News and reports from the Department of Justice.

The U.S. Justice Department has initiated legal proceedings against the State of Iowa, challenging Senate File 2340 (SF 2340) under the Supremacy Clause and Foreign Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution assigns the federal government with the responsibility to regulate immigration and manage international borders. Congress, exercising this authority, has established a comprehensive immigration framework that governs noncitizens' entry into and removal from the United States. The Justice Department argues that SF 2340 is preempted by federal law and...

An indictment was unsealed today, charging Kerontrez Lamar Kenon, a former correctional officer at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Tallahassee, with sexual acts involving an inmate in federal custody. The indictment alleges that between June and August 2023, Kenon, 22, of Midway, Florida, engaged in sexual acts with an inmate while employed as a correctional officer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP).

Trevor Bickford, a 20-year-old resident of Wells, Maine, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his attempted murder of U.S. Government officers and employees during a machete attack on New Year's Eve 2022. The attack took place in Times Square and targeted three New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers. Bickford pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on January 11.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco journeyed to San Francisco this week to attend the 2024 RSA Cybersecurity Conference. The trip was part of her effort to highlight the Justice Department's initiatives in combating cybercrime and other persistent and emerging threats to national security, including the misuse of disruptive technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI).

An indictment was unsealed today in the Eastern District of Virginia, charging seven men with racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations (RICO) conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. The charges are related to their alleged involvement in a large-scale gas pump skimming device organization.

A federal grand jury in Memphis, Tennessee returned an eight-count indictment today, charging former Memphis Police Officer Patric J. Ferguson with federal civil rights, kidnapping and weapons offenses related to the fatal shooting of a victim identified as R.H. The indictment also implicates Ferguson and a civilian, Joshua M. Rogers, in federal offenses for allegedly conspiring to cover up the fatal shooting and destroying evidence of the crimes. Additionally, Rogers is charged with being an accessory after the fact for purportedly assisting Ferguson in concealing his crimes.

The Justice Department disclosed today that Hyundai Capital America has consented to pay $333,941 to settle allegations of violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) through the illegal repossession of 26 vehicles owned by servicemembers.

Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Money Laundering and Unlawful Export of Military Data

The United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Health and Human Services have announced an extension to the public comment period for the Request for Information (RFI) on Consolidation in Health Care Markets. The deadline has been moved from May 6 to June 5, granting the public an additional 30 days to submit a response.

Two ship engineers on the oil tanker M/T Kriti Ruby pleaded guilty today to charges related to the concealment of pollution by falsifying records, with the chief engineer also pleading guilty to charges related to the discharge of oily waste into the sea from a commercial vessel near a petroleum terminal in Sewaren, New Jersey.

"A Minnesota man was sentenced today to 108 months in prison for wire fraud and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns."

The Justice Department and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today progress by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) in providing access to basic sanitation services, abating exposure to raw sewage from inadequate onsite wastewater systems, and improving health outcomes for the predominantly Black communities of Lowndes County, Alabama.

Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Marshall Miller delivered remarks at the Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Workers’ Memorial Service on May 7, 2024.

"A Virginia businessman was sentenced to 78 months in prison for evading the payment of employment taxes, filing false tax returns and obstructing the IRS."###

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a complaint under the False Claims Act (FCA) against Study Across the Pond LLC (SATP) and its principal, John Borhaug. SATP, which is organized under the laws of Massachusetts, recruits American students to attend foreign schools in the U.K., as well as other countries. The complaint, filed in the District of Massachusetts, alleges that SATP and Borhaug knowingly caused UK schools to submit false claims to the Department of Education for federal student aid by demanding that the foreign schools enter into arrangements...