Month: June 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today, Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa O. Monaco traveled to Philadelphia to highlight the Department of Justice’s ongoing efforts to combat violent crime and gun violence through strong federal and local law enforcement partnerships and collaboration with community-based organizations.  

DAG Monaco began her day at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with a roundtable meeting of state, local and federal law enforcement leaders to discuss the strong partnerships that Philadelphia area law enforcement are using to tackle violent crime and gun violence. The DAG was joined by leaders from the Justice Department law enforcement components in the area, representatives of the Pennsylvania State Police, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and other representatives of the Philadelphia Police Department and Chief of the Wilmington, Delaware Police Department Robert Tracy. Their conversation focused on the successful intelligence-sharing behind law enforcement’s targeting of the most significant drivers of violent crime in the Greater Philadelphia Area.

The DAG also convened a separate roundtable discussion with community advocates, survivors of gun violence, families who have lost loved ones to gun violence and medical experts to discuss the impact of gun violence on local Philadelphia communities. During the discussion, the DAG heard personal and painful stories from parents whose children were killed by gun violence, who now devote their time to speaking directly with other parents, young adults and children to interrupt the cycle of violence in communities. 

While at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the DAG met with U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero, who was sworn in earlier this week, and office leadership to discuss a variety of issues. The DAG also had a chance to hear from and thank the federal prosecutors of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The DAG then joined the Philadelphia Police Department for a ride-along through several neighborhoods in the city to witness both the impact of drug use and violent crime, as well as community policing strategies and collaborative partnerships to better understand neighborhood trends and needs, rebuild community trust, and target the most significant drivers of violent crime. On the ride-along, the DAG had the chance to meet with several Philadelphia Police Department officers who are working foot and bike patrols through local neighborhoods every day.

In the evening, DAG Monaco returned to Washington, D.C.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

TUCSON, Ariz. – On Tuesday, Sergio Geovany Cruz-Sabillon, 32, of Rio Lindo, Honduras, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins to 96 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Cruz-Sabillon previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico. 

On October 1, 2019, Cruz-Sabillon orchestrated the importation of 13 kilograms (28.6 pounds) of pure methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted and arrested the driver transporting the drugs before she could travel further into the country. 

The evidence showed that Cruz-Sabillon managed and directed this smuggling incident and had encouraged the driver of the narcotics to bring along her young children. Cruz-Sabillon himself had illegally entered the United States a few months before the offense and had set up residence in Tucson, Arizona.   

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation in this case, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Lizano, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER:           CR-22-00286-RCC (EJM)
RELEASE NUMBER:    2022-099_Cruz-Sabillon

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Department of Justice today announced that it signed a settlement agreement with SpringShine Consulting, Inc., an IT staffing company based in California. The settlement resolves claims that SpringShine discriminated against U.S. workers based on their citizenship status when it solicited applications for employment opportunities only from those seeking sponsorship for temporary work visas.

“Employers that discourage applicants based on their citizenship or immigration status, or save certain employment opportunities only for applicants who require sponsorship to work in the United States, violate the law and must be held accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division will ensure that workers are protected from such unlawful discrimination.”

The department opened an investigation after an individual complained about an advertisement that SpringShine posted on a recruiting website inviting applications only from experienced IT consultants who required sponsorship for an employment-based temporary work visa. The advertisement was directed exclusively at workers seeking the company’s H-1B visa sponsorship, with no indication that workers with other citizenship statuses, such as U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, asylees or refugees, would also be considered for an employment opportunity. SpringShine claimed that the advertisement was not associated with an offer of employment, but was a recruiting tool to build a pool of qualified consultants to fill its clients’ anticipated future labor needs. Based on its investigation, however, the department concluded that (1) the company offered to sponsor one of the applicants who responded to the posting, (2) the advertisement reflected SpringShine’s preference for H-1B visa workers to fill its staffing needs, and (3) the posting harmed U.S. workers by unlawfully deterring many of them from applying for consideration. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), employers are not generally allowed to discriminate in recruitment or hiring based on citizenship status. 

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, SpringShine will pay $17,000 in civil penalties to the United States and ensure that its employment advertisements and hiring practices do not include or implement any unlawful preference for applicants with a particular citizenship or immigration status. Additionally, SpringShine will train employees involved in recruitment and hiring on the INA’s anti-discrimination provision. 

The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; and retaliation and intimidation. 

Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. Find more information on how employers can avoid citizenship status discrimination on IER’s website. Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment, or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email IER@usdoj.gov; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Subscribe to GovDelivery to receive updates from IER. View the Spanish translation of this press release here.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment charging military contractors with an alleged fraud scheme involving government contracts totaling over $7 million.

The three-count indictment charges Envistacom LLC, its President Alan Carson and a vice president Valerie Hayes, and the owner of another company, Philip Flores, each with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and two counts of major fraud.

“Collusion and fraud undermine competition in the procurement process to the detriment of U.S. taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Investigating and prosecuting criminal activity remains a top priority for the Department of Justice and all members of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force.”

“The United States relies upon its contractors to be honest and forthright in their dealings,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia. “When they allegedly provide false information to obtain contracts, they harm the American taxpayer and the integrity of the system. We will diligently work to bring such companies and their executives to justice.”

“The indictment of these individuals demonstrates the resolve and dedication of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and our investigative partners in protecting the integrity of the Department of Defense contracting system,” said Special Agent in Charge Cynthia A. Bruce, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Contractors who circumvent the contracting process for their own personal gain will be thoroughly investigated and held accountable for their fraudulent actions.”

“Such alleged activity by government contractors who provide services to the Army will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge L. Scott Moreland of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division’s (Army CID) Major Procurement Fraud Field Office. “We will continue to investigate allegations of this nature and do everything in our power to see that persons responsible are held accountable and brought to justice.”

According to the indictment, from at least September 2014 through at least November 2016, the defendants and others conspired by preparing and procuring purported “competitive quotes” from other companies, which were sham quotes that were intentionally higher than the proposal prices and/or price quotes from Envistacom and Flores’ company to ensure the sole-source awards. The conspirators also concealed that the defendants prepared the independent government cost estimates and other procurement documents for the award of these contracts and made false statements, representations and material omissions to federal government contracting officials regarding these estimates being legitimate independent cost estimates and the sham quotes being “competitive.”

The maximum penalty for conspiracy to defraud the United States is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The maximum penalty for major fraud is 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million, or, if the gross loss to the government or the gross gain to a defendant is $500,000 or greater, a fine of $5 million. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors.

The charges are the result of a federal investigation conducted by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal II Section, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Army CID and DCIS.

Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.

In November 2019, the Department of Justice created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant, and program funding at all levels of government – federal, state and local. To learn more about the PCSF, or to report information on market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct related to defense-related spending, go to https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.