LEGAL NEWSLINE

Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering and Unlawful Export of Military Data

Attorney General Moody Files Criminal Charges Against Two Men Operating Crypto Money Laundering Scheme Transferring Millions to Colombia

On Tuesday, The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Government Oversight Committee on the policies in Ohio House Bill 331, which ensures that village governments that are unable to provide core services to their residents are held accountable. The bill also makes it easier for village residents to vote on whether to dissolve their local government.

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act (FCA) against Study Across the Pond LLC (SATP) and its principal, John Borhaug. SATP, which is organized under the laws of Massachusetts, recruits American students to attend foreign schools in the U.K., as well as other countries. The complaint, filed in the District of Massachusetts, alleges that SATP and Borhaug knowingly caused UK schools to submit false claims to the Department of Education for federal student aid by demanding that the foreign schools enter into arrangements...

Attorney General Ashley Moody filed suit against Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over the administration’s attempt to force Florida to violate its own law and fund drugs and surgeries for “gender transition” for children. Moody stated, “Florida passed a law to protect our children from dangerous, irreversible gender-transition drugs and surgeries. Now, Biden and his federal bureaucrats are trying to go around our child-protection law to force the state to pay for puberty blockers and gender-transition surgery...

The U.S. Justice Department has charged a Russian national with creating and running the LockBit ransomware group, which has targeted over 2,000 victims and extorted more than $100 million in ransom payments. Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, also known as LockBitSupp, faces a 26-count indictment in the District of New Jersey.

A federal jury in Pensacola, Florida, convicted a former U.S. Army soldier yesterday for the murder of a pregnant, 19-year-old fellow soldier on a U.S. Army base in Germany more than 22 years ago. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on Nov. 3, 2001, Shannon L. Wilkerson, 43, beat and strangled Amanda Gonzales to death in her barracks room at Fliegerhorst Kaserne, then a U.S. Army base in Hanau, Germany. Wilkerson was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces at the time of the offense but was later discharged.

Attorney General Moody Demands Congress Permanently Defund Hamas-Tied United Nations Relief and Works Agency

"A Minnesota man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for wire fraud and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns."

"A Virginia businessman was sentenced to 78 months in prison for evading the payment of employment taxes, filing false tax returns and obstructing the IRS."###

Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Marshall Miller delivered remarks at the Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Workers’ Memorial Service on May 7, 2024.

Two ship engineers on the oil tanker M/T Kriti Ruby pleaded guilty today to charges related to the concealment of pollution by falsifying records, with the chief engineer also pleading guilty to charges related to the discharge of oily waste into the sea from a commercial vessel near a petroleum terminal in Sewaren, New Jersey.

The Justice Department and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today progress by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) in providing access to basic sanitation services, abating exposure to raw sewage from inadequate onsite wastewater systems, and improving health outcomes for the predominantly Black communities of Lowndes County, Alabama.

Former Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) tactical officer, Javian Griffin, 38, has been sentenced to 48 months in prison and three years of supervised release for using excessive force against an inmate and writing a false report to cover it up. Griffin pleaded guilty to the offense on Oct. 11, 2023.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “The defendant pledged to protect and serve but instead he abused his authority as a corrections officer, violently punching a man in the head and breaking his jaw. The...

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri has issued a permanent injunction against Aric Elliot Schreiner and his company, Columbia CPA Group LLC, prohibiting them from engaging in any activities related to promoting tax schemes involving charitable remainder annuity trusts (CRATs). Additionally, Schreiner has been ordered to forfeit $400,000 in ill-gotten gains from the scheme. The court's decision comes after the United States sued Schreiner, Columbia CPA Group, and five other defendants to halt the promotion of the CRAT scheme.According to the United...

The Justice Department today marked the second anniversary of its Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy (CEJES) and Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). The Justice Department will be incorporating those efforts into developing an Environmental Justice Strategic Plan, as directed by the President’s Executive Order “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All.” The new strategic plan will further address environmental justice and help develop and capture the Justice Department's vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to...

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered heartfelt remarks at the memorial service of Deputy U.S. Marshal Tommy Weeks Jr., paying tribute to his life and legacy. Garland expressed his admiration for Mrs. Weeks' strength and resilience, highlighting her unwavering support for the U.S. Marshals Service and the Justice Department in the face of tragedy.Garland acknowledged the profound impact of Weeks' dedication to his family and his colleagues, describing him as a dependable, passionate, and humorous individual. He shared anecdotes that showcased Weeks' commitment to...

Five federal departments have come together to reaffirm their shared commitment to uphold civil rights laws and advance environmental justice in communities across the United States. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, along with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Housing and Urban Development, jointly expressed their dedication to this important cause.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s...

Baptist Health System Inc. (Baptist Health) in Florida has agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act by offering improper discounts to patients. The United States alleged that Baptist Health subsidiaries provided discounts without regard to financial need, potentially in exchange for referrals or purchases of services.In response to the settlement, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton stated, "The department will continue to rely on the False Claims Act to address the use of prohibited remuneration to induce...

Attorney General Jason Miyares of Virginia revealed that the state is set to receive about $3.1 million as part of a $270 million multistate settlement with Amneal Pharmaceuticals. The agreement, reached in principle, aims to address Amneal's involvement in the opioid crisis that has plagued the nation for years.According to a multistate coalition of attorneys general, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, a major manufacturer of opioids from 2006 to 2019, is accused of neglecting to monitor and report suspicious orders made by its customers, contravening federal regulations.Miyares...