Free Tax Return Preparation -- See If You Qualify

If you need help preparing your tax return, learn about the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) programs.

VITA Program: If you make $52,000 or less, IRS-certified volunteers can inform you about tax credits for which you may qualify, and prepare a basic tax return with electronic filing.
TCE Program: If you are 60 years of age or older, you may qualify for free tax help from IRS-certified volunteers who specialize in issues unique to seniors. 

There are thousands of locations across the United States where you can get free tax help through the VITA and TCE programs.

---

Subscriber Services:
Change Subscription Topics and Frequency of E-Mails | Unsubscribe | Help

If you have questions, contact us.

Stay Connected to USA.GOV: Facebook  Twitter  YouTube  Our Blog

The Department of Justice News - 2/2014- News You Can Use,,,,,,,

Attorney General Holder Urges Congress to Create National Standard for Reporting Cyberattacks

02/24/2014 12:06 PM EST

In a video message released today, Attorney General Eric Holder called on Congress to create a strong, national standard for quickly alerting consumers whose information may be compromised by cyberattacks. This legislation would strengthen the Justice Department's ability to combat crime, ensure individual privacy, and prevent identity theft, while also helping to bring cybercriminals to justice.

Justice Department Highlights Efforts to Combat Stolen Identity Tax Refund Fraud

02/24/2014 11:40 AM EST

Today, the Justice Department announced the results of its ongoing efforts to combat tax refund fraud that involves identity theft. The Tax Division, in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, has prioritized the investigation and prosecution of individuals who engage in stolen identity refund fraud.

Government Files Enforcement Action Against Four California Companies and Six Individuals to Stop the Importation of Dangerous Children’s Products

02/24/2014 11:19 AM EST

The government has asked a federal court in California to issue an injunction shutting down the importation and sales activities of four California companies and six individuals in connection with their imports of illegal children’s products containing, among other things, lead, phthalates and small parts inappropriate for children under age three.

 

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Missouri National Guard to Enforce Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

02/24/2014 12:58 PM EST

The Department of Justice announced today the filing of a lawsuit against the Missouri National Guard alleging they violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by requiring its dual technician employees to resign from their civilian positions prior to active duty service in the U.S. Army Guard and Reserve.

Associate Attorney General Tony West Delivers Remarks at the National Association of Attorneys General Winter Meeting

02/24/2014 12:53 PM EST

There can be no doubt that we share a common goal to hold accountable those whose actions contributed to the last financial crisis, which was felt not just at the national or global level, but in the countless communities you represent, as well.

Attorney General Eric Holder Delivers Remarks at the Justice Management Division Awards Ceremony

02/21/2014 01:09 PM EST

Through their hard work, each of our awardees has helped to leverage vital resources and improve the way we do business. You have shown the power of innovation, energy, and creativity by uniting a broad array of partners to streamline the Department’s operations and bolster information-sharing. Some of you have worked to identify and implement opportunities for savings through mail processing, facilities, and technology enhancements – as well as a wide range of consolidation projects

 

Justice Department Resolves Lawsuit Alleging Disability-Based Discrimination at Nine Multifamily Housing Complexes in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee

02/24/2014 02:56 PM EST

The Justice Department announced today that a federal district court judge in Jackson, Miss., approved a settlement of the department’s lawsuit against the original owners and developers of nine multifamily housing complexes located in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee.

 

Former Employee of Florida Airline Fuel Supply Company Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Federal Investigation

02/24/2014 04:01 PM EST

A former employee of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company pleaded guilty today to obstructing an investigation into fraud and anticompetitive conduct in the airline charter services industry.

 

Three Plead Guilty to Bank Secrecy Act Violations in Connection with Check Cashing Scheme

02/24/2014 05:55 PM EST

Three men have pleaded guilty in Brooklyn, N.Y., for their roles in a check cashing scheme designed to evade anti-money laundering reporting requirements

 

Massachusetts Man Sentenced for Tax Fraud and Mail Fraud

02/24/2014 06:40 PM EST

Michael Edwards was sentenced today to serve two concurrent sentences of 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution of $573,518 to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced.

The Department of Justice News -2/2014

Justice Department Releases New Planning Tool to Help Courts Provide

Access to Limited English Proficient Individuals

02/28/2014 03:50 PM EST

Today, the Justice Department released a new tool to help state and local courts assess and improve their language assistance services for limited English proficient litigants, victims and witnesses who need access to court services.

 

Massachusetts Dentist Charged with Tax Evasion

02/28/2014 04:36 PM EST

A federal grand jury in Boston has indicted George Fenzell for tax evasion and corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service, the Justice Department and the IRS announced today following the unsealing of the indictment.

 

United States Reaches Settlement with Stamford Public Schools to Ensure Equal Opportunites for English Language Learner Students

02/28/2014 05:51 PM EST

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced that they have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the Stamford Public School District in Stamford, Conn., that requires the district to provide language services and other supports to the more than 2,000 English Language Learner students enrolled in the district’s 20 schools.

 

Attorney General Holder Meets with Tribal National Leadership Council

02/27/2014 06:36 PM EST

Attorney General Eric Holder met this week with members of the Tribal Nations Leadership Council (TNLC) at the Justice Department.  The council, which meets twice a year with the Attorney General and with numerous officials of the Justice Department, was created in 2010 and consists of tribal leaders from around the country. The TNLC advises […]

 

Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services Announce Record-Breaking Recoveries Resulting from Joint Efforts to Combat Health Care Fraud

02/26/2014 09:13 AM EST

Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released the annual Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program report showing that for every dollar spent on health care-related fraud and abuse investigations through this and other programs in the last three years, the government recovered $8.10. This is the highest three-year average return on investment in the 17-year history of the HCFAC Program.

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman Announces Departure from Criminal Division

02/26/2014 01:53 PM EST

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division announced her departure from the department today, effective as of March 21, 2014.

 

Justice Department Sues to Shut Down Texas Tax Preparer

02/26/2014 03:18 PM EST

The United States has asked a federal court in McAllen, Texas, to permanently bar Melissa Alvarez and her companies, Best & Unique Income Services, Best & Unique Income Tax Melissa and Best & Unique Income Tax Services LLC, from preparing federal tax returns for others, the Justice Department announced today.

 

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Attorney General Eric Holder at the National Association of Attorneys General Winter Meeting

02/25/2014 10:16 AM EST

As we gather here in Washington today, I believe that our highest ideals – realized in the form of landmark Supreme Court rulings, from Brown to Zablocki, from Romer to Lawrence, from Loving to Windsor – light a clear path forward. They have impelled us, in some instances, to extraordinary action. And the progress we’ve seen has been consistent with the finest traditions of our legal system, the central tenets of our Constitution, and the “fundamental truth” that, as President Obama once said, “when all Americans are treated as equal . . . we are all more free.”

 

Diagnostic Imaging Group to Pay $15.5 Million for Allegedly Submitting False Claims to Federal and State Health Care Programs

02/25/2014 02:35 PM EST

Diagnostic Imaging Group (DIG) has agreed to pay a total of $15.5 million to resolve allegations that its diagnostic testing facility falsely billed federal and state health care programs for tests that were not performed or not medically necessary and by paying kickbacks to physicians.

 

Civilian Navy Employee Charged With Stealing More Than $360,000 in Housing Benefits

02/25/2014 04:07 PM EST

A civilian employee of the U.S. Navy posted at the Capodichino Navy Base near Naples, Italy, was arraigned yesterday in Norfolk, Va., for allegedly obtaining more than $360,000 in housing benefits that he was not entitled to receive.

Northern California Real Estate Investor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Bid Rigging and Fraud at Public Foreclosure Auctions

02/25/2014 03:24 PM EST

A Northern California real estate investor has agreed to plead guilty for his role in conspiracies to rig bids and commit mail fraud at public real estate foreclosure auctions in Northern California.

 

United States Postal Service Employee Charged in Scheme to Fraudulently Extinguish Debts and to Obtain Fraudulent Tax Refunds

02/25/2014 07:24 PM EST

Aaron H. Kelly, a United States Postal Service employee, was indicted yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland for four counts of mail fraud, two counts of bank fraud, one count of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue Service and two counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, the Justice Department and IRS announced today following the unsealing of the indictment.

Former Okla. Jail Superintendents Convicted of Excessive Force Against Inmates

02/25/2014 07:22 PM EST

Today, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma in Muskogee, Okla., convicted Raymond A. Barnes, 43, and Christopher A. Brown, 32, the former jail superintendent and assistant jail superintendent, respectively, of the Muskogee County Jail on multiple counts of civil rights offenses related to allegations of excessive force on inmates at MCJ on or between August 2009 and May 2011.

 

Justice Department Announces Results of Investigation into the Death of Milton Hall

02/25/2014 05:16 PM EST

The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan and the FBI announced today that they will not be pursuing federal criminal civil rights charges against the Saginaw Police Department officers who shot and killed Milton Hall on July 1, 2012

#DEMANDACTION - A Campaign of Mayors Against Illegal Guns......

Join the Campaign!

Philly AAV -- First, let's get something straight: gun violence in America is a public health issue. What else would you call it when gun deaths are set to surpass car accidents in 2015 as the leading cause of death of young people?1 But Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) doesn't see it that way -- so much so that he's trying to block President Obama's nominee for Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, because Dr. Murthy leads a group that says pediatricians should be able to ask parents about guns  in the home -- just as they ask about child car seats, swimming pools and smoking.2 Sen. Paul calls that view "an attack on Americans’ right to own a firearm."3 Dr. Murthy's confirmation vote could come any day now, and we urgently need your help to overcome Sen. Paul's NRA-backed antics. Can you tell your senators  that Dr. Murthy's confirmation will help more Americans protect their children from harm? Send a message to your senators: Listen to your constituents, not the NRA! Confirm Dr. Murthy as Surgeon General. First -- do no harm. That's the most basic oath a doctor swears to his profession and to his patients. And someone ought to remind Doctor -- now Senator -- Paul of that promise. The leading organizations for medical professionals, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, have made it clear that they consider guns a public health issue.4 And I'd take their word any day over the NRA's. But that hasn't stopped the NRA and its allies from trying to pass laws at the state and federal level that actually make it illegal for doctors to talk to their patients about gun safety. These gag orders do nothing to promote public safety -- they just put our families at risk. As a doctor, Sen. Paul should prioritize his constituents' safety above handing out favors to the Washington gun lobby. We need a Surgeon General who looks at data and listens to the experts -- not the NRA. Send a message to your senators now and ask for a speedy confirmation for Dr. Murthy: http://act.demandaction.org/letter/SurgeonGeneral Thanks for taking a stand with us. Let's make sure common sense prevails over these cynical gun lobby tactics. Sincerely, Mark Glaze Executive Director Mayors Against Illegal Guns P.S. In case you're wondering, this isn't a Republican or Democratic issue. Ronald Reagan's Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, wrote an important article arguing that gun violence is a public health issue back in 1992.5 Make sure your senators know how important this is. ----- 1. "Guns To Surpass Car Accidents As Leading Cause Of Deaths Among Young People," Think Progress, February 22, 2014. 2. "Gun Safety is Good Medicine," Doctors for America, May 10, 2011. 3. "Sen. Paul Holds Surgeon General Nomination," Sen. Rand Paul Press Release, February 26, 2014. 4. "Rand Paul Blocks Surgeon General Nominee For Saying Gun Violence Is A Public Health Threat," Think Progress, February 26, 2014. 5. "Violence in America: A Public Health Emergency," the Journal of the American Medical Association, June 10, 1992.

#GunCrisis: Philadelphia, regional and national updates for Saturday, 03.01.14

Posted: 01 Mar 2014 07:39 AM PST

 

#BREAKING: Shots fired during standoff with gunman outside Brevard Courthouse http://t.co/cfdBUfZGhK #wftv pic.twitter.com/eBrvAxQCSc

— WFTV Eyewitness News (@WFTV) February 28, 2014

In Florida, an armed man was shot and killed by deputies outside Brevard County’s courthouse
after a standoff that lasted more than two hours on Friday, according to orlandosentinel.com. After
two attempts to bring him down alive, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said the gunman “responded in an
aggressive manner” and the SWAT team was forced to shoot him outside the Moore Justice
Center in Viera. He was killed about 1 p.m.

In Philadelphia, police rushed a 28-year-old man to Einstein Medical Center after he
was shot multiple times at about 10:30 p.m. Friday on West Sheldon Street near 2nd Street
 in the Olney section of the city. As we previously reported, three men were shot in separate
 incidents Thursday in Philadelphia.

Earlier this week, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said that four men had been charged with attempted murder after trying to intimidate a witness. The Associated Press reported this week that that city prosecutors have filed more than 2,000 witness-intimidation charges since 2011.

