Lisa O. Monaco
U.S. Government: Agencies/Departments/Divisions | Federal Agencies
Recent News About Lisa O. Monaco
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The Pennsylvania State University has agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle allegations of violating the False Claims Act by not adhering to cybersecurity requirements in several contracts with the Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA. The settlement addresses claims that, from 2018 to 2023, Penn State did not implement necessary cybersecurity controls as required by these agencies.
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A Kansas tax preparer, Hophine Bwosinde, has admitted to preparing and filing false income tax returns for his clients. Bwosinde, who ran Ambroseli Professional Services in Lenexa, engaged in this activity from 2018 to 2022.
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The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has introduced a new webpage aimed at assisting voters in states affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton. These natural disasters have caused significant disruptions, displacing thousands of residents, closing essential services, and destroying important personal items such as identification documents.
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A Florida woman has been sentenced to prison for filing false tax returns with the IRS. Yolanda Dewar received a sentence of one year and one day in prison, along with one year of supervised release. She has also been ordered to pay $485,290.03 in restitution to the United States.
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The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed a superseding indictment charging four individuals from Iran with murder-for-hire, money laundering, and sanctions evasion. The charges are against Ruhollah Bazghandi, known as Roohollah Azimi; Fnu Lnu, also known as Haj Taher; Hossein Sedighi; and Seyed Mohammad Forouzan.
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A Pennsylvania man has been charged with threatening to kill a representative of a state political party involved in recruiting poll watchers. The indictment, unsealed today, accuses John Pollard, 62, from Philadelphia, of sending threatening text messages on September 6 to the victim, referred to as Victim 1. The victim had posted online about recruiting volunteers for Election Day and included their phone number.
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A Georgia attorney, Vi Bui, has admitted guilt in a case involving the obstruction of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) through participation in a fraudulent tax scheme. Bui, formerly a partner at Sinnott & Co., was involved from 2012 to 2020 in promoting illegal syndicated conservation easement tax shelters organized by Jack Fisher and others. Fisher and Sinnott were previously convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
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The Justice Department has released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement President Biden's Executive Order 14117, aimed at preventing access to sensitive personal data and U.S. government-related data by countries of concern. This move addresses national security threats posed by efforts from certain nations to exploit Americans' sensitive information.
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Truist Bank has agreed to pay $9,125,000 to the United States to settle allegations related to SunTrust Bank's administration of certain trust accounts. The claims fall under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) and involve actions by SunTrust between December 2011 and December 2015. Truist Bank emerged from the merger of SunTrust with Branch Banking and Trust Company in December 2019.
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The Justice Department has initiated legal action against Rocket Mortgage LLC, Solidifi US Inc., Maverick Appraisal Group Inc., and Maksym Mykhailyna. The lawsuit alleges that these entities discriminated against a Black homeowner by undervaluing her home based on race during an appraisal required for a mortgage refinance application. Additionally, the complaint claims that Rocket Mortgage retaliated by canceling the homeowner's refinance application after she reported the alleged discrimination.
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The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has concluded Operation Nazare Wave, targeting violent crime in Washington, D.C., and the National Capital Region. Conducted by the USMS’ Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) from April to September, the operation led to the arrest of 826 fugitives, including 63 for homicide. Additionally, 54 firearms were recovered and seized, alongside 6.4 kg of narcotics and $1,115,365 in cash.
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A Washington man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for federal civil rights and firearms offenses. Mikey Diamond Starrett, also known as Michael Jason Layes, was involved in four attacks on Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Halls in western Washington. In addition to the prison term, Starrett was ordered to pay $714,608.70 in restitution.
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A Peruvian national, Jose Alejandro Zuñiga Cano, has been sentenced to 98 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $700,000 in restitution for his involvement in a transnational fraud scheme. The scheme targeted over 1,100 Spanish-speaking immigrants in the United States.
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An Alabama resident, Eric Council Jr., was arrested by the FBI in Athens for his alleged involvement in hacking the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) social media account on X, previously known as Twitter. The incident occurred in January when unauthorized control of the SEC’s account led to a false announcement regarding bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds, attributed to SEC Chair Gary Gensler. This misinformation caused bitcoin prices to rise by over $1,000 before plummeting more than $2,000 after the SEC clarified the breach.
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A South Carolina man, Daqua Lameek Ritter, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman. The crime took place in December 2019 in Allendale, South Carolina. On February 24, a jury found Ritter guilty on all charges, which included hate crime, federal firearms violations, and obstruction counts linked to Doe's murder.
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A federal grand jury in Nashville has indicted a former business owner on charges of failing to pay employment taxes to the IRS. The indictment alleges that Mari Alexander, from Columbia, South Carolina, who owned Ross Behavioral Group, did not remit withheld employee taxes to the IRS between 2015 and 2020.
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Director Rachel Rossi delivered a keynote address at the Community Legal Services (CLS) 57th Annual Pro Bono Awards Dinner. In her speech, she expressed gratitude to Executive Director Harvey and Andrea Ortiz, CLS’ Director of Pro Bono Services, for organizing the event. She also acknowledged Roger Handberg, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, for his office's collaboration with CLS.
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The Justice Department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) have reached a settlement with Hilcorp Energy Company regarding violations of the Clean Air Act and New Mexico state law at its oil and gas production sites in New Mexico.
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Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has announced the appointment of Stephanie M. Hinds as the new Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA). In his announcement, Garland praised Hinds, stating, "Stephanie is a superb leader with decades of experience at the Justice Department who will be an outstanding advocate for all 94 of our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country." He highlighted her extensive career and dedication to the department.
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An Ohio resident, Jugoslav Vidic, has been sentenced to three years in prison for immigration fraud. Vidic, 56, of Parma Heights, concealed his past war crime charges in Croatia when applying for U.S. residency. According to court documents, he falsely claimed no legal charges and understated his military service history during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia.