News and reports from the Department of Justice.

News Release: MIAMI - Markenzy Lapointe prestó juramento hoy como fiscal federal del distrito sur de Florida ante la jueza presidente del distrito federal de los Estados Unidos, Cecilia M. Altonaga.

News Release: Tampa, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jasmine Weber (28, Tampa) pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery. Weber faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

News Release: The Justice Department announced today that it has reached a key milestone in its settlement agreement with Meta Platforms Inc. (Meta), formerly known as Facebook Inc., requiring Meta to change its advertisement delivery system to prevent discriminatory advertising in violation of the Fair Housing Act ...

News Release: Four California agricultural companies and their owner have agreed to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) by knowingly submitting false information in support of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ...

OVW Fiscal Year 2023 Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program - Solicitation grant opened on Jan. 10.

News Release: Baltimore, Maryland - A federal criminal complaint has been filed charging Tomeka Glenn, age 46, and Kevin Davis, age 42, both of Windsor Mill, Maryland, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, relating to the submission of fraudulent COVID-19 CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster...

News Release: ATLANTA -Aarti D. Pandya, M.D. and Aarti D. Pandya, M.D. P.C. (“Pandya Practice Group") have agreed to pay approximately $1,850,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by, among other things, billing the government for cataract surgeries and diagnostic tests that were not medically necessary, tests that were incomplete or of worthless value, and office visits that did not provide the level of service claimed.

News Release: COLUMBIA, SC-The FBI Columbia field office is once again accepting speaker requests for its elder fraud initiative.

News Release: The Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that they filed a Statement of Interest to explain the Fair Housing Act’s (FHA) application to algorithm-based tenant screening systems. The Statement of Interest was filed in Louis et al. v. SafeRent ...

News Release: EL PASO, TX-On January 4, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Venezuelan national, 22-year-old Agelo Arcila-Cordero, for assaulting a federal officer near Sierra Blanca, Texas.

News Release: Greenbelt, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Arley Ray Johnson, age 63, of Bowie, Maryland, yesterday to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy, wire fraud, and securities fraud charges, in connection with a $28 million Ponzi scheme involving 1st Million, a purported wealth management and financial literacy company. Johnson was convicted on Sept. 29, 2022, after a 10-day trial.

News Release: Former West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Parole Officer Anthony Demetro, 44, pleaded guilty today in federal court in the Southern District of West Virginia to violating the civil rights of a female parolee by sexually assaulting her.

News Release: Tacoma - An unlicensed “investment advisor" from Vancouver, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 75 months in prison for mail fraud in connection with his scheme to defraud investors, including friends and family members, out of more than $4 million, announced U.S. Attorney...

News Release: The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with Youth UpRising, a community organization in Oakland, California, that provides youth services. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that Youth UpRising violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by discriminating against a non-U.S. citizen employee based on citizenship status and retaliating against a second employee who tried to stop the discrimination.

News Release: PHOENIX, Ariz. - Marvin Tona, 48, of Bylas, Arizona, was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2022, by United States District Judge Steven P. Logan to 293 months in prison. Tona pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder.