Law Enforcement | WPN World People News

Two high-ranking members of the Israelite Church of God in Jesus Christ (ICGJC) were arrested for allegedly evading taxes on millions of dollars in ICGJC funds that they fraudulently diverted to their sham entertainment company and to one of the defendants for his personal use, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced, on April 25.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt is set to face questions from lawmakers Thursday about allegations of ethics and spending missteps during his tenure.

Former professional cyclist Lance Armstrong agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve a lawsuit alleging that his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs and methods (“PEDs”) resulted in the submission of millions of dollars in false claims for sponsorship payments to the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”), which sponsored Armstrong’s cycling team during six of the seven years Armstrong appeared to have won the Tour de France, the Department of Justice announced on April 19th.

The Justice Department, on April 19, announced that former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Christopher M. Holbrook pleaded guilty in federal court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, to obstruction of justice.

The financial manager of Atius Technology Institute (“Atius”), a privately owned, non-accredited school specializing in information technology courses, on April 19, pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe a public official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in exchange for the public official’s facilitation of over $1.4 million in payments that were supposed to be dedicated to providing vocational training for military veterans with service-connected disabilities.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. on April 18, announced that Dorian Wills, 52, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty to tax evasion before U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford. The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A Salinas, California, resident pleaded guilty to conspiring to file fraudulent claims for income tax refunds, on April 18, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse for the Northern District of California.

A federal grand jury sitting in Greenbelt, Maryland, returned an indictment, which was unseal on April 17, charging a married couple with conspiracy to defraud the United States and four counts of filing false tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur for the District of Maryland.

On April 16, a federal court in Orlando, Florida, ordered that Patrick Clarke disgorge $500,000, and Ruby Rodriguez disgorge $100,000, of the proceeds they received for the preparation of tax returns, the Justice Department announced on April. 16th.

The owner of Atius Technology Institute (“Atius”), a privately owned, non-accredited school specializing in information technology courses, on April 16th, pleaded guilty to bribing a public official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in exchange for the public official’s facilitation of over $2 million in payments that were supposed to be dedicated to providing vocational training for military veterans with service-connected disabilities.