CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release: A Rockford, Ill.-based skilled therapy provider and its current and former owners have agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve civil allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by falsely submitting claims to Medicare for purported physical and occupational therapy. Settlements and consent judgments resolve allegations that BRYNWOOD MYOFASCIAL THER  more

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- Americans for Tax Reform issued the following commentary on March 1, 2024: * * * Norquist Warns of the Privacy Risk of IRS 'Bring Your Own Device' Program By John Kartch Many Washington Area workers handling government data strictly separate their professional and personal obligations by carrying separate work and personal phones and laptops. Is it really too much to ask all IRS agents to do the same? Americans for Tax Reform president Grover Norquist was a guest this  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. OIG-A-2024-004) on Feb. 22, 2024, entitled "Company Has Opportunities to More Effectively Manage and Safeguard Maintenance-of-Equipment Inventory." Here are excerpts: * * * Memorandum To: Tracie Winbigler, Executive Vice President, Business Transformation and Chief Financial Officer; Gerhard Williams, Executive Vice President, Service Delivery & Operations Fro  more

WASHINGTON, March 2 (TNSres) -- The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology issued the following agency statement on March 1, 2024: * * * Statement from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) on "Lessons Learned During the Pandemic Can Help Improve Care in Nursing Homes," by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Services. The nation's infection preventionists agree with the findings of th  more

SACRAMENTO, California, Feb. 28 -- Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-California, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Robyn Fennig, of Sacramento, has been appointed Assistant Director, Hazard Mitigation at the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, where she has served as Division Chief of the Hazard Mitigation Planning Division since 2023. She held several roles in the Division of Emergency Management at the Wis  more

SAN DIEGO, California, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California issued the following news release: Charles Ronald Green Jr. and his wife, Melinda Elizabeth Green, were sentenced in federal court today to 27 months each for fraudulently billing government healthcare programs more than $125 million for medically unnecessary treatments. According to court filings, the Greens engaged in a scheme to defraud two major federal health care programs: TRICARE, t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed an information collection entitled "Manufacturer Submission of Average Sales Price Data for Medicare Part B Drugs and Biologicals." The notice was issued by William N. Parham III, Director, Division of Information Collections and Regulatory Impacts, Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs. COMMENT DEADLINE: April 22, 2024 * * * SUMMARY: The Centers fo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a rule, published in the Federal Register on Feb. 23, 2024, entitled "Medicaid Program; Disproportionate Share Hospital Third-Party Payer Rule." The rule was issued by Secretary Xavier Becerra. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY: This final rule primarily addresses recent legislative changes to the Social Security Act as a result of the Consolidated Appropriations Act,  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The U.S. Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol issued the following news: Col. Thomas B. Theis, North Central Region vice commander, will soon take over command of the seven-wing region from Col. John O'Neill, whose four-year term ends June 1. Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, Civil Air Patrol's national commander and CEO, announced Theis' appointment Feb. 26. "I am enormously pleased to welcome Col. Theis to region command," Phelka said. "His extensive knowledge across numero  more

LINCOLN, Nebraska, Feb. 28 -- Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers issued the following letter on Feb. 26, 2024, with 21 attorneys general: * * * To: The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2707 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20528 The Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201 The Honorable Christopher Wray, Director, Federal Bureau o  more

DENVER, Colorado, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan announced today that Patrick Esch and Ed Dean Jagers of Springfield, Colorado, have agreed to pay over $6.5 million to resolve allegations that they defrauded federal crop insurance programs by tampering with and damaging rain gauges. One way the United States Department of Agriculture supports farmers and ranchers is by provi  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news: Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined Reps. Annie Kuster (D-NH), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Julia Brownley (D-CA) in sending a bipartisan letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough requesting the VA improve care for veterans who seek treatment for sexual assault and sexual abuse at VHA facilities. The letter was written in response to a December 2023 VA OIG report that identified failures in the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news: Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General's report on mail contract trucking safety and compliance. Connolly is a recipient of the 2023 Truck Safety Champion Award from the Truck Safety Coalition for his   more

