Attorneys & Judges News
Attorneys & Judges
Extradited Nigerian National Convicted of Business Email Compromise Scheme
A federal jury in New Haven, Connecticut, has convicted Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, a Nigerian national, for orchestrating a business email compromise scheme that operated across multiple countries, including the United States. The scheme, which involved targeting individuals and businesses by posing as trustworthy entities in electronic communications, resulted in losses and intended losses totaling over $6.3 million.Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division stated, "Osuji led a network of scammers in...
Attorneys & Judges
Sodinokibi/REvil Affiliate Sentenced for Role in $700M Ransomware Scheme
A Ukrainian national, Yaroslav Vasinskyi, has been sentenced to 13 years and seven months in prison and ordered to pay over $16 million in restitution for his involvement in conducting over 2,500 ransomware attacks and demanding more than $700 million in ransom payments. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the Department's commitment to holding cybercriminals accountable, stating, "As this sentencing shows, the Justice Department is working with our international partners and using all tools at our disposal to identify cybercriminals, capture their illicit...
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Attorneys & Judges
California Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Sex Trafficking
A California man, Michael Deon Fulcher, 54, of Gardena, has been sentenced to life in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and interstate transportation for purposes of prostitution. Fulcher was found guilty by a jury in January.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division emphasized the severity of Fulcher's actions, stating, “This significant sentence imposed by the court reflects the severity of the defendant’s abuse and exploitation of the victim.”U.S....
Attorneys & Judges
Justice Department, FTC, and HHS Extend Comment Period on Inquiry into Health Care Corporate Ownership
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Health and Human Services have announced an extension of the comment period for the Request for Information on Consolidation in Health Care Markets (RFI) by 30 days. The new deadline for submitting comments is now June 5.According to the announcement, the extension aims to gather more insights into how health care mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions could potentially impact competition in the industry. The agencies are particularly interested in understanding how such...
Attorneys & Judges
Former Oregon State Employee Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting a Woman with Disabilities
A former Oregon Department of Human Services caregiver, Zakary Glover, 30, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and five years of supervised release for sexually assaulting a woman with developmental disabilities who was under his care.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division condemned Glover's actions, stating, “This defendant engaged in deplorable acts of sexual misconduct and targeted a victim with severe developmental disabilities who was entrusted to his care and could not defend herself."U.S. Attorney Natalie...
Attorneys & Judges
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Maryland Assisted Living Facility Over Employment Discrimination
The Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement with Sunrise Senior Living Management Inc., the operator of Sunrise at Fox Hill in Bethesda, Maryland, to address allegations of employment discrimination. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the department's commitment to upholding the law regarding discrimination based on citizenship, immigration status, or national origin, stating, "The Justice Department will continue to hold employers accountable for unlawfully discriminating against workers because of citizenship, immigration status or national...
Attorneys & Judges
Beverly Hills Businessman Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion
A California businessman from Beverly Hills, Haim Jerry Kohen, has pleaded guilty to evading over $1 million in federal and state taxes. Kohen, who owned a business dealing in used clothing, admitted to underreporting or not reporting income on his tax returns for more than a decade. His evasion tactics included diverting cash payments from customers and not reporting rental income from properties he owned.According to court documents, Kohen diverted cash payments received from a significant customer, keeping the money for himself instead of depositing it into his...
Attorneys & Judges
Early Bitcoin Investor Charged with Tax Fraud
An indictment was unsealed yesterday charging Roger Ver, an early investor in bitcoins, with mail fraud, tax evasion, and filing false tax returns. Ver, formerly of Santa Clara, California, owned MemoryDealers.com Inc. and Agilestar.com Inc., two companies that sold computer and networking equipment. He also avidly promoted bitcoins, earning him the moniker "Bitcoin Jesus."Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California announced the charges. The...
Attorneys & Judges
Former Federal Attorney Sentenced for Sexually Exploiting Numerous Children
Former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) attorney Mark Black, 50, of Arlington, Virginia, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his involvement in sexually exploiting numerous children. According to court documents, Black was part of online groups dedicated to persuading prepubescent girls to engage in sexually explicit conduct. Black and his co-conspirators recorded these acts and shared the videos among themselves. In one instance, Black induced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct on a live-streaming application while another minor was...
Attorneys & Judges
Three Gang Members Convicted for Their Roles in a Murder
Three members of the Hoover Criminal Gang have been convicted for their roles in the murder of a suspected rival gang member, announced federal authorities. Markell Young, Octavius Ferguson, and Jordan Powell, all from Gibson County, Tennessee, were found guilty by a federal jury in connection to the violent crime.The murder took place on Jan. 31, 2017, in Humboldt, Tennessee, when the defendants targeted a suspected member of the rival Gangster Disciples gang. Young ordered Ferguson, Powell, and two other co-defendants to carry out the murder by indiscriminately shooting...
Attorneys & Judges
Former Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Attempted Espionage
Former defense contractor John Murray Rowe Jr. has pleaded guilty to charges of attempted espionage, admitting to attempting to deliver national defense information to a foreign government. According to court documents, Rowe, who held various national security clearances and worked on sensitive defense projects, disclosed classified information to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian government agent.During a meeting with the undercover agent, Rowe revealed specific operating details of electronic countermeasure systems used by U.S. military fighter jets. In...
Attorneys & Judges
California Man Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Violations
A California man, Shane Brightpath Mike, has pleaded guilty to failing to pay over employment taxes withheld from the wages of his company’s employees. Mike, who owned and was the president and chief operating officer of Excel Behavioral Services Inc., a business in Campbell, California, provided home care to persons with disabilities.According to court documents and statements made in court, Mike failed to pay over $1 million in withheld taxes to the IRS for the fourth quarter of 2014 through the third quarter of 2015. It was revealed that Mike also used Excel’s funds to...
Attorneys & Judges
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim Delivers Remarks at One-Year Anniversary of the Launch of the TIMBER Working Group
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim delivered remarks at the Department of Justice on April 29, 2024, marking the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Timber Interdiction Membership Board and Enforcement Resources Working Group.Kim expressed gratitude towards the members of the TIMBER Working Group, non-member interagency partners, NGOs, and his staff from the Environment and Natural Resources Division for their contributions and support. He highlighted the importance of combating timber trafficking and deforestation, emphasizing the significant impact these crimes...
Attorneys & Judges
The Justice Department Advocates for Lower Prices and More Competition in Incarcerated People's Communication Services
The Justice Department's Antitrust Division has voiced its support for enhanced competition and reduced prices in incarcerated people's communications services (IPCS). Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter emphasized the importance of affordable communication, stating, "Telephone services are a lifeline between incarcerated people and the outside world." He commended the FCC for its efforts to make rates fairer and more just over the past decade and encouraged further improvements in this area.In a comment submitted to the FCC, the Justice Department highlighted the...
Attorneys & Judges
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on Tragic Shootings of Law Enforcement in North Carolina
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland expressed deep sorrow following a tragic incident in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a Deputy U.S. Marshal and two Task Force Officers lost their lives in the line of duty. The operation, which was part of a U.S. Marshals Task Force mission, resulted in multiple other officers being wounded."Every single day, Deputy U.S. Marshals and Task Force Officers put their lives on the line to apprehend some of our country’s most dangerous criminals. Today, three of those dedicated public servants made the ultimate sacrifice. Multiple other...
Attorneys & Judges
Former NSA Employee Sentenced to Over 21 Years in Prison for Attempted Espionage
Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 32, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced today to 262 months in prison for attempted espionage in connections with his efforts to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to an agent of the Russian Federation.According to court documents, Dalke pleaded guilty in 2023 to six counts of attempting to transmit classified NDI to a foreign agent. From June 6 to July 1, 2022, Dalke was an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA) where he served as an Information Systems Security Designer. Dalke admitted that between August and September...
Attorneys & Judges
Two Former Missouri Health Care Charity Executives Sentenced for Roles in Multimillion-Dollar Bribery and Embezzlement Scheme
Two former executives of a Springfield, Missouri-based charity were sentenced for their roles in a multimillion-dollar public corruption scheme that involved embezzlement and bribes paid to multiple elected public officials in the State of Arkansas."Bontiea and Tom Goss were the former chief operating officer and chief financial officer, respectively, at Preferred Family Healthcare Inc.," the court documents stated.Bontiea Bernedette Goss, 65, was sentenced to three years in prison, and her husband, Tommy “Tom” Ray Goss, 68, was sentenced to six years in prison. They...
Attorneys & Judges
Former Maryland Tax Preparer Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Activities
A Minnesota woman, Kymberly Starr, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for preparing false tax returns on behalf of her clients. Starr, who owned and operated The Tax Lady in Maryland, inflated her clients' tax refunds by submitting false tax returns to the IRS, resulting in approximately $400,000 of tax loss.Furthermore, Starr obtained over $83,000 in COVID-19-related Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through fabricated IRS forms and filed a false claim for unemployment insurance with the Maryland Department of Labor, receiving over $55,000.U.S. District...
Attorneys & Judges
Disruptive Technology Protection Network Summit Strengthens US, Japan, and ROK Collaboration
The Departments of Justice and Commerce, in collaboration with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK), held the first high-level trilateral summit in Washington, D.C. to launch the Disruptive Technology Protection Network. The summit aimed to strengthen collaboration on technology protection measures and enhance connections between the enforcement agencies of the three countries.Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division emphasized the global importance of preventing sensitive technology from falling into the wrong...
Attorneys & Judges
Law firm must defend claim it botched case over non-compete agreement
DOVER, Del. (Legal Newsline) - A law firm that was fired midway through litigation over an insurance broker’s non-compete agreement must defend itself against claims the case could have been won absent the malpractice of the attorneys, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled.