Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement from a St. Louis, Missouri landlord, who has agreed to pay $110,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that he violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) when he sexually harassed multiple female tenants.

Under the agreement, subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nedzad Ukejnovic is required to pay $85,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and $20,000 to compensate the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council for resources it expended responding to the reported harassment. The defendant is also required to pay a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States. 

“Far too often landlords sexually harass and prey on those who are most vulnerable and it is unacceptable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce fair housing laws to hold those who engage in unlawful conduct to account.”

“Multiple tenants complained that Mr. Ukejnovic subjected them to vulgar and disgusting demands for sex, offering to reduce rent or security deposits if they complied,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes allegations like these seriously and seeks to hold all civil rights violators accountable whether civilly or criminally. This agreement not only provides for monetary compensation, but it also prohibits him from contacting these tenants, bars him from his properties when a lease is in effect and requires him to hire an independent property manager to prevent further violations of the civil rights laws. All of these are measures that will help protect current and future tenants.”

“It is abhorrent that a landlord would subject his tenants to sexual harassment and retaliation, robbing them of a safe place to call home,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria L. McCain of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “This settlement sends a strong message that sexual harassment in housing is illegal and that those who violate the Fair Housing Act will be held accountable. HUD applauds today’s action and remains committed to working with DOJ to enforce our nation’s fair housing laws.”

In addition, the consent order requires the defendant to retain an independent property manager to manage his rental properties for the duration of the order, obtain fair housing training and implement non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures to prevent sexual harassment at his properties in the future.

The lawsuit, filed in September 2022, alleged that the defendant subjected multiple female tenants to harassment that included making unwelcome sexual advances, offering to reduce rent or security deposits in exchange for engaging in sex acts, requesting sexually explicit photos, staring at female tenants’ bodies in a sexual way, subjecting female tenants to unwelcome sexual touching, and visiting and entering female tenants’ homes for no legitimate purpose.

The matter was referred to the Justice Department after HUD received two separate complaints alleging that the defendant had violated the Fair Housing Act. The complainants – a former female tenant and the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, a non-profit organization that helped the tenant file a complaint with HUD and engaged in outreach and education efforts following defendant’s harassment of the tenant – chose to have the matter decided in federal court after HUD investigated their complaints and issued a charge of discrimination. Upon receiving the referral the Justice Department investigated further and identified additional female tenants whom the defendant sexually harassed.

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, the department has filed 31 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $10.8 million for victims of such harassment.   

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting people from sexual misconduct. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – John Maurice West, 29, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on June 27, 2022, aboard a Metrorail train and in the 1700 block of 8th Street NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department, and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            West pleaded guilty in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.  Judge Jia M. Cobb scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 8, 2023. 

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 27, 2022, West threatened another man with a gun while aboard a Metrorail train at the Gallery Place–Chinatown Metro Station.  The victim disembarked at the next station and reported the offense.  Surveillance footage revealed that West exited the Metro at the Shaw–Howard University station and ran into the 1700 block of 8th Street NW, in the District’s Shaw neighborhood.  Surveillance footage also depicted West in and around the entryway of an apartment building in that block moments before his arrest.  Police canvassed the area and found a loaded, semi-automatic handgun concealed in a drainage pipe.  Subsequent DNA testing and analysis linked both the handgun and its magazine to West. 

            West was arrested on June 27, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.

            Federal law prohibits West from possessing a firearm because, in 2014, he was convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of possession with intent to distribute cocaine while armed with a firearm.

            West faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Chief Anzallo, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit and Metropolitan Police Departments.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Karla Nunez.

            Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant United States Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Thomas G. Strong, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

The Justice Department announced today that it has secured a settlement from a St. Louis, Missouri landlord, who has agreed to pay $110,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that he violated the Fair Housing Act (FHA) when he sexually harassed multiple female tenants.

Under the agreement, subject to approval by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Nedzad Ukejnovic is required to pay $85,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and $20,000 to compensate the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council for resources it expended responding to the reported harassment. The defendant is also required to pay a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States. 

“Far too often landlords sexually harass and prey on those who are most vulnerable and it is unacceptable,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce fair housing laws to hold those who engage in unlawful conduct to account.”

“Multiple tenants complained that Mr. Ukejnovic subjected them to vulgar and disgusting demands for sex, offering to reduce rent or security deposits if they complied,” said U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming for the Eastern District of Missouri. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office takes allegations like these seriously and seeks to hold all civil rights violators accountable whether civilly or criminally. This agreement not only provides for monetary compensation, but it also prohibits him from contacting these tenants, bars him from his properties when a lease is in effect and requires him to hire an independent property manager to prevent further violations of the civil rights laws. All of these are measures that will help protect current and future tenants.”

