News and reports from the Department of Justice.

The Justice Department filed a statement of interest last week in a lawsuit brought in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, alleging that conditions in an Alabama state prison violate the Constitution. The statement emphasizes that, under the Eighth Amendment, prison officials must respond reasonably when they know people in their custody face a substantial risk of serious harm, including harm from other incarcerated individuals.

The Justice Department has reached a settlement in a civil forfeiture case involving a mansion in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles, owned by the family of Gagik Khachatryan, a former government official in the Republic of Armenia.

An Alaska woman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to evading taxes on income she earned from the business she operated.

An indictment was unsealed last week in Boston charging Christy Parker, 26; Alexander Smalls, 25; Cory Primo, 42; Avvani Jeffers, 22; Tre’sean Reid, 21; and Tyreik Reid, 20, with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and other related charges.

On July 5, 2024, Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Elias delivered remarks at the 22nd session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Competition Law and Policy under the auspices of UN Trade and Development. Elias emphasized the importance of international engagement in advancing enforcement practices, noting that while individual nations enforce their own laws independently, they often respond to similar trends in technology and economic structures.

U.S. Trustee Program Director Tara Twomey addressed the National Association of Chapter Thirteen Trustees’ Annual Seminar on July 4, 2024. In her remarks, Twomey emphasized the significance of fresh starts and new beginnings, drawing parallels between the historical context of American independence and the principles underlying bankruptcy law.

An indictment was unsealed today charging Douglas Edelman, a former defense contractor, and Delphine Le Dain, his wife, with a decades-long scheme to defraud the United States and evade taxes on more than $350 million in income. Edelman was arrested on July 3 in Spain based on the U.S. criminal charges. The United States will seek Edelman’s extradition to stand trial in the United States.

Two Missouri men pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring with bankers to willfully fail to implement appropriate anti-money laundering (AML) controls at a Missouri bank, as required by the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA).

A citizen of Belarus and lawful permanent resident of the United States has been indicted for allegedly smuggling goods from the United States into Russia without a license. Kirill Gordei, 34, of Hallandale, Florida, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States; one count of smuggling goods from the United States; and one count of export of a spectrometer, which is a commerce control item. Gordei was arrested on June 30 in Florida and made an initial appearance in the Southern District of Florida today. He will appear in federal court...

The Justice Department announced a settlement agreement today to resolve its investigation into race and disability discrimination in Wichita Public Schools, Kansas' largest school district. Under the settlement, the district will revise practices to prevent discrimination in discipline and referrals of students to law enforcement, end the use of seclusion, reform restraint practices, and improve services to students with disabilities in certain schools and classrooms.

A Rhode Island woman was arraigned today following her indictment on June 17 by a federal grand jury on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy for operating a direct-mail sweepstakes scheme that defrauded seniors and other vulnerable individuals across the country out of more than $10 million.

Douglas Edward Robertson, 56, of Olathe, Kansas, the former vice president of KanRus Trading Company Inc., pleaded guilty today for his role in a years-long conspiracy to circumvent U.S. export laws by filing false export forms with the U.S. government and continuing to sell and export sophisticated and controlled avionics equipment to customers in Russia without the required licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Health care fraud is a crime that impacts every American. It siphons off hard-earned tax dollars meant to provide care for the vulnerable and disabled. When health care providers and executives place greed above patients’ needs, it increases the cost of care for all Americans. Even worse, as the prosecutions announced on Thursday highlight, health care fraud can harm patients and fuel addiction.

The Justice Department issued a statement today from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is in the process of drafting an Environmental Justice Strategic Plan, which will outline the department's vision, goals, and priority actions to advance environmental justice. This initiative follows Executive Order 14096, aimed at revitalizing the nation's commitment to environmental justice for all. Draft goals and objectives for the DOJ's strategic plan are available on the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) website.