FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
New York Maintenance and Construction Company Owner Pleads Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Failing to Pay Payroll Taxes
Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Tax Division, announced today the guilty plea of Thomas Nastasi III, 46, of Mt. Kisco, N.Y., to one count of willful failure to pay the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the payroll taxes of his company, Nastasi Maintenance & Construction LLC. Nastasi pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe in the Southern District of New York.
According to the previously filed indictment and statements made during Nastasi’s guilty plea, from 2001 through 2011, Thomas Nastasi III owned and operated several Manhattan construction and maintenance companies, including Nastasi Maintenance & Construction. As the president of the companies, Nastasi was responsible for withholding payroll taxes from his employees and paying them over to the IRS. Those taxes included the employees’ income taxes, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. Nastasi accumulated over $1.7 million in payroll taxes that were owed but never paid to the IRS. Those taxes included the employer’s portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes for his employees.
Court documents and statements also established that instead of paying the companies’ payroll taxes to the IRS, Nastasi used company funds to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenses, for items including boat-related expenses and cigars. Nastasi also made false statements to the IRS in the course of its attempts to obtain delinquent tax returns and collect the corporate and personal taxes owed by Nastasi and his companies.
“Employers who use taxes withheld from their employees’ paychecks to fund their own lavish lifestyles instead of paying over the funds to the government show a blatant disregard not only for the law, but also for all honest taxpayers who work hard and play by the rules,” said Assistant Attorney General Kathy Keneally. “Business owners who commit these crimes not only face jail time, but also must repay the stolen taxes, with interest and penalties.”
“Business owners who misdirect employment taxes to their own personal ends are stealing from their employees and all taxpayers’ futures,” said Richard Weber, Chief of IRS Criminal Investigation. “Thomas Nastasi III funded an extravagant lifestyle with his ill-gotten gains, including $67,000 spent on cigars. When investigated, he made false statements in an attempt to obstruct our special agents. IRS Criminal Investigation vigorously pursues anyone who collects taxes and fails to timely remit those taxes.”
Sentencing is set for Dec.19, 2013, at 2:30 p.m. before Judge Paul Gardephe.
Assistant Attorney General Keneally thanked special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their efforts in this case.
Friday, August 23, 2013
NATURE AND INNOVATIVE MATERIALS
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Inspired by nature: textured materials to aid industry and military
Innovation Corps team developed metals and plastic that repel water, capture sunlight and prevent ice build-up
The lotus leaf has a unique microscopic texture and wax-like coating that enables it to easily repel water. Taking his inspiration from nature, a University of Virginia professor has figured out a way to make metals and plastics that can do virtually the same thing.
Mool Gupta, Langley Distinguished Professor in the university's department of electrical and computer engineering, and director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers and Plasmas, has developed a method using high-powered lasers and nanotechnology to create a similar texture that repels water, captures sunlight and prevents the buildup of ice.
These textured materials can be used over large areas and potentially could have important applications in products where ice poses a danger, for example, in aviation, the automobile industry, the military, in protecting communication towers, blades that generate wind energy, bridges, roofs, ships, satellite dishes, and even snowboards.
In commercial and military aviation, for example, these materials could improve airline safety by making current de-icing procedures, which include scraping and applying chemicals, such as glycol, to the wings, unnecessary.
For residents in the frigid northeast, many of whom rely on satellite systems, "it could mean they won't lose their signal, and they won't have to go outside with a hammer and chisel and break off the ice," Gupta says.
The materials' ability to trap sunlight also could enhance the performance of solar cells.
Gupta and his research team first made a piece of textured metal that serves as a mold to mass-produce many pieces of plastic with the same micro-texture. The replication process is similar to the one used in manufacturing compact discs. The difference, of course, is that the CD master mold contains specific information, like a voice, whereas, "in our case we are not writing any information, we are creating a micro-texture," Gupta says.
"You create one piece of metal that has the texture," Gupta adds. "For multiple pieces of plastic with the texture, you use the one master made of metal to stamp out multiple pieces. Thus, whatever features are in your master are replicated in the special plastic. Once we create that texture, if you put a drop of water on the texture, the water rolls down and doesn't stick to it, just like a lotus leaf. We have created a human-made structure that repels water, just like the lotus leaf."
The process of making the metal with the special texture works like this: the scientists take high-powered lasers, with energy beams 20 million times higher than that of a laser pointer, for example, and focus the beams on a metal surface. The metal absorbs the laser light and heats to a melting temperature of about 1200 degrees Centigrade, or higher, a process that rearranges the surface material to form a microtexture.
"All of this happens in less than 0.1 millionth of a second," Gupta says. "The microtexture is self-organized. By scanning the focused laser beam, we achieve a large area of microtexture. The produced microtexture is used as a stamper to replicate microtexture in polymers. The stamper can be used many, many times, allowing a low cost manufacturing process. The generated microtextured polymer surface shows very high water repellency."
In the fall of 2011, Gupta was among the first group of scientists to receive a $50,000 NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) award, which supports a set of activities and programs that prepare scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory into the commercial world.
Such results may be translated through I-Corps into technologies with near-term benefits for the economy and society. It is a public-private partnership program that teaches grantees to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research, and offers entrepreneurship training to faculty and student participants.
The other project members are Paul Caffrey, a doctoral candidate under Gupta's supervision, and Martin Skelly of Charleston, S.C., a veteran of banking in the former Soviet Union who serves as business mentor and is involved in new business investments.
The team participated in a three-day entrepreneurship workshop at Stanford University run by entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley. "We are still pursuing the commercial potential," Gupta says. "The idea is to look at what market can use this technology, how big the market is, and how long it will take to get into it."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Inspired by nature: textured materials to aid industry and military
Innovation Corps team developed metals and plastic that repel water, capture sunlight and prevent ice build-up
The lotus leaf has a unique microscopic texture and wax-like coating that enables it to easily repel water. Taking his inspiration from nature, a University of Virginia professor has figured out a way to make metals and plastics that can do virtually the same thing.
Mool Gupta, Langley Distinguished Professor in the university's department of electrical and computer engineering, and director of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers and Plasmas, has developed a method using high-powered lasers and nanotechnology to create a similar texture that repels water, captures sunlight and prevents the buildup of ice.
These textured materials can be used over large areas and potentially could have important applications in products where ice poses a danger, for example, in aviation, the automobile industry, the military, in protecting communication towers, blades that generate wind energy, bridges, roofs, ships, satellite dishes, and even snowboards.
In commercial and military aviation, for example, these materials could improve airline safety by making current de-icing procedures, which include scraping and applying chemicals, such as glycol, to the wings, unnecessary.
For residents in the frigid northeast, many of whom rely on satellite systems, "it could mean they won't lose their signal, and they won't have to go outside with a hammer and chisel and break off the ice," Gupta says.
The materials' ability to trap sunlight also could enhance the performance of solar cells.
Gupta and his research team first made a piece of textured metal that serves as a mold to mass-produce many pieces of plastic with the same micro-texture. The replication process is similar to the one used in manufacturing compact discs. The difference, of course, is that the CD master mold contains specific information, like a voice, whereas, "in our case we are not writing any information, we are creating a micro-texture," Gupta says.
"You create one piece of metal that has the texture," Gupta adds. "For multiple pieces of plastic with the texture, you use the one master made of metal to stamp out multiple pieces. Thus, whatever features are in your master are replicated in the special plastic. Once we create that texture, if you put a drop of water on the texture, the water rolls down and doesn't stick to it, just like a lotus leaf. We have created a human-made structure that repels water, just like the lotus leaf."
The process of making the metal with the special texture works like this: the scientists take high-powered lasers, with energy beams 20 million times higher than that of a laser pointer, for example, and focus the beams on a metal surface. The metal absorbs the laser light and heats to a melting temperature of about 1200 degrees Centigrade, or higher, a process that rearranges the surface material to form a microtexture.
"All of this happens in less than 0.1 millionth of a second," Gupta says. "The microtexture is self-organized. By scanning the focused laser beam, we achieve a large area of microtexture. The produced microtexture is used as a stamper to replicate microtexture in polymers. The stamper can be used many, many times, allowing a low cost manufacturing process. The generated microtextured polymer surface shows very high water repellency."
In the fall of 2011, Gupta was among the first group of scientists to receive a $50,000 NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) award, which supports a set of activities and programs that prepare scientists and engineers to extend their focus beyond the laboratory into the commercial world.
Such results may be translated through I-Corps into technologies with near-term benefits for the economy and society. It is a public-private partnership program that teaches grantees to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research, and offers entrepreneurship training to faculty and student participants.
The other project members are Paul Caffrey, a doctoral candidate under Gupta's supervision, and Martin Skelly of Charleston, S.C., a veteran of banking in the former Soviet Union who serves as business mentor and is involved in new business investments.
The team participated in a three-day entrepreneurship workshop at Stanford University run by entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley. "We are still pursuing the commercial potential," Gupta says. "The idea is to look at what market can use this technology, how big the market is, and how long it will take to get into it."
-- Marlene Cimons, National Science Foundation
Thursday, August 22, 2013
4 HIZBALLAH LEADERS DESIGNATED BY U.S. TREASURY FOR TERRORISTS ROLES
FROM: U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Action Targets Hizballah’s Leadership Responsible for Operations Outside of Lebanon
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated four members of Hizballah’s leadership responsible for operations throughout the Middle East, further exposing Hizballah’s pernicious activities that reach beyond the borders of Lebanon. These designations include senior members of Hizballah responsible for activities ranging from assisting fighters from Iraq to support the Assad regime in Syria, to making payments to various factions within Yemen, and to military leaders responsible for terrorist operations in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq.
Belying Hizballah’s claim to be a domestic Lebanese “resistance” organization, its expansive global network seeks to extend its malign influence, and the influence of Hizballah’s patron Iran, throughout the Middle East and beyond. The Treasury Department will continue to combat Hizballah’s terrorist activity inside and outside Lebanon with all available tools and will continue to work with partners around the world to make it clear that Hizballah’s militant and extremist activities should not be tolerated by any nation.
“Whether ferrying foreign fighters to the front lines of the Syrian civil war or inserting clandestine operatives in Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, Hizballah remains a significant global terrorist threat,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “So long as Hizballah spreads instability, conducts terrorist attacks and engages in criminal and illicit activities around the world, we will continue to sanction Hizballah’s operatives, leaders and businesses, wherever they may be found.”
The individuals sanctioned today were designated pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and their supporters for acting for, or on behalf of Hizballah. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the individuals designated today, and any assets of those designees subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
Khalil Harb
In the years prior to Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Khalil Harb served as the deputy commander for Hizballah’s central military unit’s southern Lebanon region from 1988 to 1992, and as the commander for this region from 1992 to 1994. From 1994 to 1997, Harb served as the commander of Hizballah’s central military operations. By 2000, Harb supervised Hizballah military operations inside Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, and Turkey.
In late November 2000, Harb was given responsibility for overseeing work of the Islamic Resistance, including assisting with the smuggling of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives from Syria into the West Bank via Jordan. By late 2003, Harb was head of the Syrian/Jordan/Israel/Egypt operations unit, which was subordinate to Hizballah’s Islamic Jihad council.
In March 2006, Harb served as Hizballah’s chief of military liaison with the Palestinian factions and Iran, dealing almost exclusively with Palestinians and Iranians inside and outside the territories. Prior to this posting, Harb had served as Hizballah’s chief of military special operations. During the summer of 2006, Harb was given command of a Hizballah special operations unit in southern Lebanon, which engaged the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in July 2006, at the Lebanese-Israeli border where IDF Special Forces entered Lebanon. In early 2007, Khalil Harb was chief of Hizballah’s Unit 1800, also known as Hizballah’s Nun Unit, the Hizballah entity responsible for supporting Palestinian militants and conducting Hizballah operations in the countries surrounding Israel, and he travelled to Iran for meetings regarding coordination between Hizballah, Iran, and the Palestinians.
In February 2010, Harb, serving as the leader of the Palestinian activities for Hizballah, planned unspecified attacks against Israeli officials in Israel, in retaliation for the assassination of former Hizballah External Security Organization (ESO) chief Imad Mughniyah. By mid-May 2010, Hizballah created a new position for Harb as “advisor to the Secretary General,” which provided Harb oversight of Hizballah Unit 1800, which he previously commanded.
As of 2012, Harb was responsible for Hizballah’s Yemen activities and was involved in the political side of Hizballah’s Yemen portfolio. Harb also served as commander of a Lebanon-based Hizballah special unit that focused on Israel. Since the summer of 2012, Harb has been involved in the movement of large amounts of currency to Yemen, through Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., and in late 2012, Harb advised the leader of a Yemeni political party that the party’s monthly Hizballah funding of $50,000 was ready for pick up.
Muhammad Kawtharani
As the individual in charge of Hizballah's Iraq activities, Kawtharani has worked on behalf of Hizballah's leadership to promote the group's interests in Iraq, including Hizballah efforts to provide training, funding, political, and logistical support to Iraqi Shi'a insurgent groups. A member of Hizballah's Political Council, Kawtharani also helped secure the release from Iraqi custody of Hizballah operative Ali Musa Daqduq, a senior Hizballah commander designated by the Treasury Department in November 2012 who was responsible for numerous attacks against Coalition Force in Iraq, including planning a January 20, 2007 attack on the Karbala Joint Provincial Coordination Center that resulted in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers.
Over the last year, Kawtharani has assisted in getting fighters to Syria to support the Assad regime.
Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad Mansur
Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad Mansur (Mansur), a member of Hizballah since at least 1986, once served in a Hizballah military unit operating in south Lebanon. Around 2004, Mansur was transferred to Hizballah’s Unit 1800. Mansur was subsequently dispatched to Egypt to work with Unit 1800 under Muhammad Qabalan, and in 2008, the cell escalated its operations to target tourist destinations in Egypt. Mansur served as the Egypt-based cell leader. By early 2009, Egyptian authorities had disrupted the Hizballah cell and arrested and detained Mansur and dozens of other individuals for planning to carry out terrorist operations against Israeli and other tourists in Egypt. Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in November 2009 publicly acknowledged that Mansur was a Hizballah member involved in transporting arms and equipment to Palestinian militants. In April 2010, an Egyptian court sentenced Mansur to 15 years for his involvement in the cell, which was subordinate to Hizballah’s Unit 1800. However, in late January 2011, the imprisoned members of the Hizballah cell escaped and Mansur returned to Lebanon. In February 2011, Mansur appeared on Lebanese television with Hizballah officials at a Hizballah rally in Beirut.
Muhammad Qabalan
Hizballah terrorist cell leader Muhammad Qabalan (Qabalan) once served as the head of a Hizballah infantry platoon. In 2008, Qabalan, as a leader in Hizballah’s Unit 1800, was serving as the Lebanon-based head of the Hizballah Egypt-based terrorist cell targeting tourist destinations in Egypt and was coordinating the cell’s activities from Lebanon. In April 2010, an Egyptian court sentenced Qabalan in absentia to life imprisonment for his involvement in the cell, which was subordinate to Hizballah’s Unit 1800. As of late 2011, Qabalan worked in a separate Hizballah covert unit operating in the Middle East.
Action Targets Hizballah’s Leadership Responsible for Operations Outside of Lebanon
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated four members of Hizballah’s leadership responsible for operations throughout the Middle East, further exposing Hizballah’s pernicious activities that reach beyond the borders of Lebanon. These designations include senior members of Hizballah responsible for activities ranging from assisting fighters from Iraq to support the Assad regime in Syria, to making payments to various factions within Yemen, and to military leaders responsible for terrorist operations in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq.
Belying Hizballah’s claim to be a domestic Lebanese “resistance” organization, its expansive global network seeks to extend its malign influence, and the influence of Hizballah’s patron Iran, throughout the Middle East and beyond. The Treasury Department will continue to combat Hizballah’s terrorist activity inside and outside Lebanon with all available tools and will continue to work with partners around the world to make it clear that Hizballah’s militant and extremist activities should not be tolerated by any nation.
“Whether ferrying foreign fighters to the front lines of the Syrian civil war or inserting clandestine operatives in Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere, Hizballah remains a significant global terrorist threat,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. “So long as Hizballah spreads instability, conducts terrorist attacks and engages in criminal and illicit activities around the world, we will continue to sanction Hizballah’s operatives, leaders and businesses, wherever they may be found.”
The individuals sanctioned today were designated pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and their supporters for acting for, or on behalf of Hizballah. U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the individuals designated today, and any assets of those designees subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
Khalil Harb
In the years prior to Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, Khalil Harb served as the deputy commander for Hizballah’s central military unit’s southern Lebanon region from 1988 to 1992, and as the commander for this region from 1992 to 1994. From 1994 to 1997, Harb served as the commander of Hizballah’s central military operations. By 2000, Harb supervised Hizballah military operations inside Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, and Turkey.
In late November 2000, Harb was given responsibility for overseeing work of the Islamic Resistance, including assisting with the smuggling of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives from Syria into the West Bank via Jordan. By late 2003, Harb was head of the Syrian/Jordan/Israel/Egypt operations unit, which was subordinate to Hizballah’s Islamic Jihad council.
In March 2006, Harb served as Hizballah’s chief of military liaison with the Palestinian factions and Iran, dealing almost exclusively with Palestinians and Iranians inside and outside the territories. Prior to this posting, Harb had served as Hizballah’s chief of military special operations. During the summer of 2006, Harb was given command of a Hizballah special operations unit in southern Lebanon, which engaged the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in July 2006, at the Lebanese-Israeli border where IDF Special Forces entered Lebanon. In early 2007, Khalil Harb was chief of Hizballah’s Unit 1800, also known as Hizballah’s Nun Unit, the Hizballah entity responsible for supporting Palestinian militants and conducting Hizballah operations in the countries surrounding Israel, and he travelled to Iran for meetings regarding coordination between Hizballah, Iran, and the Palestinians.
In February 2010, Harb, serving as the leader of the Palestinian activities for Hizballah, planned unspecified attacks against Israeli officials in Israel, in retaliation for the assassination of former Hizballah External Security Organization (ESO) chief Imad Mughniyah. By mid-May 2010, Hizballah created a new position for Harb as “advisor to the Secretary General,” which provided Harb oversight of Hizballah Unit 1800, which he previously commanded.
As of 2012, Harb was responsible for Hizballah’s Yemen activities and was involved in the political side of Hizballah’s Yemen portfolio. Harb also served as commander of a Lebanon-based Hizballah special unit that focused on Israel. Since the summer of 2012, Harb has been involved in the movement of large amounts of currency to Yemen, through Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E., and in late 2012, Harb advised the leader of a Yemeni political party that the party’s monthly Hizballah funding of $50,000 was ready for pick up.
Muhammad Kawtharani
As the individual in charge of Hizballah's Iraq activities, Kawtharani has worked on behalf of Hizballah's leadership to promote the group's interests in Iraq, including Hizballah efforts to provide training, funding, political, and logistical support to Iraqi Shi'a insurgent groups. A member of Hizballah's Political Council, Kawtharani also helped secure the release from Iraqi custody of Hizballah operative Ali Musa Daqduq, a senior Hizballah commander designated by the Treasury Department in November 2012 who was responsible for numerous attacks against Coalition Force in Iraq, including planning a January 20, 2007 attack on the Karbala Joint Provincial Coordination Center that resulted in the deaths of five U.S. soldiers.
Over the last year, Kawtharani has assisted in getting fighters to Syria to support the Assad regime.
Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad Mansur
Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad Mansur (Mansur), a member of Hizballah since at least 1986, once served in a Hizballah military unit operating in south Lebanon. Around 2004, Mansur was transferred to Hizballah’s Unit 1800. Mansur was subsequently dispatched to Egypt to work with Unit 1800 under Muhammad Qabalan, and in 2008, the cell escalated its operations to target tourist destinations in Egypt. Mansur served as the Egypt-based cell leader. By early 2009, Egyptian authorities had disrupted the Hizballah cell and arrested and detained Mansur and dozens of other individuals for planning to carry out terrorist operations against Israeli and other tourists in Egypt. Hizballah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in November 2009 publicly acknowledged that Mansur was a Hizballah member involved in transporting arms and equipment to Palestinian militants. In April 2010, an Egyptian court sentenced Mansur to 15 years for his involvement in the cell, which was subordinate to Hizballah’s Unit 1800. However, in late January 2011, the imprisoned members of the Hizballah cell escaped and Mansur returned to Lebanon. In February 2011, Mansur appeared on Lebanese television with Hizballah officials at a Hizballah rally in Beirut.
Muhammad Qabalan
Hizballah terrorist cell leader Muhammad Qabalan (Qabalan) once served as the head of a Hizballah infantry platoon. In 2008, Qabalan, as a leader in Hizballah’s Unit 1800, was serving as the Lebanon-based head of the Hizballah Egypt-based terrorist cell targeting tourist destinations in Egypt and was coordinating the cell’s activities from Lebanon. In April 2010, an Egyptian court sentenced Qabalan in absentia to life imprisonment for his involvement in the cell, which was subordinate to Hizballah’s Unit 1800. As of late 2011, Qabalan worked in a separate Hizballah covert unit operating in the Middle East.
JUSTICE AND ENGINEERING FIRM SETTLE ACCESSIBILITY LAWSUIT
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Justice Department Settles Fair Housing Lawsuit with Multi/Tech Engineering Services Inc.
The Justice Department announced that Multi/Tech Engineering Services Inc., an engineering firm based in Salem, Ore., has agreed to pay more than $60,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had violated the Fair Housing Act by designing Gateway Village Apartments with steps and other features that made it inaccessible to people with disabilities.
“Steps, narrow doors and other accessibility barriers prevent people with disabilities from exercising the same rights to obtain housing of their choice that other people enjoy” said Acting Assistant General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels. “We will hold builders and designers accountable and those who fail to follow the law will face enforcement action.”
This settlement will assist in compensating victims of discrimination and in removing accessibility barriers at Gateway Village, a 275 unit apartment complex in Salem. In May 2013, the Justice Department and the Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO) also reached a settlement with the developers of the property to resolve the rest of the lawsuit, filed in September 2011. The settlement must still be approved by the court.
Under the terms of the parties’ agreement, Multi/Tech will pay $32,000 to a settlement fund to compensate individuals with disabilities who were impacted by the accessibility violations. Multi/Tech will also contribute $21,000 to the corrective actions already being undertaken by the developer according to the prior settlement agreement to make Gateway Village accessible to people with disabilities. These corrective actions include removing steps from sidewalks, widening interior doorways, reducing threshold heights, replacing excessively sloped portions of sidewalks and installing properly sloped curb ramps to allow people with disabilities to access the sidewalks from the parking areas. In addition, Multi/Tech will pay $7,902.70 in damages to the FHCO, the plaintiff-intervenor, whose investigation revealed the accessibility violations.
“The right to accessible housing is a fundamental protection afforded by law,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Amanda Marshall. “I am committed to working with the Fair Housing Council of Oregon, and our federal, state and local partners to ensure that those who design and construct housing units make them accessible to people with disabilities in compliance with the Fair Housing Act.”
The lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed by FHCO with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge of discrimination and referred the matter to the Justice Department.
“For more than two decades the law has required that newly-built multifamily housing provide equal access to people with disabilities,” said Bryan Greene, HUD’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Throughout that time, HUD and the Department of Justice have educated builders, design professionals and others on those requirements, most recently through guidance issued this past April. Where those efforts fail, our agencies will gain compliance through enforcement of the law."
Individuals who are entitled to share in the settlement fund will be identified through a process established in the settlement. Those who believe they were subjected to unlawful discrimination at Gateway Village, either when they lived there or when they considered living there, should contact the Justice Department toll-free at 1-800-896-7743 mailbox # 9993, or e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov .
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability. Among other things, the Fair Housing Act requires that newly constructed multifamily housing with four or more units contain certain accessibility features so that the housing is accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Justice Department Settles Fair Housing Lawsuit with Multi/Tech Engineering Services Inc.
The Justice Department announced that Multi/Tech Engineering Services Inc., an engineering firm based in Salem, Ore., has agreed to pay more than $60,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had violated the Fair Housing Act by designing Gateway Village Apartments with steps and other features that made it inaccessible to people with disabilities.
“Steps, narrow doors and other accessibility barriers prevent people with disabilities from exercising the same rights to obtain housing of their choice that other people enjoy” said Acting Assistant General for the Civil Rights Division Jocelyn Samuels. “We will hold builders and designers accountable and those who fail to follow the law will face enforcement action.”
This settlement will assist in compensating victims of discrimination and in removing accessibility barriers at Gateway Village, a 275 unit apartment complex in Salem. In May 2013, the Justice Department and the Fair Housing Council of Oregon (FHCO) also reached a settlement with the developers of the property to resolve the rest of the lawsuit, filed in September 2011. The settlement must still be approved by the court.
Under the terms of the parties’ agreement, Multi/Tech will pay $32,000 to a settlement fund to compensate individuals with disabilities who were impacted by the accessibility violations. Multi/Tech will also contribute $21,000 to the corrective actions already being undertaken by the developer according to the prior settlement agreement to make Gateway Village accessible to people with disabilities. These corrective actions include removing steps from sidewalks, widening interior doorways, reducing threshold heights, replacing excessively sloped portions of sidewalks and installing properly sloped curb ramps to allow people with disabilities to access the sidewalks from the parking areas. In addition, Multi/Tech will pay $7,902.70 in damages to the FHCO, the plaintiff-intervenor, whose investigation revealed the accessibility violations.
“The right to accessible housing is a fundamental protection afforded by law,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon Amanda Marshall. “I am committed to working with the Fair Housing Council of Oregon, and our federal, state and local partners to ensure that those who design and construct housing units make them accessible to people with disabilities in compliance with the Fair Housing Act.”
The lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed by FHCO with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge of discrimination and referred the matter to the Justice Department.
“For more than two decades the law has required that newly-built multifamily housing provide equal access to people with disabilities,” said Bryan Greene, HUD’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “Throughout that time, HUD and the Department of Justice have educated builders, design professionals and others on those requirements, most recently through guidance issued this past April. Where those efforts fail, our agencies will gain compliance through enforcement of the law."
Individuals who are entitled to share in the settlement fund will be identified through a process established in the settlement. Those who believe they were subjected to unlawful discrimination at Gateway Village, either when they lived there or when they considered living there, should contact the Justice Department toll-free at 1-800-896-7743 mailbox # 9993, or e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov .
The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability. Among other things, the Fair Housing Act requires that newly constructed multifamily housing with four or more units contain certain accessibility features so that the housing is accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.
READOUT OF DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH DENMARK'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Denmark's Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
"Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Danish Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen met Wednesday at the Pentagon, reaffirming the two countries' strong defense relationship based upon shared approaches to defense and security issues, and pledging to continue to deepen military cooperation.
"The two leaders highlighted the long friendship between the two nations' armed forces, as well as present-day cooperation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led operations in Afghanistan, off the Horn of Africa, and cyber defense. Secretary Hagel and Minister Wammen also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria and the situation in Egypt.
"The leaders also discussed the developments in Afghanistan's national security forces' capability to address the country's own security challenges and the role of NATO post-2014. Hagel and Wammen underscored their belief that the United States and Denmark should work to maintain and increase interoperability and implement lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan. They both agreed on the importance of exploring new approaches to bilateral and multinational cooperation for the benefit of both nations and of NATO as a whole.
"Hagel and Wammen discussed exchanging lessons learned in defense materiel and logistics. They also discussed opportunities to cooperate on veterans' initiatives. Hagel and Wammen agreed on the inauguration of annual policy-level staff discussions that would develop plans for cooperation in more detail.
"Secretary Hagel expressed appreciation for Denmark's close partnership, and Minister Wammen invited Secretary Hagel to visit Denmark at his earliest convenience."
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Denmark's Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
"Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Danish Minister of Defence Nicolai Wammen met Wednesday at the Pentagon, reaffirming the two countries' strong defense relationship based upon shared approaches to defense and security issues, and pledging to continue to deepen military cooperation.
"The two leaders highlighted the long friendship between the two nations' armed forces, as well as present-day cooperation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led operations in Afghanistan, off the Horn of Africa, and cyber defense. Secretary Hagel and Minister Wammen also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria and the situation in Egypt.
"The leaders also discussed the developments in Afghanistan's national security forces' capability to address the country's own security challenges and the role of NATO post-2014. Hagel and Wammen underscored their belief that the United States and Denmark should work to maintain and increase interoperability and implement lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan. They both agreed on the importance of exploring new approaches to bilateral and multinational cooperation for the benefit of both nations and of NATO as a whole.
"Hagel and Wammen discussed exchanging lessons learned in defense materiel and logistics. They also discussed opportunities to cooperate on veterans' initiatives. Hagel and Wammen agreed on the inauguration of annual policy-level staff discussions that would develop plans for cooperation in more detail.
"Secretary Hagel expressed appreciation for Denmark's close partnership, and Minister Wammen invited Secretary Hagel to visit Denmark at his earliest convenience."
HHS STATEMENT ON GOOD HEALTH FOR THOSE OVER 65
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Long healthy life?
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
A study indicates that how many of your remaining years will be healthy as a senior citizen varies according to who you are and where you live.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at national health data on the number of years after age 65 that people had good health. The CDC’s Man-Huei Chang:
“Across all of the states, healthy life expectancy was about 14 years, on the average.”
Mississippians averaged the fewest healthy years after they turned 65, and Hawaiians averaged the most. State by state, men consistently averaged fewer years than women. Blacks fairly consistently had fewer healthy years than whites.
Healthy living habits, such as not smoking, reduce the odds that people die early.
The study was in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
Long healthy life?
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
A study indicates that how many of your remaining years will be healthy as a senior citizen varies according to who you are and where you live.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at national health data on the number of years after age 65 that people had good health. The CDC’s Man-Huei Chang:
“Across all of the states, healthy life expectancy was about 14 years, on the average.”
Mississippians averaged the fewest healthy years after they turned 65, and Hawaiians averaged the most. State by state, men consistently averaged fewer years than women. Blacks fairly consistently had fewer healthy years than whites.
Healthy living habits, such as not smoking, reduce the odds that people die early.
The study was in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL AND DANISH DEFENSE MINISTER WAMMEN MEET AT PENTAGON
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel, Danish Defense Minister Discuss Continued Cooperation
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Danish Defense Minister Nicolai Wammen met today at the Pentagon, reaffirming the two countries' strong defense relationship based upon shared approaches to defense and security issues, and pledging to continue to deepen military cooperation, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
"The two leaders highlighted the long friendship between the two nations' armed forces, as well as present-day cooperation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led operations in Afghanistan, off the Horn of Africa, and cyber defense," Little said in a statement summarizing the meeting.
"Secretary Hagel and Minister Wammen also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria and the situation in Egypt," Little added.
The two defense leaders also discussed the developments in the capability of Afghanistan's national security forces to address the country's own security challenges and the role of NATO in Afghanistan after the alliance's current mission ends there at the end of 2014, Little said.
Hagel and Wammen underscored their belief that the United States and Denmark should work to maintain and increase interoperability and implement lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan, the press secretary said.
"They both agreed on the importance of exploring new approaches to bilateral and multinational cooperation for the benefit of both nations and of NATO as a whole," he added.
In addition, they discussed exchanging lessons learned in defense materiel and logistics and opportunities to cooperate on veterans' initiatives, Little said. They also agreed on the inauguration of annual policy-level staff discussions that would develop plans for cooperation in more detail.
"Secretary Hagel expressed appreciation for Denmark's close partnership, and Minister Wammen invited Secretary Hagel to visit Denmark at his earliest convenience," Little said.
Hagel, Danish Defense Minister Discuss Continued Cooperation
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Danish Defense Minister Nicolai Wammen met today at the Pentagon, reaffirming the two countries' strong defense relationship based upon shared approaches to defense and security issues, and pledging to continue to deepen military cooperation, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.
"The two leaders highlighted the long friendship between the two nations' armed forces, as well as present-day cooperation in North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led operations in Afghanistan, off the Horn of Africa, and cyber defense," Little said in a statement summarizing the meeting.
"Secretary Hagel and Minister Wammen also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria and the situation in Egypt," Little added.
The two defense leaders also discussed the developments in the capability of Afghanistan's national security forces to address the country's own security challenges and the role of NATO in Afghanistan after the alliance's current mission ends there at the end of 2014, Little said.
Hagel and Wammen underscored their belief that the United States and Denmark should work to maintain and increase interoperability and implement lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan, the press secretary said.
"They both agreed on the importance of exploring new approaches to bilateral and multinational cooperation for the benefit of both nations and of NATO as a whole," he added.
In addition, they discussed exchanging lessons learned in defense materiel and logistics and opportunities to cooperate on veterans' initiatives, Little said. They also agreed on the inauguration of annual policy-level staff discussions that would develop plans for cooperation in more detail.
"Secretary Hagel expressed appreciation for Denmark's close partnership, and Minister Wammen invited Secretary Hagel to visit Denmark at his earliest convenience," Little said.
SEC ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT WITH HARBINGER CAPITAL PARTNERS
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that New York-based hedge fund adviser Philip A. Falcone and his advisory firm Harbinger Capital Partners have agreed to a settlement in which they must pay more than $18 million and admit wrongdoing. Falcone also agreed to be barred from the securities industry for at least five years.
The SEC filed enforcement actions in June 2012 alleging that Falcone improperly used $113 million in fund assets to pay his personal taxes, secretly favored certain customer redemption requests at the expense of other investors, and conducted an improper “short squeeze” in bonds issued by a Canadian manufacturing company. In the settlement papers filed in court today, Falcone and Harbinger admit to multiple acts of misconduct that harmed investors and interfered with the normal functioning of the securities markets.
“Falcone and Harbinger engaged in serious misconduct that harmed investors, and their admissions leave no doubt that they violated the federal securities laws,” said Andrew Ceresney, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “Falcone must now pay a heavy price for his misconduct by surrendering millions of dollars and being barred from the hedge fund industry.”
The settlement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requires Falcone to pay $6,507,574 in disgorgement, $1,013,140 in prejudgment interest, and a $4 million penalty. The Harbinger entities are required to pay a $6.5 million penalty. Falcone has consented to the entry of a judgment barring him from association with any broker, dealer, investment adviser, municipal securities dealer, municipal advisor, transfer agent, or nationally recognized statistical rating organization with a right to reapply after five years. The bar will allow him to assist with the liquidation of his hedge funds under the supervision of an independent monitor.
Among the set of facts that Falcone and Harbinger admitted to in settlement papers filed with the court:
Falcone improperly borrowed $113.2 million from the Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations Fund (SSF) at an interest rate less than SSF was paying to borrow money, to pay his personal tax obligation, at a time when Falcone had barred other SSF investors from making redemptions, and did not disclose the loan to investors for approximately five months.
Falcone and Harbinger granted favorable redemption and liquidity terms to certain large investors in HCP Fund I, and did not disclose certain of these arrangements to the fund’s board of directors and the other fund investors.
During the summer of 2006, Falcone heard rumors that a Financial Services Firm was shorting the bonds of the Canadian manufacturer, and encouraging its customers to do the same.
In September and October 2006, Falcone retaliated against the Financial Services Firm for shorting the bonds by causing the Harbinger funds to purchase all of the remaining outstanding bonds in the open market.
Falcone and the other Defendants then demanded that the Financial Services Firm settle its outstanding transactions in the bonds and deliver the bonds that it owed. Defendants did not disclose at the time that it would be virtually impossible for the Financial Services Firm to acquire any bonds to deliver, as nearly the entire supply was locked up in the Harbinger funds’ custodial account and the Harbinger funds were not offering them for sale.
Due to Falcone’s and the other Defendants’ improper interference with the normal interplay of supply and demand in the bonds, the bonds more than doubled in price during this period.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Conway T. Dodge, Jr., Robert C. Besse, Ken C. Joseph, Mark Salzberg, Brian Fitzpatrick, and David Stoelting. The SEC’s litigation was handled by Mr. Stoelting, Mr. Besse, Mr. Salzberg, Kevin McGrath, David J. Gottesman, and Bridget Fitzpatrick.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that New York-based hedge fund adviser Philip A. Falcone and his advisory firm Harbinger Capital Partners have agreed to a settlement in which they must pay more than $18 million and admit wrongdoing. Falcone also agreed to be barred from the securities industry for at least five years.
The SEC filed enforcement actions in June 2012 alleging that Falcone improperly used $113 million in fund assets to pay his personal taxes, secretly favored certain customer redemption requests at the expense of other investors, and conducted an improper “short squeeze” in bonds issued by a Canadian manufacturing company. In the settlement papers filed in court today, Falcone and Harbinger admit to multiple acts of misconduct that harmed investors and interfered with the normal functioning of the securities markets.
“Falcone and Harbinger engaged in serious misconduct that harmed investors, and their admissions leave no doubt that they violated the federal securities laws,” said Andrew Ceresney, Co-Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “Falcone must now pay a heavy price for his misconduct by surrendering millions of dollars and being barred from the hedge fund industry.”
The settlement, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requires Falcone to pay $6,507,574 in disgorgement, $1,013,140 in prejudgment interest, and a $4 million penalty. The Harbinger entities are required to pay a $6.5 million penalty. Falcone has consented to the entry of a judgment barring him from association with any broker, dealer, investment adviser, municipal securities dealer, municipal advisor, transfer agent, or nationally recognized statistical rating organization with a right to reapply after five years. The bar will allow him to assist with the liquidation of his hedge funds under the supervision of an independent monitor.
Among the set of facts that Falcone and Harbinger admitted to in settlement papers filed with the court:
Falcone improperly borrowed $113.2 million from the Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations Fund (SSF) at an interest rate less than SSF was paying to borrow money, to pay his personal tax obligation, at a time when Falcone had barred other SSF investors from making redemptions, and did not disclose the loan to investors for approximately five months.
Falcone and Harbinger granted favorable redemption and liquidity terms to certain large investors in HCP Fund I, and did not disclose certain of these arrangements to the fund’s board of directors and the other fund investors.
During the summer of 2006, Falcone heard rumors that a Financial Services Firm was shorting the bonds of the Canadian manufacturer, and encouraging its customers to do the same.
In September and October 2006, Falcone retaliated against the Financial Services Firm for shorting the bonds by causing the Harbinger funds to purchase all of the remaining outstanding bonds in the open market.
Falcone and the other Defendants then demanded that the Financial Services Firm settle its outstanding transactions in the bonds and deliver the bonds that it owed. Defendants did not disclose at the time that it would be virtually impossible for the Financial Services Firm to acquire any bonds to deliver, as nearly the entire supply was locked up in the Harbinger funds’ custodial account and the Harbinger funds were not offering them for sale.
Due to Falcone’s and the other Defendants’ improper interference with the normal interplay of supply and demand in the bonds, the bonds more than doubled in price during this period.
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Conway T. Dodge, Jr., Robert C. Besse, Ken C. Joseph, Mark Salzberg, Brian Fitzpatrick, and David Stoelting. The SEC’s litigation was handled by Mr. Stoelting, Mr. Besse, Mr. Salzberg, Kevin McGrath, David J. Gottesman, and Bridget Fitzpatrick.
READOUT OF SECRETARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH GEORGIA'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE ALASANIA
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Georgia's Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
"Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Georgian Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania met today at the Pentagon.
"Secretary Hagel acknowledged Georgia's continuing contribution to International Security Assistance Force, and thanked Minister Alasania for the sacrifices Georgia's soldiers and their families are making.
"Secretary Hagel praised Georgia's efforts to enhance civilian oversight of the armed forces, as these actions are a strong example of democratic progress through defense reform.
"Secretary Hagel expressed United States support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts, and highlighted its holding fair elections and continuing to consolidate democratic gains as effective measures to advance those efforts.
"The two leaders agreed to continue to broaden United States-Georgian defense cooperation."
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Georgia's Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:
"Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Georgian Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania met today at the Pentagon.
"Secretary Hagel acknowledged Georgia's continuing contribution to International Security Assistance Force, and thanked Minister Alasania for the sacrifices Georgia's soldiers and their families are making.
"Secretary Hagel praised Georgia's efforts to enhance civilian oversight of the armed forces, as these actions are a strong example of democratic progress through defense reform.
"Secretary Hagel expressed United States support for Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration efforts, and highlighted its holding fair elections and continuing to consolidate democratic gains as effective measures to advance those efforts.
"The two leaders agreed to continue to broaden United States-Georgian defense cooperation."
TEENS AND SMOKELESS TOBACCO
FROM: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
It’s bad for a teen to smoke, but smokeless is no good, either. Smokeless tobacco – things like dip, snuff and dissolvable – are also cancer-causers. And a study indicates about 1 in 20 middle school or high school students use smokeless. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health saw that in national survey data.
The scientists also saw the power of peer pressure. Researcher Constantine Vardavas:
“Adolescents who had a friend that used smokeless tobacco were 10 times more likely to use smokeless tobacco themselves.”
For comparison, teens with a family member who used smokeless were only 3 times more likely to use it.
Nearly all of the smokeless users reported it’s easy to get the stuff.
The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
Last revised: August 19, 2013
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
It’s bad for a teen to smoke, but smokeless is no good, either. Smokeless tobacco – things like dip, snuff and dissolvable – are also cancer-causers. And a study indicates about 1 in 20 middle school or high school students use smokeless. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health saw that in national survey data.
The scientists also saw the power of peer pressure. Researcher Constantine Vardavas:
“Adolescents who had a friend that used smokeless tobacco were 10 times more likely to use smokeless tobacco themselves.”
For comparison, teens with a family member who used smokeless were only 3 times more likely to use it.
Nearly all of the smokeless users reported it’s easy to get the stuff.
The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
Last revised: August 19, 2013
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