Security News in Brief: Justice Department Settles with Newark Public Schools to Protect English Learner Students

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today the Justice Department announced a settlement agreement with Newark Public Schools to resolve the department’s investigation into the school district’s programs for its English learner students. The agreement ends the district’s longstanding and common practice of removing students from English learner programs before they become fluent in English. The district has agreed to improve services for English learner students so they can access the same educational opportunities as other students in the Newark Public Schools.

Security News in Brief: Justice Department Issues Guidance on Federal Statutes Regarding Redistricting and Methods for Electing Public Officials

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today the U.S. Department of Justice announced the release of a guidance document to ensure state, county, and municipal governments comply with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act concerning redistricting maps and methods of electing governmental bodies following the release of the 2020 Census redistricting data.

Security News in Brief: Justice Department Charges Resident of Ukraine and Files Case to Halt Unauthorized Debits to Consumer Bank Accounts

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department today announced charges against a U.S. citizen residing in Ukraine for his alleged participation in a scheme to deceive banks. In a related case, the department filed a civil complaint and secured a temporary restraining order against a ring of individuals and corporations allegedly responsible for using the scheme to steal funds directly from thousands of consumers’ bank accounts.

Security News in Brief: Justice Department Sues Guam and the Guam Retirement Fund for Denying Servicemembers Proper Pension Credits During Military Service

Source: United States Department of Justice

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed suit against the Territory of Guam and the Guam Retirement Fund (GRF) alleging defendants violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) when they refused to properly provide pension credit to servicemembers who used leave from Guam’s leave-sharing program while on active military duty. As a result, Guam and the GRF shorted the retirement benefits and pension annuities of at least five servicemembers and potentially many more.

Security News in Brief: Laboratory Owner Pleads Guilty to $73 Million Medicare Kickback Scheme

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Florida man pleaded guilty yesterday in the Southern District of Florida for his role in a $73 million conspiracy to defraud Medicare by paying kickbacks to a telemedicine company to arrange for doctors to authorize medically unnecessary genetic testing. The scheme exploited temporary amendments to telehealth restrictions enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic that were intended to ensure access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.