Burlington, Vermont - After a three-week trial, a federal jury in Burlington, Vermont, found Brian Folks, 44, guilty of 13 federal felonies arising from his operation of a violent sex and drug trafficking enterprise that sold heroin and forced young, drug-addicted women to prostitute throughout the greater Burlington area. The verdict was announced by Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Cristina E. Nolan for the District of Vermont, and DEA Special Agent in Charge-Boston Brian D. Boyle.

Washington, DC - A United States entertainer and businessman and a Malaysian financier were charged  in a four-count indictment unsealed Friday in the District of Columbia for conspiring to make and conceal foreign and conduit campaign contributions during the United States presidential election in 2012, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Miami, Florida - A Colombian Cali Cartel cocaine trafficker pleaded guilty Friday for bribing a former Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent to secure the dismissal of a drug trafficking indictment filed against him, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Washington, DC - A federal grand jury returned an indictment unsealed Thursday in Indianapolis, Indiana, charging a Chinese national as part of an extremely sophisticated hacking group operating in China and targeting large businesses in the United States, including a computer intrusion and data breach of Indianapolis-based health insurer Anthem Inc. (Anthem).

Washington, DC - William Patrick Syring, 61, of Arlington, Virginia was convicted Thursday of threatening employees of the Arab American Institute (AAI), because of their race and national origin, threatening AAI employees because of their efforts to encourage Arab Americans to participate in political and civic life in the United States, and transmitting threats to AAI employees in interstate commerce. Syring was convicted on all 14 counts in the indictment.

Washington, DC - The Department of Justice Thursday filed a Statement of Interest in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont supporting parents and parochial high school students who claim that the State discriminated against them in violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the U.S. Constitution by barring them from a state program paying tuition for high school students to take up to two college courses.