Press Releases

A federal judge this week convicted a former Fairmount Heights, Maryland, police officer on one count of obstructing justice by writing a false police report.

Vadim Yermolenko, 43, a dual U.S.-Russian national and resident of New Jersey, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States for his role in a transnational procurement and money laundering network that sought to acquire sensitive dual-use electronics for Russian military and intelligence services.

A Ukrainian national pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas entered permanent injunctions against Charles Dombek and The Optimal Financial Group LLC barring them from promoting any tax plan that involves creating or using sham management companies, deducting personal non-deductible expenses as business expenses or assisting in the creation of “captive” insurance companies. The injunctions also prohibit Dombek from preparing any federal tax returns for anyone other than himself and Optimal from preparing certain federal tax returns reflecting such tax plans. Dombek and Optimal consented to entry

The Justice Department announced today that Medisca Inc. (Medisca), has agreed to pay $21.75 million to resolve allegations concerning the establishment of false and inflated Average Wholesale Prices (AWPs) for two ingredients used in compound prescriptions. Medisca’s pricing scheme allegedly caused pharmacies that purchased those ingredients to submit false prescription claims to the Defense Health Agency, which administers the TRICARE Program for the Department of Defense and the Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (federal health care programs).

The Justice Department announced today that it plans to monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in 86 jurisdictions in 27 states for the Nov. 5 general election.

The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement to resolve its lawsuit alleging that Colorado violates Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C. by unnecessarily segregating adults with physical disabilities, including older adults, in nursing facilities.

Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice traveled to San Francisco to deliver the keynote address at the Pathways to Justice Conference, a statewide legal services conference held every three years. The engagement included meetings on access to justice issues and initiatives happening in Northern California.

A Georgia accountant was sentenced to 28 months in prison for his role in the promotion and sale of abusive syndicated conservation easement tax shelters.

The Justice Department, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), today announced that Lyft Inc. (Lyft) has agreed to resolve allegations that it made false and misleading statements about how much Lyft drivers would earn. The settlement includes an agreement to pay $2.1 million in civil penalties and a permanent injunction prohibiting such false and misleading earnings claims.

A federal jury in Louisville, Kentucky, today convicted a former Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) officer for violating the civil rights of Breonna Taylor during the execution of a search warrant in March 2020 that led to the tragic death of Taylor in her home.

The United States has filed a civil lawsuit against Lawrence Bivona, who was the President of LaJobi Inc., a Delaware corporation that imported Chinese-manufactured children’s bedroom furniture into the United States. The lawsuit alleges that Bivona made false statements to customs officials and, as a result, avoided paying antidumping duties owed on the imported furniture.