District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Sherwood Russell, 35, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 27 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm outfitted with a machine gun conversion device during which he struck a police officer with his vehicle, assaulted a woman, resisted arrest, and threatened an additional police officer, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Russell pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the prison term, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Russell to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to court documents, on May 4, 2025, about 6:46 p.m., MPD officers responded to a call for a domestic disturbance on the 2000 block of 11th St. NW.  Officers observed Russell grabbing a woman by her arms. Russell then entered his vehicle, a white Tesla with New Jersey tags.

            An officer instructed Russell to exit the vehicle. Instead, Russell turned the wheel,  accelerated the vehicle, and struck the officer in the leg. After crashing into a fence, Russell exited the vehicle and attempted to flee. Officers tackled Russell and placed him under arrest.

            Officers looked into Russell’s vehicle and noticed a spilled open container of alcohol in the front seat. While conducting a probable cause search of the vehicle for more open containers of alcohol, officers recovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol, loaded with 26 rounds of ammunition. The Glock was modified with a “giggle switch” that converted the semi-automatic into a fully automatic machine gun.

            Russell previously was convicted in 2011 of burglary one while armed with gun, assault with a dangerous weapon (AWD), and related counts and sentenced to 10 years in prison on the burglary conviction and 30 months for the AWD.

            This case was investigated by the ATF and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Liss.

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WASHINGTON – Jennifer May, 43, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to more than 12 months in federal prison for her role in a scheme that defrauded $1,500,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the U.S. Government, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            May pleaded guilty on Aug. 27, 2025, to an Information charging her with one count of wire fraud. In addition to the more than 12-month term of incarceration, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered May to serve three years of supervised release. Under the terms of her plea agreement, May also must return the $1,500,000 to the United States.

            Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division

            According to court documents, May was founder and owner of Next Level Partners LLC, a consulting firm specializing in assisting campaigns with complying with campaign finance regulations and managing their accounts payable functions.

            In October 2021, May applied for a second modification to an original EIDL application, requesting an additional $1,500,000 in EIDL funds for Next Level Partners.

            The EIDL was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in which the U.S. Small Business Administration offered small business owners low-interest, long-term loans. The funds were intended to be used for working capital to make regular payments for operating expenses, including payroll, rent/mortgage, utilities, and other ordinary business expenses, and to pay business debt.

            May falsely certified on loan applications that she would use all loan proceeds only for business-related purposes. Yet the very same day that the SBA disbursed the funds to NLP’s account, May began diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars into her personal accounts and, from there, to cryptocurrency exchanges where she speculated on a thinly traded  crypto-asset called “Tomb.” 

            Upon sustaining hundreds of thousands of dollars of losses from her speculation, May took what remained of the EIDL funds and went on to purchase real estate in Middleburg, Virginia and to buy a restaurant-bar-childcare space in Northeast Washington known as The Lane at Ivy City. The purchases were completely unrelated to NLP’s business operations.

            This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and IRS-Criminal Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.

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WASHINGTON – Fan Yang, 39, and Jing Tian, 37, both of Indianapolis, were arrested and charged in an indictment unsealed today for conspiring to commit securities fraud for allegedly using insider information to profit from a $3.7 billion corporate acquisition, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Yang, aka “Jocelyn Yang,” and Tian are charged in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. with two counts of conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

            Yang was a finance executive at an Indiana manufacturing company for which her husband, Tian, also worked.

            According to the charging document, in 2021, their company began to hold internal discussions about acquiring a Michigan-based firm that made automobile components. On Feb. 22, 2022, their company announced an agreement to acquire the targeted firm at a price of $36.50 per share, for a total value of $3.7 billion. The targeted firm’s stock price rose to $35.55 before markets opened, an increase of about 44% from the prior day’s closing price.

            The indictment alleges that Yang began to collect material non-public information (MNPI) about the impending deal in October 2021 and with Tian began discussing and executing security purchases of the target company in November 2021. Communicating in Chinese on messaging apps, they allegedly shared MNPI with a group that grew to include at least five other people, including two graduate students at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and a trader who was in China at the time.

            Members of the group used this inside information to purchase stock and options contracts in the target company based on information they knew was non-public and confidential.  On November 22, 2021, Yang allegedly sent a WeChat message to her husband Tian discussing their securities purchases, stating, “We have over 100,000 in there. If the acquisition is completed with 3.5b, we can get a Tesla. Trade in and don’t need a loan haha.”

            In a series of additional messages, Yang told another trader that she knew the target company stock would rise because her company was acquiring it, information that was not publicly known at the time.

            When the news of the corporate acquisition was made public, the group generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.

            This case is being investigated by the Washington Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, Co-Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rami Sibay.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – Cevin Andre Belton, 40, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 45 months in prison for trafficking crack cocaine and for illegally possessing a semi-automatic pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Belton pleaded guilty on September 5 before Judge Trevor N. McFadden to possession with intent to distribute cocaine base and to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 45-month prison term, Judge McFadden ordered Belton to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to court documents, MPD officers were on patrol about 1:25 p.m. on March 22 when they spotted Belton standing in an alleyway behind the 4000 block of 9th Street. Belton saw the officers patrol car and began walking towards an entrance to a nearby building. Officers exited their vehicle to conduct a foot patrol. Belton looked over his shoulder, saw the officers, and ran at a full sprint away while holding his front waistband.

            As officers chased Belton on foot, Belton reached into the front of his waistband, produced a black firearm, and threw it onto a patch of grass. Officers caught Belton near the intersection of 9th and Bellevue Streets, Southeast. Investigators canvassed Belton’s flight path along the 4200 block of 9th Street, SE, and recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

            During a search of Belton, officers recovered 15.5 grams of crack cocaine and $157 in cash. Belton later admitted that he had intended to distribute the crack cocaine.

            Belton has a previous conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon out of Prince George’s County for which he served eight years in prison.  

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.

 Photo: Along the 4200 block of 9th Street, SE, police recovered a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi-automatic pistol

Photo: During a search of Belton, officers recovered 15.5 grams of crack cocaine and $157 in cash. Belton later admitted that he had intended to distribute the coke.

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WASHINGTON – Evan Tangeman, 22, of Newport Beach, California, pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a multi-state conspiracy that used social engineering to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from victims throughout the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

           Tangeman is the ninth defendant to enter a guilty plea in this investigation. Tangeman pleaded to participating in a RICO conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and admitted that he helped to launder at least $3.5 million for members of the enterprise.

           Judge Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for April 24, 2026.

           The Court also unsealed the Second Superseding Indictment, which charges three additional defendants with their roles in the Social Engineering Enterprise (SE Enterprise). Nicholas Dellecave, also known as “Nic,” and “Souja,” Mustafa Ibrahim, also known as “Krust,” and Danish Zulfiqar, also known as “Danny,” and “Meech,” were all charged with RICO conspiracy along with the remaining defendants. Dellecave was arrested in Miami on Dec.3, 2025. Zulfiqar and Ibrahim recently were arrested in Dubai on related charges. 

           According to the Second Superseding Indictment, the enterprise began no later than October 2023 and continued through at least May 2025. It grew from friendships developed on online gaming platforms and was comprised of individuals based in California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and abroad.

           Tangeman was a money launderer for the group that also included database hackers, organizers, target identifiers, callers, and residential burglars targeting hardware virtual currency wallets.

           According to court documents, members of the enterprise used stolen databases to target victims for cryptocurrency thefts. They then used the stolen virtual currency to purchase, among other things, nightclub services ranging up to $500,000 per evening, luxury handbags valued in the tens of thousands of dollars that were given away at nightclub parties, luxury watches valued between $100,000 and $500,000, luxury clothing valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, rental homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami, private jet rentals, a team of private security guards, and a fleet of at least 28 exotic cars ranging in value from $100,000 to $3.8 million.

           The Second Superseding Indictment alleges that on Aug. 18, 2024, Tangeman’s co-conspirator Malone Lam, Danish Zulfiqar, and others contacted a victim in the District of Columbia and, through communications with that victim, fraudulently obtained over 4,100 Bitcoin – valued then at $263 million, and valued this week at more than $368 million.

           Tangeman first met the members of the in late 2023 when Lam and others moved to Los Angeles and needed assistance finding rental homes and paying for them with stolen cryptocurrency. Tangeman used a bulk-cash convertor to exchange stolen cryptocurrency for fiat cash to obtain rental homes, some renting for between $40,000 - $80,000 per month. Tangeman also caused false names to be listed on the leases to conceal the ownership of the homes. Tangeman rented homes for the group in Miami as well. During one exchange in August 2024, after the theft from the DC victim, Tangeman helped Lam obtain approximately $3 million in fiat cash in exchange for stolen cryptocurrency for a rental home.

           Following Lam’s Miami arrest on Sept. 18, 2024, Tangeman accessed the home security systems to take screenshots of FBI agents searching the residences. Tangeman also asked another enterprise member to travel to Lam’s Los Angeles home, retrieve digital devices, and destroy them. 

           This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office. Significant investigative and operational support was provided by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Miami field offices as well as the United States Attorney’s Officers in the Central District of California, Southern District of Florida, and the District of New Jersey.

           The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, Co-Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against a Deputy United States Marshal for a fatal shooting that occurred on June 12, 2025, and fatally injured a 42-year-old District resident at the intersection of 7th and L Streets, NW.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, crime-camera footage, Body Worn Camera footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, and reports from MPD.

            According to the evidence, on June 12, 2025, a Deputy United States Marshal encountered Marco Mosley. Mr. Mosley was operating a black Tahoe and the deputy was operating a pickup truck. After Mr. Mosley pulled his vehicle to the side of the road, he and the deputy conversed briefly. At that point, Mr. Mosley retrieved a handgun from his waist area and began to point it at the deputy. The deputy immediately retrieved his service weapon and fired shots at Mr. Mosley.  Mr. Mosley was struck in the head. Despite lifesaving efforts by law enforcement and an emergency medical team, Mr. Mosley succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene. 

           After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully violated the civilian’s rights.

Investigations generally

           The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. 

           The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Brian J. Cole, Jr., 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested this morning and charged for transporting and planting two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on January 5, 2021, at the headquarters of both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Cole is charged in a complaint unsealed today with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce with the intent to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property. He is also charged with attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials.

            Joining in the announcement were U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            “The well-being of our society rests on our ability as law enforcement to safeguard our citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “When bad actors intervene to disrupt and threat that peace – to destroy the very fabric of our country – we must, we do, and we will track them down and hold them to account for their crimes to the full extent of the law. FBI and members of my office worked around the clock to methodically piece together the clues that ultimately identified the defendant.”

            “Today’s arrest was the result of good, diligent police work and collaboration on a case that languished for four years under the prior administration,” said Attorney General Bondi. “The American people are safer thanks to this morning’s successful operation.”

            “The investigation into the pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. has been a high priority since Deputy Director Bongino and I assumed our roles nine months ago. Since that time, our FBI teams have gone back over every fact and every data point looking for new leads – and today’s arrest is the result of that outstanding work,” said FBI Director Patel. “Although almost five years have passed, this shows the FBI will never rest in bringing justice to those who endanger American lives and our communities. I would like to thank our Washington Field Office, FBI personnel across the country, and our partners for their hard work and dedication which led to this arrest.”

“This historic arrest shows this FBI delivers on its promises to protect the American people,” said FBI Deputy Director Bongino. “The pipe bombs could have caused devastating loss of life and injuries, as well as property damage. I want to thank the FBI employees who worked on this over the years, our law enforcement partners who assisted in the investigation, and the American people for the tips they shared with us.” 

            "Today's actions underscore the long memory and reach of the FBI," said FBI’s Cox, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office. "The FBI and our partners do not forget. We do not give up. We do not relent. For nearly five years, the investigative team combed through a massive amount of data and leads to identify the suspect arrested today."

           According to the complaint, during 2019 and 2020, Cole purchased multiple components consistent with those used to manufacture the two IEDs at several retailers in northern Virginia.

            At approximately 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, multiple law enforcement agencies received reports of a suspected IEDs near the headquarters of the RNC in Washington, D.C. About 1:15 p.m. the same day, a second suspected IED was reported just a few blocks away near the headquarters of the DNC.

            The Hazardous Devices Section of the United States Capitol Police (USCP) neutralized both devices. Subsequently, the FBI assessed that the two devices contained a main explosive charge, a fuzing system, and a container.

