abimael Hernández Rivera; Pedro González-Cruz; Rubín A. Maisonet De Jesús; Wayne Cedeño Amador; Josué Ramírez González; Oscar E. Ramos Rodríguez; Antonio L. Román Reyes; Yancy Toro Espiet; Alex O. Cordero Cortez, alias "Omar De La Cruz;" Luis Vélez-Concepción; Billy Hernández; Edward Quiñones (ex PRPD); Christian A. Núñez-Reverón, alias "Kelvin Núñez," Roberto Molina (PRPD retirado); Francisco Manzano López (PRPD retirado); Abraham Sánchez (Guardia Nacional); Héctor Hernández-Aldarondo; Rafael E. Pérez Rivera; Sargento Abraham González Sánchez (Guardia Nacional); Wendell Rivera Ruperto, alias "Arsenio Rivera," (ex Departamento de Correcciones de PR); David Maldonado (Guardia Nacional); Juan C. Ramos-Vargas, alias "Joseph Avilés;" Frederick Santos Ortiz, alias "Roberto Ortega;" Yoana Sierra Padilla (ex PRPD); Julio Gómez-Lloréns; Ricardo Amaro-Santiago; Eliezer Pagán Medina; y el Sargento Ricardo Vàzquez (reclutador del Ejército de EE.UU.).
Si se les condena, los demandados enfrentan sentencias de entre 10 años y prisión perpetua.
Están a cargo de la acusación en el caso las Fiscales Federales Auxiliares Courtney Coker y Jacqueline Novas. El caso está siendo investigado por la Oficina Local de San Juan del FBI.
Una acusación formal es apenas una acusación de conducta delictiva y no prueba de la misma. Se supone que un demandado es inocente hasta ser condenado a través de debido proceso de la ley.
Justice Department Announces Lawsuit to Protect Rights of Military and Overseas Voters in GuamRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Guam and its election officials seeking emergency relief to help ensure that military service members and other U.S. citizens living overseas have the opportunity to participate fully in the Nov. 2, 2010, federal general election.
The lawsuit, brought under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), was filed in federal district court in Hagatna, Guam. The department also filed a motion for emergency relief seeking additional time – until Nov. 15, 2010, – for receipt of absentee ballots to ensure eligible military and overseas voters have sufficient time to receive, cast and return their ballots and to have their votes counted. The suit also requests an order requiring Guam officials to take steps to ensure that military and overseas voters have the option of receiving their blank absentee ballots by email.
“Our uniformed service members and other overseas citizens deserve a meaningful opportunity to participate in the elections of our nation’s leaders,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “This suit seeks both immediate and permanent relief to ensure that Guam’s military and overseas voters, many of whom are members of our armed forces and their families serving our country around the world, will have their votes counted in the upcoming, and future, federal elections.”
UOCAVA requires states to allow uniformed service voters (serving both overseas and within the United States) and their families and overseas citizens to register to vote and to vote absentee for all elections for federal office. In 2009, Congress enacted the MOVE Act, which made broad amendments to UOCAVA. Among those changes was a requirement that states transmit absentee ballots to voters covered under UOCAVA, by mail or electronically at the voter’s option, no later than 45 days before federal elections.
The action was necessary because Guam failed to mail ballots to its military and overseas citizens until between Sept. 27, 2010, and Oct. 1, 2010, well beyond UOCAVA’s deadline of Sept. 18, 2010, the 45th day before this year’s general election. Guam also did not timely establish procedures to offer voters the option of receiving their ballots electronically. The requested extension of the deadline for counting UOCAVA ballots will ensure military and overseas voters have a 45-day period to receive, mark and return their ballots.
More information about UOCAVA and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.usdoj.gov/crt/voting/misc/activ_uoc.htm . Complaints may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.
Eighty-Nine Law Enforcement Officers and 44 OthersIndicted for Drug Trafficking Crimes in Puerto RicoRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eighty-nine law enforcement officers and 44 others in Puerto Rico have been charged in 26 indictments unsealed today and returned by a grand jury in San Juan, Puerto Rico, during the month of September 2010, Attorney General Eric Holder and U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez of the District of Puerto Rico announced today.
The defendants face charges ranging from conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, attempt to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, and use of a firearm during the commission of a drug trafficking offense. The offenses charged cover a period from in or about July 26, 2008 until Sept. 21, 2010.
The arrests today are the result of Operation Guard Shack, the largest police corruption investigation in the history of the FBI. Close to 750 FBI agents were flown in to Puerto Rico from across the country to assist in the arrests early this morning. Currently 129 individuals are in custody and four subjects remain at-large.
"The Justice Department’s commitment to rooting out and eradicating alleged corruption in our law enforcement ranks has never been stronger," said Attorney General Eric Holder. "This department has one message for anyone willing to abuse the public trust for personal gain: you will be caught, you will be stopped and you will be punished."
The indictments unsealed today are the result of 125 undercover drug transactions conducted by the FBI in several locations in Puerto Rico, from July 2008 until September 2010. The defendants’ participation in the drug transactions consisted of providing armed protection to a drug dealer during the sale of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine. In exchange for their security services during the undercover drug transactions, the defendants, a majority of whom are law enforcement officers, received payments ranging from $500 to $4,500 per transaction.
The law enforcement officers indicted today are from the following agencies: 60 defendants from the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD); 16 defendants from various municipal police departments; and 12 officers from the Puerto Rico Corrections Department. The remaining defendants include: three Puerto Rico National Guard soldiers; two U.S. Army officers; eight former law enforcement officers ; one administrative examiner in child support matters; one employee from the Social Security Administration; and 30 civilians.
"These indictments demonstrate the commitment of the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Puerto Rico to eradicate corruption in our law enforcement ranks. We cannot help but be appalled at the criminal conduct charged today against those who have sworn to serve and protect the citizens of Puerto Rico. The people of Puerto Rico deserve and expect better, and today we send a clear message. We will continue working side by side with the many honest members of Puerto Rico’s law enforcement agencies in our fight against drug trafficking, violent crime and corruption in the island," said U.S. Attorney Rodríguez-Vélez.
"Public corruption does not just strike at the heart of good government. It also jeopardizes the security of our communities and our nation," said FBI Executive Assistant Director Shawn Henry, Criminal, Cyber, Response and Services Branch. "It erodes public confidence and undermines the strength of our democracy. The FBI is fully committed to pursuing allegations of public corruption and we will work closely with the Department of Justice to bring charges when necessary."
The 61 indicted defendants from the Puerto Rico Police Department areOmar Pérez Prado; Lt. Ángel Torres Figueroa; Carlos Fontanez Mercado, aka "Machazo;" Yacira Vélez Milian; Heriberto Cruz Vargas aka "Yopi;" Giovanni Cubertier Morales; Armando Valle Vicenty; Melvin Acevedo Hernández; Jeff Marrero Malpica; José Fuentes-Fuentes; Nelson Álvarez Mendoza; Obed Acevedo Ranero; Joel Hernández Hernández; David González Pérez; Israel Rullan Santiago; Eusebio Hernández Nieves; Xavier Álvarez Pérez; Ángel Acevedo Pérez, Ángel Rivera Ortiz, aka "Kento;" Samuel Acevedo Rivera; Pedro A. Morales Cintrón; Michael Forestier Figueroa; Juan Cruz Ramos, aka "Tito K9;" Jorge Rosado García; José R. Sánchez Quiñones; Rafael Figueroa Quiñones; Mayra Jiménez Pacheco; Juan D. Santiago Rosado; Rolando Nieves Valentin; Brenda Acosta Andújar; Javier A. Díaz Castro; Arnold E. Benítez Rivera; Rafael Rodríguez Valentin; Ramón Benítez Falcón; Carlos M. Méndez Pérez; Juan Hernández Vega; Daviel Salinas Acevedo; Pedro Ayala Rivera; Yamil M. Navedo Ramírez; Ivan Santiago-Cruz; Daniel E. Ocasio Figueroa; Rafael Bautista Santiago; Isaías Reyes Arroyo; Sgt. Luis E. Pérez Ortiz; Hector Hernández Aguilar; Karla M. Colón Bracero; Jim Santana Ramírez; Jayson Acevedo; José L. Salva Negrón; Milton L. Martínez Matos; Luis A. González Torres; Miguel Santiago Cordero; Alberto De La Rosa Reyes; José B. Vargas Torres; Hector López Terrón; Johanna Caraballo López; Silverio Vera Monroy; Juan Jusino Ramos; Raúl Vega Sosa; Jonathan Ortiz Muñiz; and Hector Olivero Alicea. Ricardo Vázquez (U.S. Army Recruiter); Rafael Ureña Rivera, aka "Indio (former PRPD);" and William Rivera García (former municipal officer).
The16 indicted defendants who are municipal police officers are:Andy Alejandrino Sánchez; Arcadio Hernández-Soto; Raquel Delgado Marrero; Ángel L. Rivera Claudio; Joel Omar Aldarondo-Montalvo; Neftali Valentin-Fred; José O. Maldonado García; Luis Joel Avilés Rullan; Mark Anthony Ortiz; Luis Román Herrera; Gabriel Lozada Torres; Onel Saavedra González; Rose M. Serrano Vargas; Wilfredo González Lagares; Francisco J. Riesta Natal; and Jose Pérez Pérez.
The 12 indicted defendants who are officers in the Puerto Rico Corrections Department are:Christian Díaz Maldonado; Olvin García Huertas; José L. Román Méndez; Ruben Maldonado Torres; Radamés Cortez Ozoa; Carlos M. Rosado López; Omar Torres Ruperto; Carlos M. Linares Vega; Bernis González Miranda; José R. Bermúdez Quiñones; Joel Díaz Nieves; and Bernardo Cruz Trujillo.
The remaining 44defendants are: Carlos Figueroa Cruz; Anthony Cruz; Miguel Sánchez Román (U.S. Army, former San Juan Municipal); Rodolfo E. Torres Negrón; Melquiades Álvarez Mendoza; Juan Carlos González Ortiz; Nelmic De La Cruz Raposo; Jesús LNU; Axel González Terron; Juan Cruz Tapia (Social Security Office); Edgar Rafael Rivera De Jesús (retired PRPD); Idanis García Morales (child support examiner); Christian Sotomayor Filomeno; Omar Cajigas; Abimael Hernández Rivera; Pedro González-Cruz; Rubin A. Maisonet De Jesús;Wayne Cedeño Amador; Josué Ramírez González; Oscar E. Ramos Rodríguez; Antonio L. Román Reyes; Yancy Toro Espiet; Alex O. Cordero Cortez, aka "Omar De La Cruz;" Luis Vélez-Concepción; Billy Hernández; Edward Quiñones (former PRPD); Christian A. Núñez-Reverón, aka "Kelvin Nuñez," Roberto Molina (retired PRPD); Francisco Manzano López (former PRPD); Abraham Sánchez (National Guard); Hector Hernández-Aldarondo; Rafael E. Pérez Rivera; Sgt. Abraham González Sánchez (National Guard); Wendell Rivera Ruperto, aka "Arsenio Rivera," (former PR Department of Corrections); David Maldonado (National Guard); Juan C. Ramos-Vargas, aka "Joseph Avilés;" Frederick Santos Ortiz, aka "Roberto Ortega;" Yoana Sierra Padilla (former PRPD); Julio Gómez-Lloréns; Ricardo Amaro-Santiago; Eliezer Pagán Medina; and Sgt.
If convicted the defendants are facing sentences ranging from 10 years, up to life in prison.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney Coker and Jacqueline Novas. The case is being investigated by the FBI San Juan Field Office.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.
Atlanta Jury Convicts Two Members of Group of DVD and CD Counterfeiters and SuppliersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mamadou Sadio Barry and Moussa Baradji were convicted today for their involvement in a counterfeit DVD and CD ring, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates for the Northern District of Georgia.
After six days of trial and two hours of deliberation, a federal jury in the Northern District of Georgia found Sadio Barry and Baradji each guilty of two counts of criminal copyright infringement. On May 19, 2009, a federal grand jury indicted Sadio Barry, Baradji and 11 other defendants allegedly involved in the counterfeit ring, charging them with various copyright, trademark and counterfeit labels offenses.
The evidence at trial established that Baradji and Sadio Barry used space in warehouses located on Metropolitan Parkway in Atlanta to "burn" or copy DVDs and CDs. According to evidence at trial, Baradji and Sadio Barry produced and paid others to produce counterfeit labels and packaging and to assemble the final product, which Baradji and Sadio Barry sold through their retail stores. According to the evidence at trial, the defendants’ warehouse operation reproduced thousands of CDs and DVDs per week for distribution. The retail value of the corresponding authentic CDs and DVDs is at least $12 per CD and $19 per DVD.
The criminal copyright infringement charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison per count. In addition, the defendants could be fined up to $250,000 on each count. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled.
