The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/u-s-department-of-justice/)
The Justice Department is warning people hoarding masks, gowns and medication touted by President Donald Trump as a possible coronavirus treatment that they are in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors cracking down on profiteering.
The American Civil Liberties Union objected to a Justice Department proposal to hold inmates longer because of delays during the virus epidemic. Separately, DOJ is targeting businesses hoarding medical supplies.
Attorney General William Barr is working mostly from his home office. Many prosecutors also are working from home, unable to travel for investigations and trials, many of which have been suspended.
The Justice Department took its first antifraud action during the pandemic, filing suit against a website called coronavirusmedicalkit.com.
The Justice Department says it can seek to suspend the statute of limitations to get evidence from abroad. A former prosecutor says the process is being abused.
Robert Phelps, a Connecticut man who told investigators he was upset over President Donald Trump’s impeachment, has been charged with threatening to kill Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who played a central role in the inquiry.
“The Department of Justice stands ready to make sure that bad actors do not take advantage of emergency response efforts, healthcare providers, or the American people during this crucial time,” said Attorney General William Barr.
Mike Costigan, formerly at the Heritage Foundation, will head the Bureau of Justice Assistance. In a second appointment, Kendel Ehrlich, formerly deputy “drug czar,” will direct the unit that oversees state compliance with the Adam Walsh Act on sex offenders.
The appointment comes at a critical moment for the Justice Department, as it faces questions about its independence from the White House under Attorney General William Barr.
Attorney General William Barr called it the largest coordinated sweep of elder fraud cases in history, encompassing losses of more than $1 billion.