Year: 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Man Charged for Alleged Participation in $45M CoinDeal Investment Fraud Scheme Involving Over 10,000 Victims
A Nevada man has been charged for his alleged participation in CoinDeal, an investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 10,000 victims of over $45 million.

Bryan Lee, 57, of Las Vegas, will make his initial appearance in federal court today in Las Vegas.

According to court documents, Lee allegedly conspired with Neil Chandran and others to defraud investors in companies that Chandran controlled. The companies operated under the banner of “ViRSE,” and included Free Vi Lab, Studio Vi Inc., ViDelivery Inc., ViMarket Inc., and Skalex USA Inc., among others. The companies were supposedly developing virtual-world technologies, including their own cryptocurrency, for use in a metaverse. Chandran allegedly misled investors by falsely promising extremely high returns on the premise that his companies were about to be acquired by a con..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania Rental Property Owners and Operators
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Timothy Britton, the owner and operator of rental properties in the Falls Creek, Pennsylvania, area and Britton Enterprises LLC, doing business as “Tim’s Apartments,” which operates the rental properties, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleges that Timothy Britton has sexually harassed female tenants since at least 2016. According to the complaint, Britton made repeated and unwelcome sexual comments to female tenants, touched female tenants’ bodies without their permission, requested sexual contact, offered reduced or free rent in exchange for sexual contact and took retaliatory actions against female tenants who refused h..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced for Racketeering Conspiracy and Murders
A Maryland man was sentenced today to 28 years in prison for his part in a racketeering conspiracy, including two murders, related to his participation in La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).

According to court documents, from at least August 2018 through July 2021, Franklyn Edgardo Sanchez, aka Freddy, aka Magic, aka Miclo, aka Delinquente, 25, of Adelphi, was a member of MS-13, a transnational criminal enterprise and one of the largest street gangs in the United States that is composed primarily of immigrants or descendants from El Salvador and other central American countries. Sanchez was a member and associate of Weedams Locos Salvatrucha (WLS), an MS-13 clique operating primarily in Adelphi.

As part of the conspiracy, MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence to maintain membership and discipline within the gang as well as against rival gangs. One of the princip..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr.’s Trip to Kenya
On May 15 to 18, Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, to deliver remarks at the first colloquium bringing together 20 African countries to collaborate on pretrial detention issues. The colloquium was sponsored by the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT), the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism and Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and several other partners. He met with OPDAT’s Resident Legal Advisors in the region, numerous foreign law enforcement officials, and U.S. Embassy Nairobi staff to build closer partnerships and further the department’s mission to advance the rule of law and combat transnational crime.

AAG Polite delivers remarks at the Africa Regional Colloquium…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Scrap Metal Reseller Pleads Guilty to Filing a False Corporate Tax Return
A Texas businessman pleaded guilty today to filing a false 2015 corporate tax return for his company.

According to court documents, Martin Skolnik owned and operated Houston-based Spartan Metals Inc. (Spartan), a company that bought and resold scrap metal, for more than 30 years. On several occasions between 2014 and 2017, Skolnik directed customers to wire payments to his personal bank account rather than to Spartan’s business bank account. Skolnik intentionally did not record these payments as income in Spartan’s QuickBooks records, which he then provided to his accountant, willfully causing the accountant to prepare false corporate tax returns. As a result, Spartan’s corporate tax returns underreported more than $2.3 million of gross income for tax years 2014 through 2017.

Skolnik is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 24 and faces a maximum penalty of three years..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Louisiana Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Conspiracy to Commit Forced Labor and Transporting a Minor for Criminal Sexual Activity
A Louisiana man was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for conspiracy to commit forced labor and transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The defendant was also required to pay restitution of $979,800 to the victims.

Between June 2016 and May 2019, Darnell Fulton, 39, of Pineville, used violence, sexual abuse, withholding of food, degradation and intimidation to coerce multiple minors to work for his brownie baking business and provide him the profits. The defendant required the victims to travel to as many as 20 to 30 locations a day, such as plazas, car dealerships, law firms, restaurants and parking lots, to sell brownies. The victims worked late into the night either selling or baking the brownies and sold them during the day. In fact, the victims typically worked seven days ..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Justice Department Hosts Ukrainian Prosecutors for Training on Investigating and Prosecuting Environmental Crimes
This week, the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division’s (ENRD) Environmental Crimes Section hosted eight guests from the Ukraine Prosecutor General’s Office for a series of training and study sessions relating to the investigation and prosecution of environmental crimes, including environmental crimes committed in the wake of Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine.

“This training on investigating and prosecuting environmental crimes is just one part of our efforts to hold accountable under law those who bear responsibility for the Russian regime’s brutal crimes,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will work with our Ukrainian partners to hold the Russian regime accountable for the atrocities it is committing in the course of its unjust war in Ukraine.”

