News and reports from the Department of Justice.

Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer addressed the 2024 Hate Crimes Grantee Conference, organized by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The event brought together grantees of the Justice Department’s hate crime grants, including law enforcement agencies, states, community-based organizations, and national civil rights organizations.

Today, Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer delivered opening remarks at the 2024 Hate Crimes Grantee Conference in Birmingham, Alabama.

Two Ukrainian nationals appeared in court following their extradition from Thailand to the United States. They face charges related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida.

An indictment was unsealed today charging two Ohio men with a bribery scheme involving a municipal prosecutor who allegedly agreed to assist a criminal defendant with his pending cases in exchange for auto repair work.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Visa, alleging monopolistic practices in the debit card market. The announcement was made by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki, who detailed the department's concerns about Visa's dominance in processing debit transactions.

Rachel Rossi, Director of the Office for Access to Justice, delivered opening remarks at the World Affairs Council’s event titled “From Local to Global: Justice Reform & Community Engagement in the United States and Ukraine” on September 24, 2024. The event brought together representatives from Ukraine and Seattle to discuss community prosecution efforts and equal access to justice.

Adam G. Brief has been appointed as the Acting U.S. Trustee for Northern Illinois and Wisconsin, effective September 28. This appointment was announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and the Executive Office for U.S. Trustees today.

A federal court in the Northern District of Illinois has permanently barred Joliet tax return preparer Sir Michael Joseph Davenport and his company, My Unity Tax Financial & Tax Preparation LLC (My Unity Tax), from preparing federal tax returns for others. The injunction also prevents them from owning or operating any tax return preparation businesses in the future. Davenport agreed to this permanent injunction.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri addressed the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) at their 23rd Annual Compliance & Ethics Institute, highlighting the Department of Justice's efforts to hold companies accountable for corporate crime.

James B. Nutter & Company, a former mortgage lender based in Kansas City, Missouri, has agreed to pay $2.4 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989. The company allegedly underwrote Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM) insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that did not meet program eligibility requirements.

Following a nine-day trial, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida has convicted Shannima Yuantrell Session, also known as Shalamar, 47, from Lake Placid, Florida. He was found guilty on 13 charges related to sex trafficking nearly a dozen women and girls. Session compelled some victims to commit commercial sex acts between July 2011 and July 2013, while others were forced into similar acts between February 2016 and February 2019.

Lebanese national Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 60, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to conduct and cause U.S. persons to conduct unlawful transactions with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.

A federal jury in North Carolina convicted a man today for his role in orchestrating a years-long telemarketing scheme that defrauded victims in the United States from a call center in Costa Rica.

The Justice Department convened its quarterly interagency meeting with Jewish community stakeholders yesterday. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland provided remarks, underscoring the department’s commitment to addressing hate crimes. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division outlined relevant enforcement efforts and highlighted actions to prevent and combat discrimination and hate crimes. Assistant Secretary of Education Catherine Lhamon of the Office for Civil Rights also addressed attendees, emphasizing efforts to ensure safe learning...

After five days of trial, a federal jury convicted Richard Bhoolai, 65, of Cincinnati, for failing to pay taxes he withheld from employees’ wages at three restaurants he owned and operated.