Six of the defendants charged in the May 2009 indictment have pleaded guilty and one defendant is scheduled to begin trial in 2011. Two defendants, Alphadio Bah and Mamadou Simakha, are fugitives. The charges against two defendants who were on trial with Barry and Baradji, Sulaiman Jalloh and Bademba Barry, were dismissed by the court during trial. The jury acquitted a fifth defendant, Oumar Diallo, who was charged with trafficking in counterfeit labels for copyrighted materials.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Pearce in the Northern District of Georgia and Senior Counsel John H. Zacharia of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The case was investigated by special agents of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, together with officers of the Atlanta Police Department Organized Crime Unit, College Park Police Department, and East Point Police Department. Assistance was provided by the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America.
Tuesday 5 October 2010
Federal Agencies Host National Forum on Youth Violence PreventionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – At the direction of President Obama, the Departments of Justice and Education officially launched the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention (the forum) along with participating localities and other federal agencies. The administration created the forum as a context for participating localities to share challenges and promising strategies with each other and to explore how federal agencies can better support local efforts.
At a working session on Monday and Tuesday, teams from the cities of Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., Salinas, Calif. and San Jose, Calif., met with federal agencies and each other to share information and experience about what works in preventing youth and gang violence. Participating cities have pledged to develop or enhance comprehensive plans to prevent youth and gang violence in their city, using multi-disciplinary partnerships, balanced approaches and data-driven strategies. The cities’ comprehensive plans will be presented at a Youth Violence Summit to be held in Washington, D.C., next spring. These plans will aim to reduce violence, improve opportunities for youth, and encourage innovation at the local and federal levels.
"Our effort to combat youth violence isn’t about federally-imposed fixes, it’s about changing the way we do business on this critical public safety issue," said Attorney General Eric Holder, who met with the forum today. "We must come together to share knowledge and experience about what works, creating networks of local law enforcement agencies, educators, public health providers, community and faith-based organizations, parents and kids to stand together in the fight against youth and gang violence. This administration will continue to do what it takes to reclaim our communities and our youth from crime and violence. The lives of our nation’s children are at stake."
"We know that if children aren’t safe, then they can’t learn," said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who met with the forum on Monday. "We all have a stake in public safety and a responsibility to keep our children out of harm’s way. This administration is committed to working with community and school leaders to identify core causes of crime and violence in and around our schools and to build the most effective solutions. This forum is an opportunity to better learn how we can provide the tools and resources that communities, administrators, teachers, parents and students need to keep our children safe."
"This forum provides not only an occasion for the federal government to assist cities, but also a platform for the cities to learn from one another," said White House Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes. "The agencies’ efforts here illustrate the administration’s commitment to address the complex and urgent problem of youth violence with innovation, coordination, and hands-on hard work."
Participating cities were selected on the basis of need, geographic diversity, and willingness and capacity to engage. Along with Justice and Education, participating federal agencies include the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Agencias federales organizan Foro Nacional sobre Prevención de Violencia JuvenilRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Por pedido del Presidente Obama, los Departamentos de Justicia y Educación lanzaron oficialmente el Foro Nacional sobre Prevención de Violencia Juvenil (el foro) junto con localidades participantes y otras agencias federales. El gobierno creó el foro como un contexto en el cual las localidades participantes puedan compartir desafíos y estrategias prometedoras entre sí y explorar cómo pueden hacer las agencias federales para apoyar iniciativas locales.
En una sesión de trabajo el lunes y martes, equipos de las ciudades de Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., Salinas, Calif. y San José, Calif., se reunieron con agencias federales y entre sí para compartir información y experiencias sobre medidas efectivas en la prevención de la violencia juvenil y de pandillas. Las ciudades participantes han prometido desarrollar o mejorar planes integrales para prevenir violencia juvenil y de pandillas usando asociaciones multidisciplinarias, enfoques equilibrados y estrategias basadas en los datos. Los planes integrales de las ciudades serán presentados en la Cumbre de Violencia Juvenil que se realizará la próxima primavera en Washington, D.C. Estos planes se dedicarán a reducir la violencia, mejorar las oportunidades para los jóvenes y fomentar la innovación a nivel local y federal.
"Nuestra labor de lucha contra la violencia juvenil no se trata de soluciones impuestas a nivel federal, sino de cambiar la manera en que hacemos las cosas en este tema crucial de seguridad pública", dijo el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Eric Holder, que se reunió hoy con el foro. "Debemos reunirnos para compartir conocimientos y experiencias sobre lo que funciona, crear redes de agencias locales de las fuerzas del orden público, educadores, proveedores de salud pública, organizaciones comunitarias y religiosas, padres y niños para unirnos en la lucha contra la violencia juvenil y de pandillas. Este gobierno seguirá haciendo todo lo que sea necesario para recuperar a nuestras comunidades y nuestros jóvenes de las manos de la delincuencia y la violencia. Está en juego la vida de los menores de nuestro país".
"Sabemos que si los niños no están seguros, no pueden aprender", dijo el Secretario de Educación Arne Duncan, quien se reunió con el foro el lunes. "Todos contribuimos a la seguridad pública y tenemos la responsabilidad de mantener fuera de peligro a nuestros niños. Este gobierno está comprometido a trabajar con líderes comunitarios y escolares para identificar las principales causas del delito y la violencia dentro de nuestras escuelas y en sus alrededores e idear las soluciones más eficaces. Este foro es una oportunidad de aprender mejores maneras de brindar las herramientas y recursos que las comunidades, los administradores, los maestros, los padres y los estudiantes necesitan para mantener seguros a los niños".
"Este foro no solo le da la oportunidad al gobierno federal de ayudar a las ciudades, sino que también les da a las ciudades una plataforma para aprender las unas de las otras", dijo la Asesora de Política Interna de la Casa Blanca Melody Barnes. "La labor de las agencias aquí demuestra el compromiso del gobierno de tratar el problema complejo y urgente de la violencia juvenil con innovación, coordinación y trabajo duro en el campo".
Las ciudades participantes fueron seleccionadas con base en la necesidad, diversidad geográfica y voluntad y capacidad de participar. Junto con los Departamentos de Justicia y Educación, las agencias federales participantes incluyen los Departamentos de Salud y Servicios Humanos, Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano, y Trabajo, y la Oficina de Política Nacional de Control de Drogas.
Monday 4 October 2010
New Orleans Doctor and Owner of Medical Equipment Company Each Plead Guilty for Their Roles in Baton Rouge-area Health Care Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A New Orleans-area medical doctor and the owner and operator of a medical equipment company each pleaded guilty today for their roles in a Baton Rouge-area durable medical equipment (DME) health care fraud scheme, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced
Medical doctor Dahlia V. Kirkpatrick and Emmanuel M. Komandu each pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson in the Middle District of Louisiana to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. At sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 6, 2011, Kirkpatrick and Emmanuel each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine equal to the greater of $250,000, or twice the pecuniary loss to the United States resulting from the offense.
According to plea documents, Kirkpatrick began working with Komandu in or around January 2005. Komandu was the owner and operator of Alpha Medical Solutions Inc., a purported DME supplier based in Baker, La. Alpha purportedly specialized in the provision of power wheelchairs, wheelchair accessories and feeding nutrients to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries.
According to court documents, from approximately January 2005 through February 2010, Komandu and Kirkpatrick submitted and caused the submission, on behalf of Alpha, of approximately $775,019 in fraudulent claims to the Medicare program. The majority of Alpha' s fraudulent claims were based on prescriptions for medically unnecessary DME that were written and provided by Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick wrote prescriptions for medically unnecessary DME, such as power wheelchairs, wheelchair accessories and feeding nutrients. Medicare paid $302,811 to Alpha based on these fraudulent claims.
This case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys O. Benton Curtis III and Sarah M. Hall of the Criminal Division' s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG and the Louisiana Attorney General' s Office. The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division' s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney' s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Since their inception in March 2007, Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 810 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $1.85 billion. In addition, HHS' s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to:www.stopmedicarefraud.gov
Los Angeles Medical Equipment Supplier Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison for Role in Power Wheelchair Scheme to Defraud MedicareRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The owner and operator of a Los Angeles durable medical equipment (DME) company was sentenced to 46 months in prison today in connection with a power wheelchair scheme to defraud Medicare, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.
Sylvester Ijewere, 49, was also ordered to pay $211,755 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer of the Central District of California. In addition, Ijewere was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Ijewere pleaded guilty on April 12, 2010, to health care fraud. Ijewere, the owner of Maydads Medical Supply, admitted that between June 2007 and October 2009, he conspired with others to purchase fraudulent prescriptions and medical documents which he used to submit false claims to Medicare for expensive, high-end power wheelchairs, and other DME. Ijewere received approximately $4,000 in reimbursement payments for each power wheelchair claim he submitted to Medicare. Approximately 50 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries to whom Ijewere claimed Maydads had supplied power wheelchairs and other equipment lived more than 100 miles from Maydads’ Los Angeles-area offices in Central and Northern California.
As a result of this scheme, Ijewere admitted that he submitted or caused the submission of approximately $471,345 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare through Maydads.
Ijewere’s co-conspirator, Donna Wells, a patient recruiter, was charged for her role in the scheme in October 2009, and is scheduled to begin trial on Nov. 9, 2010.
Today’s sentencing was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. for the Central District of California; Tony Sidley, Assistant Chief of the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (CAL-DOJ); Glenn R. Ferry, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Los Angeles Region of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for HHS (HHS-OIG); and Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jonathan T. Baum of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry C. O’Neill of the Central District of California. The case is being investigated by CAL-DOJ . The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Since their inception in March 2007, Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 810 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $1.85 billion. In addition, HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) , go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov
Justice Department Sues American Express, Mastercard and Visa to Eliminate Rules Restricting Price Competition;Reaches Settlement with Visa and MastercardRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice announced today that it filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York challenging rules that American Express, MasterCard and Visa have in place that prevent merchants from offering consumers discounts, rewards and information about card costs, ultimately resulting in consumers paying more for their purchases. The department also said that the rules increase merchants’ costs of doing business. Joining the department in its lawsuit are the states of Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Texas.
At the same time, the department announced that it has reached a proposed settlement with Visa and MasterCard, that, if approved by the court, would require the two companies to allow merchants to offer discounts, incentives, and information to consumers to encourage the use of payment methods that are less costly.
According to the complaint, American Express, MasterCard and Visa maintain rules that prohibit merchants from encouraging consumers to use lower-cost payment methods when making purchases. For example, the rules prohibit merchants from offering discounts or other incentives to consumers in order to encourage them to pay with credit cards that cost the merchant less to accept.
“With today’s lawsuit we are sending a clear message: We will not tolerate anticompetitive practices,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “We want to put more money in consumers’ pockets, and by eliminating credit card companies’ anticompetitive rules, we will accomplish that.”
“These restrictive rules restrain competition among credit card networks for merchant acceptance and distort the competitive process,” said Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “The proposed settlement with MasterCard and Visa is an important step in bringing more credit card competition to the point of sale. The department’s lawsuit against American Express will continue that effort and, if successful, allow merchants more freedom to benefit their customers.”
Credit card acceptance costs U.S. merchants approximately $35 billion each year. Those costs are collected from merchants in the form of a “swipe fee” they pay every time a credit card is used. American Express has the highest merchant fees of any credit card network. Merchants pass on these billions of dollars in fees to all their consumers in the form of higher retail prices. By preventing merchants from rewarding consumers when they use less expensive credit cards to make a purchase, American Express, MasterCard and Visa have inhibited merchants’ ability to reduce card acceptance costs, and therefore their retail prices to consumers.
The proposed settlement requires MasterCard and Visa to allow their merchants to:
- Offer consumers an immediate discount or rebate or a free or discounted product or service for using a particular credit card network, low-cost card within that network or other form of payment;
- Express a preference for the use of a particular credit card network, low-cost card within that network or other form of payment;
- Promote a particular credit card network, low-cost card within that network or other form of payment through posted information or other communications to consumers; and
- Communicate to consumers the cost incurred by the merchant when a consumer uses a particular credit card network, type of card within that network, or other form of payment.
The proposed settlement allows any merchant that only accepts Visa and MasterCard to take advantage of the relief immediately.
The ongoing litigation against American Express seeks to allow merchants that accept American Express to engage in the same kind of discounting and encouragement that the proposed settlement with MasterCard and Visa allows. Until American Express’s restraints on merchants are lifted, the many merchants that accept American Express, as well as Visa and MasterCard, will not be able to take full advantage of their new options under the proposed settlement, the department said.
American Express Company, the parent of American Express Travel Related Services Company Inc., is a New York corporation, with its principal place of business in New York City. Cardholders used American Express credit and charge cards for $419.8 billion in purchases in 2009. MasterCard is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Purchase, New York. Cardholders used MasterCard credit and charge cards for $476.9 billion in purchases in 2009. Visa is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in San Francisco. Cardholders used Visa credit and charge cards for $764.2 billion in purchases in 2009.
The proposed settlement, along with the department’s competitive impact statement, will be published in The Federal Register, as required by the Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act. Any person may submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days of its publication to John R. Read, Chief, Litigation III Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street N.W., Suite 4000, Washington D.C. 20530. At the conclusion of the 60-day comment period, the court may enter the final judgment as to MasterCard and Visa only upon a finding that it serves the public interest.
The court will determine a pretrial schedule for the case against American Express once American Express files its response to the government’s lawsuit.
El Departamento de Justicia demanda a American Express, MasterCard y Visa para eliminar normas que restringen la competencia de precios; llega a acuerdo conciliatorio con Visa y MasterCardRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy que presentó una demanda civil antimonopolio en el Tribunal Federal de Distrito para el Distrito Este de Nueva York contra normas que implementan American Express, MasterCard y Visa que evitan que los vendedores les ofrezcan descuentos, recompensas e información sobre costos de las tarjetas a los consumidores, lo que genera que los consumidores paguen más por sus compras. El departamento también dijo que las normas incrementan los costos comerciales de los vendedores. Los estados de Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio y Texas se unen a la demanda del departamento.
Al mismo tiempo, el Departamento anunció que ha llegado a una propuesta de acuerdo conciliatorio con Visa y MasterCard que, de ser aprobada por el tribunal, exigirá que las dos empresas permitan a los vendedores ofrecer descuentos, incentivos e información a los consumidores para fomentar el uso de métodos de pago que resultan menos costosos.
Según la demanda, American Express, MasterCard y Visa mantienen normas que prohíben a los vendedores alentar a los consumidores a usar métodos de pago de menor costo al hacer compras. Por ejemplo, las normas prohíben a los vendedores ofrecer descuentos u otros incentivos a los consumidores para alentarlos a pagar con tarjetas de crédito que le cuestan menos al vendedor.
“Con la demanda de hoy enviamos un mensaje muy claro: no toleraremos prácticas anticompetitivas”, dijo el Secretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Eric Holder. “Queremos que los consumidores tengan más dinero en los bolsillos y, al eliminar las normas anticompetitivas de las tarjetas de crédito, lo lograremos”.
“Estas normas restrictivas restringen la competencia entre redes de tarjetas de crédito por la aceptación de los vendedores y distorsionan el proceso competitivo”, dijo Christine Varney, Secretaria de Justicia Auxiliar a cargo de la División Antimonopolios del Departamento de Justicia. “El acuerdo conciliatorio propuesto con MasterCard y Visa es un paso importante para lograr más competencia entre tarjetas de crédito en el punto de venta. La demanda del Departamento contra American Express continuará con esa labor y, si es exitosa, les dará más libertad a los vendedores de beneficiar a sus clientes”.
Los gastos de aceptación de tarjetas de crédito les cuestan a los vendedores estadounidenses alrededor de $35,000 millones de dólares al año. Esos costos son cobrados a los vendedores mediante una “tarifa por pasada” que pagan cada vez que se usa una tarjeta de crédito. American Express tiene las tarifas más altas para vendedores de cualquier red de tarjetas de crédito. Los vendedores trasladan estos miles de millones de dólares en tarifas a todos sus consumidores a través de precios minoristas más altos. Al evitar que los vendedores recompensen a los clientes cuando usan tarjetas de crédito menos costosas para realizar compras, American Express, MasterCard y Visa han coartado la capacidad de los vendedores de reducir los costos de aceptación de tarjetas y, por consiguiente, sus precios minoristas para los consumidores.
El acuerdo conciliatorio propuesto exige que MasterCard y Visa permitan que sus vendedores:
California Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Child Pornography OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Elden Ray Cibart, 61, of Redding, Calif., was sentenced today to 60 months in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release for possession and receipt of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner of the Eastern District of California.
Cibart was convicted on Jan. 29, 2010, of one count of possession of child pornography and three counts of receipt of child pornography, after an eight-day bench trial presided by U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb in the Eastern District of California. The evidence introduced at trial showed that, beginning before 2001, Cibart downloaded and saved to his computers images and videos of child pornography from Internet news groups. On Jan. 18, 2006, after receiving information about Cibart’s activity, Redding police officers went to Cibart’s home to investigate. Police searched one of Cibart’s computers and found child pornography.
At sentencing, two witnesses testified that Cibart had previously molested them when they were young boys.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Mi Yung Park of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laurel White of the Eastern District of California. The case was investigated by the Redding Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations, and CEOS’s High Technology Investigative Unit.
Bank to Pay $2.2 Million to Settle Allegations <br /> of False Claims to Small Business AdministrationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Saehan Bank has agreed to pay the United States $2.2 million to settle allegations arising under the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act with respect to a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, the Justice Department announced today. The settlement resolves allegations that the California-headquartered bank misrepresented or withheld information to induce the SBA to fund a loan under the SBA’s 504 loan program, which offers small businesses long-term, fixed-rate financing to acquire major fixed assets for expansion or modernization.
Before finalizing a 504 loan, the SBA requires certain certifications regarding the borrower’s financial condition and ability to repay the loan. The government alleges that Saehan Bank falsely certified that the borrowers had experienced no adverse change in their financial circumstances since their initial loan application, even though the bank knew that the borrowers were facing serious financial difficulties. Relying on these alleged misrepresentations, the SBA approved the borrowers’ 504 loan. In addition to resolving its counterclaims against Saehan Bank, the United States obtained a default judgment on its cross claims against the borrowers, who never made any payments on the loan.
“The SBA offers valuable assistance to small businesses and contributes to our nation’s economic development, and we must protect the integrity of its programs,” said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. “The Justice Department will hold accountable those who betray the SBA’s trust and waste taxpayer dollars.”
“This case represents the cooperative effort of SBA’s Office of General Counsel and the Department of Justice to uncover and remedy fraud in our lending programs,” said Sara D. Lipscomb, SBA General Counsel. “Uncovering and pursuing fraud cases is one of SBA’s highest priorities.”
“The size of this settlement should send a clear message to lenders and other participants in SBA lending programs that fraud and misleading statements will not be tolerated,” said Peggy E. Gustafson, Inspector General for the SBA.
The settlement announced today resulted from a collaborative effort by several federal agencies, including the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and the SBA.
Alabama Legislators, Staff Member, Lobbyists and Businessmen Charged in 39-count Indictment <br /> for Roles in Wide-ranging Conspiracy to Influence and Corrupt Votes Related to Electronic Bingo LegislationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eleven individuals, including four current Alabama state legislators, three lobbyists, two business owners and one of their employees, and an employee of the Alabama legislature have been charged for their roles in a conspiracy to offer to and to bribe legislators for their votes and influence on proposed legislation, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and Assistant Director Kevin Perkins of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
The defendants are charged in an indictment returned by a grand jury on Oct. 1, 2010, in Montgomery, Ala., which was unsealed today. Various defendants are charged with a variety of criminal offenses, including conspiracy, federal program bribery, extortion, money laundering, honest services mail and wire fraud, obstruction of justice and making a false statement. They will make initial appearances today in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama before U.S. Magistrate Judge Terry F. Moorer.
"Today, charges were unsealed against 11 legislators, businessmen, lobbyists and associates who, together, are alleged to have formed a corrupt network whose aim was to buy and sell votes in the Alabama legislature in order to directly benefit the business interests of two defendants, Milton McGregor and Ronald Gilley," said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. "The people of Alabama, like all our citizens, deserve to have representatives who act in the public’s interest, not for their own personal financial gain. Vote-buying, like the kind alleged in this indictment, corrodes the public’s faith in our democratic institutions and cannot go unpunished."
"The allegations in today’s indictment underscore the commitment of the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the Alabama Bureau of Investigation to continue to pursue those in public office who undermine the public’s trust and engage in unethical and corrupt practices," said Assistant Director Kevin Perkins of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division.
According to the indictment, Milton E. McGregor owned a controlling interest in Macon County Greyhound Park Inc., also known as Victoryland, in Macon County, Ala., and Jefferson Country Racing Association in Jefferson County, Ala., as well as ownership interest in other entertainment and gambling facilities in Alabama that offered or sought to offer electronic bingo gambling machines to the public. Ronald E. Gilley owned a controlling interest in the Country Crossing real estate, entertainment and gambling development in Houston County, Ala., which also sought to offer electronic bingo gambling machines to the public.
During the 2009 and 2010 Alabama state legislative sessions, McGregor and Gilley, along with others, allegedly promoted the passage of pro-gambling legislation that would have been favorable to the business interest of individuals operating electronic bingo facilities, including themselves. From February 2009 through August 2010, McGregor, Gilley and their co-defendants allegedly conspired to commit federal program bribery by corruptly giving, offering and agreeing to give money and other things of value to Alabama state legislators and staff with the intent to influence and reward them in connection with pro-gambling legislation. The indictment alleges that Alabama state legislators, including co-defendants State Senator Larry P. Means, State Senator James E. Preuitt, State Senator Quinton T. Ross Jr., and Senator Harri Anne H. Smith corruptly solicited, demanded, accepted and agreed to accept money and things of value from their co-conspirators and others, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with pro-gambling legislation.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that Gilley, his primary lobbyist, Jarrod D. Massey, and State Senator Smith, sought to bribe a member of the Alabama House of Representatives during the 2009 legislative session, promising hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign support in exchange for the legislator’s favorable vote on pro-gambling legislation. Similarly, in 2010, McGregor, Gilley and Massey allegedly sought to bribe a member of the Alabama Senate, offering the legislator $1 million, to use at the legislator’s discretion, funneled through a public relations job. According to the indictment, McGregor, along with lobbyist Robert B. Geddie Jr., also provided a $5,000 campaign contribution to a member of the Alabama House of Representatives in exchange for his vote on pro-gambling legislation during the 2010 legislative session.
The indictment also alleges that State Senator Means, who had abstained from an earlier vote on the pro-gambling legislation in 2010, solicited bribes from McGregor, Gilley, Massey and others, and, in one specific instance, sought $100,000 in return for voting in favor of the legislation. According to the indictment, McGregor, his lobbyist Thomas E. Coker, Gilley, Massey, Gilley’s employee Jarrell W. Walker Jr., and others allegedly bribed State Senator Preuitt, who had voted no in the earlier vote on the legislation, promising $2 million in campaign contributions and the use of country music stars in Preuitt’s reelection campaign, among other things of value in exchange for his vote in favor of the pro-gambling legislation. Gilley, Massey, Walker and others also allegedly discussed purchasing a large number of vehicles from Preuitt’s auto dealership in exchange for Preuitt’s vote.
State Senator Ross also is alleged to have solicited significant campaign contributions from McGregor, Gilley, Massey and others. According to the indictment, Ross allegedly pressured McGregor for campaign contributions the day before and the day of the vote on the pro-gambling legislation. In addition, State Senator Smith, who previously introduced an anti-gambling bill during the 2008 legislative session, voted in favor of the pro-gambling legislation in 2010 and allegedly lobbied other legislators to support the legislation in exchange for promises and payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars from Gilley and others. The indictment also alleges that Joseph R. Crosby, an employee of the Alabama Legislative Reference Service who received $3,000 per month from McGregor, took official action on behalf of McGregor, including making changes to the pro-gambling legislation that would benefit McGregor.
In a related case, Jennifer D. Pouncy, 34, of Montgomery, Ala., pleaded guilty on Sept. 28, 2010, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles S. Coody to one count of conspiracy for her role in the scheme. According to information stated during her plea hearing, Pouncy admitted that she offered State Senator Preuitt $2 million for his vote on the pro-gambling legislation, based on orders from Massey. Pouncy also admitted that Massey and Gilley authorized her to offer $100,000 to State Senator Means in return for his support for the pro-gambling legislation. Pouncy’s guilty plea was unsealed this morning, and a sentencing date has not been set.
The defendants named in the indictment unsealed today were charged with the following crimes:
- Milton E. McGregor, 71, of Montgomery, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, six counts of federal program bribery, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud;
- Ronald E. Gilley, 45, of Enterprise, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, six counts of federal program bribery, 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and four counts of money laundering;
- Jarrod D. Massey, 39, of Montgomery, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, five counts of federal program bribery, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud;
- Thomas E. Coker, 70, of Lowndesboro, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of federal program bribery, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud;
- Robert B. Geddie Jr., 60, of Montgomery, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of federal program bribery, 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and one count of obstruction of justice;
- Jarrell W. Walker Jr., 36, of Lanett, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of federal program bribery, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud;
- Harri Anne H. Smith, 48, of Slocomb, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of federal program bribery, one count of extortion, 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and four counts of money laundering;
- Larry P. Means, 63, of Attalla, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of federal program bribery, two counts of attempted extortion, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud;
- James E. Preuitt, 75, of Talladega, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of federal program bribery, one count of attempted extortion, 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud, and one count of making a false statement;
- Quinton T. Ross Jr., 41, of Montgomery, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, two counts of federal program bribery, two counts of attempted extortion, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud; and
- Joseph R. Crosby, 61, of Montgomery, Ala., was charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of federal program bribery, and 11 counts of honest services mail and wire fraud.
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The federal program bribery charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of extortion, honest services mail and wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The false statement charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The indictment also contains a notice of forfeiture as to defendants Smith and Gilley.
An indictment is merely an allegation and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Chief Peter J. Ainsworth and Trial Attorneys Eric G. Olshan, Barak Cohen and E. Rae Woods of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section; Senior Litigation Counsel Brenda K. Morris of the Criminal Division; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis V. Franklin and Steve P. Feaga of the Middle District of Alabama. The case is being supervised by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and is being investigated by the FBI’s Montgomery Field Office.
The court document is available here.
