Crime

September 30, 2009 -- As he announced earlier this week, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced the Retroactive Immunity Repeal Act, legislation that eliminates retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies that allegedly participated in President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program.    » read more »

September 30, 2009 -- AUSTIN – Texas Governor Rick Perry today granted a pardon for innocence to James Lee Woodard after DNA testing proved he did not sexually assault or murder Beverly Ann Jones in 1980. DNA testing was not available at the time the crime was committed.

“James Lee Woodard was wrongfully convicted for a crime he did not commit,” Perry said. “My action today cannot give back the time he spent in prison, but it does end this miscarriage of justice.”    » read more »

New Jersey First State to a Launch 'Promise Communities' Initiative in Pilot Cities of Newark and Camden; Newark National Pilot Site for ‘Bold Approach' Initiative Using Private Funds

September 28, 2009 -- NEWARK -- New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today unveiled two new initiatives aimed at strengthening school and community programming for children at-risk of being recruited and victimized by violent street gangs. The programs - ‘Promise Communities' and ‘Bold Approach' - are designed to keep children in school and on a path to college and a career.    » read more »

September 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is warning Veterans not to give credit card numbers over the phone to callers claiming to update VA prescription information.

"America’s Veterans have become targets in an inexcusable scam that dishonors their service and misrepresents the Department built for them," said Dr. Gerald Cross, VA’s Under Secretary for Health. "VA simply does not call Veterans and ask them to disclose personal financial information over the phone."

Veteran Service Organizations have brought to VA's attention that callers are misrepresenting the VA to gain personal information over the phone. They say VA recently changed procedures for dispensing prescriptions and ask for the Veteran's credit card number.    » read more »

September 14, 2009 -- According to figures released today by the FBI, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation declined for the second year in a row. Property crimes also declined in 2008, marking the sixth straight year the collective estimates for these offenses dropped below the previous year’s total.

The statistics show that the estimated volume of violent crimes declined 1.9 percent, and the estimated volume of property crimes decreased 0.8 percent in 2008 when compared with 2007 estimates. The 2008 violent crime rate was 454.5 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants (a 2.7 percent decrease from the 2007 rate), and the property crime rate was 3,212.5 per 100,000 persons (a 1.6 percent decrease from 2007).    » read more »

September 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – This morning, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner hosted Attorney General Eric Holder, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) Director Jim Freis and attorneys general from 12 states to discuss emerging trends and proactive strategies to combat fraud against consumers in the housing markets as well as best practices to bolster coordination across state and federal agencies.

This meeting follows up on an announcement by the Obama Administration in April of a multi-agency crackdown on foreclosure rescue scams and loan modification fraud designed to protect homeowners from predatory financial practices.    » read more »

Violent and property crimes down between 2007-2008

September 14, 2009 -- (Salem) - “Today’s FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Data is good news for Oregon.

“Last year Oregon had the largest decrease of any state in our violent crime rate and the eighth largest decrease in the property crime rate – and these declines reached across urban and rural boundaries.

“I appreciate the work of our law enforcement, educators and local leaders who work everyday to help keep our communities safe, and clearly with today’s report, their hard work is delivering results with the lowest violent and property crime rates in nearly four decades.    » read more »

August 25, 2009 -- Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Joseph M. Demarest, Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, announced the arrest this morning of Hassan Nemazee, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nemazee Capital Corporation, in connection with a scheme to defraud Citibank, N.A. (Citibank).    » read more »

August 25, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—Japanese electronics manufacturer Epson Imaging Devices Corporation (Epson) agreed to plead guilty and pay a $26 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the sale of Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display panels (TFT-LCD) sold to Motorola Inc., the Department of Justice announced today.    » read more »

Defendant Admits Role as Agent of the Russian Federation and in Money Laundering Conspiracy

August 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—Acting U.S. Attorney Kent S. Robinson and David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced today that Nathaniel James Nicholson, 25, of Eugene, Oregon, appeared before U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown and pled guilty to the crimes of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The maximum penalties for those crimes are five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, and 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000, respectively. Judge Brown scheduled sentencing on January 25, 2010.    » read more »

August 24, 2009 -- ANCHORAGE, AK—United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that on August 21, 2009, lead defendant Lance Lockard was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his leadership of a large-scale mortgage fraud scheme.    » read more »

August 25, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—Lee William Dubois, a former Department of Defense (DoD) contractor, was sentenced today to three years in prison for his participation in a scheme to steal fuel worth approximately $39.6 million from the U.S. Army in Iraq, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Dana J. Boente.    » read more »

August 27, 2009 -- WASHINGTON—James M. Davis, 60, the former chief financial officer of Houston-based Stanford Financial Group (SFG), pleaded guilty today to fraud and obstruction charges related to a $7 billion scheme to defraud investors, Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, and Tim Johnson, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, announced.

Davis was charged in a criminal information, filed on June 18, 2009, with conspiracy to commit mail, wire and securities fraud; mail fraud; and conspiracy to obstruct a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation. The criminal information also seeks forfeiture of up to $1 billion in fraud proceeds.    » read more »

July 1, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – A retired U.S. military official pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges relating to Department of Defense (DOD) contracts in Afghanistan, the Department of Justice announced today.    » read more »

June 23, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) today introduced legislation to reauthorize funding for the Public and Indian Housing Crime and Drug Elimination Program (PIHDEP). The bill will help fund public and Indian housing entities to battle crime and drug use in partnership with their local law enforcement.

“This effective program eliminated by the previous Administration left public and Indian housing without important resources,” said Johnson. “This bill would allow local communities to develop programs to better fight drug use and drug-related crime. I’m proud to introduce this bill and will continue to fight to provide critical funding for public and Indian housing in South Dakota and across the country.”    » read more »