WASHINGTON – An assistant administrator of a Houston hospital pleaded guilty today for his role in a $116 million Medicare fraud scheme involving false claims for mental health treatment, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  

WASHINGTON –The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that nearly half of the organizations recognized as Energy Star Leaders have improved the energy efficiency of their building portfolios by 20 percent or more. Last year, President Obama announced a nationwide call to action to improve the energy performance in buildings across the nation by 20 percent by 2020. EPA’s Energy Star program has helped these 90 leading organizations achieve the President’s goal by providing them with a proven energy management strategy, which includes a focus on ongoing performance measurement and whole-building improvement. Energy Star Leaders have cumulatively saved more than $150 million on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the electricity use of nearly 95,000 homes.

Marine debris degrades ocean habitats, endangers marine and coastal wildlife, causes navigation hazards, results in economic losses to industry and governments, and threatens human health and safety.

Grants target industries in 28 states that rely on H-1B visa program for skilled workers

CINCINNATI — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced during a conference call with reporters more than $183 million in grants to 43 public-private partnerships serving 28 states through the second round of funding under the H-1B Technical Skills Training Grant Competition. The grants will provide education, training and job placement assistance related to high-growth fields in which employers are currently using the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program to hire foreign workers.

 PRESCOTT, Ariz. (CN) - The company that developed and managed the Grand Canyon Skywalk for the tribe claims the tribe has seized the world-famous tourist attraction without the legal authority or financial wherewithal to do so.
     

Tim Hull

PHOENIX (CN) - The Arizona House on Tuesday approved a bill that would allow public high schools to teach an elective class on "The Bible and Its Influence on Western Culture."

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CN) - A proposed state law would restrict what one may do with a corpse, and ban having sex with it.

WASHINGTON (CN) - Two dozen people suffering from life-threatening Fabry disease say the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services give drug manufacturers carte blanche to create drug shortages that deny them the medicine that keeps them alive.

Peter Gleick, an outspoken water and climate researcher, has admitted that he used a false identity to nab the Heartland Institute documents. Now, the question is, is he a noble whistleblower or an ethically-challenged huckster?

Brian Merchant

As Roman Catholic leaders and government officials clash over the proper role of religion and reproductive health, shifts in health care economics are magnifying the tension. Financially stronger Catholic-sponsored medical centers are increasingly joining with smaller secular hospitals, in some cases limiting access to treatments like contraception, abortion and sterilization.

 
By Reed Abelson

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Bernard Talbert, 37, a citizen of Belize, has been found guilty of attempted illegal re-entry into the United States after deportation, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

HOUSTON (CN) - An illegal immigrant who got more than $100,000 in Social Security benefits by falsely claiming he was unemployed was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.

BOSTON (AP) -- The highest court in Massachusetts has ruled that teenagers who host parties but do not supply alcohol cannot be held liable if one of their guests is hurt.

 (CN) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to decide whether race consideration should play a role in undergraduate admissions at the University of Texas.

DALLAS (CN) - The receiver for Allen Stanford's alleged $7 billion Ponzi scheme claims two Louisiana law firms helped Stanford misappropriate more than $1.8 billion, by giving false opinions to authorities and referring clients to Stanford in exchange for benefits.

Interested parties may submit comments through March 12

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has announced a 14-day extension of the comment period for its proposed rule to provide minimum wage and overtime protections for nearly 2 million workers who provide in-home care services. Currently, workers classified as "companions" are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.

Summer workers repackaged Hershey candies at Palmyra, Pa., facility

PALMYRA, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Exel Inc. for nine — including six willful — workplace safety and health violations at the Eastern Distribution Center III, a facility in Palmyra owned by the Hershey Co. and operated by Exel. Proposed penalties total $283,000. OSHA also has cited the SHS Group LP, doing business as SHS Staffing Solutions, for one violation with a proposed penalty of $5,000.

WASHINGTON – The manager and operator of a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-area halfway house was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud kickback scheme that funneled patients to a fraudulent mental health provider, American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), announced the Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Butler Moultrie, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks in the Southern District of Florida.  In addition to his prison term, Moultrie was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $801,000 in restitution.

Moultrie pleaded guilty in December 2011 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

As part of the Obama Administration's blueprint for an economy built to last, the Energy Department recognized EnerG2 of Albany, which recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new manufacturing facility for electric vehicle battery components.

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (CN) - A Missouri state senator says religious groups should be eligible for state funding to operate schools.