Friday 1 October 2010
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Holder <br /> at a “Just the Beginning” Foundation EventRead the Press Release
Thank you, Judge [Ricky] Roberts. I appreciate your kind words, and – because we’ve been friends for so many years – I’m especially grateful for the stories you left out. As always, it is good to be with you and to be among so many leaders I have long admired and continue to rely on. Yes, Judge [Ann] Williams, I am talking to you, in particular.
Let me also thank Paula Lucas and her team – as well as Judge [Patricia Brown] Holmes and the other members of the Board, Associate Board, and Advisory Committee – for inviting and welcoming me here.
It is a privilege to be part of this year’s conference and to join you all in discussing the responsibilities that we share – responsibilities to ourselves and our society; to our profession and our predecessors; and, of course, to America’s next generation of law students, attorneys, and jurists.
For nearly two decades, many of you have been coming together – through the Just the Beginning Foundation – to focus on these responsibilities, to find new ways to give back, and, above all, to help our country move forward. The training and educational programs you’ve developed have improved the strength and integrity of our entire legal system. And your efforts to honor the service of African Americans in the federal judiciary have helped to ensure that this tradition lives on.
Tonight, together, we have the chance to consider how we can take this work to a new level; and how we will reach back, lift up, and – ultimately – make certain that the progress and achievements we now celebrate continue and grow.
In “reaching back” into our history, I am reminded of a fact that was perhaps best – if most bluntly – expressed by Justice Thurgood Marshall. “None of us,” he once said, “got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.”
That’s right. None of us.
In addition to our shared values and vision, we all have one important thing in common. Each of us has walked through a doorway of possibility that the leaders and lawyers who came before us pried open. Today, we continue to move forward, guided by the examples of William Henry Hastie and Benjamin Hooks; of Charles Hamilton Houston, Judge Higginbotham, and Judge Parsons; of the many illustrious African-American jurists, attorneys, and academics who have inspired our nation – as well as the less famous, but no less influential, role models and mentors who have touched our own lives.
Growing up, one of my great blessings was being raised by parents and grandparents who encouraged me to dream big. Despite the struggles I regularly saw, and the challenges that often surrounded me on the streets of Queens – my family assured me that I could be, and could achieve, anything I desired. And while I had a great deal of support from my family, I had few examples of professional success. In fact, as I child, I only knew one lawyer.
But that one lawyer looked like me. He lived in my neighborhood. He talked with me about what he did. And he helped me to believe in what I could become. His single example, and the time he spent with me, made all the difference. It broadened the possibilities, and expectations, I held for myself. And it continues to remind me of why we must reach out to students and aspiring attorneys; why we must create opportunities for those who easily could be left out and left behind to contribute to the cause of justice and the work of the judiciary; and why we must make time for the conversations and personal interactions that just may inspire and pave the way for those who will follow us.
Of course, my career path was the result of more than just one person’s influence. I was also inspired by what I saw as the power of the law to change lives. During law school, I spent a summer interning at the N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defense Fund, where I had the chance to learn about, and even work on, some of the most important discrimination suits of the day. I saw how the efforts of dedicated attorneys can help to restore hope and rebuild dreams.
I wanted to become one of those lawyers. I wanted to be part of a profession that, since our nation’s earliest days, has taken up the challenge of achieving and administering justice. During and after law school, I was supported by several Department of Justice attorneys who served as my mentors. And, throughout this time, I was encouraged by the stories and examples of our predecessors – leaders who believed so deeply in the values and promise of this nation that they chose to serve the cause of justice, even when they were excluded by our nation’s system of justice . Their commitment made it possible for all of us to follow our dreams into the law – and to use that opportunity to improve the lives of others.
Now, it may be tempting – when you look at the many accomplished students, attorneys, and judges in this room, or at the diversity of people walking the halls of Congress, or at the man sitting in the Oval Office – to think that “just the beginning” now has become “the middle” or even “the end.” But it will take more than the election of the first African-American President – and certainly more than the appointment of the first African-American Attorney General – for our nation to realize its founding promise of equal justice and equal opportunity.
Today, our nation’s struggle for racial and social equality continues. And the goals that inspired the creation of this foundation are yet to be realized.
Although nearly half a century has passed since Judge Parsons integrated the federal judiciary, less than 9 percent of federal judges are African American. Although minorities account for more than 30 percent of our population, just over 10 percent of America’s lawyers are minorities. That doesn’t mean there aren’t thousands of future minority lawyers out there. It only means that their talents have not yet been shared; their potential has not yet been unleashed.
But this foundation is paving the way forward. From your Middle School Law Camp and High School Extern Program to that final push you give to so many law school graduates, your programming is helping to ensure that today’s students can become tomorrow’s attorneys, judges, professors, and leaders.
As the words, and the dream, of one of Atlanta’s great leaders still remind us, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” To me, Dr. King could have been referring to the light of youth. And, for me, it’s clear that if we help our young people understand the strength of our justice system to right wrong – and assure them that their own skills and talents can shape and improve the course of our entire country – then the darkness that still lingers will soon, and finally, be gone.
On behalf of the entire Department of Justice, I want you all to know how much your efforts to strengthen our nation’s legal community – and continue our nation’s hard-won progress – are appreciated. This evening, I also want to tell you about some of the work we’re doing – in our own house – to promote diversity among our ranks. Through the Diversity Management Initiative that I launched earlier this year, we are actively recruiting the best-qualified employees of all backgrounds. We have assembled a Diversity Management Advisory Council, created a new position – Deputy Associate Attorney General for Diversity Management – and are taking meaningful steps to track and to encourage diversity in every area of our work. By creating a more inclusive Justice Department, I have every expectation that we’re also becoming a stronger Justice Department.
This year has also brought another Justice Department milestone – and a significant step forward in fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal access to our justice system. As all of you – especially the judges here – know, we aren’t where we need to be on this front. It’s no exaggeration to say that our indigent defense problem has reached crisis proportions. And it’s no secret that far too many public defender offices are underfunded and understaffed.
These are systemic problems. And they call for reinvention, not merely reform. That’s why the Department has made an historic and permanent commitment to expanding and ensuring access to legal services. This spring, we established a new Access to Justice Office, led by Harvard Law Professor Larry Tribe. Through this landmark initiative, we are working to ensure that quality legal representation is available and accessible. And I have no doubt that this effort will enhance our entire justice system.
But if we are to succeed in meeting this goal, the Justice Department can’t move forward alone. We need your engagement. And I ask that each of you seek out and seize every opportunity to strengthen our justice system – in your courtrooms, your casework, or through your pro bono activities.
With your help, there’s no question that the Justice Department can advance the extraordinary progress that’s been made over the last 20 months – to keep our people safe from terrorism and violent crime; to fight fraud and promote fairness in our markets; to improve criminal discovery preparation and policy; to ensure that federal sentencing and corrections policies are fair; to combat hate crimes; and to protect civil rights in our board rooms, voting booths, border areas, and beyond.
I know that our renewed focus on civil rights has been of particular interest to many of you. I’m pleased to report that our Civil Rights Division has reaffirmed itself as the conscience of the Justice Department and as our nation’s finest civil rights enforcement agency. Of course, there is still work to be done. But our strong enforcement efforts are protecting the rights of disabled Americans, institutionalized persons, voters, veterans, workers, and students. And we’re ensuring that religious freedoms for all our citizens, Christians, Jews, Muslims, as well as education and job opportunities, are protected.
In this work, many of you – and other members of the judiciary – have stepped forward, providing critical guidance and expertise. I look forward to building on our conversations – this evening and in the days ahead – about how we can collaborate more effectively in achieving the goals we share.
By continuing to work together, I believe we can extend the traditions of service that first inspired the creation of this foundation and continue to define our country.
Once again, let me thank you for this opportunity to salute and support your work and to discuss the Justice Department’s activities, priorities, and most fundamental responsibilities: ensuring justice and opportunity for all. With your continued support, I’m certain that we can – and that we will – deliver on this promise.
I’m grateful for your partnership. And I look forward to the work we will continue, the future we will build, and the nation we will surely become.
Thank you.
Maryland Contractors and Their President to Pay Settlement for Falsely Obtaining Hubzone ContractsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – CSI Engineering and CSI Design Build, located in Beltsville, Md., and their president, Debdas Ghosal, have agreed to pay the United States $200,000 to settle claims that they used false statements to obtain contracts from several government agencies, the Justice Department announced today. The contracts had been set aside for companies that qualified for the Small Business Administration’s Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) program.
Under the HUBZone program, companies that maintain their principal office in a designated area and employ 35 percent of their workforce from that area, among other requirements, can apply to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for certification as a HUBZone small business company. HUBZone companies can then use this certification when bidding on government contracts. In certain cases, government agencies will restrict competition for a contract to HUBZone-certified companies.
The United States alleged that CSI Design Build falsely represented to the SBA and other government agencies that it maintained its principal office in a designated HUBZone location in Maryland. According to the government, CSI Design Build actually operated as part of CSI Engineering, which was not located in a HUBZone. Both companies are owned by Debdas Ghosal. Despite not qualifying for the HUBZone program, CSI Design Build was awarded contracts that had been set aside for qualified HUBZone companies based upon the false statements it made to the SBA and the contracting agencies. The company obtained HUBZone contracts from the Army, the Department of Labor, the Department of Homeland Security and the Smithsonian Institution.
" When there is fraud in government contracting programs, American taxpayers everywhere are the victims," said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. "We will take action against any contractor who seeks to gain anunfair advantage over qualified HUBZone small businesses."
"This case is one of a series that the government has pursued for false claims made to obtain HUBZone set-aside contracts. The SBA Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively pursue and seek criminal or civil fraud prosecution of false statements made to obtain preferential contracting and other government benefits," said SBA Inspector General Peggy E. Gustafson.
"This case represents the cooperative effort of SBA’s Offices of the General Counsel and the Inspector General and the Department of Justice to uncover and remedy fraud in our procurement programs," said SBA General Counsel Sara Lipscomb.
Assistant Attorney General West thanked the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the SBA Office of General Counsel, and the SBA Office of Inspector General for the collaboration that resulted in the settlement announced today.
Departments of Justice and Education Reach Settlement with Boston School Committee to Ensure Equal Opportunities for ELL StudentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, (DOJ) and the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, (OCR) reached a settlement agreement with the Boston School Committee, the governing body of the Boston Public Schools, and its superintendent. While conducting a joint investigation, DOJ and OCR determined that, since 2003, the Boston Public Schools had failed to properly identify and adequately serve thousands of English Language Learner (ELL) students as required by the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
With the cooperation of the Boston Public Schools, the departments conducted an extensive examination of Boston Public Schools’ policies and practices, including site visits to schools. The settlement agreement will ensure that the ELL students who attend Boston Public Schools will no longer be denied language support services based on a system that did not accurately assess or provide for their language needs.
The two serious issues of unidentified ELL students and misidentified "opt outs" date back to 2003. The current superintendent, who joined the district in August 2007, agreed to resolve these longstanding issues by signing the settlement agreement. As a result of the agreement, more than 4,000 students who were inappropriately characterized as having "opted out" of ELL services will now have ELL and compensatory services made available to them. In addition, approximately 4,300 students who were improperly identified as non-ELL students, will, for the first time, be offered ELL services.
In the settlement, the Boston Public Schools agreed to assess the English proficiency of an estimated 7,000 students who were not previously tested in all four language domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing, and to ensure that all potential ELL students are properly identified and accurately assessed in the 2010-11 school year. In order to serve its ELL population, the Boston Public Schools agreed to provide ELL students with Sheltered English Immersion in their core content classes, such as math, social studies and science; to deliver English as a Second Language instruction consistent with state guidance; and to train and hire a sufficient number of teachers to serve its ELL population. The Boston Public Schools also will ensure that special education ELL students are properly assessed and served to address their unique needs. In addition, the Boston Public Schools agreed to monitor the academic performance of current and former ELL students; to offer compensatory services to the ELL students who were recently identified and formerly misidentified as "opt outs;" and to give the parents of those students the information they need to make informed decisions regarding the ELL services their children receive.
"All students who are not proficient in English are entitled to language acquisition services to overcome language barriers that impede their equal and meaningful participation in educational programs," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "Success in this nation necessitates these services, and the Justice Department and Office for Civil Rights will continue to work cooperatively with the Boston Public Schools and its superintendent to ensure that all of its English Language Learner students are afforded the services to which they are entitled."
"All English Language Learner students deserve a quality education free from discrimination that will help them prepare for success in life," said Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for OCR. "Today, we applaud the decision of the Boston School Committee to enter into an agreement with OCR and DOJ that will have a direct and immediate impact on the meaningful participation in educational programs of thousands of ELL students in Boston’s public schools. OCR and the DOJ will continue to work together to ensure that all ELL students across this country receive the educational services to which they are entitled under our laws."
The enforcement of the Equal Educational Opportunities Act and Title VI are top priorities of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt. Enforcement of Title VI is also a top priority of Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Additional information about the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is available on its website at www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html.
Court Finds Shreveport, La., Landlord Denied Housing on the Basis of RaceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON– A federal district judge in Shreveport, La., has found that Reggie Collier, a Louisiana landowner, violated the Fair Housing Act by interfering with the sale of a home based on the perceived race of the buyer, the Justice Department announced today. The court ordered Collier to pay a $25,000 civil penalty to the United States, and to pay more than $25,000 to compensate the victims of the discrimination.
The lawsuit, which resulted from an investigation conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), alleged that Collier engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination by excluding African-Americans from the Camp Joy Marina, located outside Shreveport, and by interfering with the sale of a home based on the perceived race of the buyer.
"Our nation’s civil rights laws have long guaranteed that all individuals, regardless of race, can access housing free from discrimination," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. "The Justice Department will not tolerate housing discrimination in this country."
After a two day trial, the court found that Collier implemented "a scheme or device to exclude blacks" from Camp Joy Marina and engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination. The court credited the testimony of one government witness who operated the marina restaurant and bar, and who testified that Collier threatened to cancel his lease if he allowed African-Americans on the property. The court also found that when a couple living at the marina tried to sell their home, Collier caused the sale to fall apart and then repossessed the house because he was afraid they would sell it to an African-American.
"Everyone has the right to be treated fairly and equitably when purchasing a home. It is one of the most significant and largest purchases one makes," said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Stephanie A. Finley. "Racial discrimination is wrong, and it is illegal. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to vigorously address unlawful discrimination and violations of the Fair Housing Act."
"HUD and the Department of Justice work together to end housing discrimination in America," said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. "The court’s decision in this case demonstrates that illegal housing discrimination is not welcome in any neighborhood and that the Fair Housing Act will be enforced vigorously."
The compensatory damages are divided among the couple whose home Reggie Collier repossessed, and the two real-estate agents who lost commissions when the sale fell apart.
Fighting illegal discrimination in housing is a top priority of the Justice Department. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex familial status, national origin and disability. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at
www.usdoj.gov/crt . Individuals who believe that they have been victims of housing discrimination or have information related to this lawsuit can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected] or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.
Thursday 30 September 2010
United States Sues Marine Engine Manufacturer and Shipbuilder Under Clean Air ActRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States filed a civil complaint today against Coltec Industries Inc., a subsidiary of EnPro Industries Inc., and the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), a subsidiary of General Dynamics Corp. The complaint was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under the Clean Air Act and the marine diesel engine rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Justice Department and EPA announced.
The complaint, the first federal court action brought by the United States under the marine diesel engine rules, alleges that Coltec’s Fairbanks Morse Engine Division (FME) violated the Act by manufacturing and selling 32 marine engines that were not covered by an EPA-issued certificate of conformity and that NASSCO violated the Act by installing those engines in ships it built and sold in the United States. The complaint further alleges that the 32 uncertified FME engines, plus eight more FME sold to NASSCO, had missing or defective emissions-compliance labels required by EPA’s rules.
The complaint further alleges that NASSCO also violated the Act by manufacturing and selling ships containing several additional engines lacking EPA-issued certificates of conformity, including four propulsion engines manufactured by MAN B&W Diesel A.G., a German company, and installed in an oil tanker, the BP Alaskan Adventurer, and two emergency generator engines installed in other ships that NASSCO sold in the United States.
The Clean Air Act prohibits marine diesel engines (also called compression-ignition engines) from being manufactured or sold in the U.S. unless covered by a "certificate of conformity" indicating that the engine meets applicable emission standards.
The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that marine compression-ignition engines comply with the Clean Air Act’s emissions standards and certification requirements.
The complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of EPA, seeks civil penalties, as well as actions by the companies to remedy the violations and to mitigate any excess pollutant emissions caused by the violations.
Non-road engines, including marine compression-ignition engines, emit carbon monoxide, as well as volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, or smog. Exposure to even low levels of ozone can cause respiratory problems, and repeated exposure can aggravate pre-existing respiratory diseases.
Two New Orleans Police Officers Charged with Perjury and Obstruction of JusticeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Two officers with the New Orleans Police Department have been charged with committing perjury and obstructing justice during the course of a federal civil suit related to the shooting death of civilian Danny Brumfield in September 2005, announced Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Jim Letten, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana; and David Welker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office.
The six-count indictment alleges that Officers Ronald Mitchell and Ray Jones gave false deposition testimony during the course of a federal civil lawsuit filed by Danny Brumfield’s wife against the city of New Orleans. The indictment alleges that the officers intentionally provided false and misleading information regarding the events that took place immediately prior to, during and after the fatal shooting.
According to the indictment, Mitchell shot and killed Danny Brumfield on Sept. 3, 2005, on Convention Center Boulevard in New Orleans. During a deposition in November 2007, Mitchell gave sworn testimony alleging that Brumfield lunged at him with a shiny object and that he fired his shotgun in an effort to protect himself. Mitchell also testified that immediately after the shooting, he exited the patrol car and checked Brumfield’s vital signs. In June 2007, Jones gave sworn deposition testimony stating that he stopped the patrol car immediately after the shooting and covered the crowd while Mitchell checked on Brumfield.
The indictment alleges that Mitchell and Jones’ deposition testimony was false and that they attempted to influence the outcome of the civil suit by misleading the plaintiff’s attorneys. According to the indictment, Mitchell knew that Brumfield did not lunge at him with a shiny object and that he did not exit the car to check Brumfield’s vital signs. Additionally, the indictment alleges that Jones did not stop the car, get out and cover the crowd.
Mitchell faces four felony counts, two for committing perjury and two for obstructing justice. Jones faces one perjury count and one obstruction of justice count.
Mitchell and Jones face a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the New Orleans Field Office of the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Magner for the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Christopher Lomax of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Two Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tax Preparers Plead Guilty to Aiding in Preparation of False Tax ReturnsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cynthia Peters and Melissa Edwards pleaded guilty to one count each of aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge, La., the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. The court has not yet set a sentencing date.
According to court documents, Peters, who worked at Jasmine and Melissa’s Tax Service in Baton Rouge, prepared fraudulent tax returns for 23 clients that reported falsely inflated telephone excise tax refund (TETR) credits in the total amount of $92,932. The TETR credit was a one-time credit available to taxpayers for the 2006 year. Peters also agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $76,908.
According to court documents, Edwards, who also worked at Jasmine and Melissa’s Tax Service in Baton Rouge, prepared fraudulent tax returns for 20 clients that reported falsely inflated TETR credits in the total amount of $126,856. Edwards also agreed to pay restitution to the IRS in the amount of $56,040.
John A. DiCicco, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice, Tax Division, commended the IRS Special Agents who investigated this case and Tax Division Trial Attorneys Kevin C. Lombardi and Matthew J. Mueller and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rene Salomon of the Middle District of Louisiana, who prosecuted the case.
Six International Freight Forwarding Companies Agree to Plead Guilty to Criminal Price-fixing ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Six international freight forwarders have agreed to plead guilty and to pay criminal fines totaling $50.27 million for their roles in several conspiracies to fix a variety of fees and charges in connection with the provision of freight forwarding services for international air cargo shipments, the Department of Justice announced today.These are the first charges filed as a result of the department’s antitrust investigation of the freight forwarding industry.
According to charges filed separately today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, six companies–EGL Inc., a Houston-based company; Kühne + Nagel International AG, based in Schindellegi, Switzerland (K+N); Geologistics International Management (Bermuda) Limited, based in Hamilton, Bermuda; Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd., based in Basel, Switzerland; Schenker AG, based in Essen, Germany; and BAX Global Inc., a Toledo, Ohio-based company–engaged in one or more separate conspiracies to impose certain charges or fees on customers purchasing international freight forwarding services for cargo freight destined for air shipment to the United States during various periods between 2002 and 2007.
Under the plea agreements, which are subject to court approval, the six companies have agreed to pay the following criminal fines: EGL, $4,486,120; K+N, $9,865,044; Geologistics, $687,960; Panalpina, $11,947,845; Schenker, $3,535,514; and BAX Global, $19,745,927. Each company has also agreed to cooperate with the department’s ongoing antitrust investigation.
Freight forwarders manage the domestic and international delivery of cargo for customers by receiving, packaging, preparing and warehousing cargo freight, arranging for cargo shipment through transportation providers such as air carriers and steamship lines, preparing shipment documentation, and providing related ancillary services.
“The department’s investigation uncovered six different conspiracies harming businesses and consumers in the United States and across the globe,” said Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “Our investigation continues in this important industry.”
According to the charges, the companies carried out the various conspiracies by, among other things, agreeing during meetings and discussions to coordinate various charges and fees on customers purchasing international freight forwarding services for cargo freight destined for air shipment to the United States. The six alleged conspiracies being charged today are:
- A global conspiracy that took place from March 2003 to October 2007, to impose an Air Automated Manifest System (AAMS) fee on international air shipments of cargo to the United States, in which EGL, Geologistics and Panalpina and others participated;
- A conspiracy that took place from July 2004 to October 2007, to impose an AAMS fee on shipments from Germany to the United States, in which K+N, Schenker and others participated;
- A conspiracy that took place from March 2004 to October 2007, to impose an AAMS fee on shipments from Switzerland to the United States, in which K+N and others participated;
- A conspiracy that took place from October 2002 to October 2007, to impose a New Export System (NES) fee on international air shipments from the United Kingdom to the United States, in which EGL, K+N, BAX and others participated;
- A conspiracy that took place from July 2005 to June 2006, to impose a Currency Adjustment Factor (CAF) on international air shipments from China to the United States, in which K+N, Panalpina, Schenker, BAX and others participated; and
- A conspiracy that took place from August 2005 to December 2007, to impose a Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) on shipments from Hong Kong to the United States, in which K+N, Panalpina, Schenker, BAX and others participated.
Each company is charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum fine of $100 million per offense for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
Today’s charges are the result of a joint investigation into the freight forwarding industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s National Criminal Enforcement Section, the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General. Anyone with information concerning price fixing or other anticompetitive conduct in the freight forwarding industry is urged to call the Antitrust Division’s National Criminal Enforcement Section at 202-307-6694 or visitwww.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm or call the FBI’s Washington Field Office, at 202-278-2000.
Panasonic Corp. and Whirlpool Corp. Subsidiary Agree to Plead Guilty for Role in Price-fixing Conspiracy Involving Refrigerant CompressorsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Panasonic Corporation and a Whirlpool Corporation subsidiary, Embraco North America Inc., have agreed to plead guilty and to pay a total of $140.9 million in criminal fines for their role in an international conspiracy to fix the prices of refrigerant compressors, which are used in refrigerators and freezers in homes and businesses, the Department of Justice announced today.
According to separate one-count felony charges filed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Panasonic, a Japanese corporation, and Embraco, a Delaware-based refrigerant compressor producer and seller, participated in a conspiracy to fix the prices of refrigerant compressors sold in the United States and elsewhere. The department said the conspiracy took place from at least as early as Oct. 14, 2004, until on or about Dec. 31, 2007. According to the plea agreements, which are subject to court approval, both companies have agreed to cooperate with the department’s ongoing refrigerant compressor investigation. Embraco has agreed to pay a $91.8 million criminal fine and Panasonic has agreed to pay a $49.1 million criminal fine.
Refrigerant compressors are placed into devices such as refrigerators and freezers and take in low-pressure refrigerant, compress it and then pump out a high-pressure vapor which condenses and subsequently cools the devices.
“These are the first charges as a result of the Antitrust Division’s ongoing investigation into the worldwide refrigerant compressors market,” said Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. “We are committed to investigating and bringing to justice those who engage in this kind of international price fixing.”
According to the charges, Panasonic, Embraco and co-conspirators carried out the conspiracy by agreeing during meetings and conversations to coordinate prices of refrigerant compressors. Panasonic, Embraco and co-conspirators coordinated prices on household compressors. Embraco and co-conspirators also coordinated prices on light commercial compressors. As part of the conspiracy, Panasonic, Embraco and co-conspirators exchanged information for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing adherence to the agreed-upon prices.
Both Panasonic and Embraco are charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum fine of $100 million for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
The department’s ongoing investigation into the worldwide refrigerant compressors market is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Cleveland Field Office and the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, Ann Arbor, Resident Agency.
Anyone with information concerning price fixing in the refrigerant compressor industry should call the Antitrust Division’s Cleveland Field Office at 216-687-8400 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm .
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. to Pay More Than $420 Million to Resolve Off-label Promotion and Kickback AllegationsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation has agreed to pay $422.5 million to resolve criminal and civil liability arising from the illegal marketing of certain pharmaceutical products, the Justice Department announced today.
According to the agreement reached with the government, the East Hanover, N.J.-based company will plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $185 million combined criminal fine and forfeiture for the off-label promotion of Trileptal in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Trileptal as an anti-epileptic drug, for the treatment of partial seizures, but not for any psychiatric, pain or other uses. Once a pharmaceutical is approved by the FDA, a manufacturer may not market or promote it for any use not specified in its new drug application. The unauthorized uses are also known as "unapproved" or "off-label" uses.
