Month: June 2024

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A former Kentucky sheriff’s deputy was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for violating the constitutional rights of multiple people he arrested during his tenure as a law enforcement officer.

Former Boyle County Sheriff’s Deputy Tanner M. Abbott, 31, was convicted by a federal jury in March of five felonies and one misdemeanor related to using excessive force against four arrestees, performing an illegal search and writing and conspiring to write false police reports to cover up his abuse.

“This defendant habitually and routinely abused his authority and used his badge to shield himself from accountability for years,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This sentence should send a loud message that such abuses by law enforcement will not be tolerated. The Justice Department is steadfast in its commitment to hold law enforcement accountable when they violate the civil and constitutional rights of people in their country.”

“Instead of protecting and serving the community, the defendant was physically abusing people — even bragging about the injuries he caused,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “That is not law enforcement; that is brazen criminal conduct. The community deserved better. Fortunately, he now has a criminal sentence that he deserves.”     

At the sentencing hearing, the government presented evidence that the crimes for which Abbott was convicted were part of a larger pattern of abuse of authority spanning his career. An investigator testified that, during its two-year investigation of numerous allegations against Abbott, the FBI discovered evidence that Abbott frequently used excessive force against suspects. This evidence included text messages recovered from Abbott’s work-issued cell phone in which Abbott bragged, sometimes in graphic and vulgar terms, about causing injuries to people he had arrested. The government also presented cell phone evidence showing that Abbott sometimes took photographs of injuries he had caused and sent the photographs to friends and acquaintances, but never included or submitted them in official police documents. Two additional witnesses testified that they had been physically abused by Abbott while being arrested.

The court also found that Abbott obstructed justice during his trial by testifying falsely in his own defense.

The FBI Louisville Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Justice Department filed a civil federal lawsuit today in the Middle District of Florida against five people for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits anyone from using force, threats of force or physical obstruction against any person because they are seeking or providing reproductive health services.

The lawsuit alleges that Calvin Zastrow, Kenneth Scott, Chester Gallagher, Eva Zastrow and Katelyn Sims, also known as Katelyn Velasco, committed violations of the FACE Act in Ft. Myers, Florida, on Jan. 27, 2022. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the defendants trespassed onto a reproductive health center’s property, blocked the entrances and temporarily stopped operations at the center. The complaint seeks injunctive relief and monetary penalties as provided by the FACE Act.

“These five defendants deliberately obstructed access to reproductive health services,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Physically blocking those seeking or providing reproductive health services in order to impose their views is unlawful. The Justice Department will continue enforcing the FACE Act to protect against such obstruction.”

“The Justice Department ensures that individuals cannot pick which laws they wish to follow,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We look forward to continuing to protect the rights of patients and providers to access reproductive health care.”

The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida are handling the case.   

For additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. Those interested in finding out more about the FACE act can visit www.justice.gov/crt/freedom-access-clinic-entrances-places-religious-worship. Past FACE Act cases by the Special Litigation Section can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section-cases-and-matters#face.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement agreement with eTeam Inc. (eTeam), an online staffing agency that provides services to companies throughout the United States and around the world. The agreement resolves the department’s determination that eTeam discriminated against non-U.S. citizens with permission to work in the United States by excluding them from job opportunities based on their citizenship or immigration status, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

“Staffing companies cannot engage in hiring and recruiting practices that unlawfully exclude or deter people with permission to work in the United States because of their citizenship or immigration status,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to hold companies accountable for engaging in practices that create barriers to employment, in violation of our nation’s federal civil rights laws.”

The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER)’s investigation found that during various months in 2021, eTeam regularly distributed job advertisements that contained unlawful hiring restrictions based on citizenship status or otherwise screened out candidates based on their citizenship status. These actions harmed lawful permanent residents and individuals granted asylum or refugee status by deterring them from applying to the job advertisements and failing to meaningfully consider those who did apply.

Under the terms of the settlement, eTeam will pay $232,500 in civil penalties to the United States and set aside $325,000 to compensate affected workers. The agreement also requires eTeam to train its personnel on the INA’s requirements, revise its employment policies and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.

IER is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. Among other things, the statute generally prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing or recruitment or referral for a fee; unfair documentary practices; retaliation and intimidation. 

Find more information on how employers can avoid discrimination in recruiting and hiring on IER’s website. Learn more about IER’s work and how to get assistance through this brief video. 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); sign up for a live webinar or watch an on-demand presentation; email IER@usdoj.gov; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites. Sign up for email updates from IER.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced today that Joseph Pedaline and YLP LLC, who owned and managed residential rental properties in Youngstown, Ohio, have agreed to pay $199,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that they violated the Fair Housing Act. The department’s lawsuit alleged that Joseph Pedaline sexually harassed female tenants from at least 2009 to at least 2020, and that YLP LLC was liable for Pedaline’s conduct during the period in which it owned and managed the properties. 

“No one should ever have to fear sexual harassment when they sign a lease, pay their rent or simply spend time in their home,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Landlords who sexually harass tenants violate the Fair Housing Act, and the Justice Department will continue to hold landlords accountable for this egregious conduct.”

“This consent decree bars Pedaline from ever again having the ability to rent property to others, and thus prevents him from ever again subjecting Ohio tenants to sexual harassment and discrimination in return for a place to live,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “This resolution should serve as a strong reminder to all landlords that they must comply with all aspects of the Fair Housing Act and may not engage in discriminatory behavior that violates the security, safety and wellbeing of their tenants.”

Under the consent decree entered by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Pedaline and YLP LLC must pay $189,000 to former tenants harmed by Pedaline’s discriminatory conduct and must pay a $10,000 civil penalty to the federal government. Pedaline and YLP LLC must also take steps to vacate any adverse judgments and repair the credit of tenants who were evicted after refusing Pedaline’s advances. The consent decree also bars future discrimination, permanently bars Pedaline from managing residential rental properties, mandates Fair Housing Act training and requires reporting regarding compliance with the consent decree’s terms.

The department’s lawsuit alleged that Joseph Pedaline subjected multiple female tenants to sexual harassment. According to the complaint, Pedaline subjected tenants to unwelcome sexual comments, entered the homes of female tenants without their consent, touched female tenants without their consent, offered to excuse late or unpaid rent in exchange for sexual acts and took adverse housing-related actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances. The department’s complaint also alleged that YLP LLC was liable for Pedaline’s discriminatory conduct while it owned and managed the rental properties.

Individuals who may have been victims of sexual harassment at rental dwellings owned or managed by Joseph Pedaline or YLP LLC can email Youngstown.Community@usdoj.gov or call 1-833-591-0291 (press 1 for English, press 2 for sexual harassment and then press 01 for United States v. Joseph Pedaline to leave a message).

If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, email the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

Reports may also may be made by contacting the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the department has filed 42 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered nearly $17 million for victims of such harassment.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division announced that Anderson Lee Aldrich, 24, formerly of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to 74 hate crimes and firearms charges related to the Nov. 19, 2022, mass shooting at Club Q, an LGBTQI+ establishment in Colorado Springs.

Related:

Former Colorado Resident Sentenced to Life in Prison for Federal Hate Crimes and Firearm Offenses Related to Mass Shooting at Club Q

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke Delivers Remarks Announcing Former Colorado Resident Sentenced to Life in Prison for Federal Hate Crimes and Firearm Offenses Related to Mass Shooting at Club Q