News from 2023
Justice Department Announces Allison Turkel as Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced that he has chosen Allison Turkel to head the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF).
Six Houston Gang Members Indicted for Using a Firearm in Racketeering Murder of Innocent Bystander
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
The Department of Justice today announced an indictment charging five men and a woman with aiding and abetting the use of a firearm to commit murder in aid of racketeering.
Physician Convicted of $5M Health Care Fraud Scheme
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A federal jury convicted a physician today for a $5 million health care fraud scheme.
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Issues Statement on the FBI’s Supplemental 2021 Hate Crime Statistics
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
The Justice Department issued following statement from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta on the FBI’s announcement of the 2021 hate crime statistics supplement:
Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau File Statement of Interest in Appraisal Discrimination Case
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
The Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced today that they filed a statement of interest to explain the application of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) to lenders relying on discriminatory home appraisals.
President of Oklahoma Steel Pole Manufacturer Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty, on Friday, March 10, to evading over $1 million in income taxes.
Michigan Nonprofit Organizations Agree to Pay $225,887 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Improper Receipt of Paycheck Protection Program Loans
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
Two Michigan nonprofit organizations, the Michigan Education Association (MEA) and the Michigan Education Special Services Association (MESSA), have agreed to settle allegations that the organizations violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by applying for and obtaining loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for which they knew or should have known they were ineligible.
Pennsylvania Owners of Landscape and Excavation Firm Charged with Conspiring to Defraud the IRS and Employment Tax Crimes
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A federal grand jury in Philadelphia returned an indictment charging a Pennsylvania man and woman with conspiring to defraud the IRS and other tax crimes, including failing to pay employment taxes to the IRS.
United States Files Complaint Alleging that Rite Aid Dispensed Controlled Substances in Violation of the False Claims Act and the Controlled Substances Act
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
The Justice Department announced today that the United States has filed a complaint in intervention in a whistleblower lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) against Rite Aid Corporation and various subsidiaries (collectively Rite Aid) alleging that Rite Aid knowingly filled unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances. In addition to alleging claims under the FCA, the government’s complaint also alleges violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
Seven Charged in Sophisticated Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud Scheme that Sought Over $100 Million from the IRS
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
On March 7, a federal grand jury in Austin returned an indictment, unsealed today, charging seven individuals with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and other crimes arising out of their scheme to defraud the IRS using stolen identities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Indicted for Using Excessive Force and Obstruction of Justice
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned a three-count indictment that was unsealed today, charging a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer with deprivation of rights under color of law and the falsification of a document in a federal investigation.
Former New Orleans Police Officer Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting a 15-Year-Old Girl
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A former police officer with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) was sentenced in federal court to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old crime victim in violation of her constitutional rights.
Jelly Bean Communications Design and its Manager Settle False Claims Act Liability for Cybersecurity Failures on Florida Medicaid Enrollment Website
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
Jelly Bean Communications Design LLC (Jelly Bean) and Jeremy Spinks have agreed to pay $293,771 to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they failed to secure personal information on a federally funded Florida children’s health insurance website, which Jelly Bean created, hosted, and maintained.
Federal Jury Finds Kentucky Woman Guilty of Mailing Threatening Communications to Neighbors Because of Their Race
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A federal jury convicted a local woman on Friday of mailing communications containing threats to injure others in November and December 2020.
Former Kentucky Federal Prison Lieutenant Convicted of Covering Up the Assaults of Two Federal Inmates by Corrections Officers
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
After a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted former Bureau of Prisons Lieutenant Kevin Pearce, 38, on two counts of obstruction for writing false reports about the assaults of two federal inmates by corrections officers under Pearce’s command.
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Michigan Rental Property Owner
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act against the owner and manager of rental properties in Dearborn Heights, Michigan.
Readout of Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta and Access to Justice Director Rachel Rossi’s Trip to Iowa
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta joined Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) in Des Moines, Iowa, today as part of the Department’s National Public Defense Day Tour to recognize the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, which held that criminal defendants are entitled to counsel when facing felony charges and celebrate the role of public defenders in the American legal system.
Justice Department Investigation Leads to Takedown of Darknet Cryptocurrency Mixer that Processed Over $3 Billion of Unlawful Transactions
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
Vietnamese Operator of ChipMixer Charged with Laundering Money for Ransomware Perpetrators, Darknet Markets, Fraudsters, and State-Sponsored
Southern California Return Preparer Charged with Filing False Tax Returns
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A federal grand jury in Riverside, California, returned an indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charging a California man with 47 counts of preparing false tax returns.
Sterling Bancorp, Inc. to Plead Guilty to $69M Securities Fraud
By DOJ Newswire Reports | Mar 23, 2023
A Southfield, Michigan-headquartered bank holding company has agreed to plead guilty to securities fraud for filing false securities statements relating to its 2017 initial public offering (IPO) and its 2018 and 2019 annual filings.