United States Joins False Claims Act Lawsuit Against Wheeling Hospital, R & V Associates, and Ronald Violi Based on Improper Payments and Kickbacks to Physicians

An indictment against Joaquin Guzman Lopez and Ovidio Guzman Lopez, charging them with a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana for importation into the United States was unsealed last week. The Guzman Lopez brothers, believed to currently reside in Mexico, are the sons of Joaquin Guzman Loera, aka “El Chapo,” who was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of New York for his role as the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

A previously convicted child pornography offender was sentenced today to 96 months in prison followed by seven years of supervised release for distributing child pornography.

Thank you for that kind introduction, Dean Ruger. It is a great honor to join you here.

The Justice Department today filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against TFT Galveston Portfolio LTD (Galveston Portfolio), the owners of the Seasons Resort, an apartment complex located in Galveston, Texas, as well as against James W. Gartrell Jr., a licensed engineer whose primary place of business is Texas City, Texas. The lawsuit alleges that defendants Galveston Portfolio and Gartrell failed to design and construct an eight-building addition and associated rental office at the Seasons Resort to make them accessible to persons with disabilities in compliance with the Fair Housing Act (FHA) accessibility requirements and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“Those who subvert the competitive process will be held accountable and violations of the nation’s antitrust laws will be taken seriously,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division.  “The Division has prosecuted more than 100 individuals across the country for bid rigging at real estate foreclosure auctions, and we will continue our efforts to prosecute and deter this conduct.”

A Hattiesburg, Mississippi woman pleaded guilty today for her role in a $200 million scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, which is the program that covers U.S. military service members and their families.

A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City, Utah, returned a three count indictment charging Alan D. Covington with violating 18 U.S.C. § 249 for attacking three men with a metal pole because he believed the men were Mexican, announced Eric Dreiband, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; John W. Huber, United States Attorney for the District of  Utah; and Paul Haertel, Special Agent in Charge for the Salt Lake City Field Office of the FBI.

Thank you all so much for being here and participating in today’s discussion. I’d like to echo Director Keith in thanking Brian Dorow from the Department of Homeland Security and Chuck Wexler from the Police Executive Research Forum, and I’d also like to acknowledge Brendan Groves, Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, who provided guidance and expertise on the development of the forum. Thanks, also, to a few other Department of Justice officials for joining us today: Matt Dummermuth, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs; Jon Adler, the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance; and Mark Champoux, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy.