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Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Corporation (Big Brothers) has agreed to pay the United States $1.6 million to resolve allegations of false claims for funds under Department of Justice grants awarded to help children at risk, the Justice Department announced on January 21. Big Brothers is a not-for-profit organization that provides mentoring services to boys and girls throughout the United States. The organization, originally based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is now headquartered in Tampa, Florida.

An Austin, Texas, businessman was indicted by a federal grand jury for five counts of filing false tax returns and one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the due administration of the internal revenue laws, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

Two Maryland residents pleaded guilty Wednesday for their involvement in a far-reaching stolen identity refund fraud scheme in which they worked with others to seek over $700,000 in income tax refunds through the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Two brothers pleaded guilty Tuesday in the District of Maryland in a scheme in which they filed approximately 37 fraudulent tax returns seeking refunds of over $218 million. The guilty plea was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)., Washington, D.C. Field Office.

A resident of the District of Columbia was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison for his involvement in a far-reaching stolen identity refund fraud scheme in which he worked with others to obtain over $315,000 in income tax refunds through the filing of fraudulent federal income tax returns, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Drugs with an estimated potential street value of more than $23 million have been seized from a cargo ship that docked at Port Botany on January 14 as part of a routine inspection conducted by Australian Border Force officers and investigators from the Polaris Joint Waterfront Taskforce (JWTF).

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Correction Officers (CO) William Houghton, 32, and Eddie Rodas-Castro, 32, have pleaded guilty in connection with the beating of a federal inmate and the subsequent submission of false reports.

A federal grand jury sitting in Atlanta, Georgia, returned an indictment, which was unsealed on January 12, against three residents of an Atlanta suburb for conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft and structuring, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney John A. Horn of the Northern District of Georgia.

Contract therapy providers RehabCare Group Inc., RehabCare Group East Inc. and their parent, Kindred Healthcare Inc., have agreed to pay $125 million to resolve a government lawsuit alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly causing skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to submit false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable, necessary and skilled, or that never occurred, the Department of Justice announced on January 12.

A Honolulu County businessman was sentenced to prison Wednesday for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and filing false tax returns, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline D. Ciraolo of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Florence T. Nakakuni of the District of Hawaii.