The study visit beg..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 19, 2023
Justice Department Statements on District Court Ruling Enjoining American Airlines and JetBlue’s Northeast Alliance
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter for the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division issued the following statements today regarding the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s ruling in favor of the Justice Department and the Attorneys General of six states and the District of Columbia in their civil antitrust lawsuit to stop the Northeast Alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue:

“Today’s decision is a win for Americans who rely on competition between airlines to travel affordably,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to protect competition and enforce our antitrust laws in the heavily consolidated airline industry and across every industry.”

“We are pleased with the court’s decision. The outcome of this litigat..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Readout of Justice Department Leadership’s Meeting with Civil Rights Groups to Discuss Key Issues
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division met with civil rights organizations yesterday at the Justice Department.

Department leadership heard from attending organizations on an array of topics including hate crimes and reporting, educational equity, voting rights, implementation of Executive Order 14074 on policing and criminal justice issues, and reproductive rights.

Some of the Department’s recent work on critical issues includes publishing a Dear Colleague letter on the imposition and enforcement of fines and fees on adults and youth by state and local courts and juvenile justice agencies and the release of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the safety of our communities while advanc..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Justice Department Secures Settlement in Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Missouri Landlord
The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement from a St. Louis, Missouri landlord, who has agreed to pay $110,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that he violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) when he sexually harassed multiple female tenants.

Under the agreement, subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nedzad Ukejnovic is required to pay $85,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and $20,000 to compensate the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council for resources it expended responding to the reported harassment. The defendant is also required to pay a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States.

“Far too often landlords sexually harass and prey on those who are most vulnerable and it is unacceptable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke..

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good evening, everyone. I am honored to be here tonight to present the Act To Change Allied Organization of the Year award to AAPI Youth Rising. This award recognizes the organization’s leadership and continued efforts in advancing the rights and well-being of AAPI youth across the country.

This work could not be more timely or more urgent. One of our highest priorities at the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department has been to confront the rising tide of hate directed at the AAPI community. We have prosecuted those who have committed hate crimes, including securing a 25-year prison sentence for the man who attacked an Asian-American family with a knife at a Sam’s Club in Midland, Texas, because he blamed them for the COVID-19 pandemic. We also prosecuted a man who recently pled guilty after threatening to injure an Asian-American doctor in Maryland who had been a vocal proponent of the COVID-19 vaccine. And just last week, we charged a Nevada..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 18, 2023
New York Construction Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Filing False Return
Did Not Report Nearly $6.1 Million in Business Gross Receipts
A New York man pleaded guilty today to filing a false corporate tax return for his construction business.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Pawel A. Bartoszek of Lake Grove, New York, owned and operated a construction company, Mega State Inc. From 2015 through 2017, Bartoszek cashed checks he received from Mega State clients for services rendered rather than deposit them in the company’s bank account. As a result, Bartoszek concealed approximately $6.1 million in business income from his tax return preparer and caused the tax returns for Mega State submitted to the IRS to falsely understate its gross income.

Bartoszek is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 26, and faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and mone..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Justice Department Secures Agreement with Cumberland County Addressing Mental Health Care, Suicide Prevention and Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opiate Withdrawal at the Cumberland County Jail
The Justice Department today filed a complaint and proposed consent decree with Cumberland County, New Jersey and the Cumberland County Department of Corrections to resolve allegations that conditions at the Cumberland County Jail violate the Constitution.

The proposed consent decree resolves the department’s claims that the jail fails to provide adequate mental health care to incarcerated individuals at risk of self-harm and suicide, and fails to provide medication-assisted treatment, where clinically indicated, to incarcerated individuals experiencing unmedicated opiate withdrawal. The proposed consent decree requires the jail to provide adequate mental health care and medication-assisted treatment in those circumstances.

“The Justice Depar..

Remarks as Delivered

Good morning. Please be seated. Thank you.

Today, we recognize a group of heroes deserving of our nation’s highest award for public service officers: the Medal of Valor.

These extraordinary individuals were nominated by public safety leaders from across the country because of their acts of bravery and heroism in 2021 and 2022.

I am grateful to the Justice Department’s Medal of Valor Review Board, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and Office of Justice Programs for their review and recommendations of this year’s recipients.

And I am honored to be here alongside President Biden as he confers these awards.

The nine individuals we recognize today have demonstrated “extraordinary valor above and beyond the call of duty” while acting to save or protect another person’s life.

They have acted with great courage, and at great risk to themselves.

They have shown uncommon decisiveness and presence of mind.

Two of them made the ultimate sacrifice – giving their lives in..

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Federal Court Permanently Shuts Down New York Tax Preparer
A federal court in the Eastern District of New York has permanently enjoined a tax return preparer and her Brooklyn-based business from preparing federal tax returns for others and from owning, operating, or working for any tax return preparation business in the future.

The civil complaint filed in the case alleged that Melida Portorreal, through her tax return preparation company, International Travel Multi & Tax Corp., prepared fraudulent federal income tax returns for others. According to the complaint, Portorreal prepared and filed fraudulent federal tax returns for others that included the following schemes:

reporting false filing statuses, including, in at least one instance, using one customer’s name and social security number to qualify another customer for Head of Household filing status without either customer’s knowledge or consent;
fabricating erroneous itemized d..