In addition to the criminal fine and forfeiture, Novartis has agreed to pay $237.5 million to resolve civil allegations under the False Claims Act that the company unlawfully marketed Trileptal and five other drugs, and thereby caused false claims to be submitted to government health care programs. Specifically, the civil settlement resolves allegations that Novartis illegally promoted Trileptal for a variety of uses, including psychiatric and pain uses, which were not medically accepted indications and therefore not covered by those programs. In addition, the agreement resolves allegations that the company paid kickbacks to health care professionals to induce them to prescribe Trileptal and five other drugs, Diovan, Zelnorm, Sandostatin, Exforge and Tekturna. The federal share of the civil settlement is $149,241,306, and the state Medicaid share of the civil settlement is $88,258,694.
"This resolution demonstrates the Department of Justice’s ongoing dedication to taking action against pharmaceutical fraud in all its forms," said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. "Unlawful off-label promotion and providing illegal inducements to health care professionals undermine the integrity of our health care system and we will continue to pursue these types of violations."
"Off-label marketing can undermine the doctor-patient relationship and adversely influence the clear judgment that a doctor’s patients have come to rely on and trust," said Zane D. Memeger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. "Pharmaceutical companies have a legal obligation to promote the drugs they manufacture only for uses that the Food and Drug Administration has deemed are safe and effective. That legal obligation takes priority over a company’s bottom line. This prosecution demonstrates our continuing commitment to ensure that pharmaceutical companies comply with the law."
The civil settlement resolves four lawsuits filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private citizens with knowledge of fraud to bring civil actions on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. The four cases are: U.S. ex rel. Austin v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; U.S. ex rel. McKee v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; U.S. ex rel. Copeland v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; and U.S. ex rel. Garrity v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblowers, all former employees of Novartis, will receive payments totaling more than $25 million from the federal share of the civil recovery.
"This settlement represents a landmark victory in our district’s continuing battle against health care fraud. We intend to bring to justice any pharmaceutical company that attempts to cloud physicians’ medical judgment through kickback practices and illegal promotional activities," said A. Brian Albritton, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
Novartis also signed a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The company is subject to exclusion from Federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, for a material breach of this CIA and subject to monetary penalties for less significant breaches. Among other things, the CIA requires the board of directors (or a committee of the board) to annually review the company’s compliance program with the help of an outside expert and certify its effectiveness; that certain senior executives annually certify that their departments or functional areas are compliant; that Novartis send doctors a letter notifying them about the settlement; and that the company posts on its website information about payments to doctors, such as honoraria, travel or lodging. The five-year agreement further requires the implementation of a compliance program addressing promotional activities.
"OIG will carefully monitor the Corporate Integrity Agreement to ensure that Novartis is more transparent in its business transactions, that its Board of Directors is held more accountable, and that the names of physicians receiving payments are publicly disclosed," said Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson. "The result will be stronger protections for patients and the nation's taxpayers."
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Justice Department’s Office of Consumer Litigation prosecuted the criminal case. The Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida handled the civil lawsuit, with assistance from the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units and the offices of various state attorneys general.
This settlement is part of the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and another step for the HEAT initiative, which was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in May 2009. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in that effort is the False Claims Act, which the Justice Department has used to recover approximately $3.445 billion since January 2009 in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs. The Justice Department’s total recoveries in False Claims Act cases since January 2009 have topped $4.595 billion.
Justice Department Signs Agreements with Fort Myers, Fla., and Newport, R.I.; Ensures Civic Access for Four Million People with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The Justice Department today announced agreements with the cities of Fort Myers, Fla., and Newport, R.I., to improve access to all aspects of civic life for individuals with disabilities. The agreements were reached under Project Civic Access (PCA), the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The department has now reached 185 agreements under the PCA initiative, improving access to civic life for more than four million individuals with disabilities nationwide.
"Access to local government facilities, programs, and services is an important part of everyday life in the United States, and the ADA ensures that individuals with disabilities have that access on an equal basis with their neighbors," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. "I commend city officials in Fort Myers and Newport for making a solid commitment to providing equal access for their residents and visitors with disabilities."
As part of the PCA initiative, department investigators, attorneys and architects survey state and local government facilities, services and programs in communities across the country to identify the modifications needed for compliance with ADA requirements. The agreements are tailored to address the steps each community must take to improve access.
Under the Fort Myers agreement, city officials will take several important steps to improve access for individuals with disabilities, such as:
- Making physical modifications to the following facilities surveyed by the department so that parking, routes into the buildings, entrances, service areas and counters, restrooms, public telephones and drinking fountains are accessible to: the convention center, city hall, Fort Myers Police Station, the Burroughs Home, Dr. Ella Piper Center, Shady Oaks Community Center, the Yacht Basin, the Imaginarium, Golfview Pool and Community Center, Fort Myers Country Club, Stars Sports Complex, Fort Myers Historical Museum and the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.
- Surveying other city facilities and programs and making modifications wherever necessary to achieve full compliance with ADA requirements.
- Implementing a comprehensive plan to improve the accessibility of the city’s sidewalks, transportation stops and pedestrian crossings by installing accessible curb ramps.
- Ensuring that buildings and outdoor facilities that will be built or altered by or on behalf of the city comply with the ADA’s architectural requirements.
- Posting, publishing and distributing a notice to inform members of the public of the provisions of the ADA and their applicability to the city’s programs, services and activities.
- Training city staff in using the Florida Relay Service as a key means of communicating with individuals who are deaf, are hard-of-hearing or have speech impairments.
- Undertaking the required planning and modifications to ensure equal, integrated access to emergency management for individuals with disabilities, including emergency preparedness, notification, evacuation, sheltering, response, clean up and recovery.
- Ensuring that the city’s official website and other web-based services are accessible to people with disabilities.
- Ensuring that any city programs for victims of domestic violence and abuse are accessible to people with disabilities.
- Developing a method for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the city’s accessible services, activities and programs.
- Installing signs at any inaccessible entrance to a facility directing individuals with disabilities to an accessible entrance or to information about accessing programs and services at other accessible facilities.
Under the Newport agreement, city officials will:
- Make physical modifications to the following facilities surveyed by the department so that parking, routes into the buildings, entrances, service areas and counters, restrooms, public telephones and drinking fountains are accessible: City Hall, Louis Duke Abbruzzi Little League Complex, the Van Zandt, Elm Street and Ann Street piers, Newport Gateway Center, Easton’s Beach, King Park, Miantonomi Park and Stone Tower, Cardines Memorial Field, Vernon Park, Hunter Field, the Edwards Street Tot Lot, the Edward King House, Newport Harbor Center, Golden Hill Recreation Center, Eisenhower Park, Newport Police Department, Brick Market Place, Morton Park and the Maintenance Facility which houses the Clean City Program.
- Survey other facilities and programs and make modifications wherever necessary to achieve full compliance with ADA requirements.
- Ensure that buildings and outdoor facilities that will be built or altered by or on behalf of the city comply with the ADA’s architectural requirements.
- Post, publish and distribute a notice to inform members of the public of the provisions of the ADA and their applicability to the city’s programs, services and activities.
- Train city staff to use the telephone relay service as a key means of communicating with individuals who are deaf, are hard-of-hearing or have speech impairments.
- Undertake the required planning and modifications to ensure equal, integrated access to emergency management for individuals with disabilities, including emergency preparedness, notification, evacuation, sheltering, response, clean up and recovery.
- Develop a method for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the city’s accessible services, activities and programs.
- Install signs at any inaccessible entrance to a facility directing individuals with disabilities to an accessible entrance or to information about accessing programs and services at other accessible facilities.
- Continue the implementation of a comprehensive plan to improve the accessibility of sidewalks, transportation stops, and pedestrian crossings by installing accessible curb ramps throughout Newport.
According to U.S. Census data, more than 25 percent of Fort Myers residents and more than 17 percent of Newport residents have a disability and will benefit from these agreements. The department will actively monitor compliance with today’s agreements, which will remain in effect for a period of three years or until the department has confirmed that all required actions have been completed.
Today’s agreements were reached under Title II of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by state and local governments. People interested in finding out more about the ADA, today’s agreements, the Project Civic Access initiative, or the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments can access the ADA Web page at www.ada.gov or call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).
Justice Department Announces $298 Million in Law Enforcement GrantsRead the Press Release
HOUSTON – The Department of Justice announced today $298 million in grants to fund the hiring and retaining of 1,388 state, local and tribal law enforcement officers by 379 police and sheriffs departments in 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The funding will be administered by the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and is being awarded under the COPS Hiring Program.
The grants provide 100 percent of the approved salary and benefits for entry level officer positions over a three year period. Police departments receiving the grants will then be required to retain the grant-funded positions for a fourth year. The funding will provide much needed support to state and local government budgets, and will help the nation’s law enforcement agencies add and retain the manpower needed to fight crime more effectively through community policing.
"We know that the men and women who serve on our nation’s police forces not only respond to crime, but also are critical to reducing it and preventing it," said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli. "The department’s COPS program is based on a simple recognition – there is almost nothing more effective in keeping the public safe than cops on the beat who have the equipment and resources they need."
"American law enforcement is consistently seeking opportunities to better serve the public and fight crime, and today’s grants to hire community policing officers supports these efforts," said COPS Director Bernard K. Melekian.
For more information about the grants or to learn which law enforcement agencies received funding, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.
Honolulu Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison on Sex Trafficking ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rodney D. King, 44, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge David Alan Ezra to 300 months in prison followed by a life term of supervised release in federal court, the Justice Department announced. King pleaded guilty on May 25, 2010, to sex trafficking involving two adult women and two minor females, and attempted sex trafficking involving an adult woman. On Aug. 27, 2010, Judge Ezra sentenced King’s co-defendant, Sharon Mae Nishimura, 31, to 100 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Nishimura pleaded guilty on Aug. 29, 2009, to attempted sex trafficking involving an adult woman, and sex trafficking involving a minor female.
According to court documents, from April 2006 through June 2007, King used force, fraud and coercion to engage two adult females in commercial sex. Further, in October 2007, King attempted to engage a third adult woman in commercial sex by using force, fraud and coercion, with Nishimura aiding him in that attempt. According to other information before the court, King engaged one of the minor females in commercial sex acts from September 2007 through December 2007, and another minor female in December 2007, knowing both were minors.
"The defendant in this case preyed upon vulnerable women and girls for his own financial gain, robbing them of their freedom and their dignity," said Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Thomas E. Perez. "The Justice Department will aggressively prosecute individuals who engage in human trafficking."
"This sentence sends a strong message that this type of predatory crime that targets young and vulnerable victims is unacceptable, and we will continue to vigorously prosecute sex trafficking cases," said Florence T. Nakakuni, U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii.
The case culminated investigations by the FBI with the assistance of the Honolulu Police Department and the Sheriff’s Division of the State of Hawaii Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren W.K. Ching and Civil Rights Division trial attorneys Edward Casper and Kayla Bakshi prosecuted this case.
El Departamento de Justicia anuncia $298 millones de dólares en subsidios a las fuerzas del orden públicoRead the Press Release
HOUSTON - El Departamento de Justicia anunció hoy $298 millones de dólares en subsidios para financiar la contratación y retención de 1,388 agentes de las fuerzas del orden público estatales, locales y tribales por 379 departamentos de policía y alguaciles en 49 estados, el Distrito de Columbia y Puerto Rico. Los fondos serán administrados por la Oficina de Servicios Policiales con Orientación Comunitaria [Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)], y están siendo otorgados bajo el Programa de Contratación de COPS.
Los subsidios cubren el 100 por ciento de los salarios y beneficios aprobados para cargos iniciales de agentes a lo largo de un periodo de tres años. Los departamentos de policía que recibirán los subsidios deberán retener los cargos inicialmente financiados por el subsidio por un cuarto año. Los fondos brindarán el apoyo tan necesario a los presupuestos de gobiernos estatales y locales, y ayudarán a las dependencias de las fuerzas del orden público del país a agregar y retener la mano de obra necesaria para combatir la delincuencia más eficientemente a través de la acción policial comunitaria.
"Sabemos que los hombres y mujeres que sirven en las fuerzas policiales de nuestra nación no solo responden a la delincuencia, sino que también son críticas para reducir y prevenirla", dijo el Subsecretario de Justicia de los Estados Unidos Tom Perrelli. "El programa COPS del Departamento se basa en un simple reconocimiento de que no hay nada más eficaz para mantener seguro al público que policías en la calle con los equipos y recursos que necesitan".
"Las fuerzas del orden público estadounidenses buscan constantemente oportunidades para mejor atender al público y combatir la delincuencia, y los subsidios de hoy para la contratación de agentes de la policía apoyan esta labor", dijo el Director de COPS Bernard K. Melekian.
Para más información sobre los subsidios o para conocer qué dependencias de las fuerzas del orden público recibirán fondos, visite www.cops.usdoj.gov.
BP Products to Pay Largest Single-facility Clean Air Act Penalty for Releases of Hazardous Pollutants at Texas City RefineryRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to pay a $15 million penalty to resolve federal Clean Air Act violations at its Texas City, Texas, petroleum refinery. The penalty is both the largest ever assessed for civil violations of the Clean Air Act’s chemical accident prevention regulations, also known as the risk management program regulations, and the largest civil penalty recovered for Clean Air Act violations at an individual facility.