ALBANY, New York, March 2 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Drug Enforcement Administration's New York Division issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: Danielle Simonson, age 52, of Fort Ann, New York, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, U.S. Drug Enforcement Admin  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- The U.S. Department of Defense, General Services Administration and NASA have proposed an information collection entitled "Combating Trafficking in Persons." The notice was issued by Janet Fry, Director, Federal Acquisition Policy Division, Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Policy, Office of Acquisition Policy, Office of Governmentwide Policy. COMMENT DEADLINE: April 29, 2024 * * * SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and the Office of M  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons." The hearing will examine myriad issues related to the operation and management of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) that contributed to deaths in custody, su  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) has no authority to investigate professional misconduct by DOJ lawye  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (TNSrep) -- The Environmental Protection Agency Inspector General issued the following 29-page report (No. 24-E-0021) entitled "The Office of Criminal Enforcement, Forensics and Training Incorporated Essential Discovery Elements into Its Policies and Procedures, but Additional Training Could Improve Awareness." Here are excerpts: * * * At A Glance Why We Did This Evaluation To accomplish this objective: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector Genera  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Miller and Chevalier, a law firm, issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Miller & Chevalier Chartered today announced Ashley Powers has joined the firm as Counsel in the Government Contracts Counseling & Litigation practice. Ashley, who will advise government contracting clients on Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) compliance and complex data rights issues, has extensive federal government experience, including time at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States Office of Inspector General issued the following news release: Miami, Florida - Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis delivered the keynote address at TXF Americas 2024, a structured trade and export finance conference attended by government leaders, private sector representatives and exporters from the global export finance community. During the conference, Chair Lewis also held discus  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States Office of Inspector General issued the following news release: The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) today launched Early Bird registration for its 2024 Annual Conference, which will begin on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at the Washington Hilton. The two-day, in-person event will feature high-level dialogue with innovative leaders in business, finance, government, policy, and media and will showcase the critical role EXI  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The Financial Services Institute issued a 40-page report in January 2024 entitled "Recommendations To The SEC To Modify Its Procedural Framework To Prevent Regulation By Enforcement." The report was written by Peter Chan, Baker McKenzie, Valerie Mirko and Armstrong Teasdale. Executive Summary Unfair practices by agencies, such as the SEC, undermine the integrity of the agencies' missions, do harm to the regulated, and violate their basic rights. Public perception of unfa  more

JACKSONVILLE, Florida, March 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury today found Judy Grace Sellers guilty of conspiracy to submit false tax returns and defraud the U.S. Treasury, substantive counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, filing a false lien against the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, and failur  more

MIAMI, Florida, Feb. 29 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release: On Feb. 23, Patrick Smith, 71, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, the former CEO and President of Patient Care America (PCA), a compounding pharmacy located in Broward County, was sentenced to 6 months in prison for lying to federal agents who were investigating PCA for various health care fraud offenses. According to court records, in March of 2020 Smith volunt  more

ORLANDO, Florida, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Steven Lukens (54, Port Charlotte) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Lukens faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and has agreed to forfeit $271,024.35, which are traceable to proceeds of the offense. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 22, 2024. According to the plea agreement, Lukens   more

ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb. 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia issued the following news release: Andrew "Drew" Maloney, 57, of Roswell, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to a criminal information charging him with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. The guilty plea is part of a global settlement with the United States and several states in which Maloney and the clinical laboratory that he owned, Capstone Diagnostics, of Atlanta, Georgia, have also agreed to pa  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: At today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, former chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) questioned Justice Department (DOJ) witnesses about glaring issues across federal prisons, citing his oversight exposing misconduct allegations at FCC Hazelton and the Biden administration's neglect to safeguard unaccompanied children who've entered the U.S. under the president's open border policies. Testifying w  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the former and current chairmen, respectively, of the Senate Judiciary Committee reintroduced the Inspector General Access Act alongside their committee colleague, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). The bipartisan bill would close a loophole that precludes the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) from investigating alleged DOJ attorne  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, issued the following news release: Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, raising concerns over the United States Postal Service's (USPS) inconsistent mail service to Missourians in Kansas City and across the state. "Recent reports show Missourians are continuing to experience delayed mail delivery. Some have even a  more

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, issued the following news release: The Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation held a hearing titled, "Made in China: Is GSA Complying with Purchasing Restrictions?" Members discussed with the General Services Administration's (GSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release: Following a concerning Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) report finding significant shortfalls in care provided by VA to veterans who seek care after experiencing a sexual assault, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, joined Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and 20 colleagues in sending a letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough, urging  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-355) on the Pregnant Students' Rights Act (H.R. 443), which aims to direct the Secretary of Labor to train certain employees of Department of Labor how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their official duties. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Jan. 25, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * PURPOSE H.R.  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Bob Good (R-VA) sent a letter to Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Director Gordon Hartogensis. The letter comes after PBGC failed to provide an adequate response to the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee Chair Buddy Carter (R-GA) wrote to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan regarding the agency's recent hiring blitz. The radical and partisan Inflation Reduction Act gave the EPA a  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: Today, the House Financial Services Committee, led by Chairman Patrick McHenry (NC-10), is holding a markup of fintech, housing, and national security legislation. Members will consider proposals that bring greater accountability to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), ensure the Secret Service has the tools t  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: Today, the House Financial Services Committee advanced five pieces of legislation out of Committee that bring greater accountability to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), ensure the Secret Service has the tools to detect and deter illicit finance, and reverse the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) SA  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- The House Natural Resources Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-376) on the Restoring American Energy Dominance Act (H.R. 6009), which aims to require the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw the proposed rule relating to fluid mineral leases and leasing process. The report was advanced by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, on Feb. 7, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION The purpose of H.R. 6009 is to require the Director of the B  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittees on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation issued the following information for a hearing entitled "Made in China: Is General Services Administration Complying with Purchasing Restrictions?" at 2 p.m. on Feb. 29, 2024, at 2154 Rayburn House Office Building: Witnesses and testimonies: * Robert C. Erickson, Jr., Acting Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, U.S. General Services Administ  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation, issued the following statement on Feb. 29, 2024: * * * Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Chairwoman Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled "Made in China: Is GSA Complying with Purchasing Restrictions?."In her opening   more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- The House Science, Space and Technology Committee issued the following testimony by Michael S. Lauer, deputy director for extramural research at the National Institutes of Health, involving a hearing on Feb. 15, 2024, entitled "Examining Federal Science Agency Actions to Secure the U.S. Science and Technology Enterprise": * * * Chair Lucas, Ranking Member Lofgren, and distinguished members of the committee, I appreciate the opportunity appear before you to testify on the  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- The House Science, Space and Technology Committee issued the following testimony by Rebecca Keiser, chief of research security, strategy and policy at the National Science Foundation, involving a hearing on Feb. 15, 2024, entitled "Examining Federal Science Agency Actions to Secure the U.S. Science and Technology Enterprise": * * * Chairman Lucas, Ranking Member Lofgren, and Members of the Committee, my name is Dr. Rebecca Keiser, and I am the Chief Officer for Research   more

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- The House Small Business Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-383) on the WOSB Integrity Act (H.R. 7128), which aims to establish requirements relating to size standard compliance of small business concerns owned and controlled by women for certain purposes. The report was advanced by Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, on Feb. 13, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * I. Purpose and Bill Summary On January 30, 2024, Rep. Maloy, along with Rep. Scholten, introduced H.R. 7128. The   more

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-385) on the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act (H.R. 2426), which aims to amend Part E of Title IV of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify obstacles to identifying and responding to reports of children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth, to provide technical assistance relating to the removal of such obstacles. The re  more

EAST ST. LOUIS, Illinois, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois issued the following news release: A district judge ordered a Swansea man to repay the Government over $1.2 million after he admitted to using an East St. Louis market in a fraud scheme to obtain SNAP benefits. Almahde H. Nijmeh, 65, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful acquisition of SNAP benefits in August 2023. In addition to repaying the Government, Nijmeh was sentenced to 5 years'  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor previewing tomorrow's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons." In his remarks, Durbin reaffirmed his commitment to holding the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) accountable for the operational an  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor previewing tomorrow's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons." In his remarks, Durbin reaffirmed his commitment to holding the   more

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 27 -- The Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes today led a 22-state coalition in a letter to the Biden Administration, demanding that it locate the thousands of missing migrant children it lost and quit handing them to probable traffickers. The Biden Administration lost more than 85,000 migrant children in just   more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA) introduced two bills to hold the Indian Health Service (IHS) accountable for disregarding health care bills owed to providers and to protect Native Americans' credit from wrongfully charged medical bills owed by IHS through Purchased/Referred Care claims. "Many know the frustration when debt is sent to collections, especially when   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Four erosion control company owners or managers pleaded guilty to rigging bids and fixing prices as part of a conspiracy targeting a total of over $100 million in publicly funded transportation construction contracts across Oklahoma. Stanley Mark Smith, a company owner, pleaded guilty today. Roy Henry Henrich, a former owner and officer of another company, pleaded guilty on Dec. 4, 2023. R  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: Endo Health Solutions Inc. (EHSI), which is in bankruptcy, has agreed to resolve criminal and civil investigations related to the company's sales and marketing of the opioid drug Opana ER with INTAC (Opana ER), the Justice Department announced today. The United States has also reached an agreement in Endo's bankruptcy case to settle its monetary claims arising from the criminal and civil se  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Feb. 28, 2024: A federal jury convicted an Ohio pharmacist and his operations manager, a pharmacy technician, yesterday for conspiring to defraud Ohio's Medicaid program. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Nathanael Thompson, 45, of Westerville, owned four pharmacies in Columbus, Ohio. Sanam Ahmad, 34, of Galena, managed the pharmacies. Thompson and Ahmad conspired to charge Me  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Rep. Ann Kuster, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02), founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence, along with Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Julia Brownley (D-CA) led 56 of their colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough demanding answers about how the VA is responding to the December 2023 Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General report. This t  more

WASHINGTON, March 1 -- LeadingAge, an organization that says it focuses on education, advocacy and applied research, issued the following statement on Feb. 29, 2024: * * * A statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit, mission driven aging services providers, including nursing homes, reacting to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Office of Inspector General's (OIG) report, Lessons Learned During the Pandemic Can Help Improve   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, issued the following news release: Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) has no authority to investigate professional misconduct by DOJ lawyers. DOJ is the only agency whose IG has such a jurisdictional carve-out. The Inspector Ge  more

GREENBELT, Maryland, Feb. 27 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Mary Ann Mendoza, a/k/a "Mary Ann Manuel," "Trinity," "M3," and "Emily James," age 51, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, to 12 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud related to a debt eliminatio  more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, March 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: U.S. District Judge Brendan A. Hurson sentenced Michael Akame Ngwese Ay Makoge, a/k/a "Hype" and "2Hype", age 29, of Laurel, Maryland, yesterday to 53 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for a wire fraud conspiracy and for aggravated identity theft, related to a Maryland and California unemployment insurance ("UI")   more

DETROIT, Michigan, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan issued the following news release: Zina Thomas, 60, of Detroit was charged in a criminal complaint filed in United States District Court for her role orchestrating a fraud scheme that stole houses from dozens of Detroit residents, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent-in-Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Specia  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, March 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: A Florida man admitted his role in a durable medical equipment kickback scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today. Steve Chicoye, 55, of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty on Feb. 29, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit health c  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: An India- and New Jersey-based man who operated jewelry companies in New York City's Diamond District was charged with spearheading a scheme to illegally evade customs duties for millions of dollars of jewelry imports into the United States and with illegally processing millions of dollars through unlicensed money transmitting businesses, U.S. Attorne  more

NEW YORK, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Erin Keegan, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), announced the conviction of NELSON OLIVO on charges of narcotics trafficking conspiracy. The defendant was found guilty yesterday following a one-w  more

ALBANY, New York, March 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: Danielle Simonson, age 52, of Fort Ann, New York, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)  more

NEW YORK, Feb. 27 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release on Feb. 26, 2024: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that JOSE LEMA, a/k/a "Jose Lema Mizhirumbay," the founder and principal of ALJ Home Improvement, Inc., a New York roofing company, pled guilty to willfully violating Occupational Safety and Health Administration ("OSHA") regulations, resulting in the death  more

BROOKLYN, New York, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging Dawood Kassim and Dia Alqalisi with trafficking and stealing millions of dollars in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. To carry out the fraud, the defendants allegedly engaged in tho  more