            Video surveillance determined that the same individual placed the devices on the evening of January 5, 2021. The suspect had been wearing dark pants, a grey hooded sweatshirt, dark gloves, Nike Air Max Speed Turf shoes, and a facemask that obscured the person’s face. The video showed the individual adjusting eyeglasses and carrying a backpack.

            On January 5, 2021, about  7:10 p.m., Cole’s Nissan Sentra was observed driving past a License Plate Reader at the South Capitol Street exit from I-395 South, which is less than one-half mile from the location where the individual who placed the devices was first observed on foot near North Carolina and New Jersey Avenues, Southeast.

            Cell phone records further show that Cole’s cell phone communicated with cell towers in the area of the RNC and DNC on January 5, 2021, between 7:39 p.m. and 8:24 p.m. The FBI’s Cellular Analysis and Survey Team determined that the location of Cole’s cell phone during this period corresponded with the path of the suspect identified by the FBI through analysis of video from that day.

            This investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

WASHINGTON – Joly Germine, 34, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to life in prison without the possibility of supervised release for his role in orchestrating the 2021 hostage taking of 16 American citizens, including five children, and holding most of them hostage for 62 days, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. The victims were part of a missionary organization, Christian Aid Ministries, and were on their way back from working at an orphanage when they were taken hostage in October 2021. 

           Germine, aka “Yonyon,” was found guilty by a federal jury on May 16, following a 10-day trial in the District of Columbia, of one count of conspiracy to commit hostage taking and 16 counts of hostage taking of a U.S. national for ransom. In addition to life in prison, Judge John D. Bates ordered Germine to pay a fine of $1,700. 

           Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the Miami Field Office.

           “The missionary group included 12 adults and five young children, including a 6-year-old, 3-year-old, and an 8-month-old. Sixteen of the victims were U.S. citizens from Christian Aid Ministries,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “This sentencing makes clear that Germine’s scheme to win freedom for himself by using Christians as pawns backfired.”

           The former leader and self-described “king” of the notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, Germine had previously pleaded guilty to his role in a gun trafficking conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws and the laundering of the gang’s funds derived from ransoms paid for other U.S. hostage victims. For those crimes, he was sentenced in June 2024 to 35 years in federal prison. 

           According to court documents, Germine’s gang, 400 Mawozo, operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Germine directed the gang’s operations from prison using unmonitored cell phones and was constantly in touch with other 400 Mawozo leaders, most of whom were his relatives. Germine controlled the gang’s finances, supplied the gang’s weapons, and otherwise directed operations. 

           On October 16, 2021, 17 Mennonite missionaries from Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio-based missionary aid organization, were returning from visiting an orphanage when they were stopped by 400 Mawozo’s armed and masked soldiers. Many of the gang’s soldiers brandished guns supplied by Germine. 

           The gang drove the missionaries to a field and robbed them, while consulting by phone with Germine, their leader. The gang took the missionaries to a building in a rural area, held them at gunpoint, and demanded ransom of $1 million each for their return. 

           In postings on social media, the gang threatened to kill all the hostages if the ransom was not paid. Early on in the negotiations, senior gang leadership said that, in lieu of the ransom monies, 400 Mawozo would accept Germine’s release from prison in exchange for the hostages. 

           On November 20, 2021, two hostages were released when one of them was suffering from life-threatening health conditions. On December 5, 2021, 400 Mawozo released three of the hostages, two adults who had significant medical issues and the six-year old child, after receiving a $350,000 ransom payment. Though the gang had stated they would release all the hostages for the ransom paid, at Germine’s direction, the gang thereafter refused to release any more hostages, hoping instead for his own release from Haitian jail in exchange for the hostages’ release. On December 16, 2021, the remaining hostages escaped under cover of darkness while their captors were distracted, walking for five hours through the Haitian bush until they were out of the gang’s territory. They were received by the FBI, which had deployed to Haiti and arranged to immediately transport them from Haiti before the gang could respond to their escape. In total, most of the missionaries were held for 62 days. 

          The evidence at trial showed that Germine directed the initial kidnapping, arranged for the locations where hostages were held, and set the $17 million ransom demand, knowing it was too high to be paid and hoping it would result in the Haitian government negotiating his release from prison in exchange for the missionaries.  The evidence also showed that Germine was involved in or consulted on the decisions to release victims. 

           The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. During the law enforcement response to the kidnapping, extraordinary assistance was provided by various agencies in a whole-of-government response, including the Department of Commerce, Customs and Border Protection Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Department of Defense, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, the government of the Dominican Republic, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department of State and the Embassy in Port-au-Prince, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.

           The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Thomas N. Saunders with invaluable assistance from Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, Victim Advocate Yvonne Bryant, and Victim Witness Coordinators Tonya Jones and Guisela Castillo.

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WASHINGTON – Naseer Green, 19, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 71 months in prison for possession of narcotics with intent to distribute and possession of a fully loaded Glock handgun that had been outfitted with a conversion device to fire as a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Green pleaded guilty on Sept. 4, 2025, to a two-count Superseding Information, charging him with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and oxycodone and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the 71-month prison sentence, Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered Green to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to court documents, on March 16, 2025, at approximately 2 a.m., MPD officers patrolling the in the Logan Circle neighborhood approached a sedan parked near a fire hydrant in a no-parking zone. Four men were inside the vehicle. Officers spotted a handgun between the legs of one of the rear passengers.

            After additional units responded to the scene, MPD searched the vehicle’s occupants incident to arrest, and three of the four occupants had firearms, including Green who had a Glock Model 19 9mm tucked into his waistband. Green’s Glock was outfitted with an extended magazine with a 24-round capacity and was fully loaded. Additionally the pistol was modified with a machine gun conversion device, known as a “switch,” which allowed the gun to operate as a fully automatic firearm. Officers also recovered from Green about 24 white tablets in a pill bottle; 134 blue pills in a clear bag; four grams of a white powdery substance in clear bag; and $357 in cash. The pills later tested positive for fentanyl and oxycodone. The gun was determined to have been reported stolen out of Maryland.

            Two of Green’s co-defendants – Wesley Hilliard and Sequan Collier – are awaiting trial.

            This case was investigated by the MPD and the ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate M. Naseef and Matthew W. Kinskey.

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WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice, together with major federal law enforcement and interagency partners, announced the seizure by the Scam Center Strike Force, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, of a web domain used to target and defraud Americans through cryptocurrency investment fraud (CIF) scams, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            The domain had been used by scammers located at the Tai Chang scam compound (aka Casino Kosai) located in the village of Kyaukhat, Burma. This domain seizure comes less than three weeks after the announcement of the launch of the Scam Center Strike Force and the seizure of two additional domains also used by the Tai Chang scam compound for CIF scams.

            According to the affidavit filed in support of the domain seizure, Tai Chang is affiliated with the Burmese armed group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited (Trans Asia), which were designated by the Department of the Treasury, among others, as specially-designated nationals (SDN) on November 12, 2025, for links to Chinese organized crime and development of scam centers in Southeast Asia.

            The seizure announced today of the domain tickmilleas.com is part of the Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts to combat Southeast Asia scam centers at the highest level and stop U.S. infrastructure from being used as instrumentalities of the fraud schemes.

            Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement were Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Department of Justice, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI San Diego Field Office.

            According to the affidavit filed in support of today’s announced seizure, the tickmilleas.com domain was disguised as a legitimate investment platform to trick victims into depositing their funds. Victims who used the domain reported to the FBI that the site showed lucrative returns on what they believed to be their investments and displayed purported deposits made by scammers to the victims’ “accounts” when the scammers walked the victims through supposed trades. Despite the seized domain’s having been registered in early November 2025, the FBI has already identified multiple victims who used the domain in the last month to send cryptocurrency as part of what they believed were legitimate investments and were scammed out of their money.

            The Scam Center Strike Force seeks to collaborate with cooperative private sector companies to thwart CIF scam centers. According to the affidavit filed in support of the seizure, the tickmilleas.com domain directed users to download mobile applications—linked to the scam—from Google Play and the Apple App Store. The FBI notified Google and Apple of the fraudulent tickmilleas-associated apps, and several of the apps have been removed voluntarily from these stores.

            As part of the Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts at public-private partnership, the Strike Force worked with Meta to identify accounts associated with the Tai Chang compound. Meta voluntarily removed approximately 2000 accounts as part of the collaborative effort.

            Following the seizure, a splash page will be placed on the tickmilleas.com website that warns victims who have been directed to use the domain that it has now been seized by law enforcement, thereby disrupting the intended CIF scam activity and money laundering tied to the domain.

            Additionally, the Scam Center Strike Force has deployed FBI agents to Bangkok, who are working alongside the Royal Thai Police in their War Room Task Force, to investigate and combat scam compounds, including Tai Chang and other compounds in Burma.

****

          The Scam Center Strike Force is targeting many of the worst scam compounds located in Southeast Asia. Chinese transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) are using CIF scams and a variety of confidence scams to steal the life savings of everyday Americans. Strike Force teams are focused on identifying and pursuing key leaders—including Chinese organized crime affiliates operating in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos—to bring them to justice.

            These CIF schemes, which fraudsters refer to as “pig butchering” because they are “fattening” up their victims before defrauding them, are often run out of scam compounds in Southeast Asia. Using U.S. social media networks or text messages to U.S.-based cell phones, the scammers target their victims, gain their trust, and convince them to invest in real cryptocurrency, only to then trick their victims to transfer those funds into fake cryptocurrency investment websites and applications. Workers in the scam compounds often are victims of human trafficking, held against their will, abused, and guarded by armed groups as they are instructed to target Americans. In some of the Southeast Asian countries where these compounds operate, scam-generated revenue is so massive that it amounts to nearly half of the country’s GDP. Recent reporting estimates that this scam industry defrauds Americans of nearly $9-10 billion per year.

            The Scam Center Strike Force is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; DOJ’s Criminal Division, including the Computer Crimes & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS); Fraud Section; and Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Secret Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is also collaborating on the initiative.

            For the Department of Justice, the Scam Center Strike Force is led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kevin Rosenberg, and Associate Counsel Richard Goldberg of DOJ’s Fraud Section. Today’s seizure was handled by Team Burma, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman and CCIPS Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor, along with the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, which has led the investigation into Tai Chang, with substantial assistance from Paralegal Peter Bleicken of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

            If you have been defrauded out of your money by a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If you were directed to use tickmilleas.com as part of a scam, reference “tickmilleas.com” in your complaint.

            If you have information to report about past or ongoing activity regarding the Tai Chang scam compound (coordinates 16°28'20.9"N 98°38'45.1"E and 16°28'02.1"N 98°38'54.1"E), please the contact the FBI at [email protected].

WASHINGTON – Luis Santos Perez, 34, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 144 months in prison for posting photographs and videos to a notorious chat room where its members shared and celebrated graphic images of child sexual abuse, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Santos Perez, aka “chillbill,” pleaded guilty before Judge Beryl A. Howell on Feb. 20 2025, to a charge of distribution of child pornography. In addition to the 144-month prison term, Judge Howell ordered Santos Perez to serve 10 years of supervised release and pay $42,000 in restitution to victims.

            Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

            In early 2024, an undercover agent from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online chat room where members post videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

            One of the members identified himself as an administrator, posted several clips of pre-pubescent child pornography, and demanded that others do the same or risk being kicked out of the chatroom. That member was later identified as Santos Perez.

            “This defendant was both an administrator and participant on a mobile app called KIK where child sexual abuse images were exchanged,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “In his role as administrator, he required younger and younger images, including infants, in order to remain in his group. Twelve years is not enough which is why the judge ordered him to serve an additional 10 years supervised release.”

            On May 13, 2024, law enforcement arrested Santos Perez in Las Vegas and seized several digital devices. In an interview with officers, Santos Perez admitted that he had sent and received child pornography on two online groups and that his digital devices contained child pornography.

            Law enforcement recovered more than 2,000 images of child sexual abuse materials from his digital devices.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.

            This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie for the District of Columbia.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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The Justice Department today announced the seizure of a web domain used to target and defraud Americans through cryptocurrency investment fraud (CIF) scams. The domain, tickmilleas.com, was used by those located at the Tai Chang scam compound (also known as Casino Kosai) located in the village of Kyaukhat, Burma. This domain seizure comes less than three weeks after the Justice Department announced the launch of the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office’s (D.C. USAO) “Scam Center Strike Force” – the first District-level CIF strike force – and the seizure of two additional domains that were also used by the Tai Chang scam compound as part of CIF scams.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the domain seizure, Tai Chang is affiliated with the Burmese group, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and the Trans Asia International Holding Group Thailand Company Limited (Trans Asia), which were designated by the Department of the Treasury, among others, as specially-designated nationals (SDN) on Nov. 12 for links to Chinese organized crime and development of scam centers in Southeast Asia. The seizure announced today is part of the D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force’s efforts to combat Southeast Asia scam centers at the highest level and prevent U.S. infrastructure from being used as instrumentalities of the fraud schemes.

