News published on Federal Newswire in November 2018

News from November 2018


Cedar Rapids Man Convicted of Carjacking and Robbery While Using a Gun

News Release: A Cedar Rapids man who carjacked an eighteen-year old woman at gunpoint and carried a loaded handgun during the robbery of a Cedar Rapids cell phone store was convicted by a jury on Nov. 27, 2018, after a two-day trial in federal court in Cedar Rapids.


Belmont County man sentenced for drug charge

News Release: WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - Joseph Ivan Burt, of Bridgeport, Ohio, was sentenced today to 27 months incarceration for a drug charge, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.


News Release: Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Dontray Johnson, a/k/a “Gambino," “Bino," and “Tray," age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, on Nov. 27, 2018, to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for racketeering and drug conspiracies related...



News Release: Tampa, FL - U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore today sentenced Equanzick Howell a/k/a “Pookie," “Big Pook," and “Pook Pook" (31, Tampa) to 11 years and 2 months in federal prison for theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. Howell had pleaded guilty on Aug. 16, 2018.


National Park Service releases proposal to improve safety at Memorial Circle, invites public feedback

News Release: McLean, Va. - The National Park Service (NPS) wants to hear your thoughts on proposals to make Memorial Circle-on the George Washington Memorial Parkway-safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. Changes are intended to lower transportation risks while protecting Memorial Circle’s historic character. The comment period is open through Dec. 29, 2018.


News Release: PITTSBURGH, PA - A Butler County resident has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges relating to theft of Social Security funds, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady announced today.


Iowa Man Sentenced for Cyberstalking and Failure to Pay Child Support

News Release: United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Council Bluffs, Iowa, man convicted of Cyberstalking and Failure to Pay Legal Child Support was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.


USDA Announces Investments in Rural Community Facilities That Will Benefit More Than 761,000 Americans

News Release: WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2018 – Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $291 million to build or improve community infrastructure and essential services for 761,000 residents in 18 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.


News Release: A federal grand jury returned an indictment unsealed today in Newark, New Jersey charging Faramarz Shahi Savandi, 34, and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri, 27, both of Iran, in a 34-month-long international computer hacking and extortion scheme involving the deployment of sophisticated ransomware, announced ...


News Release: The U.S. Department of Justice today announced the opening of the grant solicitation period for comprehensive funding to Indian Country to support crime prevention, victim services, and coordinated community responses to violence against native women.


News Release: The Justice Department today announced that former Richwood Correctional Center officer Demario Shaffer pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to cover up the physical assault of five inmates by himself and other correctional officers in violation of the Constitutional ...


News Release: A Rogersville, Tennessee, resident was sentenced to 30 months in prison today for filing a fraudulent multi-million dollar lien against a government employee and filing a false claim for a tax refund, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s ...


News Release: The former vice president of a now-bankrupt public air charter operator was sentenced to 94 months in prison today for her role in a scheme to steal millions of dollars in passenger money for future travel from an escrow account, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Regional Special Agent in Charge Douglas Shoemaker of the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General’s (DOT-OIG).


News Release: The former president and CEO of MRI International Inc. (MRI), a purported investment company and medical collections business located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Tokyo, Japan, was convicted yesterday for his role in a $1.5 billion Ponzi scheme.


Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement action with MyBank

News Release: The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced the execution of the enforcement action listed below: MyBank, Belen, New Mexico Order of Assessment of a Civil Money Penalty, dated Nov. 26, 2018 Search of Federal Reserve enforcement actions.


News Release: Thank you for inviting me to your Forum. Today’s discussion is extremely important to the future course of our country. Global industrial competitiveness continues to be one our greatest and most complex national challenges.


Four Restaurants in Minnesota and Iowa to Pay $831,232 in Back Wages to 113 Employees Following U.S. Department of Labor Investigation

News Release: MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Three restaurants in Minnesota and one in northern Iowa will pay $831,232 in back wages to 113 current and former employees following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Investigators found violations of the minimum wage, overtime, and recordkeeping requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) at the four restaurants.


U.S. Department of Labor Investigation Results in Electrical Contractor Paying $249,278 in Back Wages to 117 Employees

News Release: NEW IBERIA, LA – After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Ernest P. Breaux Electrical LLC – an electrical contractor based in New Iberia, Louisiana – has paid $249,278 in back wages to 117 employees for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime and recordkeeping requirements.


The US Energy Department published a two page notice on Nov. 28, according to the U.S. Government Publishing Office.