Crime

May 20, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today, President Obama will sign the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act into law.

"These landmark pieces of legislation will protect hardworking Americans, crack down on those who seek to take advantage of them, and ensure that the problems that led us into this crisis never happen again," said President Obama.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- NEW YORK -- Lev L. Dassin, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Norman Hsu was found guilty today on all four counts in the superseding indictment charging him with violating the Federal Election Campaign Act by making contributions to various political campaigns in the names of others. Hsu was found guilty following a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in Manhattan federal court.    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- LEV L. DASSIN, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JOSEPH M. DEMAREST, JR., the Assistant-Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), RAYMOND W. KELLY, the Police Commissioner for the City of New York, HARRY J.    » read more »

May 20, 2009 -- Flanked by several Congressional colleagues and a crowd of onlookers, U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) stood beside President Barack Obama May 20 as he signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act (FERA), legislation to strengthen tools and increase resources available to federal prosecutors to combat financial fraud. Sen. Kaufman introduced FERA - bipartisan legislation that passed Congress this week - in February with Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA).    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office is set to receive $488,527 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to help prevent and investigate crimes against children.

“New Mexico will put this funding to good use to help keep kids safe,” Bingaman said.

“I am glad to see the Department of Justice is sending recovery dollars to our state to help keep New Mexico’s Children safe from online predators. Children are sadly often the victims of some of the most heinous crimes and we need to take any possible steps we can to help ensure their safety,” Udall said.    » read more »

May 21, 2009 -- To increase public safety and aid law enforcement, Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson today signed the Omnibus Crime Bill.

“Safe communities are one of the reasons that businesses and families move to our state,” Parkinson said. “I appreciate the work the Legislature and the Attorney General did this session to keep Kansans safe and secure.”

“To better protect our families, we must give law enforcement the tools they need to fight crime and bring predators to justice,” Attorney General Steve Six said. “This legislation contains a number of provisions that will help law enforcement keep our communities safe. I was pleased to be the main proponent of the provision which closed the loophole for criminals that would flee & elude law enforcement officers.”    » read more »

Funds will strengthen victim services and bolster criminal justice programs across Indiana

May 19, 2009 -- Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today announced that Indiana will receive more than $2.8 million in funds to prevent violence against women under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) in Indianapolis will receive the funds from the Recovery Act STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program administered by the Department of Justice (DOJ). According to the ICJI, the funds will allow local jurisdictions in Indiana to hire more victim advocates and to create more training opportunities for police officers, prosecutors and other victim service providers.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., May 18, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged employment search provider Monster Worldwide, Inc. for its multi-year scheme to secretly backdate stock options granted to thousands of Monster officers, directors and employees.

Monster agreed to pay a $2.5 million penalty to settle the SEC's charges that the company defrauded investors by granting backdated, undisclosed "in-the-money" stock options while failing to record required non-cash charges for option-related compensation expenses.    » read more »

Scheme Also Put Municipal Employee Paychecks at Risk

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged two New Jersey men with orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that sold unregistered securities and commingled investor funds with their payroll service used by New Jersey municipalities and small businesses.

The SEC alleges that Paul G. Bultmeyer and Arthur J. Piacentini carried out the fraud through their firms Sherbourne Capital Management, Ltd. and Sherbourne Financial, Ltd. by offering and selling so-called "Prime Certificates of Participation" they advertised in print publications as well as on Craigslist and other Internet sites.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- Washington D.C. -- Timothy J. Healy has been named director of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center (TSC). FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III appointed him to this position to replace Director Leonard Boyle, who recently left the FBI for a position in the private sector. Most recently, Mr. Healy served acting director of the TSC.

“The TSC strives to ensure the proper balance between protecting our national security and the need for accurate, efficient, and streamlined watchlisting processes. Tim’s experience in the TSC from its earliest days will be an invaluable asset to his service as its director,” said Director Mueller.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- AARP today announced its endorsement of the bipartisan “Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection (STOP) Act,” sponsored by Senators Mel Martinez (R-FL), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and John Cornyn (R-TX). This legislation will help curb the billions of dollars spent on Medicare fraud each year. A statement from AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond follows:

“The skyrocketing costs of health care are hurting our wallets and the bedrock programs like Medicare that millions of Americans depend on. That’s why AARP is working with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to reform the health care system—including cracking down on the fraud, waste and abuse that are driving up costs.    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- The FBI today released preliminary statistics indicating that 41 of our nation’s law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2008. By region, 20 of the victim officers were killed in the South, nine in the Midwest, nine in the West, and three in the Northeast. The number of officers feloniously killed was 17 fewer than in 2007.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., May 8, 2009 — The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that Michael Lauer, the head of two Connecticut-based hedge fund advisors, has been ordered to pay more than $62 million within 15 days as a result of being found liable on SEC fraud charges last fall.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra for the Southern District of Florida found that Lauer, head of Lancer Management Group and Lancer Management Group II, must pay more than $43.6 million to deprive him of his ill-gotten gains, and more than $18.9 million in prejudgment interest.    » read more »

May 7, 2009 -- Acting United States Attorney Michelle L. Jacobs announced today that a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Wisconsin returned a twenty four count indictment charging five people with wire fraud and money laundering in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme. Charged were Paul J. Zaleski, 60, formerly of Richmond, Illinois; Michael Pembroke, 45, of Twin Lakes, Wisconsin; John F. Hochrek, Jr., 48, of Spring Grove, Illinois; Patricia Lynn Kay, 47, of Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Robert Farrell, 29, formerly of Richmond, Illinois.    » read more »

Laundering Money Through Las Vegas Casinos

May 6, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- Two former managers of the Bank of China and their wives were sentenced today after their convictions on Aug. 29, 2008, by a federal jury in Las Vegas on charges of racketeering, money laundering, international transportation of stolen property as well as passport and visa fraud, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Gregory A. Brower of the District of Nevada announced today.    » read more »