NEW YORK, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York; Brian M. Boynton, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice's Civil Division; Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., the Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research of the Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"); Michael Rogers, the   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (TNSrep) -- The National Science Foundation Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-1-007) on Feb. 2, 2024, entitled "Performance Audit of Incurred Costs - Dartmouth College." Here are excerpts: * * * At a Glance AUDIT OBJECTIVE The National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General engaged Sikich CPA LLC (Sikich) to conduct a performance audit of costs that Dartmouth College (Dartmouth) incurred on 209 NSF awards during the period of October 1,   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (TNSrep) -- The National Science Foundation Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-1-006) on Jan. 31, 2024, entitled "Performance Audit of Incurred Costs - Montana State University." Here are excerpts: * * * At a Glance AUDIT OBJECTIVE The National Science Foundation Office of Inspector General engaged Sikich CPA LLC (Sikich) to conduct a performance audit of costs that Montana State University (MSU) incurred on 176 NSF awards during the period of No  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 1 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration's New England Division issued the following news release: ALBANY, NEW YORK - Danielle Simonson, age 52, of Fort Ann, New York, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for distributing controlled substances outside the course of professional practice and for no legitimate medical purpose. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman; Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III, U.S. Drug Enforceme  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, Feb. 29 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release: Attorney General Gentner Drummond has sent a letter demanding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and FBI address a recent HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that found unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of the federal government are being released into unsafe situations, including into human traffic  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 1 -- Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pennsylvania, issued the following news release: As part of his commitment to ensure safe and secure elections in Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro has established the Pennsylvania Election Threats Task Force. Led by Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, the Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local security, law enforcement, and election administration partners who are working together to share information and coordinate pla  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release: The United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dr. Peter J. Baddick, III has agreed to pay the United States $60,000.00 to resolve civil liability for alleged violations of the False Claims Act. According to the United States Attorney, Gerard M. Karam, between April 2015 and December 2015, Dr. Baddick prescri  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: A second superseding indictment was filed yesterday charging a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by three principals of Complete Business Solutions Group, Inc. d/b/a Par Funding ("Par Funding") and also charging various other crimes included in a previous superseding indictment, including secu  more

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, Feb. 28 -- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: Attorney General Alan Wilson today sent a letter demanding that federal officials address a recent report that found unaccompanied migrant children in the custody of the federal government are being released into unsafe situations, including into human trafficking. The attorneys general from 22 states demand that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Ale  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (TNSrep) -- The Securities and Exchange Commission Inspector General issued the following report (No. 581) on Jan. 29, 2024, entitled "Opportunities Exist to Strengthen the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Programs and Operations." Here are excerpts: * * * M E M O R A N D U M TO: Rita Sampson, Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity; Mark Reinhold, Chief Human Capital Officer, Office of Human Resources FROM: Rebecca L. Sharek, Deputy Inspector General for  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced the "Strengthening Cybersecurity in Health Care Act" on Feb. 8, 2024. The text of the bill was released on Feb. 24. S. 3773. A bill to require the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate the cybersecurity practices and protocols of the Department, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. The bill is cosponsored by Sens. Angus S. King Jr., I-Maine, Thom Til  more

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- The Senate Finance Committee issued a report (S.Rpt. 118-122) on the Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act (S. 2973), which aims to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to establish requirements relating to pharmacy benefit managers under Medicare and Medicaid programs. The report was advanced by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, on Dec. 7, 2023. Here are excerpts: * * * I. LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND The Committee on Finance, having considered S. 2973, a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, demanded the return of $127 million in taxpayer funds that were wrongfully paid to the Central States Pension Fund as part of the Democrats' $90 billion pension bailout included in the American Rescue Plan  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 28, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons." The hearing will examine myriad issues related to the operation and management of th  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 28, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director Colette Peters and Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individual  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) today introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Currently, the DOJ Inspector General (IG) ha  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: NEW ORLEANS -- A Senegal national in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody passed away at the CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana, Feb. 23. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death. Ousmane Ba, 33, a citizen of Senegal, entered the United States at or near Lukeville, Arizona, without inspection  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 28 -- Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti issued the following news: Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sent a letter, along with 21 other Attorneys General, demanding Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray address a recent report issued by the HHS Office of Inspector General. The report found   more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee issued the following news release: On February 28, 2024, Randa Allison, 29, of Stevenson, Alabama, was sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment after being convicted of mail fraud involving a scheme to defraud COVID-19 unemployment programs in several states. Allison was sentenced by the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Cha  more

MCALLEN, Texas, March 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A federal jury has returned guilty verdicts against a doctor and a clinic employee for receiving illegal kickbacks after ordering unnecessary lab tests and prescriptions, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before finding Dr. Osama Nahas, 69, McAllen, and Isabel Pruneda, 53, Edinburg, guilty of conspiracy to   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, issued the following news release: "To Democrats, and this administration, Laken Riley is just another sacrifice on the altar of woke ideology." Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) called out President Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, and the Democratic Party for their willful refusal to secure America's borders, resulting in the death of thousands of Americans, most recently Laken Riley. Senator Tuberville highlighte  more