BOSTON (CN) - The Service Employees International Union claims Massachusetts violated the state's "Pacheco Law" by privatizing services in the Department of Mental Health, and laying off more than 100 case managers.

HOUSTON—John Edward Scott, 35, of Houston, has been sentenced to federal prison for his participation with a Harris County sheriff’s deputy in a scheme to steal narcotics, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

Scott pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion in May 2011. Today, U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore sentenced him to 70 months in federal prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

Sold Prescription Drugs Purchased at Discounted Rates to Seller of Diverted Drugs

Michael Schoenwald of Hollywood, Fla., has pleaded guilty before Judge Herman Weber in Cincinnati to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a drug diversion scheme in which he was involved, the Justice Department announced.

The government information alleged that Dr. Schoenwald purchased prescription Lupron, an injectable drug used to treat prostate cancer, at discount rates due to his status as a health care provider.   Governing law prohibited Schoenwald from re-selling the drugs, and his agreement with the manufacturer provided that he would not do so.  

At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court has halted an operation that the FTC alleges collected phantom payday loan “debts” that consumers did not owe.  Consumers received millions of collection calls from India, and that since January 2010 the operation took in more than $5 million from victims, according to the FTC.

(CN) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed that the United States can remove a Japanese couple convicted on corporate tax fraud charges.

(CN) - As election season nears, Montana cannot ban corporate funding of political messages until groups challenging the law appeal the case in Washington, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled.

02/21/12—The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) continues to receive complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. As previously reported in December 2010, the typical payday loan scam involves a caller who claims the victim is delinquent on a payday loan and must make payment to avoid legal consequences.

California companies received $2.8 billion of the $4.9 billion raised by the sector nationwide last year. Massachusetts was a distant second with $465.1 million.

By Ronald D. White

LONG BEACH, Calif. (KTLA) -- Authorities say that a baby that was first reported abandoned at a gas station in Long Beach was not abandoned at all.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2012 – As part of the Obama Administration's "We Can't Wait" efforts to strengthen the economy, create jobs and support business growth, Administration officials announced three significant actions to expand the government's purchase of biobased products, promote regional rural job creation efforts, and develop a rural healthcare workforce, all of which build on the historic investments the Administration has made in rural America over the past three years. Today's announcements are the latest in a series of executive actions the Obama Administration is taking to strengthen the economy and move the country forward because we can't wait for Congress to act.

The agreement reached in Congress yesterday is an important step that will prevent a tax hike on 160 million hardworking Americans who are still recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and continue essential support for millions of unemployed Americans struggling to find jobs.

Cecilia Muñoz

The Judiciary’s Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system, the envy of court systems worldwide for more than a decade, reaches an important milestone in early 2012 as the requirements-gathering phase for its Next Generation concludes.

 PHILADELPHIA (CN) - A former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was not fired because of his age and heart condition but simply because did not do his job, a federal court ruled.

The US and Mexico have agreed to work together to develop deep-water oil and gas fields that straddle their maritime border in the Gulf of Mexico.

The deal was signed at a meeting of the G20 group of industrial and developing countries in Los Cabos, Mexico.

The Seattle cop who threatened to "make stuff up" - fabricate felony robbery charges - after arresting two Seattle men for a misdemeanor, was only "bantering" with them, police now say. His comment was deemed by SPD as merely "inappropriate" since he never actually made up any charges. 

Sen. John McCain told "CBS Evening News" anchor Scott Pelley Monday that it's too late to worry about Iran becoming involved in the unrest in Syria because they're already there, "supplying arms and equipment" to President Bashar Assad.

Alex Sundby

ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- Scientists from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) will convene in Salt Lake City for an international gathering of marine science experts Feb. 20-24.

MANHATTAN (CN) - An international arbitration panel ordered Ecuador to stop its courts from enforcing an $18 billion judgment against Chevron, on the same day a U.S. federal judge put up a new hurdle standing in between indigenous Ecuadoreans seeking to collect award.

Obscenity charges filed over man's X-rated phone pix

FEBRUARY 16--A school bus driver is facing felony charges after allegedly showing pornographic images to teenage students he was transporting, according to Florida police.

Federal and local law enforcement are investigating recent vandalism at places of worship in metro-Detroit, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today.

Joining McQuade in the announcement was Andrew Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Detroit.

Glenn E. Morgan, Jr., 41, of Detroit, was sentenced by United States District Judge Robert H. Cleland to three months’ incarceration followed by two years’ supervised release after pleading guilty to sending a threatening communication through the mail to a Detroit couple, Barbara L. McQuade, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, and Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, announced today. They were joined in the announcement by Andrew Arena, Special Agent In Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Detroit, Michigan.

This three-day weekend seems like an apropos time to reflect on all the many recent advances in legal recognition for same-sex couples. Here is a break-down of where things stand in each of the states we’ve been following this year

Zack Ford

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William, J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that David Rubin, 40, of Rochester, N.Y., pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography before United States District Judge David G. Larimer. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both.

PROVIDENCE, RI—David Crisostomi, 36, of East Providence, R.I., was ordered detained by U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond today on federal charges of manufacturing, possessing, and distributing child pornography, it was announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; and Richard DesLauriers, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office.

WASHINGTON—Kenneth Michael Drew, 42, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Drew pled guilty before the Honorable Robert L. Wilkins in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia. Under terms of the plea agreement, subject to the court’s approval, Drew would face a sentence of 78 to 84 months in prison. He is to be sentenced April 30, 2012.

NEW BERN—United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that in federal court yesterday MATTHEW BRYAN WARFORD, 21, pled guilty before United States Magistrate Judge David W. Daniel to transportation of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(2).

CHICAGO—A former west suburban man was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for producing and transporting child pornography, federal law enforcement officials announced today. David Vernon Tank, 49, formerly of Wheaton, Roselle, and Bloomingdale, a registered sex offender in Illinois with a prior federal conviction for sex crimes against children, was sentenced yesterday to 35 years in prison.

MIAMI—Lavont Flanders Jr., 41, of Miami Gardens, Fla., and Emerson Callum, 45, of Miami, were both sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore to 12 consecutive terms of life in prison on sex trafficking charges, announced Wifredo A. Ferrer, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Miami office; and Keith F. Dunn, Chief, Miramar, Fla., Police Department.

ALBUQUERQUE—This morning, a federal judge in Albuquerque sentenced Aero Nez, 23, of Shiprock, N.M., to 18 months of imprisonment for his federal assault conviction. Nez, a member of the Navajo Nation, will serve three years on supervised release after completing his prison sentence. He also was ordered to pay $6,654 in restitution.

Nez was arrested on a criminal complaint filed on May 13, 2011, and subsequently was charged in a four-count indictment alleging (1) abuse of a child under the age of 18; (2) assault resulting in serious bodily injury; (3) robbery; and (4) theft.

Private property rights advocates rallied Friday in Austin in support of a Northeast Texas landowner who was in court in Paris to defend the taking of her land by pipeline company TransCanada Corp.

The Calgary-based TransCanada is in the process of trying to secure land in East Texas through the use of eminent domain to possibly run pipeline that would bring Canadian crude to the Texas Gulf Coast through the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

By Tim Eaton

Former Houston city councilman and conservative radio talk show host Michael Berry is being accused of crashing his vehicle into another car and leaving the scene outside a Montrose bar last month.

By Anita Hassan and James Pinkerton

NEWARK, NJ—Rasheed Mustapha arrived in the United States yesterday following his extradition from Nigeria to face charges that he conspired to steal money from 401(k) accounts, steal the identities of the account holders, and launder the proceeds of the scheme, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Mustapha, 35, is expected to appear this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden in Newark federal court to face a 36-count superseding indictment charging him with conspiracies to commit mail fraud and money laundering, theft from a 401(k) plan, and aggravated identity theft.

NEWARK, NJ—Two Brooklyn, N.Y., men were sentenced today for conspiring with each other and others in a mortgage fraud scheme that falsely promised to help homeowners facing foreclosure keep their homes and repair their damaged credit, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Phil A. Simon, 35, and Garth Celestine, 46, were sentenced to 66 months and 36 months in prison, respectively. Both defendants previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Cavanaugh also imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.

Last October, after a joint FBI-Ft. Lauderdale Police Department investigation, 13 individuals from a Florida timeshare resale company were charged in federal court in Miami in a massive telemarketing scheme to defraud timeshare owners who were trying to sell. The Federal Trade Commission then filed a complaint against the defendants’ company—Timeshare Mega Media—to shut down its operations, which had allegedly bilked millions from owners across the country.

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Timothy L. Kosier, 45, Town of Beloit, Wis., pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Madison to stealing and converting to his own use funds belonging to the City of Beloit.

U.S. District Judge William M. Conley scheduled sentencing for May 9, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Kosier faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and restitution to the City of Beloit, in an amount that will be determined prior to sentencing.

