U.S. Department of Justice

The Justice Department issued the following statement today from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: “The Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law 60 years ago today, gave the Justice Department some of its most important tools to protect Americans from discrimination, including at school, in the workplace, in voting, and in places of public accommodation. Today, we remember the generations of Americans who risked their lives – and the many who sacrificed their lives – in the struggle to claim the rights guaranteed to Black Americans, and to all Americans, under the Constitution. We recognize the continued dedication of our partners in the civil rights community who are the inheritors of that legacy. And we honor the public servants across the Justice Department who have worked to fulfill the promise of the Civil Rights Act over the past six decades and continue to do so today. Before signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law 60 years ago, President Lyndon Baines Johnson addressed the American people, saying, ‘the Civil Rights Act is a challenge to all of us to work in our communities and our States, in our homes and in our hearts, to eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in our beloved country.’ Today, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the Justice Department renews our commitment to meeting that challenge.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBG_zEuY

U.S. Marshals Find 200 Missing Children Across the Nation During Operation We Will Find You 2 The U. S. Marshals Service, along with federal, state, and local agencies in seven federal judicial districts and geographical locations across the United States, led a six-week national operation that resulted in finding 200 critically missing children, which includes endangered runaways and those abducted by noncustodial persons. Operation We Will Find You 2 (OWWFY2), the second-of-its-kind nationwide missing child operation, was conducted from May 20 to June 24 and focused on geographical areas with high clusters of critically missing children. Children who go missing may be in serious danger and can be vulnerable to child sex trafficking, abuse, exploitation, and other crimes against children. With technical assistance from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), OWWFY2 resulted in the recovery and removal of 123 children from dangerous situations. An additional 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement or child welfare agencies. Of the 200 children found, 173 were endangered runaways, 25 were considered otherwise missing, one was a family abduction, and one was a non-family abduction. The youngest child recovered was five months old. 14 of the children were found outside the city where they went missing. Additionally, of the missing children recovered, 57% were recovered within seven days of the USMS assisting with the case. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gPjNYz98

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the Supreme Court’s decision in Fischer v. United States “January 6 was an unprecedented attack on the cornerstone of our system of government — the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. I am disappointed by today’s decision, which limits an important federal statute that the Department has sought to use to ensure that those most responsible for that attack face appropriate consequences. The vast majority of the more than 1,400 defendants charged for their illegal actions on January 6 will not be affected by this decision. There are no cases in which the Department charged a January 6 defendant only with the offense at issue in Fischer. For the cases affected by today’s decision, the Department will take appropriate steps to comply with the Court’s ruling. We will continue to use all available tools to hold accountable those criminally responsible for the January 6 attack on our democracy.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/geDqUQ4P

Last night, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland delivered remarks honoring the 28th anniversary of Ukrainian Constitution Day and highlighted the Department’s continued support of the people of Ukraine as they seek justice and freedom. Read his full remarks: https://lnkd.in/gcDfmpmb

Alaska Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening U.S. Senator An Alaska man pleaded guilty yesterday to making interstate threats to kidnap and injure a sitting U.S. Senator. According to court documents, Arther Graham, 46, of Kenai, sent a web form submission to a U.S. Senator on Sept. 28, 2023, threatening to injure the Senator. Congressional staff members reported the threat to the U.S. Capitol Police and an investigation was launched. “Threats of violence against public servants are abhorrent and unacceptable, and as this plea makes clear, the Justice Department will not tolerate them,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our democracy depends on the ability of members of Congress to do their jobs without fearing for their safety. The Justice Department will continue to do everything in our power to protect those who serve the public and to hold accountable those who endanger them.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHuaMhJQ

National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Results in 193 Defendants Charged and Over $2.75 Billion in False Claims The Justice Department today announced the 2024 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, which resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals in 32 federal districts across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving approximately $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses. In connection with the coordinated nationwide law enforcement action, and together with federal and state law enforcement partners, the government seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets. “It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gmJn2Yyr

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the Supreme Court's decision in Moyle v. United States: “The Justice Department filed this lawsuit because the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, guarantees essential emergency care to all Americans, no matter which state they live in. If a patient comes into the emergency room with a medical emergency seriously jeopardizing the patient’s life or health, EMTALA requires hospitals to offer the treatment necessary to stabilize that patient — including pregnancy termination, if that is the treatment required to save a woman’s life or prevent serious harm to her health. Today’s order means that, while we continue to litigate our case, women in Idaho will once again have access to the emergency care guaranteed to them under federal law. The Justice Department will continue to use every available tool to ensure that women in every state have access to that care.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gkqfPpgs

Juan Orlando Hernández, Former President of Honduras, Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute More Than 400 Tons of Cocaine and Related Firearms Offenses Hernández Conspired with Some of the Largest Drug Traffickers in the World to Transport Tons of Cocaine through Honduras to the United States The former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, 55, also known as JOH, was sentenced today to 540 months in prison and 60 months of supervised release for cocaine importation and related weapons offenses. The former two-term president was in office until weeks before his extradition to the United States in April 2022. Hernández was convicted on March 8 following a three-week jury trial. “As President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández abused his power to support one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world, and the people of Honduras and the United States bore the consequences,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Thanks to the diligent work of the Justice Department’s agents and prosecutors, Hernández will now spend more than four decades in prison. The Justice Department will hold accountable all those who engage in violent drug trafficking, regardless of how powerful they are or what position they hold.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/gg3Mhe8U

Justice Department Announces It Will Provide Technical Assistance to Uvalde Police Department Under COPS Office’s Collaborative Reform Initiative The Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced today it will engage with the Uvalde Police Department (UPD) through the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative’s Critical Response program. The COPS Office, in conjunction with Jensen Hughes, a Critical Response provider, will provide a range of technical assistance services and opportunities associated with UPD’s training, leadership, and community partnerships. The goal of this technical assistance is to enhance UPD’s strategic training plan, leadership development programs, and community trust-building initiatives. “Since releasing its report ‘Critical Incident Review: Active Shooter at Robb Elementary’, the Justice Department has continued to work with the Uvalde community, offering a range of technical assistance on topics that were identified in the report,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “Today’s announcement will formalize that effort and enable the Department to enhance its efforts to help both the community and the police department implement the recommendations contained in the report.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/g3z7kEgK

WikiLeaks Founder Pleads Guilty and Is Sentenced for Conspiring to Obtain and Disclose Classified National Defense Information Julian P. Assange, 52, the founder of WikiLeaks, pleaded guilty today to conspiring with Chelsea Manning, at that time a U.S. Army intelligence analyst, to unlawfully obtain and disclose classified documents relating to the national defense. After obtaining classified national defense information from Manning, and aware of the harm that dissemination of such national defense information would cause, Assange disclosed this information on WikiLeaks. The guilty plea concludes a criminal matter that dates back to March 2018, when Assange was first indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia. There, and in superseding indictments, Assange was charged with conspiring with Manning, then a “Top Secret” U.S. security clearance holder, to further Manning’s unlawful acquisition and transmission of bulk classified information, including Manning’s use of a government computer to illegally download hundreds of thousands of classified documents and transmit them without authorization to WikiLeaks. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g7e-wUgR