Category: US Department of Justice

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A White Plains, Maryland, man pleaded guilty today to preparing and filing a false tax return for a client.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Anthony Judd was a full-time special police officer staffed at the National Archives and Records Administration and a part-time return preparer. Since at least 2013, Judd prepared and filed more than 40 false tax returns for individual clients which reduced the amount of taxes they owed and inflated their refunds. These returns reported losses for businesses that the clients did not actually have, and deductions for expenses — such as transportation and job-related expenses — that the clients did not actually incur. Judd prepared and filed each client’s tax return as a “ghost preparer,” meaning that he did not identify himself as the preparer on the returns. Judd caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $484,525.

Judd is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Evan C. Mulbry of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This prestigious award recognizes law enforcement officers who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening trust, promoting community engagement, and enhancing public safety.

“All 21 of today’s awardees have demonstrated what community-oriented policing looks like in practice,” said Attorney General Garland. “They come from all different parts of the country. They represent communities of all shapes and sizes.  Their typical days might not all look the same. But they are united by a deep commitment to protecting their communities.”

The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and Tribal sworn officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded individuals have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.

“Today, we stand in the presence of extraordinary individuals who exemplify the very best of what it means to protect and serve,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “We celebrate a remarkable truth: the profound and positive impact that law enforcement officers and deputies have on the communities they serve every single day. These awards honor those who exemplify the very best of the profession and showcases these individuals as pillars of trust, empathy, and unity.”

The 2024 award recipients are:

Category: Criminal Investigations

• Detective Matthew Newbold of the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Detective Liz Grant of the Kennewick, Washington, Police Department;
• Detective Tyler Norman of the Salt Lake City, Utah, Police Department; and
• Police Officer Reece Walno of the Spearfish, South Dakota, Police Department.

Category: Field Operations

• Deputy Sheriff Jahmar Robinson of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Lance Corporal Justin Boyd of the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department; and
• Detective/Community Policing Officer Stephen Leacroy of the La Marque, Texas, Police Department.

Category: Innovations in Community Policing

• Corporal Adrian Maldonado, Deputy James Mackey, Deputy Jason Coker, Deputy Tammy Fox, and Deputy Yanick Exceus of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Detective Edwin Hugh and Police Officer Thomas Joy of the Suffolk County, New York, Police Department;
• Officer Stephen Malandro, Officer Trevor Stamper, and Specialist Todd Nutbrown of the Largo, Florida, Police Department;
• Officer Wesley Griffith and Officer Bill Koehn of the Overland Park, Kansas, Police Department;
• Master Police Officer Thomas Rodriquez of the Manassas City, Virginia, Police Department; and
• Master Officer Shauna Moller of the Manassas City Police Department.

“It is an honor to share the stage with these recipients,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). “I am inspired by their actions and service.”

The awardees were selected from a nationwide pool of nominees for their outstanding achievements in fostering safer, more inclusive communities.

The Justice Department commends these officers for their service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their communities. For more information about the awards, visit www.justice.gov.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A podiatrist and a patient recruiter were sentenced to 45 months and 60 months in prison, respectively, and ordered to pay over $7 million in restitution for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently bill TRICARE — the health care program for U.S. service members and their families — for compounded creams that were medically unnecessary and procured through kickbacks and bribes.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Brian Carpenter, 58, of Paradise, Texas, was a podiatrist who signed prescriptions for compounded pain and scar creams for TRICARE beneficiaries to whom he never spoke and whom he never examined or treated. Jerry Lee Hawrylak, 71, of Lake Worth, Texas, recruited Carpenter to sign the prescriptions and recruited TRICARE beneficiaries to accept the medically unnecessary creams. From November 2014 to January 2017, Carpenter, Hawrylak, and others caused the Fort Worth-based pharmacy involved in the conspiracy to fraudulently bill TRICARE approximately $8.5 million for these creams. Evidence at trial included so-called standing orders signed by Carpenter that were backdated so the pharmacy could change prescriptions after the fact to maximize TRICARE reimbursement. The prescriptions Carpenter signed and maintained in his office authorized unlimited refills and listed fake addresses for beneficiaries.

