According to a Department of Justice press release, on February 1, John Ed James, 51, of Katy, Texas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit commodities fraud and wire fraud for his role in an insider trading scheme.

According to a Department of Justice press release dated January 26, 2021, Wisconsin pharmacist Steven Brandenburg was charged with two counts of attempting to tamper with consumer products with reckless disregard for the risk that another person will be placed in danger of death or bodily injury.

The first civil settlement to resolve fraud allegations against the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been entered, according to a January 12, 2021 press release from the Department of Justice. The PPP was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide up to $349 billion to small businesses and corporations to keep them afloat. In December 2020, Congress authorized nearly $285 billion in additional Paycheck Protection Program funding.

According to a Department of Justice press release from January 8, thirteen people have already been charged in federal court following the violence at the Capitol on January 6. About 40 others are being charged in Superior Court. Additionally, over 25 cases have been opened to investigate possible domestic terrorism charges following the events that transpired at the Capitol.

A Department of Justice press release dated January 5, 2021 announced that the United States has collected $7 million in Iranian assets to be distributed to American victims of international state-sponsored terrorism. The funds were collected as a part of civil forfeiture investigation that led to millions of dollars being claimed from several Iranian nationals and others who attempted to circumvent U.S. economic sanctions on Iran.

Schneider Electric Buildings Americas Inc. as agreed to pay $11 million to end criminal and civil investigations into the company’s fraudulent activity regarding contracts with the U.S. government. Schneider Electric has faced probes regarding their contracts to install a variety of energy saving upgrades to federal buildings. The company was contracted install solar panels, LED lighting, and insulation at federal facilities.

This week, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a lawsuit against the Housing Authority of the Town of Lone Wolf, Oklahoma and two of its former employees. A DOJ press release from December 15, 2020 announced a lawsuit that alleges that former employees David Haynes and Myrna Hess violated the Fair Housing Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when they refused an African-American woman’s housing application for her and her five-year-old daughter on the basis of race.

Federal law enforcement has taken action to halt the conduct of over 2,300 “money mules” in the last two months, the Department of Justice recently announced. These actions occurred in every state in the country as part of the third annual Money Mule Initiative. This year’s effort almost quadrupled the 600 actions U.S. law enforcement took last year against money mules.

Hitesh Madhubhai Patel, an Indian national, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy and general conspiracy to commit identification fraud, access device fraud, money laundering, and impersonation of a federal officer or employee.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) press release dated November 17, 2020 alleges that conditions at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections (MDOC) are violating the Constitution. A DOJ investigation concluded that the MDOC violates the eighth amendment rights of prisoners by denying them access to mental health services, not providing proper assistance when inmates are in a mental health crisis, and putting inmates on prolonged mental health watch in restrictive housing conditions. Prisoners in mental health crisis have engaged in self-harm leading to serious injury or death as a result of MDOC’s failures, according to the release.

A Department of Justice press release from October 30, 2020, applauded the conclusion of Operation Find Our Children, which resulted in the location of 27 missing children across Virginia.

A Department of Justice press release from November 2, 2020 announced the sentencing of Holden Matthews, 23, for intentionally setting fire to three African-American Baptist churches. St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church were all burned to the ground by Matthews.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced their second largest methamphetamine bust along the southern border in a press release on October 11, 2020. With help from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), CBP officers seized over 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, fentanyl pills and heroin at the Otay Mesa commercial facility.

Texas billionaire Robert Brockman was charged with tax evasion, wire fraud, money laundering, and other crimes in service of a $2 billion tax fraud scheme, the Department of Justice said at a recent press conference. Over the course of 20 years, Brockman allegedly used offshore bank accounts to hide his money with the help of a private equity firm CEO named Robert Smith. Brockman is the CEO of Reynolds & Reynolds, a software company in Ohio.

According to a Department of Justice press release dated October 9, 2020, a former Commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) was sentenced to prison for obstructing justice and making false statements. Captain John Nettleton, 53, of Jacksonville, Florida was sentenced to 24 months in prison related to his actions during the Navy’s investigation of the death of Christopher M. Tur, the Loss Prevention Safety Manager at GTMO’s Naval Exchange.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) press release dated October 2, 2020 exposes two leaders in “one of the world’s most notorious videogame piracy groups,” Team Xecuter, who were recently arrested and are in custody facing charges filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

A Department of Justice (DOJ) press release dated September 30, 2020 announced the largest health care fraud and opioid enforcement action in Department of Justice history with the indictment of 345 defendants across 51 federal districts, including more than 100 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals.

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) press release announced the conclusion of Operation DisrupTor, a coordinated multinational effort to combat opioid distribution on the Darknet. This operation was conducted in the United States and Europe.

A Department of Justice press release on September 17, 2020 announced an indictment alleging that three hackers from Iran engaged in a coordinated campaign of identity theft and hacking on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, to steal information related to U.S. aerospace and satellite technology and resources.

According to a DOJ press release from September 3, 2020, an international conspiracy profiting from the illegal trade of drugs and wildlife has been shut down in a multi-agency law enforcement operation.