The settlement, which is subject to court approval, addresses violations stemming from two fires that occurred at the refinery in March 2004 and July 2005, and a leak that occurred in August 2005. During the three incidents, which each resulted in the surrounding Texas City community being ordered to shelter-in-place, thousands of pounds of flammable and toxic air pollutants were released. The settlement also resolves allegations that BP failed to identify all regulated hazardous air pollutants used at the refinery in plans submitted to EPA.
“The Clean Air Act is intended not only to prevent accidents like the fatal March 2005 accident, but also to penalize companies with poor practices that cause harmful air pollution,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This settlement reflects the serious nature of the fires and releases of hazardous air pollutants that occurred at BP’s Texas City Refinery and puts industry on notice that the Department of Justice and EPA will aggressively pursue those who fail to comply with the laws that protect human health and the environment.”
“BP’s actions at the Texas City refinery have had terrible consequences for the people who work there and for those in nearby communities,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today's settlement, in conjunction with other actions already taken by EPA and other federal agencies at Texas City, demonstrates the Agency's continuing commitment to actively and vigorously working to hold BP accountable and to make them comply with our nation’s environmental protection laws wherever the company operates.”
“EPA is committed to enforcing the laws to protect the environment and public health,” said Al Armendariz, Regional Administrator for EPA Region 6. “One of our top priorities is to bring this refinery into compliance and help the community to breathe a little easier knowing that fewer toxic pollutants will be in the air.”
EPA identified the Clean Air Act violations addressed in today’s settlement during a series of inspections of the Texas City refinery initiated after a catastrophic explosion and fire in March 2005 that killed 15 people and injured more than 170 others. In addition to the Clean Air Act General Duty Clause and risk management program violations resolved by today’s settlement, EPA also identified violations of other Clean Air Act requirements at the refinery relating to the control of benzene, ozone-depleting substances and asbestos. Exposure to benzene can significantly harm human health and exposure to asbestos, a known human carcinogen, can cause two types of cancer: lung cancer and mesothelioma. These other violations were resolved in a February 2009 settlement that required BP to spend more than $161 million on pollution controls, enhanced maintenance and monitoring, and improved internal management practices at the refinery, as well as pay a $12 million civil penalty and spend $6 million on a supplemental project to reduce air pollution in Texas City and the surrounding area.
With today’s settlement, the federal government will have recovered approximately $137 million in criminal, civil and administrative fines related to process safety violations at the Texas City refinery. In addition, BP Products has performed approximately $1.4 billion in corrective actions and the company will spend an estimated additional $500 million to improve safety at the refinery as required by settlements entered into with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the criminal Clean Air Act plea agreement following the fatal March 2005 explosion.
The events at BP’s Texas City refinery covered by today’s settlement include the following:
- In August 2005, a stream of highly pressurized liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons leaked from a corroded valve within the refinery’s Cat Feed Hydrotreater Unit. Since 1983, BP repeatedly increased the velocity of fluid flowing through the valve without adequately evaluating the effects of the increased flow on the unit’s maintenance needs.
- In July 2005, a carbon-steel piping elbow in the refinery’s Resid Hydrotreater Unit ruptured and caused a major fire. The carbon-steel piping elbow had been incorrectly installed by a maintenance contractor in a location that required a stronger metal in order to withstand the existing operating temperatures and pressures.
- In March 2004 a corroded 20-inch diameter pipe at the refinery’s Ultraformer No. 4 process unit ruptured and caused a major fire that burned for several hours. Corrosion, which had gone undetected, reduced the pipe-wall thickness to the point where it ruptured at normal operating temperatures and pressures.
The Clean Air Act General Duty Clause and risk management program regulations contain a comprehensive set of requirements to prevent accidental releases of hazardous air pollutants, an important objective of the Clean Air Act. These regulations require owners and operators of facilities, such as petroleum refineries, to, among other things, perform adequate and timely equipment inspections and repairs, train employees involved in the operation and maintenance of equipment, evaluate the consequences of changes to operating practices and equipment, and ensure that operating procedures contain clear and comprehensive instructions.
BP’s Texas City refinery is the third largest in the United States, with a production capacity of more than 460,000 barrels of oil per day.
The proposed settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.
More information on the settlement is available at the EPA Compliance and Enforcement website .
BP Products pagará la mayor multa impuesta a un único establecimiento por violar la Ley de Aire Limpio al liberar contaminantes peligrosos en una refinería en la Ciudad de TexasRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - El Departamento de Justicia y la Agencia de Protección Ambiental [Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] anunciaron hoy que BP Products North America Inc ha acordado pagar una multa de $15 millones de dólares en resolución de violaciones federales de la Ley de Aire Limpio en su refinería de petróleo en la Ciudad de Texas, Texas. La multa es la mayor ya impuesta por violaciones civiles de las normas de prevención de accidentes químicos de la Ley de Aire Limpio, también conocidas como normas del programa de administración de riesgos, y la mayor multa impuesta a un único establecimiento por violaciones de la Ley de Aire Limpio.
El acuerdo conciliatorio, el que está sujeto a aprobación judicial, se refiere a violaciones cometidas a partir de dos incendios que ocurrieron en la refinería en marzo de 2004 y julio de 2005, y una fuga que ocurrió en agosto de 2005. Durante los tres incidentes, los que resultaron en que se tuviera que ordenar a la comunidad cercana de la Ciudad de Texas a que se refugiara en su lugar, se liberaron miles de libras de contaminantes del aire tóxicos e inflamables. El acuerdo conciliatorio también resuelve alegatos de que BP dejó de identificar todos los contaminantes del aire peligrosos regulados utilizados en la refinería en planes presentados a la EPA.
"La Ley de Aire Limpio no tiene la finalidad única de prevenir accidentes como el accidente fatal de marzo de 2005, sino también penalizar a las compañías por prácticas indebidas que causan contaminación nociva del aire, dijo Ignacia S. Moreno, Secretaria de Justicia Auxiliar de la División de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales del Departamento de Justicia. "Este acuerdo conciliatorio refleja la naturaleza grave de los incendios y liberaciones de contaminantes del aire peligrosos que ocurrieron en la Refinería de la Ciudad de Texas de BP y avisa al ramo que el Departamento de Justicia y la EPA enjuiciarán enérgicamente a quienes dejen de cumplir con las leyes que protegen a la salud humana y el medio ambiente".
"Las acciones de BP en la refinería de la Ciudad de Texas han tenido consecuencias terribles para las personas que trabajan en el lugar y para aquellas en comunidades próximas", dijo Cynthia Giles, Administradora Auxiliar de la Oficina de Control y Garantía de Cumplimiento de la EPA. "El acuerdo conciliatorio de hoy, en conjunto con otras acciones ya tomadas por la EPA y otras agencias federales en la Ciudad de Texas, demuestra el compromiso continuo de la Agencia de trabajar activa y enérgicamente en responsabilizar a BP y hacerlos cumplir las leyes de protección ambiental de nuestro país donde sea que opere la empresa".
"La EPA se compromete a hacer valer las leyes para proteger al medio ambiente y la salud pública", dijo Al Armendàriz, Administrador Regional de la Región 6 de la EPA. "Una de nuestras principales prioridades es hacer que esta refinería cumpla con las normas vigentes y ayudar a la comunidad a respirar mejor sabiendo que habrá menos contaminantes tóxicos en el aire".
La EPA identificó las violaciones a la Ley de Aire Limpio de las que trató el acuerdo conciliatorio de hoy durante una serie de inspecciones realizadas en la refinería de la Ciudad de Texas después de una catastrófica explosión e incendio en marzo de 2005, donde 15 personas murieron y más de 170 personas sufrieron lesiones. Además de violaciones a la Cláusula de Obligaciones Generales de la Ley del Aire Limpio y al programa de administración de riesgos resueltas por el acuerdo conciliatorio de hoy, la EPA también identificó violaciones de otras exigencias de la Ley de Aire Limpio en la refinería asociadas al control del benceno, sustancias que agotan el ozono y asbestos. La exposición al benceno puede provocar daños significativos a la salud humana, y la exposición al asbestos, un conocido carcinógeno humano, puede causar dos tipos de cáncer: cáncer de pulmón y mesotelioma. Estas otras violaciones fueron resueltas en un acuerdo conciliatorio de febrero de 2009 que exigió que BP invirtiera más de $161 millones de dólares en controles de contaminación, mantenimiento y observación mejorada y mejores prácticas internas de administración en la refinería, así como que pagara una multa civil de $12 millones de dólares y gastara $6 millones de dólares en un proyecto complementario para reducir la contaminación del aire en la Ciudad de Texas y alrededores.
Con el acuerdo conciliatorio de hoy, el gobierno federal habrá recuperado aproximadamente $137 millones en multas criminales, civiles y administrativas asociadas a violaciones de seguridad de procesos en la refinería de la Ciudad de Texas. Además, BP Products ha realizado aproximadamente $1.4 billones de dólares en acciones correctivas y la empresa dedicará aproximadamente $500 millones de dólares adicionales a mejorar la seguridad en la refinería, como lo exigen los acuerdos conciliatorios realizados con la Administración de Seguridad y Salud Ocupacionales y el acuerdo de declaración de culpabilidad criminal asociado a la Ley del Aire Limpio realizado después de la explosión fatal de marzo de 2005.
Los hechos en la refinería de BP de la Ciudad de Texas cubiertos por el acuerdo conciliatorio de hoy incluyen lo siguiente:
- En agosto, una corriente de líquido de alta presurización e hidrocarburos gaseosos se escapó de una válvula con corrosión dentro de la Unidad de Hidrotratamiento de Alimentos para Gatos. Desde 1983, BP repetidamente aumentó la velocidad del líquido que fluía a través de la válvula sin evaluar adecuadamente los efectos del aumento del flujo en las necesidades de mantenimiento de la unidad.
- En julio de 2005, un codo de tubería de acero al carbón en la Unidad de Hidrotratamiento Resid de la refinería reventó causando un gran incendio. El codo de tubería de acero al carbón había sido instalado incorrectamente por un contratista de mantenimiento en una ubicación que requería un metal más fuerte para soportar las temperaturas y presiones de funcionamiento existentes.
- En marzo de 2004, un tubo corroído de 20 pulgadas de diámetro en la unidad de procesos No. 4 Ultraformer de la refinería reventó y causó un gran incendio que duró varias horas. La corrosión no detectada redujo el espesor de la pared del tubo a tal punto que reventó a temperaturas y presiones normales de funcionamiento.
Las normas de la Cláusula de Obligaciones Generales y el programa de administración de riesgos de la Ley de Aire Limpia contienen un conjunto exhaustivo de exigencias para prevenir liberaciones accidentales de contaminantes del aire peligrosos, un importante objetivo de la Ley de Aire Limpio. Estas normas exigen que los propietarios y operadores de instalaciones, tales como refinerías de petróleo, entre otras cosas, realicen inspecciones y reparaciones de equipos adecuados y oportunos, capaciten a empleados que se dediquen a tareas de operación y mantenimiento de equipos, evalúen las consecuencias de cambios en prácticas operativas y equipos, y aseguren que los procedimientos operativos contengan instrucciones claras y exhaustivas.
La refinería de la Ciudad de Texas de BP es la tercera en tamaño en los Estados Unidos, con una capacidad de producción de más de 460,000 barriles de petróleo por día.
El acuerdo conciliatorio propuesto fue presentado hoy al Tribunal Federal de Distrito para el Distrito Sur de Texas. El acuerdo conciliatorio está sujeto a un período de comentario público de 30 días y a la aprobación del tribunal.
Para obtener más información sobre el acuerdo conciliatorio, visite el portal de Cumplimiento y Aplicación Legal de la EPA.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Tres ciudadanos colombianos se declararon culpables de cargos de contrabando de extranjeros y fraude asociado a visasRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tres ciudadanos colombianos se declararon culpables hoy de conspiración para realizar contrabando de extranjeros por ganancias monetarias y conspiración para cometer fraude de visa en conexión con sus papeles en un ardid de fraude de visas amplio y sofisticado a través del cual obtuvieron visas fraudulentamente en la Embajada de EE.UU. en Bogotá, Colombia. Las declaraciones de culpabilidad fueron anunciadas hoy por el Fiscal Federal Auxiliar Lanny A. Breuer de la División Criminal; el Fiscal Federal Ronald C. Machen Jr. del Distrito de Colombia; el Director John Morton del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de EE.UU. [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)]; y Eric Boswell, Secretario Auxiliar de Seguridad Diplomática y Director de la Oficina de Misiones Extranjeras, Departamento de Estado de EE.UU.
Heliber Toro Mejía, 52; Humberto Toro Mejía, 60; y Luz Elena Acuna Ríos, 53; todos de Bogotá, se declararon culpables en Washington, D.C., ante la Juez Federal de Distrito Ellen S. Huvelle. En la emisión de la sentencia, programada para el 6 de diciembre de 2010, cada demandado enfrenta una sentencia máxima de 10 años en prisión por conspiración para cometer contrabando de extranjeros por ganancias monetarias y cinco años en prisión por conspiración para cometer fraude de visa. Cada demandado también es susceptible de una multa máxima de $250,000 dólares por cada cargo.