TUCSON, Arizona, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona issued the following news release: On Wednesday, a federal grand jury indicted Larry Edward Brown, Jr., 42, of Peoria, on one count of Involuntary Manslaughter of an Officer of the United States. The indictment alleges that on August 17, 2023, Special Agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) used the firearm range at the Federal Correctional Institution - Phoenix for standard p  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, Feb. 28 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release on Feb. 27, 2024: A California man was arraigned today on charges relating to his role in a fraud and kickback scheme that caused more than $10 million in losses to Medicare, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced. Adam Wayne Owens, 43, of Riverside, California, is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fr  more

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Missouri, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri issued the following news release on Feb. 28, 2024: A jury on Wednesday found a former U.S. Postal Service letter carrier guilty of charges accusing him of stealing and failing to deliver customers' mail. After a trial lasting less than two days, Robert Gafford, 33, of Jackson, Missouri, was found guilty of one count of delaying or destroying mail and one count of embezzlement of mail. Ga  more

TAMPA, Florida, Feb. 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: The United States has filed a civil lawsuit against two New Horizons Computer Learning Center franchises and their owner, Robert J. Remington, alleging they submitted false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for Post-9/11 GI Bill tuition payments. The defendants allegedly overcharged the VA by failing to report tuition waivers and scholarships provided   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development has issued a proposed rule (48 CFR Parts 722 and 752), published in the Federal Register on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "Safeguarding Against Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, and Child Neglect." The proposed rule was issued by Jami J. Rodgers, Chief Acquisition Officer. COMMENT DEADLINE: April 29, 2024 * * * SUMMARY: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) seeks public comment on a proposed rule revising   more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 29 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news on Feb. 28, 2024: Today, Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes took the lead in sending a letter, signed by 21 other Attorneys General, demanding Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray address a recent report issued by the HHS Office of Inspector G  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: A California resident pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting wire fraud, which led to defrauding the federal government of approximately $114,066 in unemployment benefits during COVID-19, while he was living and working in Utah. He also admitted to aiding and abetting others to fraudulently apply and pay him as compensation. According to court docu  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 1 (TNSres) -- Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: Attorney General Jason Miyares today sent a letter to the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), raising alarms about their policies regarding the tens of thousands of missing migrant children and urging the federal government to work with local governments to ensure their safety and welfare. "The missing migrant children are a   more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 29 -- Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares issued the following news release: Attorney General Jason Miyares sent a letter, along with 21 other Attorneys General, demanding Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray address a recent report issued by the HHS Office of Inspector General that found unaccompanied mig  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 2 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: A Richmond man was sentenced yesterday to seven years in prison for orchestrating successive schemes to defraud a COVID-19 relief program and steal funds through altered checks. According to court documents, Davon Hunter, 26, used Instagram and word of mouth to recruit potential co-conspirators to provide their personal identifying information   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: "We urge the BOP not to renew its ACA accreditation contract when it expires next month."  "The ACA's accreditation system is ineffective at best, and at worst misleads the public to believe that a failing facility's operations are adequate." Washington, D.C. - Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent a letter to Colette Peters, Director of the  more

OLYMPIA, Washington, March 2 -- Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson issued the following news release on March 1, 2024: Today, the Washington state Legislature unanimously passed Attorney General request legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Volz, R-Spokane, that will expand state benefits to more than 35,000 Washington veterans. It now heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law. Most of the Washington veterans affected by the bill, House Bill 2014, already qualify for federal   more

SPOKANE, Washington, Feb. 29 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington issued the following news release on Feb. 28, 2024: Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Thomas Andrew Webster, M.D., age 51, of Sylvania, Ohio, pled guilty to conspiring to accept kickbacks in connection with a fraudulent telemarketing and medical supply scheme throughout Washington and in other states. District Judge Mary  more

SPOKANE, Washington, March 1 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington issued the following news release on Feb. 29, 2024: Yesterday, Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Christopher Hamilton Clemens, age 42, currently of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and formerly of Clarkston, Washington, pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in connection with bribing a federal contracting official  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 -- Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, issued the following news release: A recent Bureau of Prisons Inspector General report found USP Atlanta had the most deaths of any Federal prison nationwide between 2014-2021 Inspector General report also found that nationwide, contraband contributed to at least 1/3 of deaths in Federal prisons Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff today pressed the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director to crack down on contraband in Atlanta's Feder  more