Washington, DC - I've always admired Barbara Bush. Like millions of others I was saddened to hear about her declining health and then recent death. Many television tributes and well deserved accolades have been verbalized in recent days. Her beautiful funeral service and all that was said from their Houston Episcopal Church was a tribute to one of America's finest ladies.

Washington, DC - Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and United States Attorney Joseph H. Harrington for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Jin Chul “Jacob” Cha, 41, of Tustin, California, who pleaded guilty on January 11, 2018 to conspiracy to defraud the government and conspiracy to commit wire fraud was sentenced Friday.  United States District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. imposed a 51-month prison term to be followed by a three-year term of court supervision after he is released from prison.

Washington, DC - 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 today.

Washington, DC - The financial manager of Atius Technology Institute (“Atius”), a privately owned, non-accredited school specializing in information technology courses, pleaded guilty today 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.

Las Cruces, New Mexico - The Justice Department today 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.

Washington, DC - The American people are generous and compassionate, and for generations they have supported their fellow citizens through programs established by government to help people in need. While these programs have helped many individuals and families, too often they have prevented economic independence, prolonged poverty and weakened societal bonds.