The seized domain was disguised as a legitimate investment platform to trick victims into unknowingly depositing their funds.  Victims who used the domain reported to the FBI that the site showed lucrative returns on what they believed to be their investments and displayed purported deposits made by scammers to the victims’ “accounts” when the scammers walked the victims through falsified trades. Despite the seized domain being registered in early November 2025, the FBI already identified multiple victims who used the domain in the last month and were scammed out of their investments.

A splashpage the tickmilleas.com website warns victims who have been directed to the domain that it has been seized by law enforcement, thereby disrupting the intended CIF scam activity and related money laundering.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the seizure, the tickmilleas.com domain directed users to download mobile applications linked to the scam from Google Play and the Apple App Store. The FBI notified Google and Apple of the fraudulent apps, and several of the applications have been voluntarily removed. Additionally, also announced today, based on information provided by the FBI about Tai Chang scam compound, Meta identified and voluntarily removed more than 2,000 accounts from their network of social media platforms.

In 2024 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 41,000 complaints reporting roughly $5.8 billion in losses from CIF scams. These CIF scams, such as the ones described by victims in the affidavit, typically begin through unsolicited outreach from strangers over dating applications, social media, messaging applications, and text messages. These strangers form close virtual relationships with their victim targets, convince them to make purported investments in or using cryptocurrency, and direct victims on how to purchase cryptocurrency and invest it using fraudulent domains and applications that appear legitimate.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Department of Justice, and Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI San Diego Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI San Diego Field Office is investigating the case.

Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

The case is the latest public action taken by the District of Columbia Scam Center Strike Force. The D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force is a collaboration of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; DOJ’s Criminal Division, including the Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), Fraud Section, and Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the U.S. Secret Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island is also collaborating on the initiative.  Additionally, the D.C. USAO’s Scam Center Strike Force benefits from the work of FBI agents deployed to Bangkok to investigate and combat scam compounds, including Tai Chang and other compounds in Burma.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector.  Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds. 

If you have been defrauded out of your money by a cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme, please contact the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. If you were directed to use tickmilleas.com as part of a scam, reference tickmilleas.com in your complaint.

If you have information to report about past or ongoing activity regarding the Tai Chang scam compound (coordinates 16°28'20.9"N 98°38'45.1"E and 16°28'02.1"N 98°38'54.1"E), please contact the FBI at [email protected]. 

WASHINGTON – Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who resided in Bellingham, Washington, has been charged with first-degree murder while armed for the death of National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom, as a result of the ambush-style shooting, which occurred the day before Thanksgiving, November 26, a few blocks from the White House, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Ms. Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries on November 27, 2025. National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe. 24, was critically injured in the ambush and remains hospitalized.

            A D.C Superior Court judge today found probable cause that Lakanwal committed the offenses of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and ordered that Lakanwal be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing. Lakanwal, who was injured during the shooting, remains in a local hospital where he is currently being treated and held under guard.

            According to court documents, Lakanwal drove from his hometown in the state of Washington to Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, November 26, Lakanwal arrived at about 2:13 p.m., at 17th and I Streets, NW, near Farragut West Metro Station, and opened fire on two National Guard members without provocation. Fellow guardsmen at the scene responded immediately to engage and subdue the suspect.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballentine, Ariel Dean, Christopher Tortorice, and Laura Bach, with special assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough. 

            These charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – Anthony Eugene Burns, 31, a previously convicted felon residing in Maryland, was sentenced November 24, 2025, in U.S. District Court to 55 months in prison in connection with his illegal possession of a loaded Glock 27 pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            A federal jury found Burns guilty on September 10, 2025, on a charge unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the 55-month prison term, Judge Jia M. Cobb ordered Burns to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the evidence presented to the jury, on Feb. 25, 2024, officers from the MPD  were on patrol in Southeast when they received a call about a disorderly group of people at an apartment building on the 2700 block of Wade Road Southeast. As officers walked to the building, they observed Burns quickly turn and sprint away. 

            As Burns ran, officers saw him make an overhead throwing motion, appearing to toss a dark-colored object over a fence and into a large vacant lot. Burns continued to run through an alley between Eaton Road Southeast and Sumner Road Southeast. Officers briefly lost sight of Burns in the alley; however, they soon found him hiding on the 1200 block of Sumer Road Southeast.

            Officers returned to where they observed Burns throw an object and recovered a black Glock 27 pistol with 21 rounds in an extended magazine and one in the chamber.

            Burns previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in 2017 in connection with a violent armed robbery spree, that included conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, for which he was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Burns was still on supervised release for those charges at the time of this offense.

            This case was investigated by the MPD and ATF. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole and Special Assistant United States Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Robinson.

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WASHINGTON – Kevin Hopkins, 39, a previously convicted felon who had been residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced November 24 in U.S. District Court to 18 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a loaded 9mm firearm while on supervised release for another conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Hopkins pleaded guilty on July 25 to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon before Judge Jia M. Cobb. In addition to the 18-month prison sentence, Judge Cobb ordered Hopkins to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to court documents, on Nov. 20, 2024, MPD officers and DEA agents executed a search warrant at a residence in Southeast Washington, D.C.  Hopkins did not reside at the residence, but the mother of his child did. When officers entered, Hopkins was seated on a couch in the main living area of the apartment.

            After Hopkins moved from the couch, officers found an Astra A-100 9mm pistol wedged between the cushions on which he had been sitting. The firearm was loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition.

            As a previously convicted felon, Hopkins was prohibited from possessing any firearm.  Hopkins collected five adult convictions between 2004 and 2016 for possession of marijuana, distribution of marijuana, carrying a pistol without a license, attempted unlawful possession of liquid PCP, and burglary, assault with significant bodily injury, kidnapping, stalking, civil protection order violation, and destruction of property under $1,000.  All but one of the offenses that led to those adult convictions were committed while the defendant was on supervision.  Hopkins had been on supervised release for less than two months before he was arrested on the current felon-in-possession charge.

            This case was investigated by the MPD and the DEA’s Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kate Naseef and Mark Levy for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Mark Edwards, 18, of Washington D.C., was sentenced Friday in the Superior Court, stemming from a carjacking that occurred in May 2025 in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Edwards pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025, to one count of carjacking.  At Edwards’ sentencing on November 21, 2025, the United States requested a sentence of seven years of incarceration, the top of his sentencing guidelines, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  The Honorable Judith Pipe sentenced Edwards to 84 months of imprisonment, suspended as to all but time served, and one year of supervised probation.  The Court’s sentence was entered pursuant to the Youth Rehabilitation Act, over the government’s objection, which permits a sentence beneath the mandatory minimum term of seven years of incarceration for carjacking.  Edwards had been in custody since August 6, 2025, and had served approximately 108 days in jail.  Edwards will not have to serve the remainder of the suspended sentence if he satisfactorily completes his year of probation. 

            According to the proffer of facts, on May 28, 2025, the defendant and a second suspect approached a double-parked car, told the driver to exit the vehicle, implied they had a weapon, and stole the vehicle.  Edwards and a 14-year-old suspect subsequently were apprehended in Maryland following a vehicle pursuit.

            Edwards also was a suspect and had been charged with robbery in connection with a May 22, 2025, attempted carjacking that also was resolved through his plea agreement.  In that incident, two suspects approached a double-parked car, told the driver to exit the vehicle, demanded the driver’s keys, and stole his cell phone. The driver managed to get back into his car and escape the scene.

           Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. 

WASHINGTON – On November 21, 2025, a Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts for Julius Worthy, 42, on charges of second-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and related offenses stemming from the homicide of Orlando Galloway and the attack of Shaquia Lewis on April 2, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            The Honorable Jason Park scheduled sentencing for January 30, 2026. Worthy faces a maximum sentence of 95 years in prison for the crimes.

            In April of 2023, Worthy lived with Galloway in a one-bedroom apartment in the Capitol Hill area. The evening of the homicide, Worthy returned home and began arguing with Galloway over $20. As Galloway pleaded with Worthy that he would pay him the money, Worthy pulled out a firearm and shot eight times into the apartment, six of which struck Galloway.  Worthy then grabbed a kitchen knife from the dishrack and stabbed Galloway five times in the neck.  Worthy beat Galloway in the face repeatedly with the firearm, causing a piece of the frame to break off.  Worthy then turned to Lewis and stabbed her multiple times while strangling her, causing her to lose consciousness. 

            Worthy remained in the apartment for over an hour with Galloway’s body and Lewis, calling multiple people on his phone to ask for help “cleaning up this mess,” adding that he was “killing two people.”  When Lewis tried to escape through the front door, Worthy attacked her again, stabbing her with a pair of scissors.  A neighbor across the street heard Lewis screaming, saw Worthy attacking Lewis, and called 911.  Officers arrived shortly thereafter, and Worthy fled out the back door. During the investigation, law enforcement discovered that Worthy texted multiple individuals in the hours after the homicide, including stating, “I killed two people.”  

            Law enforcement arrested Worthy the following day, April 3, 2023, and he remained in custody since.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch investigated the case.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Lawrence and Molly Smith prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – On November 19, 2025, a Superior Court jury returned guilty verdicts for Reginald Steele, Jr., 26, on charges of  first degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and other firearm related charges stemming from a homicide of a 13-year old young boy, Malachi Lukes, on March 1, 2020, and a separate shooting in the Petworth neighborhood on February 22, 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine F. Pirro.

            Steele, along with four co-defendants—who were tried and convicted separately—is a member and associate of the neighborhood crews 3500, CHV, Rock Creek Church, Really Ready Gang, and 640.  Between 2019-2020, the defendant’s neighborhood was feuding with street crews Ninth Street over who was the “Real NW Goon”—3500/Really Ready Gang member Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, or Ninth Street rapper Tyree Marshall, known as Slime Goon. The feud escalated when Slatt Goon was killed in Ninth Street territory, the 600 block of S Street NW, in September 2019.

            Five months later, on March 1, 2020, on an otherwise calm Sunday afternoon, Reginald Steele and three co-defendants drove to Ninth Street territory and circled the neighborhood looking for friends, members, and associates of Ninth Street.  As they drove throughout the neighborhood in a stolen Kia Soul, they spotted 13-year-old Malachi Lukes who, along with his three teen friends, was walking towards the 600 block of S Street NW to play basketball. The defendants followed the boys, pulling into that 600 block of S Street and stopping by the mouth of an alley where Malachi and his friends had turned.  Then, at approximately 2:08pm, the defendant and one of his confederates exited the stolen Kia Soul and fired 11 gunshots.  Malachi Lukes was shot in the back as he fled. The bullet traveled through his heart and lung causing him to collapse to his death.  Another boy was shot in the leg, and the remaining two escaped the barrage of bullets.  The defendant and his confederates then traveled to another neighborhood where members of Ninth Street were known to gather and at 2:18 p.m., opened fire on individuals in that block. Fortunately, no one was injured in this shooting.

            The government’s case relied on largely circumstantial evidence such as surveillance videos, text messages, GPS data recovered from the stolen Kia Soul and other location and cell cite data. One of the key pieces of evidence the government presented, however, were the shell casings recovered from both March 1 shooting scenes. These casings were subsequently linked to another shooting on February 22, 2020, in the Petworth neighborhood.  On that day, Steele and one of his co-defendants got into a verbal altercation with two individuals who lived in the area.  Steele and his confederate then escalated this mere exchange of words and fired 11 gunshots causing the victims to flee for safety. The firearms evidence recovered from this shooting scene was consistent with the firearms evidence in both March 1, 2020 shooting scenes providing evidence of Steele’s identity and participation in all three shootings.

            Joining the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman who was assisted by Supervisory Paralegals Tasha Harris and April Urbanowski. U.S. Attorney Pirro also acknowledged Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, Supervisory Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Robert Cephas, and the entire Victim Witness Assistance Unit; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Leif Hickling, Will Henderson, Charlie Bruce, and the Litigation Technology Unit; Office of E-Litigation Chief Emily Miller; Special Counsel for Discovery Chimnomnso Kalu for legal guidance; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); United States Marshal Service, D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS); U.S. Park Police; Montgomery County Police Department; DC Department of Corrections; and Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb and Nebiyu Feleke for their critical efforts in prosecuting this case.

WASHINGTON – Khari McKoy, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 74 months in prison for possessing hundreds of images of children being sexually abused, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            McCoy pleaded guilty on Jan. 30, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly to possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Kelly ordered McCoy to serve 10 years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

            According to court documents, in mid-January 2024, Google reported that someone had uploaded more than 1,000 files of suspected child sexual abuse material to the Google Drive and Google Drive applications. The tip led to an investigation by the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF). FBI agents and MPD officers reviewed the files and determined that most of them depicted prepubescent boys engaged in sexual acts. Following a search warrant at McCoy’s residence, agents recovered devices that contained several images of child sexual abuse material.

            The case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.       

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from the region The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.  

            It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Bohlen and Karen Shinskie.

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WASHINGTON – Edward Devon Gadson, 27, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 21 months in prison in connection with his possession of 35 illegal machine gun conversion devices within the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Gadson pleaded guilty on July 11 to a charge of unlawful transfer and possession of a machine gun and aiding and abetting. In addition to the 21-month prison term, Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Gadson to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony A. Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to court documents, on Oct. 2, 2024, about 5 p.m., MPD officers stopped Gadson as he was in the driver’s seat of a Dodge Durango with heavily tinted windows on the 2300 block of Green St. SE, in Anacostia.

            MPD officers noticed a clear plastic bag in plain view on the back passenger side floor. The bag appeared to have firearms accessories in it. Officers removed the bag from the car and determined it contained dozens of machine gun conversion devices (aka MCDs or “switches”). Each device would allow a pistol to be converted into an automatic firearm. The devices had been 3-D printed and included distinctive images of an internet meme known as  “Not ATF Guy.”

            This case was investigated by the MPD and the ATF Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Crabb and Thomas Strong. 

WASHINGTON – Ricardo Rush, 29, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced on October 23 to 60 months in prison in connection with a March 2025 incident during which he pulled out an Uzi-style semi-automatic pistol on a crowded Metrobus and threatened to kill two parents and their young children, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

           Rush pleaded guilty on June 17 before Judge Amir H. Ali to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, to assault with a dangerous weapon, and to possession of a firearm during crime of violence or dangerous offense. In addition to the five-year prison term, Judge Ali ordered Rush to serve three years of supervised release.

           According to court documents, Rush boarded a WMATA bus on March 8, 2025 about 11:26 a.m. on the 300 block of Ridge Road SE. Four minutes later, a man and a woman accompanying two small children board the same bus on the 4800 block of Texas Avenue SE. 

           The family sat in the row in front of Rush, who began harrassing them. About 11:32 a.m., Rush stood up, stated “Bitch, sit down, this isn’t a toy,” and pointed a black pistol in the woman’s face.

The bus pulled over. Rush continued to intimidate the woman, waved the gun, and threatened to kill all four family members.

           About 11:33 a.m., Rush stepped off the bus and pointed the weapon at the woman for a third time. Two minutes later, Rush reboarded the bus. He threatened again to kill the man and woman as he held the firearm, pointing it at the man. Rush head-butted the man and threatened him.

           After threatening the family again, Rush exited the bus and fled the scene.

           On April 10, 2025, about 11:10 a.m., law enforcement located Rush at his residence.  Officers located a black MasterPiece Arms Defender semi-automatic handgun loaded with one round in the chamber, and which contained a high-capacity magazine loaded with 18 rounds of ammunition. They recovered an additional magazine holding 13 rounds.

           Rush had previously been convicted in 2021 of assault with a dangerous weapon in  Superior Court and as a felon was prohibited from possessing any firearm.

           This case was investigated by WMATA and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared English and Special Assistant Haley Pennington.

WASHINGTON – Malik Kearney, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday in Superior Court, for carjacking and firearms offenses stemming from two separate carjackings in December, 2024, and January, 2025, in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Kearney pleaded guilty on June 23, 2025, to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for offenses that occurred on December 28, 2024, and to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for the January 3, 2025, offenses.

            On November 18, the Honorable Judge Andrea Hertzfeld sentenced Kearney to 14 years in prison.  Judge Hertzfeld sentenced his co-defendant, Erick Alvarenga, to 14 years in prison on August 29, 2025.  Kearney and Alvarenga were both sentenced to three years of supervised release following their terms of incarceration.

            According to the proffer of facts, on December 28, 2024, around 4:45 a.m., the first victim was in a Jeep SUV that was parked in the 6100 block of Eastern Avenue, Northeast, when the defendants approached, one of whom was armed with a black handgun. Alvarenga and Kearney told the victim to get out of the car and to give them the keys. The victim complied with the demand and exited the vehicle. The defendants then drove away from the scene in the victim’s vehicle. 

           The second offense occurred days later, on January 3, 2025, around 3:00 p.m. when the second victim was at a gas station in the 4200 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, Northeast. As the victim finished putting gas in his Dodge sedan, Alvarenga used the Jeep which had been stolen on December 28, 2024, to block in the second victim’s car. Kearney then approached the second victim with a handgun and ordered him out of his car. Kearney got behind the wheel of the Dodge, and both vehicles fled in the same direction.

           Alvarenga and Kearney were arrested on January 3, 2025, and have been detained during the pendency of this case.

           Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Randle Wilson and Amanda Claire Hoover, who prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON – Kaevaughn Dudley, 17, of the District, was arrested November 14, 2025, and charged in a criminal complaint with twenty counts for the shooting at a Howard University Homecoming event on October 24, 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Dudley appeared before Superior Court Judge Danya A. Dayson on Saturday and is charged with five counts each of assault with intent to murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, for each of the five victims who were struck by gunfire. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for December 18, 2025.

            According to the the arrest warrant, at approximately 8:22 p.m. on October 24, 2025, as people gathered for Howard University Homecoming in the 600 block of Howard Place, NW, a group of nine males, dressed in black clothing, some wearing black face masks, were observed walking in the area. The larger group encountered a smaller group of individuals, including a 13-year-old victim and his friends, who were also walking in the area. While walking, the larger group yelled to the victim’s group, “What’s up with y’all?” to which the victim’s group responded “Nothing” and continued to walk toward Georgia Avenue, NW. Shortly after, surveillance shows the defendant walking several paces away from the victim’s group and firing several shots at the group using a hand gun. Dudley shot five victims, including the 13-year-old. Metropolitan Police Department officers were already detailed in the area because of the homecoming event and responded to the scene immediately after hearing the gunshots.

            Police located the five victims who were taken to nearby hospitals and each treated for gunshot wounds. One victim is a Morgan State University student, who is paralyzed from the chest down as a result of the shooting. Officers located three handguns at the scene including a privately made firearm Polymer 80, a Smith and Wesson SD9 2.0, 9mm handgun, and a Glock 19 9mm handgun. They also found a .40 caliber bullet and eight cartridge casings.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood and Chief Michael Anzallo of the Metro Transit Police.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Metro Transit Police Department.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmanuel Hampton.

            A complaint or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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WASHINGTON – On October 7, 2025, John E. Reeder, a former Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to pay $21,773.95 to resolve allegations that he violated federal conflict-of-interest laws prior to his retirement from the agency in 2019. 

            Among other things, the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 prohibits executive branch employees from participating personally and substantially in particular matters that will affect their own financial interests or the financial interests of certain parties with whom they have ties outside the government, including any organization with whom they are negotiating prospective employment.  The United States alleges that while serving on a two-year detail to a local university under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act agreement, Reeder impermissibly negotiated for employment with the university. Before and during the detail, the agency warned Reeder that he remained subject to federal ethics laws and that negotiating for employment with the university would create a prohibited financial conflict of interest. Despite these warnings, Reeder actively engaged in negotiations for a teaching position and extended his detail to finalize the university’s employment offer. Reeder failed to immediately disclose his negotiations to the agency as required and later filed a notification form with the agency’s ethics office that misrepresented the timing of his negotiations.

            “The EPA Office of Inspector General takes allegations of conflicts of interest seriously and will thoroughly investigate potential misconduct,” said Acting EPA Inspector General Nicole Murley. “American taxpayers have the right to expect the highest standards of ethical behavior from federal officials. Any conflict of interest undermines that trust, and we are committed to upholding integrity and accountability at the EPA.”

            The resolution in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General.  The civil settlement resulted from an investigation by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher C. Hair.  The United States Attorney further wishes to commend Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Administrative Investigations Kristin M. Kafka and Director Sheryl M. Golkow of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General for their assistance in the investigation.   

            The claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Kunal Mehta, 45, of Irvine, California, pleaded guilty today in connection with his role in a multi-state conspiracy that used social engineering to steal hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from victims throughout the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Mehta, aka “Papa,” “The Accountant,” and “Shrek,” pleaded to participating in a RICO conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly and admitted that he helped to launder at least $25 million.

            Joining in the announcement were FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the Washington Field Office Criminal Division and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation (CI), Washington, D.C. Field Office.

            “Kunal Mehta along with his co-conspirators stole hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from victims and then laundered that money to give it the appearance of legitimacy, spending it lavishly on themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “We are committed to rooting out fraud and holding those responsible fully accountable.”

            ‘Mehta is the eighth defendant to plead guilty for his role in this scheme,” said the FBI’s Davis. "Today's plea reaffirms the FBI's commitment to exposing fraudsters and should remind Americans to beware of online scammers: Do not reply to calls, emails, or texts that request personal information, such as your password, PIN, or any one-time passwords that are sent to your email or phone."

            According to the court documents, the social engineering enterprise began before October 2023 and continued through at least March 2025. It grew from friendships developed on online gaming platforms and was comprised of individuals based in California, Connecticut, New York, Florida, and abroad.

            Mehta was a money launderer for the group which also included database hackers, organizers, target identifiers, callers, money launderers, and residential burglars targeting hardware virtual currency wallets.

            According to court documents, members of the enterprise stole cryptocurrency from victims throughout the United States through elaborate ruses committed online and through spoofed phone numbers. They then used the stolen virtual currency to purchase, among other things, nightclub services ranging up to $500,000 per evening, luxury handbags valued in the tens of thousands of dollars that were given away at nightclub parties, luxury watches valued between $100,000 and $500,000, luxury clothing valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, rental homes in Los Angeles, the Hamptons, and Miami, private jet rentals, a team of private security guards, and a fleet of at least 28 exotic cars ranging in value from $100,000 to $3.8 million.

            The original indictment alleges that on Aug. 18, 2024, Mehta’s co-conspirator Malone Lam and another associate contacted a victim in the District of Columbia and, through the communications with that victim, fraudulently obtained over 4,100 Bitcoin – valued then at $263 million, and valued this week at more than $384.5 million.

            Mehta first met the members of the in early 2024 through a money exchanger who was friendly with the owner of a Los Angeles exotic car dealership. The money exchanger solicited Mehta’s assistance with crypto-to-cash conversions in the tens of thousands of dollars. Mehta charged a 10% fee for converting the cryptocurrency to fiat cash.

            Mehta created multiple shell companies in 2024 for the purpose of laundering funds through bank accounts created to give the appearance of legitimacy. To facilitate crypto-to-wire money laundering services, Mehta received stolen cryptocurrency from the group which they had already laundered. Mehta then transferred the cryptocurrency to associates who further laundered it through sophisticated blockchain laundering techniques. The solen funds returned to Mehta’s shell company bank accounts through incoming wire transfers from additional shell companies organized by others throughout the United States.

            When members of the conspiracy requested cash, Mehta often delivered it himself. Mehta also performed wire transfers for the group, sending stolen funds to an exotic car dealership, a private jet company and real estate rental companies in exchange for a 10% fee for himself. 

             In addition, Mehta used his shell companies to facilitate exotic car purchases for members of the criminal enterprise. The co-conspirators -- predominately 18-, 19-, and 20-year-olds -- did not want Lamborghinis, Rolls Royces, Porsches, Ferraris and the like held in their true names because it would bring unwanted attention to their unexplained wealth as unemployed young men. Mehta titled the vehicles in the names of his shell companies to help disguise the true owners. He also sought out straw signers who would place their names on the car titles and purchase documents in exchange for payments which exceeded $10,000 per signing. In turn, Mehta would typically charge a 10% fee for his services.

