Justice Department Releases New Tool to Manage Substance Withdrawals in Jails
The Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), one of six program offices within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), and the National Institute of Corrections(NIC) today announced the release of Guidelines for Managing Substance Withdrawal in Jails: A Tool for Local Government Officials, Jail Administrators, Correctional Officers and Health Care Professionals. This groundbreaking document supports the department’s commitment to increasing access to evidence-based treatment for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD) and those at risk for overdose, including individuals who are incarcerated or reentering their communities.
FACT SHEET: Justice Department Efforts to Protect Reproductive Rights, Health and Justice
In the year since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Justice Department has worked with commitment and urgency to defend the reproductive freedoms that are protected by federal law. In response to the Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the department established the Reproductive Rights Task Force, which formalized the department’s ongoing work to protect reproductive freedoms under federal law.
Nigerian National Sentenced to 82 Months in Prison for International Scheme That Defrauded Elderly U.S. Victims
A Nigerian national, who was previously extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom, was sentenced to 82 months in prison on June 21, 2023 for his role in a transnational inheritance fraud scheme.
Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr.’s Trip to Colombia
From June 20 to 23, Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to meet with Colombian counterparts, law enforcement partners, and Criminal Division personnel assigned to U.S. Embassy Bogotá to discuss law enforcement efforts between the two countries and advance the bilateral relationship with Colombia.
Justice Department Announces Charges Against China-Based Chemical Manufacturing Companies and Arrests of Executives in Fentanyl Manufacturing
The Justice Department today announced the arrest of two individuals and the unsealing of three indictments in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York charging China-based companies and their employees with crimes related to fentanyl production, distribution, and sales resulting from precursor chemicals. These indictments represent the first prosecutions to charge China-based chemical manufacturing companies and nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for trafficking fentanyl precursor chemicals into the United States Specifically, the indictments allege the defendants knowingly manufactured, marketed, sold, and supplied precursor chemicals for fentanyl production in the United States in violation of federal law.
Justice Department Secures Agreement with San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Improve Public Sidewalk Accessibility for People with Disabilities
The Justice Department today filed a proposed stipulated order that will require the Municipality of San Juan, Puerto Rico, to take critical steps towards making its public sidewalk system accessible to individuals with disabilities. The proposed order was filed jointly with the municipality and private plaintiffs and pauses the department’s lawsuit against the municipality while requiring it to conduct a comprehensive assessment of sidewalk accessibility and to begin fixing accessibility barriers. The lawsuit alleges that San Juan has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) by failing to provide people with disabilities equal access to the municipality’s sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks and other pedestrian facilities.
Mobile Health Application Developer Ordered to Modify Business Practices to Protect the Privacy of Consumers’ Personal Information and to Pay $100,000 in Civil Penalties
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), today announced that the government has obtained substantial injunctive relief protecting consumer privacy against Easy Healthcare Corporation (Easy Healthcare), an Illinois corporation located in Burr Ridge, Illinois, pursuant to a stipulated order entered by a federal court today. The department also will collect $100,000 in civil penalties from the defendants, an amount based upon the defendant’s ability to pay.
CEO of Education Company Sentenced for Causing Nearly $105M in Losses to Department of Veterans Affairs
An Idaho man was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit program, in the department’s largest Post-9/11 GI Bill fraud case.
National Enforcement Action Results in 78 Individuals Charged for $2.5B in Health Care Fraud
The Justice Department, together with federal and state law enforcement partners, announced today a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 78 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that included over $2.5 billion in alleged fraud.
Permanent Injunction Imposed on Online Education Platform Company Edmodo, LLC for Alleged Violations of Children’s Privacy Law
The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), today announced that Edmodo, LLC (Edmodo) has agreed to a permanent injunction and a $6 million civil penalty in connection with its online educational platform, as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule), and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The civil penalty is suspended due to Edmodo’s inability to pay.