“It is abhorrent that a landlord would subject his tenants to sexual harassment and retaliation, robbing them of a safe place to call home,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Demetria L. McCain of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “This settlement sends a strong message that sexual harassment in housing is illegal and that those who violate the Fair Housing Act will be held accountable. HUD applauds today’s action and remains committed to working with DOJ to enforce our nation’s fair housing laws.”

In addition, the consent order requires the defendant to retain an independent property manager to manage his rental properties for the duration of the order, obtain fair housing training and implement non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures to prevent sexual harassment at his properties in the future.

The lawsuit, filed in September 2022, alleged that the defendant subjected multiple female tenants to harassment that included making unwelcome sexual advances, offering to reduce rent or security deposits in exchange for engaging in sex acts, requesting sexually explicit photos, staring at female tenants’ bodies in a sexual way, subjecting female tenants to unwelcome sexual touching, and visiting and entering female tenants’ homes for no legitimate purpose.

The matter was referred to the Justice Department after HUD received two separate complaints alleging that the defendant had violated the Fair Housing Act. The complainants – a former female tenant and the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing Opportunity Council, a non-profit organization that helped the tenant file a complaint with HUD and engaged in outreach and education efforts following defendant’s harassment of the tenant – chose to have the matter decided in federal court after HUD investigated their complaints and issued a charge of discrimination. Upon receiving the referral the Justice Department investigated further and identified additional female tenants whom the defendant sexually harassed.

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, the department has filed 31 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $10.8 million for victims of such harassment.   

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division enforces the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting people from sexual misconduct. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. Individuals may report sexual harassment or other forms of housing discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, or submitting a report online. Individuals may also report such discrimination by contacting HUD at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Memphis, TN – Mohammed Al-Abadi, 51, of Memphis, has been indicted and arrested for one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods and one count of causing the criminal transportation of hazardous materials by air carrier. United States Attorney Kevin Ritz announced the charges today.

According to United States Attorney Ritz and the information presented in court, from about October 1, 2019, to January 14, 2021, Al-Abadi imported counterfeit motor vehicle airbag parts from China, assembled them and then sold them on eBay to unsuspecting automobile repair shops and individual customers. Federal agents recovered more than 2,000 counterfeit airbags and parts from the defendant’s residence and place of business.

“The alleged actions of the defendant have placed unsuspecting motorists and the general public in harm’s way,” said United States Attorney Kevin Ritz. “Vehicle airbags are subject to strict quality standards which must be followed to ensure passenger safety. The defendant’s alleged actions undermined the efforts of the automobile industry and regulatory bodies to keep the public safe.”

“The diligent and extensive investigative work by our special agents led to the discovery of the sale of fraudulent, counterfeit airbags, sold by bypassing regulatory oversight meant to keep dangerous and ineffective products out of the U.S. market,” said Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud, HSI Nashville. “The defendant will now have to answer for his alleged criminal actions that put consumers lives at risk.”

“Counterfeit air bags are not regulated or tested to ensure they meet federal safety standards, and when transported and used by unsuspecting consumers, they can be unsafe and lead to potentially grave consequences,” said Todd Damiani, Special Agent in Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Southern Region. “The indictment and arrest handed down demonstrates the continuous coordination with our federal and prosecutorial partners to curtail the flow of these dangerous and illegal automobile products into the United States.”

If convicted, Al-Abadi faces up to ten years imprisonment and a fine of two million dollars for trafficking in the counterfeit airbags and up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for causing the transportation of hazardous materials by air carrier. Both charges also carry a period of up to three years supervision following release from imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.

Members of the public are reminded that an indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Department of Transportation-Office of Inspector General.

Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin is prosecuting this case.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Today, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta participated in a meeting with a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), alongside attendees from the White House Gender Policy Council and the U.S. Department of State. The convening, which featured representatives from Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany and Spain, was hosted by the State Department.

During the discussion, the Associate Attorney General highlighted how the Justice Department has collaborated with its federal partners to protect reproductive rights and counter gender-based violence. The group discussed how, under Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, the Justice Department established the Reproductive Rights Task Force, chaired by Associate Attorney General Gupta, as a whole-of-department effort to safeguard federal protections of reproductive rights in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Today’s meeting takes place during National Women’s Health Week, which is observed May 14 – 20, and continues the department’s engagement with our international allies on gender-related issues. In early March, the Associate Attorney General hosted a delegation from the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). Moving forward, the department remains committed to working closely with our international allies to safeguard and strengthen the rights of all women.