            The FBI, IRS-CI, and U.S. Attorney's Office are committed to helping prevent Americans from falling victim to cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes.

            If someone claiming to be a company "representative" contacts you and asks you to provide personal information or to verify your account by providing a code, you should initiate a new call to that company by dialing the company's verified customer service line. You can visit the FBI's website for more information about cryptocurrency investment fraud.

            This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Field Office. Significant investigative and operational support was provided by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Miami field offices.

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, Co-Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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            WASHINGTON –Stephen Herring, 26, of Southeast Washington, D.C. pleaded guilty to viciously stabbing and killing 32-year-old Marcus Thurman in August 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Herring pleaded guilty on November 7, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of second-degree murder while armed. Sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2026, before the Honorable Dayna Dayson.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately at 5:10 am, on August 22, 2023, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) received a call for a stabbing in front of 140 M Street, NE. Upon their arrival, the victim, who was later identified as Marcus Thurman, was found unconscious and unresponsive, suffering from an apparent stab wound to the upper chest. The first responding officer and later DC FEMS conducted life saving measures as well as CPR. The victim was transported to Washington Hospital Center (WHC) where on September 4, 2023, he died from his injuries.

            Based on surveillance video evidence which captured the defendant stabbing the victim coupled with multiple eyewitness interviews on the scene, Stephen Herring was identified as a suspect. Later in the day on August 22, 2023, the defendant was located and initially arrested for assault with intent to kill while armed. The charges were later upgraded to second degree murder while armed after the victim’s death on September 4, 2023.

            Meanwhile, the homicide investigation continued and according to multiple witnesses and surveillance video footages, on the day of the incident Herring was involved in an altercation with a female eyewitness that led to the defendant physically assaulting the witness. Upon seeing this, Marcus Thurman tried to intervene and protect the female victim. The female victim was also with her infant son who was in a baby stroller nearby. The defendant—obviously unhappy and enraged by Mr. Thurman’s attempt to protect the young woman—left the area and returned to the scene shortly thereafter armed with a knife. The surveillance footage reveals that the defendant directly sought Mr. Thurman and in one swift and vicious move, stabbed the victim in the heart. While the victim lay bleeding and the female victim and strangers rendered help, the defendant fled the scene. 

            After a thorough investigation, on May 5, 2024, a D.C. Superior Court Grand Jury returned an indictment against the Stephen Herring for first degree premeditated murder and carrying a dangerous weapon. The defendant was arraigned on these charges on June 10, 2024.

            The defendant was apprehended on August 22, 2023 and has been in custody ever since.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nebiyu Feleke.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

Four U.S. Nationals and Ukrainian Identity Broker Plead Guilty

Department Seeks Forfeiture of More Than $15M in Virtual Currency Stolen and Laundered by North Korean Hackers 

The Justice Department today announced five guilty pleas and more than $15 million in civil forfeiture actions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remote information technology (IT) work and virtual currency heist schemes. The DPRK government uses both types of schemes to fund its weapons and other priorities in violation of sanctions.

First, as described in court documents associated with the guilty pleas, facilitators in the United States and Ukraine assisted North Korean actors with obtaining remote IT employment with U.S. companies. For example, the facilitators’ provided their own, false, or stolen identities, and hosted U.S. victim company-provided laptops at residences across the United States to create the false appearance that the IT workers were working domestically. In total, these defendants’ fraudulent employment schemes impacted more than 136 U.S. victim companies, generated more than $2.2 million in revenue for the DPRK regime, and compromised the identities of more than 18 U.S. persons.

Second, as described in the two civil forfeiture complaints, a North Korean military hacking group known to the private sector as Advanced Persistent Threat 38 (APT38) carried out multimillion-dollar virtual currency heists at four overseas virtual currency platforms in 2023. While APT38 actors continued to launder their ill-gotten gains for these heists, the U.S. government froze and seized more than $15 million worth of virtual currency that it now seeks to forfeit for eventual return to the rightful owners.

“These actions demonstrate the Department’s comprehensive approach to disrupting North Korean efforts to finance their weapons program on the backs of Americans,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The Department will use every available tool to protect our Nation from this regime’s depredations.”

“Ensuring national and economic security are paramount to the Department’s mission,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Hostile nation-states raising funds for illicit programs by stealing from digital asset exchanges threatens both. The Criminal Division is steadfast in its determination to forfeit ill-gotten gains from bad actors and return funds to victims.”

“FBI investigations continue to expose the North Korean government’s relentless campaign to evade U.S. sanctions and generate millions of dollars to fund its authoritarian regime and weapons programs,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “These guilty pleas send a clear message: No matter who or where you are, if you support North Korea's efforts to victimize U.S. businesses and citizens, the FBI will find you and bring you to justice. We ask all our private sector partners to improve their security process for vetting remote workers and to remain vigilant regarding this emerging threat.”

The Department’s actions to combat both the North Korean IT worker and hacking schemes are the latest in a series of law enforcement actions under a joint National Security Division (NSD) and FBI Cyber and Counterintelligence Divisions effort, the DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative. This effort prioritizes targeting and disrupting the DPRK’s illicit revenue generation schemes and its U.S.-based enablers. The Department previously announced other actions pursuant to the initiative, including in January and June 2025.

As the FBI has described in Public Service Announcements published in May 2024 and January 2025, North Korean remote IT workers posing as legitimate remote IT workers have committed data extortion and exfiltrated the proprietary and sensitive data from U.S. companies. DPRK IT worker schemes typically involve the use of stolen identities, alias emails, social media, online cross-border payment platforms, and online job site accounts, as well as false websites, proxy computers, and witting and unwitting third parties located in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Three Guilty Pleas – Southern District of Georgia

Yesterday, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, U.S. nationals Audricus Phagnasay, 24, Jason Salazar, 30, and Alexander Paul Travis, 34, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately September 2019 through November 2022, Phagnasay, Salazar, and Travis provided their U.S. identities to IT workers they knew were located outside the United States so that the workers could fraudulently apply for and obtain employment with victim U.S. companies. In addition, the three defendants hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at their residences, and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization, so that the IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from the defendants’ residences. Each defendant also assisted overseas IT workers in passing employer vetting procedures. Travis and Salazar, in particular, appeared for drug testing on behalf of the overseas IT workers.

“My office is committed to pursuing individuals that seek to harm the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap for the Southern District of Georgia. “This collaboration with our law enforcement agencies exemplifies how our joint efforts are successful in identifying, investigating and prosecuting those defendants.”

Travis, an active-duty member of the U.S. Army at the time, received at least $51,397 for his participation in the scheme. Phagnasay and Salazar earned at least $3,450 and $4,500, respectively. The fraudulent scheme earned approximately $1.28 million in salary payments from the victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas.

The FBI Augusta (Georgia) Resident Agency is investigating the cases.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Hamner for the Southern District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the NSD National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the cases.

Oleksandr Didenko Guilty Plea – District of Columbia

On Nov. 10, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft in connection with a years-long scheme that stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to overseas IT workers, including North Korean IT workers, so they could fraudulently gain employment at 40 U.S. companies. Victim U.S. companies paid Didenko’s IT worker clients hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work. As part of his plea, Didenko agreed to forfeit more than $1.4 million, which includes more than $570,000 in fiat and virtual currency seized from Didenko and his co-conspirators.

“North Korea is focused on victimizing and perpetrating fraud on American citizens, companies, and banks by stealing the identity of U.S. citizens and selling them around the world so foreign actors can gain employment in America,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro for the District of Columbia. “These convictions prove that we will stop at nothing to uncover complex fraud schemes especially when they are committed by North Korean actors to fund their weapons program.”

The case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Norfolk and San Diego Field Offices and the Jefferson City (Tennessee) Resident Agency. In May 2024, Polish authorities arrested Didenko and on Dec. 30, 2024, he was extradited to the United States.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorney Jacques Singer-Emery of the NSD National Security Cyber Section. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Southern District of California, Eastern District of Tennessee, and Eastern District of Virginia, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

Erick Ntekereze Prince Guilty Plea – Southern District of Florida

On Nov. 6, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, U.S. national Erick Ntekereze Prince, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately June 2020 through August 2024, Prince, through his company Taggcar Inc., contracted to supply allegedly “certified” IT workers to victim U.S. companies, knowing that the IT workers were located outside the United States and were using false and stolen identities to gain employment. In addition, Prince hosted victim U.S. company-provided laptops at Florida residences and installed remote access software on those laptops without authorization, so that the IT workers could create the false appearance that they were remote working from Prince’s residence. Prince earned more than $89,000 for his participation in the scheme.

“These prosecutions make one point clear: the United States will not permit the DPRK to bankroll its weapons programs by preying on American companies and workers,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “We will keep working with our partners across the Justice Department to uncover these schemes, recover stolen funds, and pursue every individual who enables North Korea’s operations.”

Prince, U.S. national Emanuel Ashtor, and a Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso de los Reyes were charged in January 2025 by indictment alleging their participation in a criminal scheme that obtained work for North Korean IT workers from more than 64 U.S. companies. The fraudulent scheme earned more than $943,069 in salary payments from victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas. Ashtor is awaiting trial, and de los Reyes is pending extradition from The Netherlands.

The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Cronin for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case.

Forfeiture Complaints for More Than $15 Million in Stolen Funds – District of Columbia

The Department recently filed two civil complaints to forfeit USDT, a virtual currency stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, that the FBI seized in March 2025 from North Korean APT38 actors: an Oct. 24, 2025 complaint (1:25-cv-03771) to forfeit 1,159,834.52 USDT; and a complaint filed today (1:25-cv-03943) to forfeit 13,980,951.103 USDT. In total, the seized USDT is valued at more than $15 million.

As alleged in the complaints, the seized virtual currency relates to North Korean APT38 actors’ efforts to raise revenue for the DPRK government through four heists from virtual currency providers: (1) a July 2023 theft of approximately $37 million in virtual currency from an Estonia-based virtual currency payments processor; (2) a July 2023 theft of approximately $100 million from a Panama-based virtual currency payment processor; (3) a November 2023 theft of approximately $138 million from a Panama-based virtual currency exchange; and (4) a November 2023 theft of approximately $107 million in virtual currency from a Seychelles-based virtual currency exchange. Efforts to trace, seize, and forfeit related stolen virtual currency remain ongoing, as the APT38 actors continue to launder such funds through various virtual currency bridges, mixers, exchanges, and over-the-counter traders.

The FBI Los Angeles Field Office and the FBI’s Virtual Assets Unit are investigating the cases associated with these complaints.

Senior Counsel Jessica Peck of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorneys Gregory J. Nicosia Jr. and Prava Palacharla of NSD’s National Security Cyber Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Blaylock for the District of Columbia are handling the forfeiture actions.

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Other public advisories about the threats, red flag indicators, and potential mitigation measures for these schemes include a May 2022 advisory released by the FBI, Department of the Treasury, and Department of State; a July 2023 advisory from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and guidance issued in October 2023 by the United States and the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As described the May 2022 advisory, North Korean IT workers have been known individually to earn up to $300,000 annually, generating hundreds of millions of dollars collectively each year, on behalf of designated entities, such as the North Korean Ministry of Defense and others directly involved in the DPRK’s weapons programs.

The U.S. Department of State has offered potential rewards for up to $5 million in support of international efforts to disrupt the DPRK’s illicit financial activities, including for cybercrimes, money laundering, and sanctions evasion.

WASHINGTON – Oleksandr Didenko, 28, of Kyiv, Ukraine, pleaded guilty November 10 in U.S. District Court in connection with a years-long scheme that stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to North Korean IT workers so they could fraudulently gain employment at 40 U.S. companies, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Didenko, aka “Alexander Didenko,” pleaded guilty before Judge Randolph D. Moss to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. Didenko agreed to forfeit more than $1.4 million, which includes approximately $181,438 in USD and cryptocurrency seized from Didenko and his co-conspirators.

            Judge Moss scheduled sentencing for Feb. 19, 2026.

            According to court documents, Didenko ran a website using a U.S.-based domain, "Upworksell.com," designed to help overseas IT workers buy or rent stolen or borrowed identities. Beginning in 2021, the IT workers used the identities to get hired on online freelance work platforms based in California and Pennsylvania. The work platforms allowed users to advertise themselves as contract gig workers, create free accounts, advertise their skills, and bid on IT work contracts.

            Didenko paid individuals in the United States to receive and host computers at residences in Virginia, Tennessee, and Califomia.

            In September-October, 2023, one of Didenko’s customers was unhappy with the services provided by his laptop farm in Virginia. The customer directed Didenko to send the computer to a laptop farm operated in Arizona by Christina Chapman.  Chapman was sentenced on July 24, 2025, to 102 months of imprisonment for her involvement in a similar scheme involving IT workers from North Korea.

            Through his company Didenko managed as many as 871 proxy identities and facilitated the operation of at least three  U.S.-based “laptop farms.” He enabled his overseas clients to access the U.S. financial system through Money Service Transmitters rather than having to physically open an account at a bank within the United States, which was then used to facilitate the transfer of employment income to foreign bank accounts.

            The IT worker clients were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work, much of which was falsely reported to DHS, the IRS and Social Security Administration in the names of actual U.S. persons whose identities had been stolen.

            On May 16, 2024, the Justice Department seized the online domain, Upworksell.com, and diverted all traffic to the FBI. Polish authorities arrested Didenko and on Dec. 31, 2024, extradited him to the United States.

            This case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Norfolk, San Diego, and Knoxville Field Offices..

            The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of California, Eastern District of Tennessee, and Eastern District of Virginia, Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, and Trial Attorney Jacques-Singer Emory of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section provided valuable assistance.

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Robynn Danielle Bynum, 18, of Fort Washington, Maryland, Cierra Charity Lee, 20, and Kayvon Edwards, 21, of the District of Columbia were arrested on Nov. 5, 2025, and charged today in a complaint in connection with the October 20, 2025, kidnappings, stabbings, and robbery of two female victims in Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Bynum, Lee, and Edwards are charged with federal counts of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping, and the trio are further charged with three District Code counts of kidnapping while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and armed robbery.

            Joining in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the complaint, a United States Park Police officer responded on October 20 at about 11:45 p.m. for a report of a stabbing on the 3200 block of Minnesota Avenue, SE. The officer found two victims. One had been stabbed several times in her back. The second had knife wounds on her right wrist.

            Law enforcement’s investigation revealed that the victims had been attacked earlier that night at a residence near Suitland Parkway & Stanton Road SE. The investigation further revealed that the victims went to the residence for a “babysitting job” when two individuals “jumped” them, stabbing them with a knife.

            The victims were bound with duct tape and held in a bathroom. Eventually they were led to a car belonging to one of the victims and driven to another location where their assailants abandoned them. The victims were ultimately able to escape and seek help.

            MPD officers later found the victim’s car parked on the 3200 block of M Street SE. The officers noted blood stains and pieces of duct tape on the back seat. They also noticed the car’s front passenger tire was flat.

            Investigators learned that one of the victims had previously accused Edwards of a crime in another jurisdiction, and that Edwards had been due to appear in court on October 21 to face the charges. Law enforcement also learned that the victims were lured to Lee’s residence under the pretext of a “babysitting job.” It was in the residence that Bynum allegedly attacked the victims with a knife.

            Edwards made several calls to Lee and Bynum to orchestrate the offenses while he was incarcerated and awaiting trial on the above-mentioned charge.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, Metropolitan Police Department, and U.S. Capitol Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter.

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON –  Erik Schleehauf, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced November 10 in Superior Court for an April 15, 2025, attack on a Metro Transit Police Sergeant, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Schleehauf was found guilty following a jury trial on July 31, 2025, in Superior Court, of assault on a police officer while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault with serious bodily injury.

            At the sentencing hearing on November 10, 2025, the Honorable Robert Salerno sentenced Schleehauf to serve 72 months in prison and to be placed on three years of supervised release.

            At around 2:26 p.m., on April 15, 2025, at the Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro Station, an MTPD Sergeant observed Schleehauf evade his fare by jumping over the glass gates on his way out of the Metro Transit System. The MTPD Sergeant followed the defendant as he tried to leave the station using the escalator. After Schleehauf refused to provide his identification and refused to stop, the MTPD Sergeant deployed OC spray. Schleehauf pulled out a sharpened metal bolt and stabbed the MTPD Sergeant in the face, causing puncture wounds in his cheek and lower jaw, which resulted in nerve damage. 

            Schleehauf was arrested at the scene and has been detained since his arrest.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Michael Anzallo of the Metro Transit Police Department, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro, Chief Anzallo and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department. 

            They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nickolas Reck, who prosecuted the case.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Marvin Benjamin Martin, 32, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 140 months in prison in connection with a scheme to distribute dipentylone, an illegal psychostimulant known as “boot,” which was imported from China, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Martin pleaded guilty before Judge Beryl A. Howell on July 11, 2025, one business day before the scheduled jury trial, to attempted possession with intent to distribute N,N Dimethylpentylone hydrochloride. In addition to the prison term, Judge Howell ordered Martin to serve three years of supervised release.

Joining in the announcement were Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Heck of Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

According to court documents, in early 2024, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington D.C. High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area group (HIDTA) was conducting an ongoing investigation into illegal shipments of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals originating in China.

In February 2024, officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized a package at the International Mail Facility at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).The package, addressed to “Martin Hall” on 58th Street SE. had been mailed from China, and contained 10 kilos of boot.

HSI agents swapped out the boot in the package for sham materials and added a GPS tracking device.

On March 7, 2024, HIDTA, comprised of HSI, the Metropolitan Police Department, and officers from various other agencies, delivered the package to the front steps of the residence on 58th Street around 11:27 a.m. The officers watched as Martin retrieved the package, took it back to his vehicle, and drove off.

About an hour later, Martin discarded the empty package while keeping what he believed to be real drugs. At 12:37 p.m., investigators found Martin driving in a nearby residential neighborhood in Maryland and attempted to detain him. Martin sped off and crashed into a minivan and fence before evading officers.

Agents subsequently found Martin at a home in Lanham, Maryland, and attempted to block him in with their vehicles. Martin accelerated his car towards the agents, striking the front side of an agent’s vehicle at high speed. About two hours later, agents again found Martin at the Lanham residence, this time in his undamaged car, a Mercedes sedan. Officers positioned their vehicles to block the street and Martin again drove his car towards the agents at a high speed. He swerved onto a sidewalk and hit a tree while accelerating past agents’ vehicles, once again evading capture.

On April 10, 2024, Martin was arrested in Annapolis, Maryland. From his multiple phones, agents recovered evidence showing that he had been selling boot and other narcotics, for years leading up to his arrest. The investigation also showed that Martin paid about $40,000 to $50,000 for the box of 10 kilograms of boot and would sell it for anywhere between $125 to $200 an ounce. From his phones, agents also found DOJ press release links of other boot trafficking convictions that Martin shared with other individuals, showing knowledge of his criminal conduct.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Washington D.C. High Intensity Drug Traffiking Area group (HIDTA), the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the Annapolis Police Department.

The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Anthony Scarpelli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking section (VCNT) of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Alfredo Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 27, a previously deported Mexican national, pleaded guilty on October 17 in U.S. District Court for his role in a multinational drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed wholesale quantities of fentanyl-laced pills across the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Rodriguez-Gonzalez, aka “Alacran,” of Rosarito, Mexico, pleaded guilty to a criminal Information charging him with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl after a prior conviction for a serious drug felony.

            U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2026. Rodriguez-Gonzalez faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life.

            Rodriguez-Gonzalez was one of 24 co-defendants arrested during 2023 in the District, Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy.

            Joining in the announcement of the plea were Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division

            According to court documents, during the conspiracy Rodriguez-Gonzalez was a Mexico-based supplier to Los Angeles-area drug distributers of large quantities of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. He utilized social media platforms, most commonly Instagram, to facilitate the importation of thousands of counterfeit “M-30” pills per shipment.   

            Rodriguez-Gonzalez had previously been deported to Mexico from the United States following a conviction in Utah for distributing methamphetamine. On October 4, 2019, he was sentenced to 36 months in prison. On June 13, 2021, he was released and deported to Mexico.

            From December 2021, Rodriguez-Gonzalez was a member of the conspiracy that eventually distributed an estimated 36 kilograms of illegal fentanyl in the U.S.

            He remained a member of the conspiracy until April 3, 2024, when he was arrested after illegally re-entering the United States.

            The illegal fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills that Rodriguez-Gonzalez sold to multiple LA-based traffickers were resold to redistributors in Washington, D.C., area and elsewhere. Communications evidence, as well as physical seizures, indicate that he facilitated the transfer of hundreds of thousands of the counterfeit pills.

            The impetus for the investigation was the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother in Southeast D.C. In addition to investigating and prosecuting the death resulting case, law enforcement followed the evidence and uncovered a vast network of traffickers who transported fentanyl from Mexico to Los Angeles to the District of Columbia. Since then, investigators have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms.

            The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the USPIS Washington Division in partnership with MPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland. 

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking (VCNT) Section.

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DEFENDANT

AGE

LOCATION

CHARGES/SENTENCE

Hector David Valdez,

aka “Curl”

27

Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

Craig Eastman

21

21

21

Bell Gardens,

California

28

Bell Gardens,

California

27

Bell Gardens,

California

35

Marvin Anthony Bussie,

aka “Money Marr”

22

29

27

35

Andre Malik Edmond,

aka “Draco”

23

Treyveon James Johnson,

aka “Treyski”

21

Karon Olufemi Blalock,

aka “Fat Bags”

30

Ronte Ricardo Greene,

aka “Cardiddy”

29

39

Darius Quincy Hodges,

aka “Brick”

34

Lamin Sesay,

aka “Rock Star”

28

26

Glendale,

California

Omar Arana,

aka “Frogs”

27

Cudahy,

California

27

San Diego,

California

31

Long Beach,

California

31

27

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Robert Calvin Corbin III, 45, a previously convicted felon residing in the District, was sentenced on October 9 in U.S. District Court to 66 months in prison in connection with illegal possession of a Glock 9 mm pistol that had been modified with a “giggle switch” to fire as a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Corbin pleaded guilty July 1, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 66-month prison sentence, Chief Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Corbin to serve three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on March 21, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were called to the 100 block of Q Street NW to investigate a report of a large group of individuals gambling with guns present.

As the officers arrived at the scene, Corbin allegedly was smoking marijuana and drinking tequila from a red plastic cup. An officer stopped Corbin for public consumption of marijuana and possession of an open container of alcohol. As the officer conducted a pat down, the officer felt a hard object in Corbin’s waistband and asked what the object was. Corbin responded, “nothing,” then allegedly attempted to shove the officer’s hands away. The officer and Corbin struggled. Police eventually cuffed Corbin.

Officers recovered from Corbin’s waistband a Glock 19 equipped with a laser sight. The pistol was loaded with one bullet in the chamber and an additional 19 rounds in a large-capacity magazine. The firearm had been modified with a “giggle switch,” a small device which converts a traditional handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. Officers also recovered from Corbin’s bag a second large-capacity magazine with an additional 17 rounds of ammunition.

Corbin was prohibited from possessing a gun due to over twenty-five years of criminal history, including two prior convictions for illegal possession of a firearm.

The Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case with valuable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Reeder-Ricchetti.

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Faneisha Scott, 39, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced October 24, 2025, in D.C. Superior Court, to forty-one years in prison for the murder of her 16-month-old daughter, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

          Scott was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on June 11, 2025 of first-degree cruelty to children, first-degree felony murder with aggravating circumstances, and second-degree cruelty to children for the death of her 16-month-old daughter, Rhythm Fields, in March 2017. 

           According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 2:45 p.m., on March 21, 2017, Scott’s friend, who is the child’s godmother, went over to the defendant’s home in the 5400 block of C Street, SE. While there, the friend’s eight-year-old child asked to play with Rhythm. The defendant then found Rhythm in her playpen, unresponsive, and cold. The defendant went out and flagged down a mail carrier, who called 911 and followed the defendant back to the apartment and observed Rhythm on the couch, lifeless. The child’s body was cold, stiff, and her eyes were fixed. While on the phone with 911, the mail carrier followed the operator’s instructions when two other individuals entered the residence to administer CPR – one was an experienced former firefighter and knew that the child was dead immediately upon seeing her. First responders were surprised to learn that the defendant claimed to have no contact with the child since 9:00 a.m. that morning. The child was pronounced dead. 

           On March 22, 2017, the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy on Rhythm’s remains and ruled on February 5, 2018 that the manner of death was homicide and the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries. The blunt force injuries included: (1) contusions and abrasions of the head, neck, torso, and extremities; (2) subdural hemorrhage; (3) cerebral edema, subarachnoid hemorrhage and acute hypoxia-ischemia; (4) retinal and optic nerve sheath hemorrhage; and (5) 23 bilateral rib fractures (there was evidence of both healing and new rib fractures).

           Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. 

          In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma McArthur and Andrea Antonelli. 

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON – Darnell Earl Christian, 34, a felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 32 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a loaded Glock 45 pistol as he attempted to distribute marijuana in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Christian pleaded guilty on June 3 to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and to unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In addition to the 32-month prison term, Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Christian to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents on March 26, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department were patrolling in the Kingman Park neighborhood when they spotted Christian on the 1800 block of Benning Road NE. Christian was crouching between cars. taking marijuana out of a large plastic bag and placing it onto a digital scale.

            An officer approached Christian. Christian tried to flee with a large bag of marijuana in hand. A second officer intercepted and detained Christian, and observed a pistol in the defendant’s waistband. Christian struggled with the officers as they cuffed him.

            Following Christian’s arrest, officers recovered 429 grams marijuana, a digital scale, and a baggie containing 14 grams of a white rock-like substance that tested positive for cocaine.

            Officers also recovered a Glock model 45, 9mm handgun with one round of ammunition chambered and 16 additional rounds in an extended magazine.

            Christian previously was convicted in District of Columbia Superior Court of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, sentenced to 16 months incarceration, and was therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm.

            This case was investigated by the MPD with valuable help from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Wynn for the District of Columbia. 

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Tyrone Spencer, 44, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with a homicide that occurred in the afternoon of September 1, 2025, in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

            Spencer made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Eric Glover earlier today, where Judge Glover found probable cause that Spencer committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), and ordered that Spencer be held without bond pending a preliminary hearing on November 19, 2025, before Judge Rainey Brandt.

            According to court documents, on September 1, 2025, Spencer approached the victim, Francois Adkins, in broad daylight at the Brentwood Recreation Center and opened fire. Spencer continued to shoot as the victim attempted to crawl away. Adkins died as a result of the injuries.

            On Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at approximately 6:20 p.m., members of the Fifth District Crime Suppression Team (CST) were engaged in the “Make DC Safe and Beautiful Taskforce” Operations. MPD Officers were part of a federal task force which included HSI, ATF, FBI, DEA, Secret Service Police, and United States Park Police. The Taskforce was actively patrolling PSA 504 when they observed Spencer loitering with other individuals. Upon observing officers, Spencer dropped a white hand rolled cigarette. After smelling odor consistent with marijuana, Taskforce officers stopped Spencer and identified him for smoking marijuana in public. Their active police efforts led to Spencer’s active arrest warrant for murder being confirmed and Spencer’s arrest. 

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Galloway.

            These charges are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – Matthew Green, 31, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced October 7 in U.S. District Court to 100 months in prison in connection with his possession of a Glock 19 pistol as he was distributing narcotics in and around the 2900 block of Knox Place SE in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Green pleaded guilty on July 8, 2025, to a two-count Information charging him with possession with the intent to distribute phencyclidine (PCP), cocaine base, and marijuana, and to possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the 100-month prison sentence, the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly ordered Green to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement of the sentencing was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

            According to court documents, in the Summer of 2024, FBI agents initiated a long-term investigation of a drug trafficking conspiracy centered around the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE.[1] Law enforcement had identified an alleged fentanyl and PCP trafficker with a stash house in the 2900 block of Knox Place. Over the course of their investigation into the trafficker’s narcotics suppliers, investigating agents determined that Green was a supplier of the trafficker’s PCP.

            On October 3, 2024, an undercover officer met the trafficker outside a Knox Place apartment building. The trafficker subsequently waved to Green, who stepped into the building and then returned with several vials of PCP. As Green attempted to hand off the PCP to the trafficker, he instead asked Green to “give it to my man, cus,” referring to the undercover officer.

            In the morning of December 16, 2024, a caller to 911 reported seeing a man pointing a gun at cars near the 2800 block of Gainesville Street SE, approximately a half-mile from the 2900 block of Knox Place. Responding MPD officers saw Green, who matched the caller’s description, and stopped him. From Green’s front jacket pocket, officers recovered a loaded Glock 19, Gen 5 pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition in the magazine and one round in the chamber.

            In Green’s backpack, officers recovered an array of distribution-level quantities of narcotics that included 48 grams of crack cocaine, more than 62 grams of PCP that was packaged in 122 vials, 366 grams of marijuana, and a 20-ounce plastic bottle of pink liquid suspected to be “lean,” a cocktail of prescription cough syrup and soda.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the DEA Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, John Crabb, Jr., and John Parron, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Offenses and Federal Major Crimes Sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

[1] Eight members of this drug trafficking conspiracy, including Green’s PCP redistributor, have since been indicted in U.S. v. Hancock, et al., Case No. 25-cr-241 (TJK). 

WASHINGTON – Maurice Felder, 54, of Washington, D.C., was convicted of charges stemming from a stabbing on November 10, 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

           Felder was convicted of assault with significant bodily injury while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a prohibited weapon. The verdict was returned on October 15, 2025, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Felder faces a maximum of 30 years in prison for the crimes. The Honorable Todd Edelman scheduled sentencing for December 12, 2025.

           According to the government’s evidence and testimony presented at trial, at about 1:00 a.m., on November 10, 2024, the victim and his friends were walking near the intersection of 7th St N.W. and T St N.W. The victim and his friends were visiting Washington, D.C. for a weekend from Pennsylvania. The defendant followed the victim and his group down the sidewalk and began verbally arguing with the group. The victim got in between Felder and other members of his friend group, telling the defendant to leave. The defendant asked the victim, “do you want to die,” pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in his chest. The victim sustained a stab wound two centimeters from his heart and required urgent medical care.

            Felder was apprehended shortly thereafter, approximately one block from the location of incident. At the time of arrest, defendant matched the provided lookout for the stabbing suspect. A knife was recovered from the defendant’s pants pocket. Felder has been in custody since his arrest.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

           This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valerie Tsesarenko and Randle Wilson. 

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON – Tywan Morris, 30, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty November 12, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of second-degree murder while armed for the October 17, 2021, murder of 27-year-old Danielle Stuckey in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            The jury deliberated for approximately two hours before finding Morris guilty of charges including second-degree murder while armed. Judge Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for March 6, 2026.

            According to the government’s evidence, at 5:03 p.m., on Sunday, October 17, 2021, Danielle Stuckey and her 12-year-old child walked through the BP gas station at 2801 Alabama Avenue, Southeast to a nearby bus stop. A short time later, Morris pulled into the gas station with his girlfriend and child and parked at the first pump. While Morris was pumping gas, the victim approached him, and a brief argument ensued between the victim, Morris, and Morris’s girlfriend. Despite the victim walking back to the bus stop, Morris retrieved a knife with brass knuckles attached. Initially, Morris gave the knife to his girlfriend who attempted to stab the victim. Morris then retrieved the knife and charged at the victim. The victim attempted to back away, but Morris pursued her. He tripped her to the ground and kicked her in the head. While the victim was on the ground, Morris stabbed her in the left thigh transecting her femoral artery and vein and killing her. Morris then fled the scene with his girlfriend. That same day, law enforcement identified Morris as the killer and arrested him.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch. They also acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Ariel Dean and Daniel Bromwich who prosecuted the case.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Franklin Jovany Torres, 42, a convicted sex offender serving time in federal prison, was sentenced November 5 to an additional 16 months for vowing revenge and mailing death threats to the mother of a teenage boy who he had sexually abused, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Torres pleaded guilty August 27 before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to one count of mailing threatening communications. The 16-months will be served consecutively to the earlier imposed 21-year prison term. Torres will be deported to El Salvador at the completion of the sentences.

            Joining in the announcement was FBI Special Agent in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

            According to the plea agreement, on Mar. 11, 2015, following a jury trial, Torres was convicted in the District of producing child pornography, distributing child pornography, possessing child pornography, and first degree sexual abuse of a minor. For those crimes he was sentenced to 252 months in prison.

            On July 2, 2015, Torres mailed a handwritten letter from a Federal Corrections Institute in South Carolina to the Northwest Washington D.C. home of the minor victim’s mother.

            The letter, written in Spanish, threatened, “I’m going to get out one day, and when that day comes is when you are going to shed tears of blood because that day I’m going to get rid of your whole family – cousins, nephews and nieces, granmother, children – even the dog at your home I’ll get rid of.”

            The boy victim’s parents had allowed Torres to stay in their apartment after Torres lost his job and needed a place to stay. After Torres had lived with the family for several months, the victim’s mother discovered a naked photo of a male child with his face obscured on the defendant’s Facebook page. The boy in the photo turned out to be the victim. The photo was taken by Torres during an incident in which Torres had sexually abused the boy.

            The mother and her son reported the sexual abuse to the police several months later, after Torres moved out of their apartment.

            This case was investigated by FBI. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Angelo Mark, 31, of Washington D.C., was sentenced Oct. 1, 2025, in U.S. District Court to 91 months in federal prison for his role a prolific drug delivery service that he operated with his brother in the metropolitan area, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Mark pleaded guilty June 18, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute a detectable amount of fentanyl, and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Mark to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to court documents, between Jan. 10, 2024, and March 13, 2024, undercover agents with the DEA made six controlled purchases of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and suspected MDMA from Angelo Mark’s co-conspirator and brother, Jevaughn Mark.

            On Mar. 22, 2024, law enforcement executed search warrants at the homes of Angelo Mark and co-defendant Jevaughn Mark who lived across the street from each other on the 2300 block of Chester Street SE. From Angelo Marks residence, law enforcement recovered four handguns, three assault style rifles with their serial numbers removed, and 954 rounds of ammunition.

            In addition to the seven firearms recovered in Angelo Mark’s home, law enforcement seized 11.5 grams of cocaine, four digital scales, bulk drug-packaging materials, and $50,663 in cash.

            On March 14, 2025, co-defendant Jevaughn Mark pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine, and to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. As part of his plea agreement, Jevaughn Mark accepted responsibility for causing the drug-related deaths of Brandon Román and Robert Barletta. On June 26, 2025, the Court sentenced Jevaughn Mark to 180 months in prison.

            This case was investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Dan Seidel of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking (VCNT) section.

Law enforcement recovered three assault-style rifles, two pistols, and 954 rounds of ammunition from Angelo Mark’s home on the 2300 block of Chester Street SE, on Mar. 22, 2024.

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON – Three members of a violent multi-state robbery crew were found guilty October 28 by a federal jury in connection with the robberies of 12 pharmacies and cell phone stores in the District, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

The jury deliberated for three days following a six-week trial.

Ashley Gause, 32, aka “Cray,” of the District, was found guilty of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act Robbery), conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances from the pharmacy robberies, and nine counts of Hobbs Act Robbery.

D’Marrell Mitchel, 35, of the District, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and nine counts of Hobbs Act Robbery.

Terrance Barnham, 35, of the District, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of Hobbs Act Robbery, and one count of carrying a firearm during a crime of violence.

Judge Amy B. Jackson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 4, 2026 for Gause; Feb. 6, 2026 for Mitchell; and Feb. 3, 2026 for Branham. Each count of Hobbs Act robbery carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; carrying a firearm during a crime of violence carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. A U.S. District court judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors

Joining in the announcement of the verdicts were FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

According to court documents, from May 9, 2020, through May 26, 2021, Gause and her co-conspirators targeted pharmacies and cellular retail stores in the mid-Atlantic region, seeking to rob the businesses of prescription drugs and iPhones that they could then resell in the District.

Multiple co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to their roles in a number of robberies.

Co-defendant Floyd Neal, 31, of the District, pleaded guilty to his role in the April 1, 2021, robbery of a pharmacy in Manassas and was sentenced on July 17, 2024, to 157 months in prison.

Ashawntea Henderson, 32, of the District, pleaded guilty to interference of interstate commerce by robbery for his role in the May 9, 2020 robbery of a pharmacy in Neptune, New Jersey, and was sentenced on Feb. 18, 2025, to 57 months in prison.

Glenn Dolford, 32, of the District, pleaded guilty to two counts of interference of interstate commerce by robbery for his roles in the June 8, 2020, robbery of a pharmacy in Nottingham, Maryland, and the June 9, 2020, robbery of a phone store in College Park, Maryland. Dolford, who also is serving a 22-year sentence for murder, was sentenced July 18, 2025, to an additional 42 months for his roles in the robberies.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department, Alexandria Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department, Baltimore County Police Department, Henrico County Police Division, Laurel Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Neptune Township N.J. Police Department, and Prince George’s County Police Department. 

The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Gold, Cameron Tepfer, Sarah Martin, and Mark Levy with assistance from paralegal specialist Jenna Lee.

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Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.   

WASHINGTON – Richard Dyson, 57, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Donnella Bryan, 63, whose body was found in a Hechinger Mall dumpster in Northeast D.C. back in April of 2025, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Dyson pleaded guilty on October 7, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of second-degree murder. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Dyson is facing up to 24 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2025, before the Honorable Michael Ryan.

            According to the government’s evidence, on or about April 15, 2025, at the Press House Apartments in Northeast D.C., Dyson murdered the victim by striking her in the head and suffocating her with a sock. Dyson then purchased a large container from Home Depot, and with the help of a now-deceased accomplice, disposed of the victim’s body in that container by sliding it into a dumpster at Hechinger Mall.  The decedent’s body was discovered on April 19, 2025, one day before Easter Sunday.

            Dyson was arrested on June 11, 2025, and has been in custody ever since.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON – Diamond T. Ransome, 34, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty October 21, 2025, in D.C. Superior Court to one felony count of fraud in the first degree for obtaining more than $26,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2020 and 2021. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

           The Honorable Carmen McLean accepted Ransome’s plea and scheduled sentencing for January 16, 2026.

            According to court documents, Ransome admitted that in 2020, she submitted applications to two SBA small-business loan programs while working in a full-time civilian position at the Metropolitan Police Department. Her first application, submitted on July 3, 2020, sought a loan from the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which was intended to provide emergency financial relief to small businesses suffering economic hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

            In her EIDL application, Ransome falsely claimed that she operated a hair and nail salon, even though she had no registered business at that time and provided only limited beauty services to a few acquaintances. Through her fraudulent application, Ransome secured a $1,000 cash advance and a $6,500 business loan from the SBA. She admitted that she did not intend to repay more than $5,600 still owed on that loan.

            Her second application, submitted on July 24, 2020, sought a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), another SBA pandemic relief program administered through private lenders. In that application, Ransome falsely stated that she was a “Lash Extensionist” and attached a falsified tax document listing her gross business income for the previous year as more than $117,000.

            Based on those misrepresentations, the SBA issued Ransome a $20,833 PPP loan. In August 2021, she applied for and received forgiveness of that loan, falsely asserting that she used the proceeds for eligible business expenses. As a result, the SBA reimbursed Ransome’s private lender the full PPP loan amount plus interest.

            Joining in the announcement was Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was investigated by Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

            WASHINGTON—Dana Garnett, 61, a former contract specialist for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), was sentenced November 12 to 24 months of imprisonment for her role in a bribery and wire fraud conspiracy that illegally steered lucrative DCPS business to local vendors, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Earlier this year, on June 23, 2025, Garnett was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud charges, arising from her role in a bribery and kickback scheme she perpetrated at DCPS. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Amit P. Mehta ordered Garnett to serve three years of supervised release.

            Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            According to court documents, Garnett and her co-conspirators defrauded DCPS by falsifying purchase orders and authorizing payments for inflated quantities of goods that were never delivered. In return for approving these fraudulent overpayments, Garnett received kickbacks from local vendors.

            In September 2025, a federal jury found one of those vendors, Yelake Meseretu, guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud arising out of the same criminal scheme. In addition to Meseretu’s conviction, three of Garnett’s co-conspirators—Patricia Bailey, Donald McWhirter, and Duane King—pleaded guilty earlier this year and face sentencing in February 2026.

            According to court documents, over the course of at least five years, Garnett, of Hyattsville, Maryland, accepted illegal payments from several vendors who supplied goods to DCPS. In exchange, Garnett steered business to the vendors. Some of the payments were generated from falsified orders that listed inflated amounts of goods that were never delivered.

            Garnett and her co-conspirator Patricia Bailey, a fellow DCPS employee, coordinated with the vendors to deliver fewer goods than were billed. Based on false certifications made by or with the knowledge of Garnett, DCPS paid the full amount of the purchase orders as if they had been fulfilled in full. The vendors paid cash to Garnett and her co-conspirator in various locations in the D.C. and Maryland area, including parking lots of restaurants in strip malls.               

            This case was investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher R. Howland and John Borchert of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.

Garnett and Meseretu: 24cr281

Bailey: 23cr336

King: 23cr319

McWhirter: 24cr280

WASHINGTON – Jairo Aldres Alzate Milan, 36, a former intelligence officer in the Colombian National Army, was sentenced October 8, 2025, in U.S. District Court to 65 months in prison in connection with a scheme to export 9.85 kilograms of cocaine from South America to the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Milan, aka "Llorente" and “Andres Millan,” pleaded guilty on May 13 to an Information charging him with unlawful distribution of 500 grams or more of cocaine for importation into the United States. In addition to the 65-month prison sentence, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Milan to serve four years of supervised release.

            Joining in the sentencing announcement was Special Agent in Charge Christopher C. Goumenis of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division and FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.

            According to plea agreement, on Jan. 29, 2019, Milan met with an individual to build a drug trafficking relationship. Milan discussed specifics with this individual who asked, “You know that cargo is going to the United States. All of it, yes?” Milan answered, “Yes.” The two also confirmed a price that included the added cost with transporting the “cargo” to the United States. The cargo was to be cocaine.

            On Feb. 2, 2019, Milan met again with the same individual. Milan and the individual discussed further details about the logistics of and the eventual transportation costs of shipping the cocaine to the United States, including details of cargo planes being used for the transportation. The individual explained that a plane in Santa Marta, Colombia, would be used to transport the cocaine first to Guatemala and then on to the United States. The individual further explained that he would need the details of the weight beforehand to ensure customs manifest forms would match.

            On Mar. 5, 2019, Milan met with the same individual in Cali, Colombia. The interaction was recorded on audio and video. Milan told the individual that “had the 10,” referring to 10 kilograms of cocaine. Milan  confirmed he understood that “this one is going to New York.”

            Milan provided ten bricks of cocaine weighing a total of 9.85 kilos. In exchange, Milan received 45 million Colombian Pesos valued at about $13,000 USD.

            The Drug Enforcement Administration Mid-Atlantic Laboratory tested nine of the 10 bricks and confirmed in all nine units the presence of cocaine.

            Milan was arrested in Colombia on May 22, 2021. He was extradited to the United States on Sept.12, 2024.

            In his plea, Milan admitted that he was responsible for distributing 9.85 kgs of cocaine and intended that amount to be imported into the United States.

            This case was investigated by the by the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Peter Roman of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON – Joshua Calvin Allen, 35, a five-time felon residing the District of Columbia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court on October 15 to 36 months in prison for illegally carrying a loaded Glock pistol with an extended magazine, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

Allen pleaded guilty on June 30, 2025, to unlawful possession of a firearm. In addition to the prison term, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Allen to serve three years of supervised release.

Allen, who is also awaiting trial in a 2021 homicide, has been jailed at the Central Detention Facility since Nov. 2021 for violating the terms of a previous supervised release for prisoner escape and assault with intent to commit robbery while armed.

On Nov. 9, 2021, a D.C. Superior Court Judge signed a warrant for Allen’s arrest in the June 2021 slaying of 28-year-old Delonte Johnson.

On Nov. 10, 2021, members of the U.S. Marshal’s Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force located Allen using information obtained from his GPS ankle monitor, which he was wearing as a condition of his supervised release resulting from a previous conviction of illegal possession of a firearm.

The Task Force apprehended Allen as he was sitting in the driver’s seat of  a white Ford Explorer near a Southeast apartment complex. During a pat down, a Task Force officer discovered a Glock 23 pistol with an extended magazine that Allen had secreted between two pairs of compression shorts.

This case is Allen’s sixth felony conviction and his second conviction for possessing a firearm in the District of Columbia. His previous convictions in the District of Columbia also include assault to commit robbery while armed, carrying a pistol without a license, and inmate in possession of a weapon. He was also convicted in Maryland for armed carjacking.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshal’s Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago.

25cr139

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON– Cedric Carr, 34, a previous convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced to 33 months, on October 7, 2025, for his unlawful possession of a semiautomatic pistol while drinking in public and on supervised release for another felony firearms offense, announced U.S Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

           On Feb. 20, 2025, Carr pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 33-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Contreras ordered Carr to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on Oct. 27, 2024, about 8:30 a.m., Carr was drinking from an open bottle of red wine outside of the entrance to the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station. Two Metropolitan Police officers saw the wine bottle, approached Carr, and asked for identification. Officers took the bottle. Carr handed them a bank card, then turned his back to the officers. As Carr reached for his waistband, one of the officers grabbed Carr’s right hand, felt a hard object, and saw the handgrip of a pistol tucked in Carr’s waistband.

            Officers cuffed Carr and recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson M&P 40, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol. The gun had been reported stolen by the Atlanta Police Department.

            At the time of this offense, Carr was on supervised release for a 2018 conviction for using a firearm during a crime of violence. Carr was sentenced to 84 months in that case.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorney Michael L. Barclay.

Carr’s Smith and Wesson M&P 40, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Police Body-Worn-Camera photo of Cedric Carr holding a wine bottle at the entrance to the Gallery Place - Chinatown Metro station on Oct. 27, 2024.

In a body-worn-camera photo, Cedric Carr turns away from a police officer and reaches for a Smith & Wesson pistol tucked in his waistband on Oct. 27, 2024, at the Gallery Place-Chinatown.

24cr497

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

WASHINGTON -   Demontra Harris , 31, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced October 24, 2025, to 24 months in prison in connection with his unlawful possession of a .40 caliber pistol and 17 rounds of ammunition that police discovered after he had abandoned a vehicle following a car crash, announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            On April 15, 2024, Harris pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 24-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Harris to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on March 1, 2024, at 10 p.m., officers were responding to an unrelated case when they saw a black Toyota RAV-4 run a red light. A nearby detective in another car witnessed the RAV-4 lose control and crash on the 1800 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. Harris, who was the sole occupant, abandoned the disabled vehicle.

            At the scene of the crash, officers immediately spotted a Glock 22, .40 caliber pistol with an extended magazine that had been left on the driver’s seat and a nearly empty open bottle of tequila. During a search of the vehicle officers found one shoe on the driver side. Officers also found a D.C. Driver’s License, a D.C. identification card, and a rental agreement that all had the name “Demontra Harris” on them.

            Soon after the accident, an officer saw a man nearby wearing one shoe. The shoe matched the other half of the pair found in the crashed vehicle.

            Police placed Harris under arrest and learned Harris had prior felony convictions for weapons counts. As a previously convicted felon, Harris is prohibited from possessing a firearm.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar with valuable assistance from Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alex Schneider and Rachel Craft.

24cr180

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations. 

            WASHINGTON –Trevon Timothy Vines, 33, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 15 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a pistol and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            Vines pleaded guilty June 6, 2025, before Judge Amy Berman Jackson to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon. In addition to the 15-month prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Vines to serve three years of supervised release.

            This prosecution comes as part of the "Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful" initiative, which is surging resources to reduce violent crime in the District of Columbia. This initiative was created to address gun violence in the District, prioritize federal firearms violations, pursue tougher penalties for offenders, and seek detention for federal firearms violators.

            According to court documents, on March 15, 2025, about 12:45 a.m., Metropolitan Police Department officers were on the 1800 block of 7th Street NW when they observed a white Chevrolet make a U-turn over double yellow lines. Moments later, officers stopped the vehicle.

            As officers approached the driver, they spotted an open bottle of tequila inside the car and noted the scent of alcohol. Officers ordered all the occupants out of the car include Vines, who was sitting in the front passenger’s seat holding a clear plastic cup containing yellow liquid.

            While attempting to place Vines in handcuffs, an officer recovered a loaded Glock 43 9mm pistol from Vine’s front left pocket. Officers ran the serial number of the firearm and learned it had been reported stolen from a gun dealer in White Plains, Maryland.

            Vines was previously convicted in 2016 of attempted robbery in DC Superior Court. He was convicted again in 2017 of armed robbery in Superior Court for which he was sentenced to 72 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.

25cr091

Editor's Note: This matter occurred on date indicated but not published at that time due to government shutdown. Press release posted and made available following the return to normal operations.