Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
OVW conducted a pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2025 Addressing Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking at HSIs, HBCUs, and TCUs Initiative. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed this NOFO’s requirements and discussed the program.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
An Ohio man pleaded guilty today to federal dog fighting and drug crimes.
Joel Brown, 38, admitted to possessing and training dogs for fighting purposes and possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, Brown kept 11 pit bull-type dogs for fighting purposes at his residence in Franklin County. The dogs on his property were chained with heavy tow chains attached to tire axels buried in the ground. The dogs were within eyesight of each other but housed just out of reach — a housing style typical with organized dogfighting.
On one of Brown’s Facebook accounts, he posted a video of a black pit bull with visible scarring running on a slatmill. After responding to complaints about dogs being left outside at the property and obtaining search warrants, Columbus Humane rescued the dogs, working with the Columbus Division of Police. Authorities also recovered tools and supplies commonly used in the training and keeping of dogs for fighting. Under federal law, it is illegal to possess, train, transport, deliver, receive, buy, or sell animals intended for use in an animal fighting venture.
While conducting search warrants, law enforcement officers also discovered approximately 52 grams of methamphetamine in Brown’s home.
Brown will be sentenced at a later date. He faces a minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison for the drug charge, as well as a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the animal fighting charge.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) made the announcement.
Columbus Humane, the Columbus Division of Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case.
Senior Trial Attorney Adam Cullman of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Pakiz and Kevin W. Kelley for the Southern District of Ohio are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. returned an indictment yesterday charging Elias Rodriguez with murder of a foreign official, hate crimes, firearms offenses, first-degree murder, and assault with intent to kill, for the shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers leaving a reception hosted at the Capital Jewish Museum (CJM). Rodriguez had previously been charged by complaint with murder of a foreign official, firearm offenses, and first-degree murder on May 22.
According to the indictment, on May 21, Rodriguez purchased a ticket to the American Jewish Committee (AJC)’s Young Diplomats Reception being hosted at CJM. Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Milgrim, C.S., and A.T. were employees of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. who attended the reception. After purchasing the ticket, Rodriguez reviewed information about AJC, which indicated AJC’s support for Israel. After Lischinsky, Milgrim, C.S., and A.T. walked out of the reception, Rodriguez approached them and fired approximately 20 shots. Rodriguez shot Lischinsky and Milgrim multiple times, killing them. C.S. and A.T. escaped uninjured. Rodriguez approached a police officer, said “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” and was arrested. Rodriguez’s previously scheduled “explication” was then posted to his X account; in it, Rodriguez advocated for violence against Israelis.
“This Justice Department will not tolerate violence motivated by hatred of faith or national origin, and we will enforce our federal civil rights laws accordingly,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“This office will leave no stone unturned in its effort to bring justice to the innocent victims of Elias Rodriguez,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “The hate charges shed further light on his evil intent in the killing of innocent victims.”
The Metropolitan Police Department and the Washington Field Office of the FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the Joint Task Force October 7.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Decree Would Require Divestiture of at Least 164 Home Health and Hospice Facilities; Impose $1.1M Civil Penalty for False Certification
The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, together with its state co-Plaintiffs, filed a proposed settlement today requiring broad divestitures to resolve Plaintiffs’ challenge to UnitedHealth Group Incorporated’s (UnitedHealth) $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys Inc. In addition, Amedisys would pay a $1.1 million civil penalty to the United States for falsely certifying that it had provided “true, correct, and complete” responses under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
“In no sector of our economy is competition more important to Americans’ well-being than healthcare. This settlement protects quality and price competition for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable patients and wage competition for thousands of nurses,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “I commend the Antitrust Division’s Staff for doggedly investigating and prosecuting this case on behalf of seniors, hospice patients, nurses, and their families.”
The proposed settlement would require UnitedHealth and Amedisys to divest 164 home health and hospice locations (including one affiliated palliative care facility) across 19 states, accounting for approximately $528 million in annual revenue. By number of facilities, the settlement would secure the largest divestiture of outpatient healthcare services to resolve a merger challenge. In addition, the proposed settlement would:
The map below shows the locations of the divested home health and hospice locations under the decree:
As required by the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement, along with a competitive impact statement, will be published in the Federal Register. Any interested person should submit written comments concerning the proposed settlement within 60 days following the publication to Jill Maguire, Acting Chief, Healthcare and Consumer Products Section, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 4100, Washington, DC 20530. At the conclusion of the public comment period, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland may enter the final judgment upon finding it is in the public interest.
UnitedHealth is a vertically integrated insurer, healthcare provider, pharmacy benefit manager, and healthcare software and services vendor headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. UnitedHealth acquired Amedisys’s home health and hospice rival LHC Group Inc. (LHC) in 2023. Amedisys is a home health and hospice services provider headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On Aug. 5, a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia returned a two-count indictment charging former Augusta State Medical Prison Correctional Officers Robert Roberson and Marcus Phillips with violating the constitutional rights of an inmate by showing deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm to an inmate, resulting in his death. The indictment further charges Roberson with falsifying a logbook to cover up his misconduct.
The indictment alleges that on Oct. 28, 2020, Roberson and Phillips became aware of a smoldering fire in an inmate’s cell, and, rather than extinguish the smoldering fire, evacuate the inmate from his cell, remediate the smoke from the cell, or call a fire emergency over the radio, they willfully disregarded the substantial risk of serious harm to the inmate by leaving him in his locked cell for several hours while he slowly died from smoke inhalation.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons for the Southern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Augusta Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Augusta Resident Agency is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kirkland for the Southern District of Georgia and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and Trial Attorney Briana M. Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The United States is challenging an Oklahoma law providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens. This law unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens, who are not afforded the same privileges, in direct conflict with federal law. On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the Department of Justice filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Oklahoma against the State of Oklahoma seeking to enjoin the State from enforcing the Oklahoma law and bring them into compliance with federal requirements.
In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of an Oklahoma law that requires colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Oklahoma residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Federal law prohibits institutions of higher education from providing benefits to aliens that are not offered to U.S. citizens. The Oklahoma law blatantly conflicts with federal law and is thus in conflict with the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
This lawsuit follows two executive orders signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment. The first, “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” orders all agencies to “ensure, to the maximum extent permitted by law, that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.” The second, “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens,” directs relevant officials to “take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens.”
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
On the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon reaffirms the Civil Rights Division’s mission to:
Source: United States Airforce
More than 2,000 Airmen from the 81st Training Group traded classrooms and technical equipment for rucksacks and tactical gear during the first iteration of Bracer Forge.
Source: United States Airforce
SecAF Meink concluded a multi-nation visit to the Indo-Pacific region, where he met with senior defense officials, observed multinational training and visited with Airmen and Guardians supporting Department-Level Exercise 2025.
Source: United States Airforce
Airmen and B-1B Lancers from Dyess AFB, recently wrapped up a dynamic showing supporting Red Flag-Nellis 25-3, the U.S. Air Force’s premier combat training event held at Nellis AFB.