Los demandados fueron acusados en una acusación formal compuesta por tres cargos emitida por un gran jurado federal en el Distrito de Columbia el 4 de febrero de 2009. Los demandados fueron arrestados el 2 de junio de 2009 por autoridades colombianas en Bogotá a partir de órdenes provisionales de arresto en respuesta a una solicitud del gobierno de EE.UU. de su arresto, siendo luego extraditados a los Estados Unidos para su enjuiciamiento.
Heliber Toro Mejía, Humberto Toro Mejía y Ríos admitieron que operaban una red de fraude de visas amplia y sofisticada que lucraba ayudando a ciudadanos colombianos que no cumplían los requisitos para obtener una visa, a conseguir visas de EE.UU. fraudulentamente a través de la Embajada de EE.UU. en Bogotá. De acuerdo con el expediente de la declaración de culpabilidad, los demandados y otros conspiradores supuestamente crearon antecedentes ficticios para los extranjeros, así como documentación de respaldo fraudulenta, incluida documentación que parecía ser emitida por el gobierno colombiano, tales como declaraciones de impuestos y certificados de nacimiento y matrimonio. De acuerdo con el expediente de la declaración de culpabilidad, los conspiradores instruyeron a los extranjeros con respecto a cómo aprobar la entrevista de solicitud de visa en la Embajada de EE.UU. en Bogotá respondiendo a preguntas de manera engañosa, y también cómo mentir a las autoridades inmigratorias de EE.UU. sobre sus antecedentes al ingresar a los Estados Unidos. Los demandados admitieron que ayudaron a más de 100 extranjeros a obtener o intentar obtener una visa estadounidense fraudulentamente durante la conspiración. De acuerdo con el expediente de declaración de culpabilidad, muchos de esos extranjeros que lograron obtener una visa solicitada de manera fraudulenta utilizaron la visa para ingresar a los Estados Unidos.
Como parte de los acuerdos de declaración de culpabilidad, los demandados también acordaron entregar activos asociados al ardid de contrabando de extranjero y fraude de visas, incluida una oficina en Bogotá, y $234,533 dólares del producto del ardid. Los demandados aceptaron prestar plena asistencia a los gobiernos de los Estados Unidos y de la República de Colombia en la identificación y ubicación de toda propiedad directamente confiscable y activos sustitutos y transferir la titularidad de propiedad directamente confiscable y activos sustitutos a los Estados Unidos. Si lo solicita el gobierno de EE.UU., los demandados también entregarán voluntariamente al gobierno de Colombia todo y cualquier bien sujeto a confiscación como resultado de sus actividades criminales.
Las declaraciones de culpabilidad son el resultado de la "Operación País del Café", una investigación internacional coordinada por el Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática - Oficina de Seguridad Regional en Bogotá y la Agregaduría del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] en Bogotá. El Agente Especial a Cargo de ICE HSI en Washington, D.C. y el Servicio de Seguridad Diplomática, División de Investigaciones Criminales brindaron asistencia significativa.
El gobierno de Colombia, incluido el Departamento Colombiano de Seguridad Administrativa y fiscales colombianos, brindaron asistencia y apoyo significativos durante la investigación, el arresto y la extradición de los demandados. La Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales del Departamento de Justicia de EE.UU. y la Embajada de EE.UU. en Bogotá trabajaron con sus contrapartes en Colombia para efectuar la extradición.
Están a cargo de la acusación en el caso el Abogado Litigante Principal James S. Yoon de la Sección de Derechos Humanos y Enjuiciamientos Especiales de la División Criminal y el Fiscal Federal Auxiliar Frederick W. Yette de la Fiscalía Federal para el Distrito de Columbia. La Abogada Litigante de la Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales de la División Criminal Nicolette Romano brindó asistencia significativa. La Abogada Litigante Jean Weld de la Sección de Confiscación de Activos y Lavado de Dinero de la División Criminal también brindó asistencia.
Three Colombian Nationals Plead Guilty to Alien Smuggling and Visa Fraud ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Three Colombian nationals pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to smuggle aliens for profit and conspiracy to commit visa fraud in connection with their roles in an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud scheme through which they fraudulently procured visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. The guilty pleas were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. of the District of Columbia; Director John Morton of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and Eric J. Boswell, Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Office of Foreign Missions, U.S. State Department.
Heliber Toro Mejia, 52; Humberto Toro Mejia, 60; and Luz Elena Acuna Rios, 53; all of Bogotá, pleaded guilty in Washington, D.C., before U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle. At sentencing, scheduled for Dec. 6, 2010, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for profit and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Each defendant is also subject to a maximum fine of $250,000 for each charge.
The defendants were charged in a three-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Feb. 4, 2009. The defendants were arrested on June 2, 2009, by Colombian authorities in Bogotá on provisional arrest warrants in response to a U.S. government request for their arrest and were subsequently extradited to the United States for prosecution.
Heliber Toro Mejia, Humberto Toro Mejia and Rios admitted that they operated an extensive and sophisticated visa fraud ring that profited by assisting otherwise inadmissible Colombian nationals in fraudulently procuring visas from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá. According to plea documents, to support the visa applications of alien applicants, the defendants and other conspirators created fictitious backgrounds for the aliens and fraudulent supporting documentation, including paperwork that appeared to be official Colombian government-issued documents such as tax filings and birth and marriage certificates. According to plea documents, the conspirators coached the aliens on how to pass the visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá by answering questions untruthfully as well as how to lie to U.S. immigration authorities about their backgrounds when entering the United States. The defendants admitted to assisting more than 100 aliens in fraudulently obtaining or attempting to fraudulently obtain a U.S. visa during the course of the conspiracy. According to plea documents, many of those aliens who did obtain a fraudulently-procured visa used that visa to enter the United States.
As part of the plea agreements, the defendants also agreed to forfeit assets related to the alien smuggling and visa fraud scheme, including an office in Bogotá and $234,533 in proceeds. The defendants agreed to fully assist the governments of the United States and the Republic of Colombia in the identification and location of all directly forfeitable property and substitute assets and to pass clear title to directly forfeitable property and substitute assets to the United States. If requested by the U.S. government, the defendants also agreed to voluntarily forfeit to the government of Colombia any and all assets which are subject to forfeiture as the result of their criminal activities.
The guilty pleas are the result of “Operation Coffee Country,” a coordinated international investigation by the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Attaché’s Office in Bogotá and the Diplomatic Security Service - Regional Security Office in Bogotá. The ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge for in Washington, D.C., and the Diplomatic Security Service - Criminal Investigations Division provided substantial assistance.
The government of Colombia, including the Colombian Department of Administrative Security and Colombian prosecutors, provided significant assistance and support during the investigation, arrest and extradition of the defendants. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá worked with their counterparts in Colombia to effect the extradition.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney James S. Yoon of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick W. Yette of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Significant assistance from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs was provided by Trial Attorney Nicolette Romano. Trial Attorney Jean Weld from the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section also provided assistance.
Owner of Two Houston Health Care Companies Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Medicare $6.3 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An owner of two Houston health care companies pleaded guilty today in connection with a $6.3 million Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).
Clifford Ubani, 52, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Gray Miller in Houston to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In his plea, Ubani admitted that he defrauded Medicare of $6.3 million.
According to court documents, Ubani was an owner and operator of Family Healthcare Services (Family Services). Family Services maintained a valid Medicare provider number in order to submit Medicare claims for the costs of durable medical equipment (DME) and purported to provide orthotics and other DME to Medicare beneficiaries. According to court documents, Ubani hired co-conspirators to recruit Medicare beneficiaries for the purposes of filing claims with Medicare for DME. Once Medicare beneficiary numbers were obtained by Ubani, Family Services submitted claims to Medicare for DME, including orthotic devices, which were medically unnecessary and/or not provided. Many of the orthotic devices were components of what was referred to as an “arthritis kit,” and purported to be for the treatment of arthritis-related conditions, although they were not medically necessary and appropriate for such conditions. The arthritis kit generally contained a number of orthotic devices including braces for both sides of the body and related accessories such as heat pads. Ubani admitted that he paid kickbacks to the recruiters for their referrals. In total, Family Services submitted approximately $1.1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Additionally, Ubani was an owner and operator of Family Healthcare Group (Family Group), a home health care company. Family Group purported to provide skilled nursing to Medicare beneficiaries. According to court documents, Ubani hired co-conspirators to recruit Medicare beneficiaries for the purposes of filing claims with Medicare for skilled nursing. Family Group then used the Medicare beneficiary numbers to submit claims to Medicare for skilled nursing that was medically unnecessary and/or not provided. Ubani admitted that he paid kickbacks to the recruiters for their referrals. In total, Family Group was paid approximately $5.2 million by Medicare for the submission of fraudulent claims.
At sentencing, scheduled for Feb. 25, 2011, Ubani faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Today’s guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer; U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno of the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent-in-Charge Richard C. Powers of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Fields of the Dallas Regional Office of HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations; and the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Charles D. Reed and Sam S. Sheldon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Since their inception in March 2007, Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in seven districts have obtained indictments of more than 810 individuals who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for more than $1.85 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Justice Department Signs Agreements with the City of Muskegon, Mich., and the City of Cheyenne, Wyo., to Ensure Access for People with DisabilitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON—The Justice Department today announced settlement agreements with the city of Muskegon, Mich., and the city of Cheyenne, Wyo., to improve access to public programs and facilities for persons with disabilities.
The agreements with the cities of Muskegon and Cheyenne were reached under Project Civic Access, the department’s wide-ranging initiative to ensure that cities, towns and counties throughout the country comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Under the agreement with Muskegon, which will be in effect for five years, the city will take numerous important steps to improve access for individuals with disabilities, such as:
- Making physical modifications to its facilities so that parking, routes into the buildings, entrances, public telephones, restrooms, service counters, and drinking fountains are accessible to people with disabilities. The agreement specifies which modifications will be made at each facility. Facilities covered by the agreement include city hall, Muskegon Police Station, Central Fire Station/9-1-1 Call Center, Cross Lake Express Ferry Terminal, L.C. Walker Arena, Muskegon Farmers Market, Fisherman’s Landing, and numerous parks, community centers and other recreational facilities.
- Surveying facilities not reviewed by the department and making necessary accessibility modifications to those facilities in accordance with ADA requirements.
- Posting, publishing and distributing a notice to inform members of the public of the provisions of title II and their applicability to the city of Muskegon’s programs, services and activities.
- Providing accessible polling places.
- Ensuring that the county’s official website is accessible to people with disabilities.
- Installing signs at any inaccessible entrance to a facility directing individuals with disabilities to an accessible entrance or to information about accessing programs and services at other accessible facilities.
- Providing accessible curb ramps at sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and transportation stops.
- Developing a method for providing information for interested persons with disabilities concerning the existence and location of the city of Muskegon’s accessible services, activities and programs.
- Implementing a plan to ensure the accessibility of sidewalks and curb ramps throughout the city of Muskegon.
“Access to public programs and facilities is a civil right, and individuals with disabilities must have the opportunity to participate in public programs, services and activities on an equal basis with their neighbors,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division. “The agreement with the city of Muskegon reflects a major commitment by city officials to make Muskegon’s programs and facilities accessible, including a commitment to install large numbers of curb ramps at sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and transportation stops. I commend Muskegon’s officials for making this commitment to its residents with disabilities, and for working with us to attain equal access to all of its programs, activities and services.”
The agreement with the city of Cheyenne will improve access to a multi-use arena, which primarily hosts ice sports, concerts and other entertainment events. The department initiated an investigation of the arena after receiving several complaints alleging that the facility was not accessible to individuals with mobility disabilities. Under the agreement, the city of Cheyenne will make physical modifications so that parking, locker rooms, toilet rooms, the billiards and video game area, the mini-golf course, drinking fountains, and routes to entrances and facility amenities are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Modifications will include:
- Providing an accessible elevator so that persons with disabilities can access each level of the arena.
- Providing wheelchair seating areas in various locations throughout the center so that individuals with mobility disabilities will have a choice of viewing opportunities for events at the center.
- Providing individuals with disabilities with an equal opportunity to purchase tickets for center events, including the option to purchase tickets for wheelchair and companion seating areas online in the same manner that other seats are sold online.
“The city of Cheyenne willingly worked with the department to resolve these access issues at the arena, which were inherited from another entity when the city acquired the arena in 2008,” said Assistant Attorney General Perez. “I commend Cheyenne’s public officials for working cooperatively to afford equal access to this entertainment venue for its residents and visitors with disabilities.”
Today’s agreements were reached under Title II of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by state and local governments. The department will actively monitor compliance with these agreements until it has confirmed that all required actions have been completed.
Project Civic Access (PCA) was initiated to ensure that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in civic life, a fundamental part of American society. As part of the PCA initiative, Justice Department investigators, attorneys and architects survey state and local government facilities, services and programs in communities across the country to identify the modifications needed for compliance with ADA requirements. The agreements are tailored to address the steps each community must take to improve access.
More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at the website www.justice.gov/crt. More information about the ADA, today’s agreements, the Project Civic Access initiative and the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments can be accessed at the ADA Web page at www.ada.gov or by calling the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY).