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MILITIA EXTREMIST SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON FOR TAKE OVER PLOT

No Author — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:13:00 EST

KNOXVILLE�On Tuesday, May 15, 2012, former militia member Darren Wesley Huff, 42, of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to serve four years in prison for his conviction of transporting firearms across state lines with the intent to cause a civil disorder.

Huff intended to arrest public officials pursuant to �citizens arrest warrants,� which were directed at numerous local, state, and federal public officials, including sheriffs, police chiefs, and President Obama. The citizens arrest warrants Huff attempted to execute listed the public officials as �Declared Domestic Enemies� and cited them for treason. On April 20, 2010, Huff traveled from his residence in Dallas, Georgia to Madisonville, Tennessee with the stated intent of �taking over� the courthouse in Monroe County and arresting the public officials for treason. The treasonous acts Huff alleged stemmed primarily from the refusal of the Monroe County grand jury to indict President Obama, who Huff claimed was not the legitimate president of the United States.

EXECUTIVES AT DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY ADMIT ROLES IN $10 MILLION FRAUD SCHEME AND TO DEFRAUDING TARP BANK

No Author — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:02:00 EST

WASHINGTON, DC - The Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein today announced that Richard Pinto, 68, of Wellington, Fla., and Peter Pinto, 37, of East Quogue, N.Y., each pleaded guilty late Friday, May 11, before United States District Judge Stefan Underhill in Bridgeport to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering and to one count of wire fraud stemming from a $10 million fraud scheme they executed while executives at Oxford Collection Agency.

�No one was safe from these predators,� said Christy Romero, Special Inspector General at SIGTARP. �The Pintos defrauded clients, investors, and TARP recipient Webster Bank in a $10 million scheme in which they collected debts on behalf of clients, concealed what they truly owed those clients in return for their work, and used Webster Bank to fund their fraud. Individuals committing fraud against TARP banks will be held accountable and brought to justice by SIGTARP and our law enforcement partners.�

JAPANESE CITIZEN SENTENCED IN LOS ANGELES TO 17 YEARS IN PRISON FOR PARTICIPATING IN INTERNATIONAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY RING

No Author — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:50:00 EST

WASHINGTON � A Japanese citizen was sentenced yesterday in Los Angeles to 17 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for conspiracy to advertise child pornography, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California and Assistant Director in Charge Steve Martinez of the FBI�s Los Angeles Field Office announced today.

Futoshi Tachino, a Japanese citizen most recently residing in Winnipeg, Canada, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips. In March 2011, Tachino, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography. Tachino was arrested in Chicago in July 2009.

The sentencing is the result of an international investigation into the �Lost Boy� online bulletin board. The Lost Boy bulletin board, according to court documents and proceedings, was dedicated to men who have a sexual interest in young boys and was established to provide a forum to trade child pornography.

FORMER NEW YORK STATE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CONVICTED OF STEALING FROM NON-PROFIT MEDICAL CLINICS

No Author — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:37:00 EST

Monday, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, returned guilty verdicts against Pedro Espada, Jr. (Espada), on four counts of stealing from non-profit medical clinics that received federal funding. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict as to the remaining counts against Espada. Espada is a former New York State Senator for the Bronx and served as the New York State Senate Majority Leader from 2009 to 2010. When sentenced, Espada faces up to 10 years� imprisonment on each count of conviction. The jury deadlocked as to all counts in the indictment against Espada�s son, Pedro Gautier Espada (Gautier Espada), who previously served in the New York State Assembly and the New York City Council.

The guilty verdicts were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office; and Victor Lessoff, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, New York.

TWO ARYAN BROTHERHOOD OF TEXAS GANG MEMBERS SENTENCED FOR RACKETEERING ASSAULT

No Author — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:02:00 EST

WASHINGTON � Two members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) have been sentenced to federal prison for their role in an aggravated assault that took place in Tomball, Texas, in September 2008, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas.

Benjamin Dillon, aka, �Tuff,� 39, was sentenced on May 11, 2012, to 41 months in prison. Justin Northrup, aka, �Ruthless,� 27, was sentenced to 63 months in prison on April 27, 2012.

The defendants, who are both from the greater Houston-area, pleaded guilty to racketeering aggravated assault for their role in an attack against an ABT prospect member. The defendants were sentenced by U.S. District Court Senior Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. in the Southern District of Texas.

NINETEEN-YEAR POLICE VETERAN CONVICTED FOR ROLE IN PROVIDING ARMED SECURITY FOR DRUG TRANSACTION

No Author — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:22:00 EST

WASHINGTON � A 19-year veteran of the Police of Puerto Rico was convicted Monday by a federal jury in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for her role in providing security for a drug transaction, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa E. Rodriguez-Velez of the District of Puerto Rico and Special Agent in Charge Joseph S. Campbell of the FBI�s San Juan Field Office.

Yamil Navedo Ramirez, 39, was convicted of one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug transaction. She was acquitted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.

Navedo Ramirez was charged in a superseding indictment returned on Oct. 28, 2010, along with 88 law enforcement officers in Puerto Rico and 42 other individuals, as part of the FBI undercover operation known as Guard Shack.

IMPORTED KILLERS: ILLEGAL ALIENS IN SANCTUARY CITIES COMMIT MURDER

Jim Kouri — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:41:00 EST

The residents of so-called sanctuary cities in California witnessed the trials of two illegal aliens who viciously murdered several victims in separate incidents, a law enforcement source in California told the Law Enforcement Examiner on Friday.

In two unrelated cases that illustrate the high price communities pay for sanctuary policies, two illegal aliens -- both with extensive criminal records -- were convicted of first-degree murder by juries this week in different parts of a border state that's actually prided itself on protecting illegal aliens, according to a legal watchdog group that investigates and exposes government corruption and criminal activity perpetrated by government officials.

In one case --in the what some call 'The Mother of All Sanctuary Cities' -- a San Francisco a jury found Edwin Ramos, a renowned gang banger, guilty of three first-degree murder counts for the 2008 killings of a 48-year-old man and his two sons. Ramos had a lengthy criminal record at the time he murdered the family, but San Francisco sanctuary laws shielded him from deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

FEDS NAB 80 CRIMINAL ALIENS DURING SOUTHERN DRAGNET

Jim Kouri — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:39:00 EST

During a three-state dragnet in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, federal law enforcement officers arrested 80 convicted criminal aliens on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to a Law Enforcement Examiner source in Washington, D.C.

As a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Operation Cross Check, the 80 illegal aliens -some of whom were gang members -- had prior criminal convictions, and a large number of the criminal aliens taken into custody had prior convictions for serious or violent offenses including aggravated assault, sex crimes with minors, family violence, sexual battery of a minor, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of weapons used in the commission of crimes.

'The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment to public safety,' said Felicia Skinner, Field Office Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations in Atlanta.

NEW MEXICO MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO STOLEN IDENTITY REFUND FRAUD CRIMES

No Author — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:27:00 EST

Douglas Kuester, a tax preparer from Silver City, N.M., pleaded guilty Friday to one count each of filing false claims and aggravated identity theft the Justice Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today. Kuester was indicted on Jan. 18, 2012.

According to the plea agreement, Kuester used stolen identities to file false tax returns which fraudulently claimed refunds. He would direct the fraudulently obtained refunds to various bank accounts and prepaid debit cards, retaining portions of the proceeds for himself.

The case was investigated by Special Agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jason H. Poole and Gregory P. Bailey of the Justice Department�s Tax Division. Tax Division Assistant Attorney General Kathryn Keneally thanked U.S. Attorney Kenneth J. Gonzales and his entire office their assistance in the prosecution.

THREE FORMER FINANCIAL SERVICES EXECUTIVES CONVICTED FOR ROLES IN CONSPIRACIES INVOLVING INVESTMENT CONTRACTS FOR THE PROCEEDS OF MUNICIPAL BONDS

No Author — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:07:00 EST

WASHINGTON�A federal jury in New York City Friday convicted three former financial services executives for their participation in conspiracies related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts, the Department of Justice announced.

Dominick P. Carollo, Steven E. Goldberg, and Peter S. Grimm, all former executives of General Electric Co. (GE) affiliates, were found guilty on all remaining counts of a superseding indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Carollo was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and defraud the United States, Goldberg was found guilty on four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and defraud the United States, and Grimm was found guilty on three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to defraud the United States.

PRINCIPAL OF OFFSHORE BROKERAGE FIRM SENTENCED TO 20 YEARS IN PRISON FOR $7 MILLION STOCK MANIPULATION SCHEME

No Author — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:04:00 EST

WASHINGTON�The principal of a Costa Rican brokerage firm was sentenced Friday in Miami to 20 years in prison for his role in a stock manipulation scheme that defrauded investors in a company called CO2 Technologies, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI�s Washington Field Office.

Jonathan Curshen, 47, the principal of Red Sea Management and Sentry Global Securities, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard W. Goldberg. Red Sea Management and Sentry Global Securities are companies located in San Jose, Costa Rica that provided offshore accounts and facilitated trading in penny stocks.

MAN WHO THREATENED TO KILL PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES PLEADS GUILTY IN MANHATTAN

Jim Kouri — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:49:00 EST

Theodore Shulman, a 51-year old pro-abortion advocate, pled guilty on Friday in a Manhattan, New York, federal courtroom to one count of transmitting a threat to injure another person by posting a blog message threatening to kill two pro-life advocates. Shulman pled guilty before United States District Judge Paul A. Crotty.

FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Office, Janice K. Fedarcyk, stated, �There is a distinction between advocacy of one�s beliefs and making threats against those who disagree. Advocacy is a right protected by the FBI. Making threats is a serious crime.�

MORE THAN $1.5M IN PROCEEDS SEIZED FROM ONLINE SALE OF COUNTERFEIT SPORTS APPAREL MANUFACTURED IN CHINA

No Author — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:57:00 EST

WASHINGTON, D.C. � The Department of Justice seized more than $1.5 million in proceeds from the distribution of counterfeit sports apparel and jerseys, following an investigation into the sale of counterfeit goods on commercial websites conducted by the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), which is led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

The developments are the latest result of Operation In Our Sites, a law enforcement initiative targeting online commercial intellectual property crime announced by HSI in June 2010. Operation In Our Sites targeted online retailers of a diverse array of counterfeit goods, including sports equipment, shoes, handbags, athletic apparel, sunglasses and DVD boxed sets. To date, 761 domain names of websites used in the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods and illegal copyrighted works have been seized as a result of Operation In Our Sites.

THREE FORMER FINANCIAL SERVICES EXECUTIVES CONVICTED FOR ROLES IN CONSPIRACIES INVOLVING INVESTMENT CONTRACTS FOR THE PROCEEDS OF MUNICIPAL BONDS

No Author — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:55:00 EST

WASHINGTON � A federal jury in New York City Friday convicted three former financial services executives for their participation in conspiracies related to bidding for contracts for the investment of municipal bond proceeds and other municipal finance contracts , the Department of Justice announced.

Dominick P. Carollo, Steven E. Goldberg and Peter S. Grimm, all former executives of General Electric Co. (GE) affiliates, were found guilty on all remaining counts of a superseding indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Carollo was found guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and defraud the United States, Goldberg was found guilty on four counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and defraud the United States and Grimm was found guilty on three counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to defraud the United States.

EX-ARMY OFFICERS ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES OF STEALING OVER $2.7 MILLION IN DEFENSE FUNDS

No Author — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:47:00 EST

Officers Allegedly Stole Government Funds While on Military Duty in Saudi Arabia

ATLANTA�Jasen Minter, 41, of Fayetteville, Georgia, was arraigned Tuesday, May 8, before United States Magistrate Linda T. Walker on federal charges of conspiracy and theft of more than $2,700,000 from the U.S. government while serving as an Army captain in Saudi Arabia. Minter is charged in a federal indictment along with Louis E. Nock, 45, of Orlando, Florida, who served as a senior non-commissioned officer with Minter in Saudi Arabia. Nock was arraigned on the same charges yesterday before Judge Walker. Both defendants were released on bond.

United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said of the case, �Military officers carry heightened responsibilities to their fellow servicemen as well as the public, including the duty to be diligent and honest with every taxpayer dollar.

SAN ANTONIO: ATTORNEYS INDICTED FOR BRIBERY AND EXTORTION

No Author — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:45:00 EST

Charges Include Conspiracy, RICO, Bribery, Extortion, and Honest Services Fraud

Western District of Texas United States Attorney Robert Pitman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Armando Fernandez, San Antonio Division, announced the arrests of and a federal grand jury indictment charging Cameron County and District Attorney Armando Villalobos and attorney Eduardo �Eddie� Lucio in connection with a bribery and extortion scheme.

The 12-count indictment, returned this morning by a federal grand jury in Brownsville, Texas, charges the defendants with one count of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act. In addition, Villalobos is charged with seven counts of extortion and three counts of honest services fraud; Lucio, three counts of extortion and two counts of honest services fraud.

MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN MANHATTAN FEDERAL COURT TO ILLEGALLY THREATENING PRO-LIFE ADVOCATES

No Author — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:42:00 EST

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 Thursday that Theodore Shulman, a pro-choice advocate, pled guilty Thursday in Manhattan federal court to one count of transmitting a threat to injure another person by threatening to kill two pro-life advocates. Shulman pled guilty before United States District Judge Paul A. Crotty.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara stated, �As Theodore Shulman now knows the hard way, the freedom to express one�s views in America is not a license to make violent threats. We will prosecute and punish those who choose to make their points through threats of violence rather than persuasion and argument. �

MAYO CLINIC RADIOLOGY TECH PLEADS GUILTY TO SPREADING HEPATITIS C

No Author — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:39:00 EST

JACKSONVILLE, FL�United States Attorney Robert E. O�Neill announced Friday that Steven Beumel (48, Jacksonville) pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product resulting in death, four counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in serious bodily injury, and five counts of stealing Fentanyl by deception. Beumel faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. He was arrested by FBI agents on May 24, 2011 and has remained in custody since his arrest. A sentencing date has not been yet scheduled.

According to court documents, Beumel was a radiology technician at Memorial Hospital from May 1992 through October 2004. He worked as a radiology technician at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville from October 2004 through August 2010. Beumel admitted, in court, that he stole syringes of Fentanyl during patients� procedures and replaced them with syringes of saline contaminated with hepatitis C. Beumel�s tampering occurred from 2006 through 2008 at the Mayo Clinic�s intervetonal radiology unit.

Epidemiologists from the Mayo Clinic, Florida Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) worked for more than three years to solve the hepatitis C outbreak at the Mayo Clinic. It was eventually linked to Beumel. The Mayo Clinic immediately fired Buemel and reported his actions to law enforcement. The clinic tested thousands of patients who were potentially put at risk by Beumel�s actions. Two patients from that testing effort were linked to Beumel.

The first patient discovered to have hepatitis C linked to Beumel was a liver transplant patient who received a new liver in September 2006. During a radiology procedure in November 2006, Beumel took this patient�s Fentanyl and infected him with hepatitis C. The patient battled hepatitis C for almost four years. He died from complications related to hepatitis C, never knowing how he got it.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Food and Drug Administration, the Florida Department of Financial Services, and the Jacksonville Sheriff�s Office�s Homicide Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Talbot.

TWENTY-EIGHT ARRESTED IN ALLEGED HONDURAN-BASED COCAINE TRAFFICKING RING

No Author — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:35:00 EST

ALEXANDRIA, VA�Twenty-eight individuals have been arrested for their alleged roles in a cocaine trafficking ring based in Northern Virginia that uses couriers to regularly import large amounts of cocaine from Honduras hidden in shoes and decorative wooden frames. Members of the trafficking ring have allegedly wired more than $1 million from the United States back to cocaine suppliers in Honduras.

Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI�s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the charges became public.

�Through creativity and coordination, this tight network of Honduran immigrants allegedly distributed vast amounts of cocaine throughout Northern Virginia and across the mid-Atlantic,� said U.S. Attorney MacBride.

STEVEN KENNETH STALEY SCHEDULED FOR EXECUTION

No Author — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:39:00 EST

AUSTIN, TX - Pursuant to a court order entered by the Criminal District Court No. 2 of Tarrant County, Steven Kenneth Staley is scheduled for execution after 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

In 1991, a Tarrant County jury found Steven Kenneth Staley guilty for the robbery-related murder of Robert Read.

FACTS OF THE CRIME

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals described the murder of Mr. Read as follows:

During a four-state crime spree, Tracey Duke, Brenda Rayburn, and [Staley] arrived on October 14, 1989 at a Steak and Ale restaurant in Tarrant County just prior to closing. After dinner and dessert, Duke and [Staley] removed two MAC 11 9-millimeter semiautomatic pistols from Rayburn�s purse.

VICE LORDS GANG MEMBER WHO ESCAPED PRISON AFTER MURDER CONVICTION IN TENNESSEE SENTENCED TO LIFE IN PRISON

No Author — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:24:00 EST

WASHINGTON � Vice Lords gang member Jessie Lobbins was sentenced Thursday in Nashville, Tenn., to life in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Todd J. Campbell, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jerry E. Martin for the Middle District of Tennessee.

On Aug. 23, 2011, Lobbins, 26, aka �Jessie Oliver� and �Trap,� of Memphis, Tenn., along with co-defendants Roger Wayne Battle, 30, aka �T-Wayne,� of Nashville, Tenn., and Gary Eugene Chapman, 32, aka �Wheat,� of Morristown, Tenn., were found guilty by a federal jury in Nashville of numerous violent crimes. To date, six other individuals have pleaded guilty to various crimes related to their involvement in the Vice Lords gang.

Specifically, Lobbins was found guilty on six counts, including for his role in the murder of Brandon Harris, aka �Chicago�; conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering; carrying and using firearms during and in relation to crimes of violence; assault with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury of a federal inmate in aid of racketeering; and tampering with a witness.

TWO STOCK PROMOTERS, A STOCK TRADER AND A SECURITIES LAWYER SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR THEIR ROLES IN A $7 MILLION FRAUDULENT STOCK MANIPULATION SCHEME

No Author — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:22:00 EST

WASHINGTON � Two stock promoters, a securities lawyer and a stock trader associated with a Costa Rican brokerage firm were sentenced Thursday in the Southern District of Florida for their participation in a stock manipulation scheme that defrauded investors in a company called CO2 Technologies, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI�s Washington Field Office.

U.S. District Judge Richard W. Goldberg in Miami sentenced Michael Krome, 50, a securities attorney from New York, to 34 months in prison. Stock promoters Timothy Barham Jr., 44, of Tennessee, and Robert Weidenbaum, 46, of Miami, were sentenced by Judge Goldberg to 30 months and 26 months in prison, respectively. Krome, Barham and Weidenbaum previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit securities fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud.

MEMBER OF THE INTERNET PIRACY GROUP "IMAGiNE" PLEADS GUILTY TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CONSPIRACY

No Author — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:50:00 EST

WASHINGTON � A California man pleaded guilty yesterday to conspiring to willfully reproduce and distribute tens of thousands of infringing copies of copyrighted works without permission, including infringing copies of movies before they were commercially released on DVD, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department�s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride and Special Agent in Charge John P. Torres of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) in Washington, D.C., announced today.

Sean M. Lovelady, 28, of Pomona, Calif., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen in the Eastern District of Virginia. Lovelady faces up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION THOMAS E. PEREZ SPEAKS AT THE MARICOPA COUNTY PRESS CONFERENCE

No Author — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:49:00 EST

Phoenix ~Thursday, May 10, 2012

Today, the Department of Justice did something it has done only once before in the 18-year history of our civil police reform work; we filed a contested lawsuit to stop discriminatory and unconstitutional law enforcement practices. In our police reform work, we have invariably been able to work collaboratively with law enforcement agencies to build better departments and safer communities. Maricopa County, the Maricopa County Sheriff�s Office and Sheriff Arpaio have been a glaring exception. Attempts to forge solutions to address the serious civil rights and public safety concerns have proven elusive.

In June 2008, the Department of Justice began its initial inquiry into allegations that the Maricopa County Sheriff�s Office and Sheriff Joseph Arpaio were violating the constitutional rights of people in Maricopa County.