LEGAL NEWSLINE

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco recently delivered remarks at the Disruptive Technology Protection Network Summit, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in combating national security threats. Monaco expressed gratitude to the delegations from Japan and the Republic of Korea for their participation, highlighting the collaborative efforts between the United States and its allies.Monaco underscored the necessity of partnerships in addressing evolving security challenges, stating, "To combat today’s national security threats, we cannot go it alone. We...

A Florida man, Frederick Eugene Pierallini III, 27, has been sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for committing two federal hate crimes by attacking two Black women with a gun. Pierallini had previously pleaded guilty to these crimes on July 6, 2023.Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, “The defendant is being held accountable for targeting two Black women with a gun on two separate days because of their race.”U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A former client that hoped to keep lawyers from taking fees in pending cases is giving up its quest.

In what has become a familiar pattern, a testing lab called Valisure last month told the Food and Drug Administration that Clearasil and other widely used acne medications contain potentially cancer-causing benzene.

The first high-level trilateral summit of the Disruptive Technology Protection Network was held by the Justice Department, bringing together delegations from Japan and the Republic of Korea. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco set the tone by delivering the opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of preventing critical technologies from falling into the wrong hands. Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen and other senior government officials also spoke at the summit, highlighting the joint efforts to safeguard such technologies from...

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have jointly submitted a public comment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) emphasizing the importance of considering competition concerns in common ownership situations. According to the agencies, "competition is a core component of FERC’s 'public interest' analysis." They further explained that "partial acquisitions, including acquisitions involving common ownership in which individual investors hold non-controlling interests in firms that have a competitive relationship that...

President Joseph R. Biden Jr. has announced the grant of clemency to 16 individuals, including 11 pardons and five commutations. Among those receiving pardons are individuals like Jason Hernandez from McKinney, Texas, Beverly Denise Holcy from Palatka, Florida, and Jeffrey Alan Lewis from Douglasville, Georgia.Hernandez, who was serving a 240-month sentence, had his sentence commuted on December 19, 2013. Holcy, convicted of distributing crack cocaine, was sentenced to 60 months in prison back in June 1994. Lewis, charged with using a communication facility to facilitate...

OVW conducted a live web-based pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2024 Demonstration Program and Trauma-Informed, Victim Centered Training for Law Enforcement on Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (Abby Honold) Program solicitation. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed this program’s requirements, discussed the solicitation, and allowed for a brief question-and-answer period.

A federal jury in Camden, New Jersey, has convicted Bolaji Bolarinwa, 50, and Isiaka Bolarinwa, 67, both of Burlington County, New Jersey, of forced labor and other crimes related to their coercive scheme. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated, “The defendants confiscated the victims’ passports, threatened them, degraded them, physically abused them and kept them under constant surveillance, all to coerce the victims’ labor and ruthlessly exploit them for the defendants’ own profit.” U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger added, “Forced labor and human trafficking are...

Former Massachusetts golf course manager, Kevin Kennedy, has been sentenced to 13 months in prison for tax conspiracy and filing false tax returns. As reported by court documents, Kennedy conspired with a luxury home builder in western Massachusetts to evade taxes owed on money received from managing two municipal golf courses owned by the City of Springfield. The scheme involved the construction of custom homes for Kennedy, with payments made in cash from the golf course proceeds.Kennedy's fraudulent activities extended to filing false individual income tax returns for...

A federal grand jury in Seattle has indicted a Washington man for tax evasion and filing false tax returns in connection with his commercial property business. The man in question, Steven Loo, is alleged to have orchestrated a scheme to conceal income earned from his real estate ventures.According to the indictment, Loo controlled and operated several companies that owned commercial real estate properties. The indictment states that Loo diverted income by directing property management companies to issue checks to entities under his control, ultimately totaling over $4.8...

Director Rosie Hidalgo recently delivered remarks at the 24th Annual International Family Justice Center Conference, where she expressed gratitude to The Alliance for HOPE International for hosting the event. Hidalgo, serving as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women, highlighted the importance of collective action in shaping policies to combat gender-based violence.Hidalgo acknowledged the progress made in changing societal perceptions of gender-based violence but emphasized the ongoing challenges faced by survivors in accessing necessary resources and...

A federal jury in Miami has convicted the former Comptroller General of Ecuador, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni, for his involvement in a $10 million international bribery and money laundering scheme. According to court documents, Polit solicited and received bribes from Odebrecht S.A. and an Ecuadorian businessman in exchange for various favors.Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, stated, “As Comptroller General of Ecuador, Carlos Ramon Polit Faggioni was entrusted to protect the people of...

An indictment was unsealed today in the Southern District of Florida charging three men for their alleged roles in an approximately $36 million health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering scheme that involved submitting false and fraudulent claims for COVID-19 testing to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program.Enrique Perez-Paris, 47, of Aventura, Florida, and Diego Sanudo Sanchez Chocron, 47, of Venice, California, made their initial appearances today in the U.S....

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Legal Newsline) - Securities class action lawyers have reached an agreement on who will lead litigation against Boeing over financial problems caused by recent failures of its 737 Max planes.

An Illinois woman, Vervia Watts, has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for her involvement in preparing and filing false income tax returns for clients. Watts, operating a tax preparation business, filed over 900 fraudulent income tax returns for clients between January 2017 and June 2023. These returns included false education expenses and business income to inflate IRS refunds, totaling approximately $1.3 million.In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Lindsay C. Jenkins for the Northern District of Illinois has ordered Watts to serve one...

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and ATF Director Steven M. Dettelbach dedicated the new “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit during ATF’s Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit. Garland expressed, “As we remember those we have lost to gun violence, the Justice Department promises that we will strive every single day to honor their lives in our work,” emphasizing the commitment to ensuring safety from gun violence for all. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco commended the survivors of gun violence for sharing their stories and engaging in discussions to prevent further...

Two bankruptcy petition preparers have been prohibited from providing bankruptcy-related services after being found guilty of targeting vulnerable consumers facing foreclosure, thanks to the enforcement efforts of the Justice Department’s U.S. Trustee Program (USTP).In one case, Kafil Hamim Quaiyum Tunsill was permanently barred from acting as a bankruptcy petition preparer in the Middle District of Florida. Tunsill was also fined $12,500 and instructed to refund $1,900 to a debtor. Director Tara Twomey of the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees emphasized, "Unscrupulous...

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Director Steven M. Dettelbach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) dedicated a new “Faces of Gun Violence” exhibit today at a ceremony hosted during ATF’s Inaugural Gun Violence Survivors’ Summit. The exhibit honors and memorializes those whose lives have been tragically lost to gun violence."As we remember those we have lost to gun violence, the Justice Department promises that we will strive every single day to honor their lives in our work," expressed Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. "We promise...

A New Hampshire doctor, Adnan S. Khan, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and commit health care fraud. Khan, 48, of Grantham, allegedly orchestrated illegal prescribing and health care fraud through New England Medicine and Counseling Associates (NEMCA), operating clinics in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. According to court documents, Khan distributed drugs outside the usual course of professional practice, requiring patients to pay cash for prescriptions despite having insurance. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M....