Justice News

Seven Defendants Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Conspiracy and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act Offenses for Obstructing Access to Reproductive Health Services in Michigan

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A federal jury convicted seven defendants today of federal civil rights offenses arising out of their blockade of a reproductive health care clinic in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Aug. 27, 2020. The defendants were each convicted of a felony conspiracy against rights and a Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act offense. Two defendants were convicted of a second FACE Act offense arising out of a blockade of a reproductive health care clinic in Saginaw, Michigan.

Venezuelan National Pleads Guilty to Sanctions Evasion Scheme

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

George Semerene Quintero (Semerene), 60, of Venezuela, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) for his role in a scheme to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA), a Venezuelan state-owned oil company.

Payroll Company Owner Sentenced for Employment Tax Crimes and Embezzling from Employees’ 401(k) Plans

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A Maryland woman was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison for not paying employment taxes to the IRS and embezzling from an employee benefit plan.

Nationwide Home Healthcare and Hospice Provider to Pay $3.85M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., headquartered in Dallas, and various wholly-owned subsidiaries (Intrepid) have agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve allegations that Intrepid violated the False Claims Act in connection with two lines of its business: first, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for home healthcare services for patients who did not qualify for the Medicare home healthcare benefit or where services otherwise did not qualify for Medicare reimbursement; and second, that Intrepid knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for patients who did not qualify for the hospice benefit. The settlement is based on Intrepid’s ability to pay.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks Announcing Civil Rights Investigation into Conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Tennessee

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Good afternoon. My name is Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice. I am joined by U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Justice Department Announces Civil Rights Investigation into Conditions at Tennessee’s Trousdale Turner Correctional Center

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department announced today that it has opened an investigation into the conditions at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, a Tennessee Department of Correction facility operated by the private correctional management company CoreCivic. Trousdale Turner, located approximately an hour outside of Nashville, is Tennessee’s largest correctional facility.

Former Congressman George Santos Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Identity Theft

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Former U.S. Representative George Anthony Devolder Santos pleaded guilty today to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in Alaska

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in certain jurisdictions in the State of Alaska for the Aug. 20 primary election. The department will assign federal observers to monitor in Bethel Census Area, Dillingham Census Area, Kusilvak Census Area, Nome Census Area and North Slope Borough, Alaska. The federal observers, permitted by court order, will monitor for compliance with the language requirements of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act, including the provision of election assistance in Yup’ik dialects.

Justice Department Secures Agreement to Eliminate Voting Barriers for Native Americans in South Dakota

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department has secured an agreement with Bennett County, South Dakota, and county officials to resolve claims that the county has failed to make its registration and early voting opportunities equally open to Native American voters as required by Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Ten Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit Against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for Monopolizing Markets Across the Live Concert Industry

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Today, the Attorneys General of Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Vermont joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department, 29 other states and the District of Columbia against Live Nation-Ticketmaster for monopolization and other unlawful conduct in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.

Update on Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Justice AI Convenings

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

This week, Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa Monaco hosted the sixth convening of the Justice AI Initiative, which she launched earlier this year to inform the Justice Department’s AI policy, including how AI will impact the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep the nation safe, and protect civil rights. Justice AI brings together stakeholders across civil society, industry, academia, and law enforcement to share expertise and a wide range of perspectives on both the promise of AI and the perils of its misuse.

Woman Charged for Scheme to Defraud Elvis Presley’s Family

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A Missouri woman was arrested this morning on federal charges in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Elvis Presley’s family of millions of dollars and steal the family’s ownership interest in Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley, located in Memphis, Tennessee.

Justice Department Transfers Approximately $300,000 in Forfeited Criminal Proceeds to Bonaire

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

The Justice Department shared $300,921.09 in forfeited criminal assets with Bonaire, a special Dutch Caribbean municipality within the country of the Netherlands, in recognition of Bonaire’s assistance to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s investigation of, and the department’s forfeiture of criminal proceeds derived from, the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business that was active in the black market for exchanging Venezuelan bolivars for U.S. dollars.

Former Alabama Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Civil Rights Offense for Using Excessive Force

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A former Daleville, Alabama, Police Department sergeant, Ryan Phillips, pleaded guilty yesterday to depriving an arrestee of his civil rights under color of law.

Readout of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s Participation in a Tribal Roundtable with Nine South Dakota Tribal Nations at the Yankton Sioux Nation