Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence spoke by phone today with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt of the United Kingdom.   The Foreign Secretary briefed the Vice President on the upcoming parliamentary vote regarding the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union. 

Arlington, Virginia - A federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia convicted a Honduran man yesterday of leading a drug trafficking organization that helped smuggle thousands of kilograms of cocaine into the United States over the last decade.

Detroit, Michigan - A Western Michigan man was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison for his role in a dog fighting conspiracy based in the surrounding counties of Grand Rapids. His sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Richwood, Louisiana - The Justice Department Wednesday announced that former Richwood Correctional Center officer Demario Shaffer pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to cover up the physical assault of five inmates by himself and other correctional officers in violation of the Constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment.  Shaffer, 33, of Delhi, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to conspiring to falsify documents with the intent to obstruct and influence a matter within federal jurisdiction. Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana David C. Joseph made the announcement.

Washington, DC - Older consumers who report losing money to fraud are reporting a disturbing trend: Scammers claiming to be a loved one in trouble are getting people 70 and over to send thousands of dollars in cash.

Sacramento, California - Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) leads the California State Assembly delegation of legislators to the inauguration of Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The California State Assembly holds a productive working relationship with its southern neighbor and hopes this trip will enhance these ties and build a successful partnership with the incoming administration which will maintain power for the next six years.