Source: United States Navy
NORFOLK, Va. – First-in-class San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17) returned to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia, April 28, 2026, after eight and a half months at sea supporting the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)-Special Operations Capable (SOC) mission in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations.
Source: United States Department of Justice
The Justice Department announced today that the owners of residential rental properties in and around Springfield, Missouri have agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the properties’ former owner and manager sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
“A home should be a place of safety, not fear and exploitation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously holding landlords accountable when they use their power to violate the rights of vulnerable tenants.”
“No tenant should ever be forced to choose between their safety and keeping a roof over their head,” said U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price for the Western District of Missouri. “Exploiting power for sexual coercion and retaliation is not only immoral, but it’s also illegal. The result of this case makes it clear that the Western District of Missouri will work tirelessly to hold accountable any landlord who violates a tenant’s rights.”
“The Fair Housing Act protects against sex discrimination precisely to prohibit this kind of vile and predatory behavior against vulnerable women,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “When landlords sexually harass their female tenants, they are not only violating the law but undermining the sense of safety, privacy, and security that the home provides. The Trump Administration will always stand with victims and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“Today’s settlement makes clear that landlords who abuse their position of power by exploiting tenants’ basic needs for housing will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Machelle Jindra with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG will not tolerate the use of housing as a tool for coercion, harassment, or abuse, and we will continue to work with our partners to hold offenders fully responsible.”
The Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in March 2024, alleges that for over a decade, Jimmie Bell sexually harassed and retaliated against female tenants of rental homes he owned and/or managed in and around Springfield. The suit alleges that Bell’s conduct included making unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances to female tenants, exposing and touching his genitals in front of female tenants, touching and grabbing female tenants in a sexual manner without their consent, requesting sex or sex acts from female tenants in exchange for tangible housing benefits like excusing late or unpaid rent or the opportunity to rent another home, and taking adverse housing actions such as initiating evictions or refusing to make needed repairs against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
Under the settlement agreement, Defendants must pay $250,000 to former tenants who were harmed by Jimmie Bell’s harassment. Defendants must also make good faith efforts to have all retaliatory evictions against these tenants removed from public court records and credit reports; and Defendants must cease any ongoing efforts to obtain payments from former tenants who faced retaliatory evictions. Finally, the settlement agreement mandates training to prevent future discrimination, including sexual harassment, at Defendants’ residential rental properties. The Department’s lawsuit named Jimmie Bell as a Defendant, as well as Defendants Fourth Bell LLC and the trustee of Second Bell Trust, owners of rental properties that were managed by Jimmie Bell. Jimmie Bell died in February 2025 and his son, Mark Bell, was substituted as his successor Defendant.
The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development received a complaint, completed an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General also participated in the investigation and assisted in the litigation.
If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 52 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered approximately $19 million for victims of such harassment.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department announced today that the owners of residential rental properties in and around Springfield, Missouri have agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve a lawsuit alleging that the properties’ former owner and manager sexually harassed female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act.
“A home should be a place of safety, not fear and exploitation,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously holding landlords accountable when they use their power to violate the rights of vulnerable tenants.”
“No tenant should ever be forced to choose between their safety and keeping a roof over their head,” said U.S. Attorney R. Matthew Price for the Western District of Missouri. “Exploiting power for sexual coercion and retaliation is not only immoral, but it’s also illegal. The result of this case makes it clear that the Western District of Missouri will work tirelessly to hold accountable any landlord who violates a tenant’s rights.”
“The Fair Housing Act protects against sex discrimination precisely to prohibit this kind of vile and predatory behavior against vulnerable women,” said Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Craig Trainor at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “When landlords sexually harass their female tenants, they are not only violating the law but undermining the sense of safety, privacy, and security that the home provides. The Trump Administration will always stand with victims and hold perpetrators accountable.”
“Today’s settlement makes clear that landlords who abuse their position of power by exploiting tenants’ basic needs for housing will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Machelle Jindra with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG). “HUD OIG will not tolerate the use of housing as a tool for coercion, harassment, or abuse, and we will continue to work with our partners to hold offenders fully responsible.”