With the help of a $285,933 DHS grant, local police in Keene, New Hampshire were all set to purchase a new armored vehicle until local residents got wind of the plan; the citizens of the quiet New Hampshire town of 23,000, which has only seen two murders since 1999, questioned why police needed such an expensive military-type truck and balked at the militarization of a local force; with federal counterterrorism money continuing to pour into local communities, lawmakers and residents across the country will have to grapple with the same issues as Keene and determine what kind of police force they want to have patrolling the streets

(CN) - Iowa cannot make it illegal for Amish drivers to use steel wheels on their tractors, the state Supreme Court ruled.

MANHATTAN (CN) - Federal prosecutors accused three insurance agents of running a "massive fraud" involving more than $100 million in stranger-owned life insurance policies issued through straw buyers.

The report is based on the work of Carmen Reinhart and Ken Rogoff, two economists often cited by Republican Obama critic, Congressman Paul Ryan.

(Reuters) - A Rhode Island school board voted on Thursday to comply with a federal court order to remove a prayer banner that has been displayed in a public high school for nearly a half century, saying the cash-strapped district cannot face a costly appeal.

By Mary Ellen Godin

Drug Organization Operated in Baltimore City and Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties; Processed and Sold Heroin Near a Charter School in Baltimore

BALTIMORE—U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz sentenced Christian Devlon Gettis a/k/a “Cutty Rock,” “C,” and “Chris,” age 39, of Baltimore, the leader of a heroin distribution organization, today to 16 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin.

Judge Motz sentenced co-defendant and heroin supplier Charles C. Guy, a/k/a “Captain,” “Beloved,” “B,” “Billy,” “Billy Guy,” “Gary Peterson,” and Damon Lamont Hackett,” age 43, of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, to 17 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release.

WASHINGTON—A 29 year-old man residing in Alexandria, Va., was arrested today for allegedly attempting to detonate a bomb in a suicide attack on the U.S. Capitol building as part of what he intended to be a terrorist operation.

The charges were announced by Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office.

HOUSTON (CN) - A Harris County jury awarded $20 million to a woman who was raped in her apartment, which had not told residents about previous sexual assaults there.

The IC3 has recently received over 250 complaints reporting a new twist to the online employment scam. The scam involves individuals who responded to online ads or were contacted via e-mail as a result of their resume being posted on job websites. The perpetrator posed as a research company and requested participants to complete a paid survey regarding services provided at wire transfer locations to improve the effectiveness of the company's money-transfer services.

WASHINGTON – Jeng “Jay” Shih, 54, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced today in the District of Columbia to 18 months in prison, while his Queens, N.Y., company, Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corporation, was sentenced to 24 months corporate probation for conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates (UAE).   Both Shih and his company were also sentenced to forfeiture in the amount of $1.25 million, for which they are jointly liable.

Mitchell F. Deutsch, 55, of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, was charged today by indictment with making false statements on loan and credit applications, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.

BIRMINGHAM—A federal judge today sentenced a West Alabama man to 21 months in prison for fraudulently claiming disaster benefits following the April 27 tornadoes in Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Maley, and James E. Ward, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General.

U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced ROBERT LEE SPIRES, 47, on two counts of attempted wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Federal Emergency Management Agency of disaster-related benefits. Judge Coogler ordered Spires to pay FEMA $1,585 in restitution. A federal grand jury indicted Spires on the wire fraud charges in September. He pleaded guilty to the charges in November.

 WASHINGTON (CN) - Former U.S Department of Agriculture official Shirley Sherrod's lawsuit against right-wing blogger Andrew Breitbart survived a motion to dismiss, clearing the way for her to pursue the high-profile defamation suit she filed against him and a colleague last year.

El Paso, TX – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the El Paso port of entry seized 130 pounds of marijuana in one seizure Tuesday. Three El Paso siblings who were in the vehicle in which the drugs were discovered drugs were taken into custody.

$70 Million Penalty Is Largest Under the Clean Water Act; Moex Also to Perform Gulf Conservation Projects Worth at Least $20 Million

WASHINGTON – MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC has agreed to settle its liability in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in a settlement with the United States valued at $90 million, announced the Department of Justice, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today.  Approximately $45 million of the $90 million settlement is going directly to the Gulf in the form of penalties or expedited environmental projects.

Watson’s business entities ordered to pay disgorgement of $21 million, and Texas resident Daniel J. Petroski ordered to pay more than $550,000 for his role in the scheme
In a related criminal matter, Watson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on February 10, 2012

Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that it obtained federal court consent orders resolving its remaining claims against defendants Robert D. Watson and Daniel J. Petroski, both of Houston, Texas, PrivateFX Global One Ltd., SA, and 36 Holdings Ltd. Global One, a corporation formed in Panama, and 36 Holdings are under the control of a court-appointed receiver, Thomas L. Taylor III.

United States Attorney Robert Pitman; Federal Bureau of Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Clancy; Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations Resident Agent in Charge Jerry Robinette; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Assistant Special Agent in Charge Crisanto Perez announced that four individuals have been detained without bond after being arrested earlier this month in connection with a firearm straw purchasing and smuggling investigation based in San Antonio and Eagle Pass, Texas.

CHICAGO (CN) - A federal judge handed a setback to Michael Jordan, who claimed the Jewel and Supervalu supermarket chain violated his trademark in an issue of Sports Illustrated.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CN) - A condo owner claims his homeowners association "repeatedly harassed, fined, and ... tormented" him for putting two little American flags in flower pots outside his door.

Defendant Allegedly Passed Inside Information to His Hedge Fund Clients

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Janice K. Fedarcyk, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced conspiracy and securities fraud charges against JOHN KINNUCAN, the President of Broadband Research, LLC, an investment research firm located in Portland, Oregon, for his alleged involvement in an insider trading scheme. KINNUCAN allegedly obtained material, non-public information (“Inside Information”) about publicly traded companies and sold that information to Broadband’s clients, including hedge funds and money managers (the “BBR Clients”). KINNUCAN understood that the Clients used such Inside Information to execute profitable securities trades. KINNUCAN was arrested late yesterday at his residence in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to be presented before Magistrate Judge John V. Acosta in the District of Oregon at 1:30 p.m. PST.

Conspiracy Involved Approximately 54 Fraudulent Residential Loan Closings Resulting in Funding Approximately $20.5 Million in Fraudulent Loans

DALLAS—Following a nearly five-week jury trial, before U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis, four co-defendants in a mortgage fraud scheme run by former Dallas Cowboy Eugene J. Lockhart and co-defendant William Randolph Tisdale were convicted today on all counts of a superseding indictment charging them with various offenses related to a mortgage fraud scheme in which they participated in the Dallas area from approximately 2002 to 2005. Judge Solis declared a mistrial for defendant Suzette Switzer Hinds, 46, of Dallas, as the jury could not reach a verdict on her. The remaining defendants charged in the case have pleaded guilty. Today’s announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.

BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Michael Corchado-Jamieson, 20, of Buffalo, New York, who was convicted on October 21, 2011 of two counts of murder in aid of racketeering in connection with the April 17, 2006 shooting deaths of Darinell Young and Brandon MacDonald, and two counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering in connection with shootings on April 26, 2006 and June 4, 2008, was sentenced yesterday to a term of 30 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the case, stated that the defendant had been a member of the 10th Street Gang when he participated in theses shootings.

RICHMOND, VA—Israel Cruz Millan, 26, of Raleigh, N.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison, after having pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering conspiracy; conspiring to possess, produce, and transfer false identification documents; and conspiring to engage in money laundering. Further, the defendant is illegally within the United States and will be deported following the service of his prison sentence. Cruz Millan managed all operations in the United States overseeing 19 cells in 11 states, including three cells in Virginia.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John P. Torres, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer.

In his new syndicated column headlined "The New Blacklist," Pat Buchanan announces that he is departing from MSNBC. He devotes much of the column to lashing out against organizations that have called for him to be held accountable for his bigoted rhetoric:

by Todd Gregory

First-time claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to their lowest level in four years -- another sign that the economy is picking up steam.

By Zachary Roth

SAVANNAH, Ga. (CN) - A married couple sued Savannah to save the life of their dog, Oreo, which they say the city seized for biting a little girl who trespassed and "teased and tormented" the dog by playing with his food bowl in front of him.

(CN) - The nation's largest private prison company's "negligence, recklessness, and flagrant failure to protect" an inmate allowed other prisoners to stab him 140 times, killing him, the dead man's family claims in Hawaii state court.

CHICAGO (CN) - Six puppy owners claim in a class action that the Happiness Is Pets chain store misrepresents that its puppies come from small-scale breeders, though they actually come from "some of the most despicable and horrendous puppy mills in the Midwest."

GALVESTON, Texas (CN) - A nonprofit claims Texas is denying minorities the right to register to vote, and using an illegal section of the Texas Election Code to block the group from seeing rejected voter registration applications.

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on February 15, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, THOMAS RAY CROSSGUNS, a 27-year-old resident of Browning and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe, pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sentencing has been set for June 4, 2012. He is currently detained.

Defendant, Posing as a Certified Financial Planner, Received More Than $2 Million from Victims

FORT WORTH, TX—Eric Matthew Dickey, 47, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means to 151 months in federal prison following his guilty plea in October 2011 to one count of mail fraud stemming from an investment fraud scheme he ran, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. In addition, Judge Means ordered that Dickey pay $1,247,238 in restitution to the victims of his crime. Dickey, a Fort Worth resident, has been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2011.

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on February 15, 2012, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, BEAUMONT PAUL STEWART, a 43-year-old resident of Crow Agency and an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe of Indians, pled guilty to sexual abuse. Sentencing has been set for May 17, 2012. He is currently detained.

The fact of Yucca Mountain still standing empty of nuclear waste is a testament to the need for a new approach to siting permanent nuclear waste disposal factories, said a co-chair of a blue ribbon commission chartered to examine radioactive waste policy.

In the media storm surrounding TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline, news outlets have largely focused on the employment impacts of the project, often parroting discredited industry statistics in the process. But jobs are only a part of the story.

by Jill Fitzsimmons & Emilee Pierce

BALTIMORE—William Allen Darden, age 44, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bank fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain over $1.399 million from a Baltimore Housing Authority (BHA) bank account in just a few months.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Eighteen Individuals Indicted on Federal Drug Charges After Collaborative Investigation

TERRE HAUTE—Joseph H. Hogsett, United States Attorney, announced today the indictment of 18 individuals in a federal sting on an alleged statewide methamphetamine operation. All of the defendants are charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distributing methamphetamine.

WASHINGTON—Two Houston-area nurses and two of their co-conspirators have been sentenced in Houston for their participation in a $5.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, announced the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Service (HHS).

SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - San Francisco blames the U.S. Department of Transportation and the federal agency that oversees natural pipeline safety for the pipeline explosion in San Bruno that killed eight people in 2010 and set a neighborhood ablaze.

 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (CN) - One of two employees who sued a county jail director for "outrageous" sexual harassment claims in Federal Court that he forced her to give him oral sex and she had to bite his penis to escape.

NEW ORLEANS—REGINALD R. HARPER, age 58, a resident of Hammond, Louisiana, and TROY A. FOUQUET, age 43, a resident of Covington, Louisiana, were charged today in a one count bill of information for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to court documents, in approximately 2004, HARPER, the former president and chief executive officer of First Community Bank, a bank located in Hammond, Louisiana, loaned in excess of $2 million to FOUQUET, a real estate developer, or one of a number of companies FOUQUET owned. The purpose of the loans were to purchase parcels of real estate; develop them into subdivisions; and built houses on them, eventually to be bought by prospective home buyers who would obtain permanent mortgages to finance the purchase. The permanent mortgages would also include monies to pay back FOUQUET who, in turn, would pay back the original loans made by HARPER on behalf of First Community Bank.

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARCO VENEZIA, a former New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officer, and DAVID KANWISHER, a corrections officer in New Jersey, each pled guilty today to participating in a scheme to illegally transport firearms, including M-16 rifles and handguns, and stolen goods across state lines. VENEZIA pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein, and KANWISHER pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Katherine B. Forrest.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “As law enforcement officers, Marco Venezia and David Kanwisher were supposed to uphold the law, not break it. They betrayed their duties in order to make a quick profit, and now they will pay for their crimes.”

OKLAHOMA CITY—JOHN KENNETH CALDERON BASTO (a/k/a Tribal x MoDzz), 22, of Long Beach, California, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Robin J. Cauthron to serve 12 years in prison for causing the distribution of child pornography of a 10-year-old Oklahoma boy, announced Sanford C. Coats, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

DETROIT (AP) — An undercover informant was paid about $31,000 in cash for his critical role in an investigation that led to charges against members of a Midwest militia accused of plotting rebellion against the U.S., an FBI agent testified Tuesday.

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that U.S. District Judge John E. Steele today sentenced Eddy Luis Jose Estrella (26, Fort Myers) to 36½ years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery affecting commerce, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, distribution of Oxycodone, and using and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and a crime of violence. The court also ordered Estrella to forfeit firearms and ammunition used in the offenses.

Stanley Wardle of Spanish Fork, Utah, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City with nine counts of filing false claims for income tax refunds, the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. According to the indictment, Wardle prepared one such false claim on his own behalf, through an individual income tax return for 2008, and prepared eight other such false claims on behalf of others.   In total Wardle sought false federal income tax refunds of $875,218.