Gun violence reports continued across the region this week:
A West Chester University student was robbed at gunpoint on campus Thursday night, according to NBC10. Police in Lancaster, Pa., said that the former owner set a house on fire and
threatened responding officers with a firearm earlier Thursday, according to pennlive.com.

Shootings were reported Monday and Tuesday nights in Allentown, according to mcall.com.
A 19-year-old turned himself in to police in Allentown this week in connection with a previous shooting.

In Chester, Pa., a teenage boy was shot and killed Sunday night, and another man was wounded
 in a separate Sunday incident, according to media reports. Fox29 reported that the trial was getting
 underway in the case of four Philadelphia residents charged in the shooting death of a drugstore manager in Chester last fall.

The York County Coroner’s Office reported that a person shot earlier in February has died, according to pennlive.com. A report from mcall.com said that two people were shot during a Carbon County argument last weekend.

In New Jersey, a student with a pellet gun prompted a scare Friday morning at the Middle Township Middle School, according to a 6ABC report. An Atlantic City school was temporarily put on lockdown Thursday afternoon following the report of a shot fired, according to pressofatlanticcity.com, which added that a spent shell casing was found nearby.

A man wanted in connection with an earlier Atlantic City shooting was arrested last Saturday morning,
according to another report from pressofatlanticcity.com.

A shooting left a man with multiple gunshot wounds Thursday in Trenton, according to nj.com,
which also reported two men shot in Trenton last Sunday.

Police said that a man died after a shooting in Wilmington, Delaware Monday night, according to 6ABC.
Reports continued from across the US, including multiple-victim incidents,
accidental shootings and children wounded and killed.

A murder-suicide left a family of four dead near Chicago, four people were shot
at a Detroit tax office, and another four people were shot during family party in Los Angeles.

In Indiana, a man who was selling a handgun to a family member accidentally killed himself,
another man accidentally killed himself while demonstrating gun safety in Michigan, and a
prosecutor in Ohio says that no felony charges should be filed against a firearms instructor who
accidentally shot a student last year.

A 9-year-old boy was shot and killed when a rifle discharged while playing in backyard in Georgia,
a middle-school student accidentally shot himself in Florida, accidental gunfire killed a 17-year-old girl
in Tennessee, and a five-year-old boy was shot in Louisiana.

In Texas, a babysitter was sentenced to probation after a 5-year-old child shot and killed himself
with her gun as she napped.

As we reported earlier this week, guns have been projected to become leading cause of death for
young people in the US next year.

The Gun Crisis Reporting Project is an award-winning, independent, nonprofit journalism
 community striving to illuminate the epidemic of homicide by gunfire in Philadelphia —
and to find solutions.

Gun Crisis Philadelphia-Mayors gather to reduce deaths; President launches effort to create opportunities; latest victims reported

Posted: 28 Feb 2014 08:51 AM PST

Seventeen mayors and more than 200 city leaders from 37 municipalities gathered in
New Orleans this week for the inaugural Cities United convening. According to the
National League of Cities, their “movement aims to reduce the tragic number of violence-related
deaths of young African American men and boys.” This session was intended to guide their effort
 “to restore hope and opportunities to young men and boys directly affected by violence.”

@Michael_Nutter “Enough is enough. All lives are precious. The time is now to stop the violence.” pic.twitter.com/QYSQHXpq6a — NLC (@leagueofcities) February 26, 2014

“In Philadelphia, young African American men and boys are 80 percent of the homicide victims
and 75 percent of all the arrests we make for violent crime,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter.
Cities United helps mayors and city leaders focus on prevention rather than prosecution, intervention
rather than incarceration, and provides data and tools to topple systemic barriers to opportunity
facing African American men and boys, according to a press release from the NLC.

This year’s theme was entitled “Why We Can’t Wait,” according to a local news report from New Orleans.
We haven’t seen any coverage of the proceedings from the Philadelphia news media this week.
On Thursday, President Obama launched
“My Brother’s Keeper: A New White House Initiative to Empower Boys and Young Men of Color.”

A student eyes the Emancipation Proclamation as the President gave students from William R. Harper High School in Chicago a tour of the Oval Office, June 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This group “too often faces disproportionate challenges and obstacles to success. These obstacles
 are found in our schools, our communities, our criminal justice system, our families, and even in
the minds of our young people themselves,” according to whitehouse.gov, which adds: “The President
 is committed to build a broad coalition of backers to help break down barriers, clear pathways to
opportunity, and reverse troubling trends which show too many of our boys and young men of color
 slipping through the cracks in our society.”

FACT SHEET: Opportunity for all: President Obama Launches My Brother’s Keeper Initiative to
Build Ladders of Opportunity For Boys and Young Men of Color

The Cities United Mayors responded with a pledge of support, and Mayor Nutter
did the same individually.Last fall, we shared a video when New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu
 and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter discussed their campaign to cut the nation’s murder rates,
reduce gun violence and address other issues affecting the urban community, during a luncheon
at the National Press Club at a luncheon.

In the latest outbreak of gun violence, one man was killed and two more were wounded
Thursday after and evening in Philadelphia.

Medics rushed a 27-year-old man to Temple University Hospital, where he was listed
in stable condition with a leg wound after he was shot on Foulkrod Street near Frankford Avenue
shortly before 1:30 p.m. in the Frankford section of the city.

An 18-year-old man was reported in stable condition at Einstein Medical Center after
 he was shot twice, just after 5 p.m. on Woodstock Street near Chelten Avenue in West Oak Lane.

Just before 6 p.m., a 24-year-old man was fatally wounded in a shooting near a playground
 on Pulaski Avenue near West Logan Street in Germantown.

Police rushed him to Temple, but he was pronounced dead a short time later. CBS3, 6ABC, NBC10,
 the Philadelphia Daily NewsThe Philadelphia Inquirer and had brief reports.

According to a report from Fox29, a young man who worked 12-hour days in his family’s
store is now paralyzed, following a shooting near Oxford Circle Wednesday night.

Gun violence has left three people dead and ten wounded in Philadelphia last weekend,
as we previously reported:

Mapped: Violent weekend follows break from winter weather in Philadelphia
If you want to get involved in gun violence reduction in Philadelphia, please
 consider volunteering your time or making a donation to one of the organizations listed
 under our Network tab at the top of this site. If you would like us to add your group to our list,
 please email us at info@guncrisis.org.

#AVP Community Alert Update

 
January 27, 2014

Journalist Randy Gener beaten in possible anti-gay hate crime in Hell’s Kitchen 

The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) has learned of an attack on openly gay Filipino journalist Randy Gener that occurred on January 17^th in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood at around 3 a.m. on Seventh Avenue near West 54th Street.  According to media sources, Gener was attacked by multiple assailants, and beaten so badly that he required brain surgery. He is currently in serious but stable condition. The NYPD is currently investigating to determine if this was a hate crime.

Last night, Gener’s family and friends were joined at a vigil by concerned community members and organizations, including AVP.  The vigil aimed to raise awareness of hate violence against LGBTQ people and this incident in particular in the hope that witnesses will come forward.

AVP is working with community partners FANHS-NY, Broadway Barkada, GAPIMNY Steering Committee, Sakhi for South Asian Women and NQAPIA.  We have also reached out to the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Corey Johnson's office regarding this incident.


TAKE ACTION WITH AVP

In response to this incident, we will be holding a Community Safety Night in Hell’s Kitchen this Friday, January 31^st.  AVP will be talking with community members to increase awareness about this incident and provide people with safety information.  In addition, with the Super Bowl being in New Jersey this year, New York City is expected to see a substantial increase of tourist/fan traffic in and around Midtown bars and restaurants, and we want to ensure that community members have information about resources and safety tips in the midtown area.  We will meet at AVP at 6 p.m. for a brief training and then head out into the community to hand out safety tips and information to community members.  To get involved, or to join us in our outreach, you can also contact RJ Mendoza, AVP’s Hate Violence Community Organizer, at rmendoza@avp.org.

REPORTING VIOLENCE HELPS END VIOLENCE

AVP encourages you to report violence you experience or witness to our free and confidential 24-hour bilingual (English/Spanish) hotline at 212-714-1141 where you can speak with a trained counselor and seek support, or you can report violence anonymously online at http://avp.org/get-help/report-violence.

Find out more about AVP at our website, www.avp.org, and get regular updates on our ongoing work on Facebook.com/antiviolence or Twitter @antiviolence, and get involved and make a difference. 

---

Click to view this email in a browser If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply to this message with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line or simply click on the following link: Unsubscribe

---

New York City Anti-Violence Project 240 West 35th Street Suite 200 New York , New York 10001 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.