The Department’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in March 2024, alleges that for over a decade, Jimmie Bell sexually harassed and retaliated against female tenants of rental homes he owned and/or managed in and around Springfield. The suit alleges that Bell’s conduct included making unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances to female tenants, exposing and touching his genitals in front of female tenants, touching and grabbing female tenants in a sexual manner without their consent, requesting sex or sex acts from female tenants in exchange for tangible housing benefits like excusing late or unpaid rent or the opportunity to rent another home, and taking adverse housing actions such as initiating evictions or refusing to make needed repairs against female tenants who refused his sexual advances.
Under the settlement agreement, Defendants must pay $250,000 to former tenants who were harmed by Jimmie Bell’s harassment. Defendants must also make good faith efforts to have all retaliatory evictions against these tenants removed from public court records and credit reports; and Defendants must cease any ongoing efforts to obtain payments from former tenants who faced retaliatory evictions. Finally, the settlement agreement mandates training to prevent future discrimination, including sexual harassment, at Defendants’ residential rental properties. The Department’s lawsuit named Jimmie Bell as a Defendant, as well as Defendants Fourth Bell LLC and the trustee of Second Bell Trust, owners of rental properties that were managed by Jimmie Bell. Jimmie Bell died in February 2025 and his son, Mark Bell, was substituted as his successor Defendant.
The case was referred to the Division after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development received a complaint, completed an investigation, and issued a charge of discrimination. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General also participated in the investigation and assisted in the litigation.
If you are a victim of sexual harassment by another landlord or property manager or have suffered other forms of housing discrimination, call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743 or submit a report online. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt. This settlement is part of the Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative. The initiative, which the Department launched in October 2017, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 52 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered approximately $19 million for victims of such harassment.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Baltimore, Maryland – An illegal alien, who is a citizen of Romania, will serve more than two years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Julie R. Rubin sentenced Maria Roza Tomescu, 22, to 28 months in prison for her role in a Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits fraud conspiracy.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Terrance C. Cole, announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging RUBEN ROCHA MOYA, ENRIQUE INZUNZA CAZAREZ, ENRIQUE DIAZ VEGA, DAMASO CASTRO ZAAVEDRA, MARCO ANTONIO ALMANZA AVILES, ALBERTO JORGE CONTRERAS NUNEZ, a/k/a “Cholo,” GERARDO MERIDA SANCHEZ, JOSE ANTONIO DIONISIO HIPOLITO, a/k/a “Tornado,” JUAN DE DIOS GAMEZ MENDIVIL, and JUAN VALENZUELA MILLAN, a/k/a “Juanito,” with drug trafficking and related weapons offenses.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
LAS VEGAS – The Las Vegas Homeland Security Task Force held a panel discussion Monday on criminal charging and asset forfeiture involving cryptocurrency, as well as how digital currency continues to evolve. The panel brought together federal and local law enforcement partners to share information, discuss recent cases, and strengthen coordination in identifying and stopping criminal activity involving cryptocurrency.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Michael Alfonso, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Task Enforcement Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), Farhana Islam, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), Bryan DiGirolamo, and Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), Jessica S. Tisch, announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging DARYL RUTHERFORD with firearms trafficking, the unlicensed dealing of firearms, interstate transportation and distribution of firearms, and possession of firearms and ammunition after a felony conviction for his involvement in illegally transporting over a dozen firearms, as well as ammunition, from South Carolina to New York City.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Seattle – Two men who traveled to Seattle from Texas to rob a marijuana dealer in November 2022, were indicted this week by the federal grand jury for additional federal felonies connected to the robbery and fatal shooting in West Seattle, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Three California men pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for throwing rocks, fireworks, and ignited debris at California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers trapped underneath a downtown Los Angeles freeway overpass – with a CHP vehicle set ablaze – during anti-immigration law enforcement rioting last year.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A former Atlanta Hawks accounting executive, Lester T. Jones, Jr., has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for embezzling approximately $3.7 million from the NBA team through fraudulent expense reimbursement requests and misuse of corporate credit cards.