LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas, March 6 -- Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement on March 5, 2024: * * * Following guilty pleas entered by Daniel Caudle, 36, and Misty Berdine, 33, both of Omaha, Arkansas, Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement: "Earlier this week, the defendants pleaded guilty to Medicaid Fraud, a Class A misdemeanor. Claiming Medicaid payments for providing care to their son when he was not in their custody is egregious and an affr  more

WASHINGTON, March 3 -- Jay Feldman, Executive Director, Beyond Pesticides, has issued a public comment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The comment was written on Feb. 23, 2024, and posted on Feb. 27, 2024. The comment was on Docket No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2023-0240. * * * To: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA Docket Center Office of Research and Development Docket Mail Code 28221T 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20460 Re. Updates to EPA Scientific Integrity Policy,  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 [Category: National Defense] -- The Military Officers Association of America issued the following news: Bipartisan legislation championed by leaders of a key House panel aims to improve mental health care for pregnant and postpartum servicemembers and beneficiaries, targeting "alarming rates" of pregnancy-related mental health conditions in the uniformed services community. MOAA has endorsed the Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve (MOMS) Act, introduced in the Hous  more

SAN DIEGO, California, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection issued the following news release: On March 3, 2024, U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) Border Patrol agents were conducting operations in the Puebla Tree area of the Otay Mountains, approximately five miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. BORTAC was actively monitoring this area - where there is a paved road winding through the mountains - because of recent reports of armed ro  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, March 8 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - The Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Medical Inspector General evaluated the performance, efficiency, and mission readiness at the Naval Medical Research Unit San Antonio during a scheduled command inspection at the Battlefield Health and Trauma Research Institute from March 4-6. Approximately 12   more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), Co-Chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, joined Members of Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Oversight Committees as well as the GOP Doctors Caucus in sending a letter to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Members expressed their concern and requested  more

SAN DIEGO, California, March 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: A former civilian employee of San Diego-based Naval Information Warfare Center and a former executive with a South Carolina defense contractor were charged in an indictment unsealed today with participating in a bribery scheme to trade expensive meals, jobs and a ticket to a premiere sporting event for help obtaining more than $100 million  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Center for Environmental Accountability has issued a public comment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The comment was written on Feb. 2, 2024, and posted on Feb. 8, 2024. The comment was signed by Marc Marie, President. The comment, on Docket No. EPA-HQ-ORD-2023-0240, was sent to Maureen R. Gwinn, Chief Scientist. * * * On January 24, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noticed a revised draft scientific integrity policy (SI Policy) in t  more

KEESLER AFB, Mississippi, March 8 -- The U.S. Air Force Reserve Command issued the following news: By SMSgt Jessica Kendziorek, 403rd Wing Public Affairs The 403rd Wing held its biannual commander's call at the Roberts Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Facility auditorium March 3. Col. John Benson, 403rd Wing commander, recognized the wing's top performers and stressed the importance of training and readiness so Reserve Citizen Airmen are prepared to deploy at a moment's notice. He also spoke  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of the Inspector General issued the following memorandum on Feb. 20, 2024, regarding the fiscal 2024 Departmental financial statements audit: * * * MEMORANDUM FOR: Jeremy Pelter, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce FROM: Richard Bachman, Assistant Inspector General for  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of the Inspector General issued the following memorandum on Feb. 20, 2024, regarding the fiscal 2024 USPTO financial statements audit: * * * MEMORANDUM FOR: Jay Hoffman, Chief Financial Officer, United States Patent and Trademark Office FROM: Richard Bachman, Assistant Inspector General for Audit and Evaluation SUBJECT: Fiscal Year 2024 USPTO Financial Statements Audit (#2024-477) Our office contracted with KPMG LLP (KPMG), an   more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of the Inspector General issued the following memorandum on Feb. 15, 2024, regarding the USPTO quality reviews of continuing patent applications: * * * MEMORANDUM FOR: Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office FROM: Frederick J. Meny, Jr., Assistant Inspector General for Audit and Evaluation SUBJECT: Audit of USPTO's Quality Reviews of Contin  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of the Inspector General issued the following memorandum on March 1, 2024, regarding the USPTO's governance of its artificial intelligence tools: * * * MEMORANDUM FOR: Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office FROM: Frederick J. Meny, Jr., Assistant Inspector General for Audit and Evaluation SUBJECT: Audit of USPTO's Governance of Its Artifici  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, chairman of the House Small Business Committee, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Today, Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX) led a full Committee on Small Business hearing titled "Reducing Mismanagement: GAO Recommendations for Improving the SBA." Chairman Williams issued the following statement after today's hearing. "Today's hearing with representatives from the Government Accountability Office was very informative," said Chai  more

WASHINGTON, March 3 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R47850) on Dec. 1, 2023, entitled "The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee - A Primer:" (Continued from Part 1 of 2) * * * Supporting Athletes Athletes' Advisory Council The Athletes' Advisory Council (AAC, also known more recently as the Team USA Athletes' Commission)/61 is a representative body for active athletes within USOPC whose mission is to "ensure communication" between those athl  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Today, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) sent a request to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate the election interference against President Donald J. Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Special Counsel Smith's actions to expedite the Trump case have no other purpose than to ensure a trial before the November 2024 election, in violation of DOJ rul  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Today, U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) sent a request to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz to investigate the election interference against President Donald J. Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Special Counsel Smith's actions to expedite the Trump case have no other purpose than to ensure a trial before the November 2024 election, in violation of DOJ rul  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Transportation Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. ZA2024019) on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "FAA's Information Technology and Telecommunications Contracting Practices Limit Best Value Outcomes." Here are excerpts: * * * What We Looked At Each year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) procures billions of dollars in information technologies (IT) and telecommunications (telecom) products and services in support of its mission to provide th  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release: After public reports of a large-scale, year-long Medicare fraud scheme involving catheter billing, leaders from the Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, and Oversight and Accountability committees, along with GOP Doctors Caucus Co-Chairs, are seeking a briefing from Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General (IG) Christi Grim  more

EDWARDS AFB, California, March 8 -- The U.S. Air Force's Edwards Air Force Base issued the following news: By Giancarlo Casem, 412th Test Wing Public Affairs The 412th Test Wing conducted an active shooter exercise at Edwards Air Force Base today. The purpose of the exercise was to enhance base readiness and response capabilities in the event of a critical incident. "Training of this nature is essential for maintaining our preparedness and ensuring the safety of our community," said Lt. Col.   more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Export-Import Bank of the United States Office of Inspector General issued the following news release: Minneapolis - Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) Board Member Owen Herrnstadt traveled to Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota to hold meetings alongside Senator Amy Klobuchar with private sector companies and manufacturers to discuss the role of EXIM financing in supporting domestic manufacturers and good paying jobs in Minnesota. During the visit, Direct  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 (TNSrep) -- The Office of the Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the following memorandum (No. 2024-IT-B-005R) on Feb. 21, 2024, entitled "Results of Security Control Testing of the Board's Projection Collection System:" Here are excerpts: * * * MEMORANDUM TO: Jeff Riedel, Chief Information Officer, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Trevor Reeve, Director, Division   more

WASHINGTON, March 4 (TNSrep) -- The Office of the Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the following report (No. 2024-SR-C-007) on Feb. 26, 2024, entitled "The CFPB Can Enhance Certain Practices to Mitigate the Risk of Conflicts of Interest for Division of Supervision, Enforcement and Fair Lending Employees." Here are excerpts: * * * Executive Summary Finding The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ca  more

MIAMI, Florida, March 7 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release: On March 5, a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale convicted a Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) deputy of two counts of wire fraud for her COVID-19 relief fraud scheme. In 2021, Stephanie Diane Smith, 53, of Sunrise, Florida, applied for and received two PPP loans for herself as a sole proprietor doing business as Children 1st Basketball Training and Agape Smith Ven  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, March 7 -- McGuireWoods, a law firm, issued the following news release: Michael Elliott and Mindy Sauter, both former federal prosecutors with particular experience in healthcare matters, have joined McGuireWoods as partners in Dallas. Along with counsel Chris Quinlan, they anchor McGuireWoods' government investigations and white collar litigation practice in Texas and bolster the firm's already significant healthcare industry capabilities. After serving as federal prosecut  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The Federal Trade Commission issued the following remarks on March 5, 2024, by Chairwoman Lina M. Khan at the Private Capital Public Impact Workshop: * * * I am so thrilled to be here with you all and to exchange knowledge and expertise on the important topic of private equity in health care. I want to start by thanking all the speakers you'll hear from today, spanning leaders from the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services, respected academics  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, March 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia issued the following news release: Matthew Allen Dickason, a disbarred attorney who was previously licensed to practice law in the State of Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for embezzling more than $3 million from his clients. Dickason used the money for personal purposes and created phony accounting records to cover up his theft. "Dickason engaged in a long-running and shameful prac  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The Government Accountability Project issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: This morning, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs issued a unanimous bi-partisan mandate for taxpayer accountability. In a unanimous vote, the Committee passed S. 1524, Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2023. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Peters (D-MI) and cosponsored by Senator Braun (R-IN) would expand the protection of government   more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Health and Human Services Inspector General posted the following advisory opinion (No. 24-01) on Feb. 26, 2024: * * * Favorable opinion regarding the use of a "preferred hospital" network as part of Medicare Supplemental Health Insurance ("Medigap") policies, whereby an insurance company would contract with a preferred hospital organization to provide discounts on the otherwise-applicable Medicare inpatient deductibles for its policyholders and, in turn, would provid  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, issued the following statement on March 7, 2024: * * * House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued the following statement on reports President Biden will order the U.S. military to construct a port in Gaza: "President Biden's plan to use Americans' hard-earned money to build a port in Gaza will only fast-track U.S. taxpayer-funded aid into  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce, issued the following news release: Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) introduced the GSA Technology Accountability Act to ensure GSA is held accountable to Congress and the American people in how it spends taxpayer dollars on technology projects and initiatives. "Almo  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- NetChoice, a coalition of trade associations, eCommerce businesses and online consumers, all of whom share the goal of promoting convenience, choice and commerce on the Net, issued the following news: Last night, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced H.R. 7532, the Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act. This is the right approach to artificial intelligence (AI) policymaking, an  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- The House on Feb. 28, 2024, published an executive communication from the Executive Branch: * * * EC-3254. A letter from the Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, transmitting the biennial "Joint Report on the Implementation of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015", pursuant to 6 U.S.C. 1506(b)(1); Public Law 114-113, Sec. 107(b)(1); (129 Stat. 2952); to the Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select). * * * The  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The House on Feb. 29, 2024, published four executive communications from the Executive Branch: * * * EC-3257. A letter from the President and Chair, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States, transmitting a statement with respect to exports, pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 635(b)(3); July 31, 1945, ch. 341, Sec. 2 (as added by Public Law 102-266, Sec. 102); (106 Stat. 95); to the Committee on Financial Services. EC-3258. A letter from the Administrator, Environm  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The House on March 1, 2024, published five executive communications from the Executive Branch: * * * EC-3268. A letter from the Assistant General Counsel, Office of the Inspector General (Tax Administration), Department of the Treasury, transmitting a notification of a vacancy and a designation of acting officer, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3349(a); Public Law 105-277, Sec. 151(b); (112 Stat. 2681-614); to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. EC-3269. A letter from   more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management issued the following information for a hearing entitled "Disaster Readiness: Examining the Propriety of the Expanded Use of Federal Emergency Management Agency Resources" at 10 a.m. on March 12, 2024, at 2167 Rayburn House Office Building: Witness List: * Hon. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency * Ms. Kristen D. Ber  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Rep. Jason Smith, R-Missouri, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, issued the following news release: Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08), joined by Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (IL-16), called for the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) to launch an investigation into how the influx of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) crossing the southwest border may be increasing pressure on an al  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: BALTIMORE -- An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service in Washington, D.C., and the Baltimore Police Department resulted in a 40-month federal prison sentence followed by three years of supervised release for a Maryland man who defrauded victims out of more than $1  more

EAST ST. LOUIS, Illinois, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois issued the following news release: A doctor from Edwardsville admitted guilt to a federal healthcare fraud charge for falsely documenting services provided to nursing home patients for reimbursement from Medicare. Phillip J. Greene, 59, pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud. "We entrust medical professionals to provide ethical care, but some choose to act in bad faith," said U.  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: * * * In Bipartisan Letter, Senators Warren, Scott Call Out Culture of Corruption in the Federal Reserve "This trading scandal - the most severe ethics failure in the Fed's history - eroded the public's trust and raised legitimate questions about the integrity of Fed officials and the Fed's policy making process." "The Fed's repeated denials of requests for transparency and your  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: * * * In Bipartisan Letter, Senators Warren, Scott Call Out Culture of Corruption in the Federal Reserve "This trading scandal - the most severe ethics failure in the Fed's history - eroded the public's trust and raised legitimate questions about the integrity of Fed officials and the Fed's policy making process." "The Fed's repeated denials of requests for transparency and your apparent inabili  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release: "This trading scandal - the most severe ethics failure in the Fed's history - eroded the public's trust and raised legitimate questions about the integrity of Fed officials and the Fed's policy making process." "The Fed's repeated denials of requests for transparency and your apparent inability to live up to your responsibilities as the Fed's watchdog unfortunately suggest that the public may never get to the  more

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 8 -- The United Nations Human Rights Committee issued the following news on March 7, 2027: * * * In Dialogue with Namibia, Experts of the Human Rights Committee Praise the State's World Press Freedom Index Ranking, Raise Issues Concerning Corrupt Public Procurement Practices and Implementation of Environmental Legislation * * * The Human Rights Committee today concluded its consideration of the third periodic report of Namibia on how it implements the provisions of  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 2022-ITA-025) on Feb. 21, 2024, entitled "The Department Needs To Better Protect Data Stored in the Cloud From the Risk of Unauthorized Access." Here are excerpts: * * * Memorandum To: Darren Ash, Chief Information Officer From: Kathleen Sedney, Assistant Inspector General for Audits, Inspections, and Evaluations Subject: Final Evaluation Report - The U.S. Department of the Interior Needs To Better  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following report (No. 2022-ER-033) on Jan. 31, 2024, entitled "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grants Awarded to the State of New York, Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish and Wildlife, From April 1, 2019, Through March 30, 2021, Under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program." Here are excerpts: * * * Memorandum To: Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service From: Colleen Kotzmoyer,  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned a superseding indictment today charging a third South Korean national and a South Korean company for their roles in a bid-rigging conspiracy and a scheme to defraud the United States in connection with operation and maintenance work for U.S. military installations in South Korea. According to the superseding indictment filed in  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: KVK Research Inc., a generic drug manufacturer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to criminal charges that it introduced adulterated drugs into interstate commerce. A criminal information filed in federal court in Philadelphia charged KVK Research and its corporate affiliate, KVK Tech Inc., with two misdemeanor counts of introducing adulterated drugs into interstate commer  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-049) on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "FBI's Information Security Management Program Pursuant to Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, Fiscal 2023:" * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to: (1) determine whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) overall information security management program and practices were consistent with the requireme  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-050) on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "FBI's National Data Exchange and Javelin Systems Pursuant to Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, Fiscal 2023:" * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Data Exchange (NDEX) and Javelin systems security program and practices were consistent w  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 24-051) on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "FBI's Pocatello Data Center Pursuant to Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, Fiscal 2023:" * * * COMMENTARY AND SUMMARY Objectives The objectives of this audit were to determine whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Pocatello Data Center security program and practices were consistent with the requirements of the Federal Information S  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 (TNSrep) -- The U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General issued the following report (No. 24-046) on Feb. 27, 2024, entitled "Recommendations Issued by OIG That Were Not Closed as of Jan. 31, 2024." Here are excerpts: * * * EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The attached report contains information about recommendations from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General's (OIG) audits, evaluations, reviews, and other reports that the OIG had not closed as of January   more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Rep. Daniel Kildee, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-08) today celebrated the ongoing demolition and clean-up of the old Saginaw County Fairgrounds, a project he has worked on with local community leaders since serving in Congress. Since hosting its last event, the Saginaw County Fairgrounds land and buildings have fallen into disrepair. In 2001, the Saginaw Housing Commission, against the advice of the U.S. Department of Housing   more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that TIMOTHY MCMILLAN, JR., age 43, of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on March 5, 2024 to Theft of Mail by a Postal Service employee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709. According to court documents, the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General ("USPS-OIG") received complaints regarding op  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Nick LaLota, R-New York, issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: This week, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-Suffolk County), a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and the Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 7372, the bipartisan Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act. This bipartisan legislation requires the president, rather than simply granting him more authority, to secure the U.S. southern border and provides d  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, issued the following news release on March 8, 2024: Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and U.S. Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden announced that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (Maine DHHS) will receive $2,048,452 through the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Emergency Response Grant program (SERG). This program is designed to meet emergency substance use  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: BALTIMORE -- An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Washington division, the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General National Capital Region, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Baltimore field division, the Anne Arundel County Pol  more

LANSING, Michigan, March 8 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the creation of a new initiative, in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Welfare Fraud Pretrial Diversion Program. The Welfare Fraud Pretrial Diversion Program was created to resolve cases of fraud perpetrated against the assistance program without necessitating criminal char  more

CONCORD, New Hampshire, March 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Hampshire issued the following news release on March 4, 2024: A Derry woman pleaded guilty today in federal court for her role in attempting to fraudulently obtain $2.5 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Tammy Dodge, 43, pleaded guilty to bank fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. Barbadoro scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2024. Dodge's husband and co-co  more

NEWARK, New Jersey, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey issued the following news release: A New York acupuncturist today admitted participating in a $9 million health care fraud scheme to defraud Amtrak, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Punson Figueroa, aka "Susie," 57, of Long Island City, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court to an information charging her with conspiracy to commit hea  more

NEW YORK, March 5 -- New York Attorney General Letitia James issued the following news release on March 4, 2024: New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that her office has secured a major settlement with Fulton Commons Care Center, Inc. (Fulton Commons) (https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/settlements-agreements/fulton-commons-aod.pdf), a nursing home in East Meadow, Nassau County that will require its owners and operator to pay up to $8.6 million and install monitors to refo  more

NEW YORK, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that TATIANA DANIEL was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. DANIEL participated in a scheme to commit COVID-19 pandemic fraud by defrauding New York City's COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program; committing unemployment insu  more

NEW YORK, March 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued the following news release: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that LIAQUAT CHEEMA pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his leadership of a scheme to defraud New York City (the "City") in connection with public contracts to perform general contracting work at City homeless shelters. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: "  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio issued the following news release: A Cincinnati man was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 18 months in prison for committing wire fraud as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain a Covid relief loan. Kelton McClarrin, 33, received nearly $21,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under false pretenses and used the money for personal expenditures including jail commissary services, CashApp, Gr  more

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio issued the following news release on March 7, 2024: A large-scale narcotics trafficker was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 108 months in prison for drug and gun crimes and wire fraud. Dylan D. Polk, 31, of Grove City, was charged federally in October 2022. Polk, who is also known as "Dunk," pleaded guilty the evening before his jury trial was scheduled to begin in October 2023. According to  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Gerald "Gerry" Connolly, D-Virginia, issued the following news: By a vote of 40-0, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability approved the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) to require the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to collect, track, and publicly report information related to deaths and injuries resulting from traffic crashes involving vehicles transporting mail. The legislation is co-le  more

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, March 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release: A resident of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today in federal court for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, U.S. Attorney Eric G. Olshan announced today. United States Senior District Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced Terrence Newmeyer Jr., 46, to one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release, including six months o  more

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that KVK Research Inc., a generic drug manufacturer in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to criminal charges that it introduced adulterated drugs into interstate commerce. A criminal information filed in federal court in Philadelphia charged KVK Research and its co  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minnesota, issued the following news release on March 8, 2024: Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig slammed the latest quarterly performance report from the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General after it revealed a continued decline in USPS performance in Minnesota during Q4 of FY23. The OIG's report details deteriorating first-class mail delivery rates in the Minnesota-North Dakota (MN-ND) postal district. Out of country's 50 tot  more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the "HUD Transparency Act" on Feb. 7, 2024. The text of the bill was released on March 1. H.R. 7280. A bill to require the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to testify before the Congress annually, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Financial Services. The bill is cosponsored by Reps. Andy Barr, R-Ky., Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Daniel Crenshaw, R  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Rep. Darrell E. Issa, R-California, issued the following news release: Last week, the Washington Examiner broke disturbing findings that the U.S. Agency for International Development gave grants to terror-linked non-profit Helping Hand despite an ongoing investigation by the USAID Inspector General into links between the organization and Pakistan-based terrorist group, Falah-e-Insaniat. "As a fundamental principle, federal agencies need to allow the IG's to do their crit  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, issued the following news release: Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) introduced H.R. 7524 , the GSA Technology Accountability Act to ensure GSA is held accountable to Congress and the American people in how it spends taxpayer dollars on technology projects and initiatives. "Almost a year ago, we began an investigation into Login.gov after the GSA Inspector General reported that Lo  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel issued the following testimony by Frank Larkin, chief operating officer of the Troops First Foundation, involving a hearing on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "Traumatic Brain Injury and Blast Exposure Care": * * * We know that losing someone with TBI to suicide isn't the worst part. There are 500,000 other Ryan's currently out there with TBI1 trying to stay alive, despite being four times as likely to attempt suicide./1 Mili  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, chairwoman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, issued the following statement on March 7, 2024: * * * Tonight, the U.S. Senate unanimously voted to confirm Rebecca Slaughter, Melissa Holyoak and Andrew Ferguson to serve as Commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the following state  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following news release on March 5, 2024: Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, slammed the Biden administration's failure to address the unprecedented rise in the exploitation of children for cheap labor. In 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) found 5,792 min  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued the following opening statement at a hearing on Feb. 27, 2024, entitled "The U.S. Technology Fueling Russia's War in Ukraine: How and Why": * * * On February 24, 2022, the same day that Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. Commerce Department announced its first of many export control measures against   more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following testimony by Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Colette S. Peters involving a hearing on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons": * * * Good morning, Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Graham, and Members of the Committee. I appreciate this opportunity to discuss how the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) is working to prevent deaths in custody and how we are c  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following testimony by Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz involving a hearing on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal Prisons": * * * Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Graham, and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for inviting me to testify at today's important hearing about preventing inmate deaths in federal prisons, and to discuss the Office of the Inspe  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism issued the following testimony by John Wetzel, board chair of the Keystone Restituere Justice Center, involving a hearing on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "The Nation's Correctional Staffing Crisis: Assessing the Toll on Correctional Officers and Incarcerated Persons": * * * Good afternoon Chairman Booker, Ranking Member Cotton, and members of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Counterterrorism. M  more

WASHINGTON, March 8 -- The Senate on Feb. 29, 2024, published 10 executive communications from the Executive Branch: * * * EC-3646. A communication from the Chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, transmitting, pursuant to law, the Commission's Semiannual Report of the Inspector General for the period from April 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. EC-3647. A communication from the Acting Director of Legislative Affai  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee issued the following testimony by Matthew Quinn, under secretary for memorial affairs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration, involving a hearing on Feb. 28, 2024, entitled "Sacred Mission: Honoring America's Veterans and their Families at VA Cemeteries": * * * Good afternoon, Chairman Tester, Ranking Member Moran, and members of the Committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you t  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. led a letter to United States Postal Service (USPS) Postmaster General Louis DeJoy demanding answers and a briefing from USPS Kansas-Missouri district leadership on the continued delays and lapses in mail delivery in the greater Kansas City region. Senator Marshall was joined in his letter by Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Eric Schmitt (R-MO). "We wri  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, issued the following news release: U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), John Thune (R-SD), and John Hoeven (R-ND) in introducing the Purchased and Referred Care Improvement Act--bipartisan legislation that makes it clear that the Indian Health Service (IHS) is responsible for paying medical bills for IHS beneficiaries, not tribal members. The legislation also requires the IHS to re  more

WASHINGTON, March 9 -- Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pennsylvania, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, issued the following news release on March 8, 2024: Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee Chairman Scott Perry (R-PA) announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine if the expanded use of resources is impacting the Federal Emergency Management Agen  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee issued the following news release: A retired auto mechanic in Memphis pled guilty in federal court yesterday to trafficking counterfeit airbags and causing a dangerous good or forbidden explosive to be placed onto a commercial aircraft. United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz announced the guilty plea today. According to information presented in court, Mohammed Al-Abadi, 51, imported counterfeit m  more

HOUSTON, Texas, March 5 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas issued the following news release: A federal jury has convicted an Indiana man for his role in a multimillion-dollar international advance fee scheme orchestrated from Nigeria, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. The jury deliberated for 45 minutes before convicting Tochukwu Nwosisi, 52, Indianapolis, Indiana, following a six-day trial. According to court documents and evidence presented at t  more

NEW YORK, March 6 -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued the following transcript of a media availability on March 5, 2024: * * * Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy, Communications: Good morning, everybody. My name is Fabien Levy, and I serve as deputy mayor for Communications for the City of New York. Thank you for joining us today. From keeping New Yorkers up to date on breaking news to providing crucial information about essential city services, our administration works every day to meet New Yorke  more

TYNDALL AFB, Florida, March 8 -- The U.S. Air Force Tyndall Air Force Base (325th Fighter Wing) issued the following news: By Airman 1st Class Zeeshan Naeem, 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs The 325th Fighter Wing recently hosted exercise Crown Royal 24-2, at Tyndall AFB, Feb. 20-March 6, 2024, to test the wing's ability to generate, employ and sustain combat forces. Exercises like CR 24-2 are an Air Force instruction requirement for evaluating combat readiness and improving coordination for  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: Ruby Corado, 53, the founder of Casa Ruby, Inc., a Washington D.C.-based non-profit that provided services to the LGBTQ+ community, had her first appearance in U.S. District Court today to face charges of defrauding Paycheck Protection and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, and money laundering. Corado allegedly diverted at least $150,000 of $1.3 milli  more

TAMPA, Florida, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell today sentenced Tommy Louisville (71, Pembroke Pines) to one year and one day in federal prison for unlawful drug distribution, false statements relating to health care matters, and Paycheck Protection Program fraud. The court also ordered Louisville to pay restitution in the amount of $35,319.23 to the Small   more

SPOKANE, Washington, March 9 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington issued the following news release on March 8, 2024: Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted three individuals for fraud in connection with COVID-19 relief funding. The Indictment is the most recent announced by the Eastern Washington COVID-19 Strike Force, which has brought criminal charges ag  more

JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 8 -- The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia issued the following news release: U.S. Embassy Jakarta's Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Diplomatic Security Service's Office of Overseas Criminal Investigations hosted the second annual Information Exchange on Crimes Against Women and Children (IECAWC) from March 5 to March 7 in Jakarta. Keynote speakers at the March 5 opening event included U.S. Mission to ASEAN Ambassador Yohannes A. Abraham; U.S. Embassy Jakarta Charge d  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release on March 6, 2024: A Leesburg man pleaded guilty today to wire fraud for his scheme to defraud a federal COVID-19 relief plan. According to court documents, Russell Laraway, 56, an Army Reserve officer, incorporated two business entities in Virginia that he purported to operate out of his home in Leesburg: Loudoun Innovation LLC ("LI LLC") and Commonwealth Comm  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia issued the following news release: A California man made his initial appearance in Alexandria today to face charges for a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $10 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act loans. According to court documents, Craig David Davis, 50, of Marina Del Rey, allegedly submitted fake tax documents and business records to three banks to obtain two   more

WASHINGTON, March 4 -- Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: Big Pharma "company has made a life-saving drug inaccessible for millions of children just months before allergy season -- all to pad the profits of [GlaxoSmithKline's] executives and shareholders." Letter Text (PDF) Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) blasted GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for its price-gouging strategy that may cause millions of children to lose access to o  more

SEATTLE, Washington, March 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington issued the following news release on March 5, 2024: The leader of a wide-ranging fraud scheme that stole more than $3.3 million from federally funded pandemic assistance programs was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 5 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Paradise Williams, 29, personally received more than $2 million   more

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, March 4 -- The West Virginia Legislature issued the following news release on March 3, 2024: Monday, March 4, 2024 - 55th Day of Session The Senate will convene at 11 a.m. UNFINISHED BUSINESS * SR 62: Memorializing life of Betty Burkett * SR 63: Memorializing life of Sylvia Shafer THIRD READING * Eng. Com. Sub. for HB 4667: Prohibiting syringe services programs from distributing listed smoking devices * Eng. Com. Sub. for HB 4830: To address the professional de  more

WHITEMAN AFB, Missouri, March 8 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: By Senior Airman Kelly Ferguson, 131st Bomb Wing Public Affairs The 131st Bomb Wing Command Post team, along with several of its members, earned accolades during the 2023 Air National Guard Command and Control (C2) Operations Annual Awards. The awards recognize both Air National Guard (ANG) and regular Air Force elements of Whiteman Air Force Base's Command Post team. The Guard component wa  more