In April 2023, a jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted both Carpenter and Hawrylak of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and six counts of health care fraud.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Settle of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Southwest Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office; Acting Special Agent in Charge P. J. O’Brien of the FBI Dallas Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Casey Howard of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) Central Regional Office; and Special Agent in Charge Kris Raper of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG) South Central Field Office made the announcement.

DCIS, HHS-OIG, FBI, DOL-OIG, and VA-OIG investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Brynn Schiess and Trial Attorney Andrea Savdie of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

A White Plains, Maryland, man pleaded guilty today to preparing and filing a false tax return for a client.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Anthony Judd was a full-time special police officer staffed at the National Archives and Records Administration and a part-time return preparer. Since at least 2013, Judd prepared and filed more than 40 false tax returns for individual clients which reduced the amount of taxes they owed and inflated their refunds. These returns reported losses for businesses that the clients did not actually have, and deductions for expenses — such as transportation and job-related expenses — that the clients did not actually incur. Judd prepared and filed each client’s tax return as a “ghost preparer,” meaning that he did not identify himself as the preparer on the returns. Judd caused a tax loss to the IRS of approximately $484,525.

Judd is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Jorge Almonte and Trial Attorney Evan C. Mulbry of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice 2

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This prestigious award recognizes law enforcement officers who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening trust, promoting community engagement, and enhancing public safety.

“All 21 of today’s awardees have demonstrated what community-oriented policing looks like in practice,” said Attorney General Garland. “They come from all different parts of the country. They represent communities of all shapes and sizes.  Their typical days might not all look the same. But they are united by a deep commitment to protecting their communities.”

The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and Tribal sworn officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded individuals have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations, or innovations in community policing.

“Today, we stand in the presence of extraordinary individuals who exemplify the very best of what it means to protect and serve,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “We celebrate a remarkable truth: the profound and positive impact that law enforcement officers and deputies have on the communities they serve every single day. These awards honor those who exemplify the very best of the profession and showcases these individuals as pillars of trust, empathy, and unity.”

The 2024 award recipients are:

Category: Criminal Investigations

• Detective Matthew Newbold of the Polk County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Detective Liz Grant of the Kennewick, Washington, Police Department;
• Detective Tyler Norman of the Salt Lake City, Utah, Police Department; and
• Police Officer Reece Walno of the Spearfish, South Dakota, Police Department.

Category: Field Operations

• Deputy Sheriff Jahmar Robinson of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Lance Corporal Justin Boyd of the Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department; and
• Detective/Community Policing Officer Stephen Leacroy of the La Marque, Texas, Police Department.

Category: Innovations in Community Policing

• Corporal Adrian Maldonado, Deputy James Mackey, Deputy Jason Coker, Deputy Tammy Fox, and Deputy Yanick Exceus of the Palm Beach County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office;
• Detective Edwin Hugh and Police Officer Thomas Joy of the Suffolk County, New York, Police Department;
• Officer Stephen Malandro, Officer Trevor Stamper, and Specialist Todd Nutbrown of the Largo, Florida, Police Department;
• Officer Wesley Griffith and Officer Bill Koehn of the Overland Park, Kansas, Police Department;
• Master Police Officer Thomas Rodriquez of the Manassas City, Virginia, Police Department; and
• Master Officer Shauna Moller of the Manassas City Police Department.

“It is an honor to share the stage with these recipients,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). “I am inspired by their actions and service.”

The awardees were selected from a nationwide pool of nominees for their outstanding achievements in fostering safer, more inclusive communities.

The Justice Department commends these officers for their service, leadership, and unwavering commitment to their communities. For more information about the awards, visit www.justice.gov.

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.