https://www.justice.gov/ en https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-extradited-alleged-role-multimillion-dollar-cryptocurrency-scam-targeting Zheng Zhao, 44, a Chinese national, was arraigned today in the Central District of California after being extradited from the Netherlands for his alleged role in an international cryptocurrency investment conspiracy carried out from scam centers in the Kingdom of Cambodia that targeted U.S. citizens.&nbsp; Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/chinese-national-extradited-alleged-role-multimillion-dollar-cryptocurrency-scam-targeting https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-defends-army-corps-thorough-review-cwa-permit-paving-way-much-needed The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit today affirmed the issuance by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) of a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for the Cainhoy Plantation development in Charleston, South Carolina. The published decision paves the way for a major, long‑term housing initiative designed to meet the needs of one of the country’s fastest‑growing metropolitan areas. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-defends-army-corps-thorough-review-cwa-permit-paving-way-much-needed https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-government-contractor-arrested-allegedly-leaking-national-defense-information A U.S. government contractor was arrested by the FBI this morning for allegedly leaking national defense information to another individual who repeatedly posted classified information to an online publication. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-government-contractor-arrested-allegedly-leaking-national-defense-information https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-individuals-plead-guilty-conspiracy-make-and-distribute-animal-crush-videos-involving The Justice Department today announced that four additional individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to create and distribute videos depicting extreme violence and sexual abuse against monkeys. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/four-individuals-plead-guilty-conspiracy-make-and-distribute-animal-crush-videos-involving https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-couple-sentenced-trafficking-protected-wildlife Linh Luu and Kevin Le, a husband and wife of Anaheim, California, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, to violating the Lacey Act. The court sentenced them to three years’ probation and a $10,000 fine each for their roles in trafficking wildlife between Oregon and Vietnam.&nbsp; Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-couple-sentenced-trafficking-protected-wildlife https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/telemedicine-company-owner-sentenced-20-years-prison-46m-medicare-fraud-scheme The owner of a telemedicine company was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for organizing and leading a $46.2 million Medicare fraud conspiracy that spanned more than six years. In addition to the prison term, the defendant was ordered to pay $17,942,402 in restitution to Medicare and $10,431,463 in forfeiture. Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/telemedicine-company-owner-sentenced-20-years-prison-46m-medicare-fraud-scheme https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/associate-attorney-general-stanley-e-woodward-jr-federal-government-pro-bono-week-2026 Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/associate-attorney-general-stanley-e-woodward-jr-federal-government-pro-bono-week-2026 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/cartel-commander-charged-international-cocaine-and-methamphetamine-trafficking-conspiracy A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment today charging&nbsp;Ivan Cazarin Molina,&nbsp;42, a Mexican national, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for importation into the United States and possessing a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking offense. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/cartel-commander-charged-international-cocaine-and-methamphetamine-trafficking-conspiracy https://www.justice.gov/enrd/blog/environmental-crimes-bulletin-september-2026 This issue of the Bulletin includes cases involving pesticide smuggling, hazardous waste storage, chemical discharges, dog fighting, employee deaths, monkey smuggling, and more. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/enrd/blog/environmental-crimes-bulletin-september-2026 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-opens-investigation-alleged-firearm-permitting-abuses-two-connecticut Today, the Justice Department opened an investigation into <a href="https://www.justice.gov/media/1467581" target="_blank" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="e15269ea-d0d1-44eb-9681-7ed221a4e632" data-entity-substitution="media_download_inline">Middletown</a> and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/media/1467586" target="_blank" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="6f78e6cb-0110-41f9-8c3f-c0fdaa9134ed" data-entity-substitution="media_download_inline">Waterbury</a>, Connecticut, to determine whether they unnecessarily delay the issuance of firearm permits to their residents. The Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear firearms — including the right to carry firearms. The investigation will focus on the Middletown and Waterbury police departments’ permitting systems. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-opens-investigation-alleged-firearm-permitting-abuses-two-connecticut https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-departments-civil-division-and-department-health-human-services-announce-anti-fraud The Department of Justice Civil Division has partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to launch a Healthcare False Claims Act Self-Disclosure Pilot Program (FCA SDPP), which is designed to give healthcare companies a way to quickly resolve past misconduct by self-disclosing potential violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and to prioritize the government’s resources toward recalcitrant actors. This civil pilot program builds on longstanding Department principles, discussed further <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-releases-first-ever-corporate-enforcement-policy-all-criminal-cases">here</a> and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/national-fraud-enforcement-division-and-department-health-and-human-services-announce-self">here</a>, to promote predictable and efficient resolution of corporate misconduct while recovering damages and penalties for taxpayers.<a href="#_ftn1" id="_ftnref1">[1]</a>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-departments-civil-division-and-department-health-human-services-announce-anti-fraud https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/los-angeles-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-15-defendants-including-6 The Justice Department today announced charges against 15 defendants, including six medical professionals, for health care fraud schemes that collectively resulted in over $1.8 billion in fraudulent claims to government and private health care programs. This includes over $1.6 billion billed in a scheme to lure vulnerable individuals to California for sham substance abuse treatment, the largest case of its type ever prosecuted by the Department; $134 million fraudulently billed to Medicare for unnecessary atherectomy procedures that resulted in injury to patients; and over $138 million fraudulently billed to Medicare in three different hospice fraud schemes where the patients were not terminally ill. In addition, another defendant was indicted after previously being charged by complaint in a $270 million scheme to defraud Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, by submitting pharmacy claims for bogus prescriptions. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/los-angeles-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-15-defendants-including-6 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/utah-man-charged-attempted-hate-crime-and-other-crimes-after-allegedly-making-online-threats A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Utah man with multiple federal crimes including possession of an unregistered destructive device, threat to kill and injure persons and to destroy a building with an explosive, and attempting to commit a hate crime, among other charges, after threats were allegedly made online relating to a Utah synagogue in December 2025. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/utah-man-charged-attempted-hate-crime-and-other-crimes-after-allegedly-making-online-threats https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-settlement-lawsuit-against-oklahoma-landlord-refusing-rent-family The Justice Department announced today that the owners of a residential rental property in Oklahoma City have <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1467571/dl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed</a>&nbsp;to pay $52,500 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that they refused to rent a one-bedroom apartment to a single mother upon learning that she would be living with her child, in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-secures-settlement-lawsuit-against-oklahoma-landlord-refusing-rent-family https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-eminem-employee-pleads-guilty-criminal-infringement-copyright Joseph Strange, 48, of Holly, Michigan, who was formerly employed by the artist and musician Marshall Mathers (also known as Eminem), pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to a charge related to his role in the reproduction and sale of unreleased music created by Eminem. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-eminem-employee-pleads-guilty-criminal-infringement-copyright https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/attorney-general-fbi-director-announce-significant-law-enforcement-action Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/video/attorney-general-fbi-director-announce-significant-law-enforcement-action https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/virginia-state-senator-indicted-leading-criminal-marijuana-distribution-enterprise Today, an eight-count indictment charged seven defendants for their respective roles in a racketeering conspiracy involving marijuana distribution, money laundering, honest services fraud through bribery, maintaining drug-involved premises, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, and wire fraud. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/virginia-state-senator-indicted-leading-criminal-marijuana-distribution-enterprise https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/las-vegas-man-sentenced-prison-5m-tax-refund-fraud-scheme A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 38 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the United States by filing false tax returns with the IRS and diverting portions of the resulting tax refunds to himself and his codefendant. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/las-vegas-man-sentenced-prison-5m-tax-refund-fraud-scheme https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/prolific-chinese-money-launderer-sentenced-laundering-drug-trafficking-proceeds-following Shu Jun Zhen, 31, of New York, was sentenced today in the Western District of North Carolina to nine years in prison and ordered to forfeit nearly $23 million for her role in a Chinese money laundering organization (CMLO) that laundered over $92 million in illicit funds, including proceeds from the importation and distribution of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/prolific-chinese-money-launderer-sentenced-laundering-drug-trafficking-proceeds-following https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-ohio-state-medical-school-discriminates-based-race-admissions The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced today investigative findings that&nbsp;Ohio State University College of Medicine (OSU Med)&nbsp;discriminated against white and Asian students in granting admission to its 2023, 2024, and 2025 incoming classes. OSU Med’s discriminatory conduct violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or color, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in <em>Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard</em> (<em>SFFA</em>), which banned race discrimination in admissions. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-ohio-state-medical-school-discriminates-based-race-admissions https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-resolves-claims-atlantic-beach-new-yorks-zoning-code-violated-religious Today the Justice Department announced an agreement with the Village of Atlantic Beach, New York, to resolve allegations that it violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) by enacting and enforcing zoning provisions that treat religious land uses worse than comparable secular uses. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-resolves-claims-atlantic-beach-new-yorks-zoning-code-violated-religious https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/trump-administration-denaturalizes-two-people-who-gained-us-citizenship-concealing-criminal The Department of Justice announced today that it has secured the denaturalization of two individuals who illegally obtained U.S. citizenship by not disclosing their prior criminal activity. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/trump-administration-denaturalizes-two-people-who-gained-us-citizenship-concealing-criminal https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-sentenced-over-17-years-prison-arson-and-attempting-provide-material-support Regan Darby Prater, 28, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday to 210 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and to pay $1,289,000 in restitution for arson and attempted provision of material support to a foreign terrorist organization.&nbsp; Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/tennessee-man-sentenced-over-17-years-prison-arson-and-attempting-provide-material-support https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/michigan-woman-pleads-guilty-employment-tax-conspiracy-0 A Michigan woman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States for more than a decade, and to causing a tax loss of approximately $1.7 million.&nbsp; Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/michigan-woman-pleads-guilty-employment-tax-conspiracy-0 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dojs-fraud-division-department-agriculture-and-usda-oig-uncover-nearly-42m-snap-benefit The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the USDA Office of Inspector General today announced a nationwide series of enforcement actions targeting fraud involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and related USDA programs. Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dojs-fraud-division-department-agriculture-and-usda-oig-uncover-nearly-42m-snap-benefit