Cummins Inc. has agreed to pay a $1.675 billion penalty to settle claims by regulators that the company unlawfully altered 1 million 2013-2019 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines to bypass emissions tests. The penalty is the largest civil penalty the Justice Department has secured under the Clear Air Act and second largest environmental penalty ever secured. Cummins has also agreed to implement a comprehensive compliance program and be subject to independent oversight for a period of three years.
Posts tagged as “the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice”
Victor Manuel Rocha, a former U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, was arrested on Monday for secretly working for Cuba since 1981 and providing information to the Cuban government. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted. The arrest is part of the U.S. government's efforts to combat foreign interference in the United States.
Manuel Rocha, a former American diplomat and U.S. ambassador to Bolivia, was arrested in Miami on Friday as part of an FBI counterintelligence investigation. He is accused of secretly serving as an agent of Cuba's government, and further details are expected to be revealed at his court appearance on Monday. It is unclear what charges he is facing or what the potential consequences could be.
Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was sentenced to three years probation and six months of home detention for his involvement in the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Keller had pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and faced a possible sentence of 10 months in federal prison, but prosecutors asked for a sentence below the guideline range due to his cooperation and the "unconscionable" nature of his actions. The Department of Justice has charged more than 400 people in connection with the attack, with more charges expected.
A panel of conservative judges on the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that private individuals or groups cannot bring suit under the Voting Rights Act, severely curtailing the effectiveness of the landmark civil rights law. This decision has been met with criticism from voting rights organizations, who argue that the VRA is an important tool for protecting the rights of minority voters. The decision has been seen as a major setback for voting rights organizations, who have relied on the VRA to protect the rights of minority voters.
Scott Shaw, former director of sports medicine at San Jose State University, was sentenced to two years in prison for inappropriately touching four female student-athletes without their consent. The Department of Justice said that Shaw used his position of authority to commit the crimes and that the sentence should serve as a reminder that such behavior will not be tolerated. They also said that they will continue to work to ensure that all students are able to pursue their education without fear of abuse or harassment.
Mark Meadows, former Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump, has been granted immunity to testify before a federal grand jury regarding Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Meadows reportedly told prosecutors that Trump was being "dishonest" when he first claimed to have won the election and that he had informed Trump several times that the voting fraud allegations were unfounded. Meadows had at least three meetings with special counsel Jack Smith's team in 2021.
Owen Shroyer, a host on the conspiracy platform Infowars, was recently sentenced to 60 days in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was charged with several misdemeanors for violating a deferred prosecution agreement from 2019. More than 1,100 defendants have been charged in connection with the attack, and more are expected to be charged in the coming weeks.