District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
U.S. Marshals Focus on Violent Fugitives During Operation Nazare WaveRead the Press Release
The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced the results of Operation Nazare Wave, which focused on violent crime in Washington, D.C., and the National Capital Region. This operation was spearheaded by the USMS’ Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF) between April and September and resulted in the arrest of 826 fugitives (63 for homicide); recovery and seizure of 54 firearms; and seizure of 6.4 kg of narcotics and $1,115,365 in U.S. currency.
“This successful operation reflects the collaborative approach the Justice Department has taken to turn the tide against violent crime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “From April to September, the U.S. Marshals Service brought together more than 30 law enforcement agencies spanning the Washington, D.C. area to arrest 826 fugitives and seize significant quantities of firearms and narcotics. I am deeply grateful to every Deputy U.S. Marshal and law enforcement partner who took part in this operation.”
“I wish to thank all of the Deputies, Task Force Officers, and participating agencies for their steadfast commitment and tremendous work,” said USMS Director Ronald L. Davis. “This operation coincided with Operation North Star FY2024 in 10 other metropolitan areas which demonstrates the commitment of the United States Marshals Service and the Department of Justice to work with local law-enforcement and communities to reduce violent crime.”
Operation Nazare Wave focused on reducing violent crime in the NCR but resulted in arrests crossing 19 different districts across the United States and internationally. While some fugitives wanted in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) fled to other districts, in other instances fugitives wanted outside the DMV traveled into the DMV and were apprehended.
Significant arrests include:
- On July 31, based on information developed by CARFTF, the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force and Prince Georges County police assisted a special branch of the Guyana police in locating Rakeem Gilgeours, who fled the country following a July 4 shooting that resulted in the death of a 6-year-old boy and injuries to other community members who had gathered to celebrate the holiday at a Temple Hills, Maryland, park. CARFTF arrested Gilgeours in Miami after Guyana deported him.
- On June 1, Emmanuel Sewell was arrested in Putnam County, West Virginia, by the Southern District of West Virginia Violent Offender Task Force, in collaboration with CARFTF. Sewell, a registered sex offender, was wanted in Montgomery County, Maryland, in connection with the May 31 death of Maryland Parole and Probation Officer David Martinez in his Chevy Chase home. Martinez was Sewell’s probation officer.
- On April 29, CARFTF arrested a 16-year-old juvenile in Suitland, Maryland, for aggravated assault with a gun and attempted murder following an April 19 shooting at a Greenbelt park where a large group of youth had gathered for a senior skip day. A search warrant executed at the suspect’s mother’s house, where he’d been staying, yielded $246,780 in currency, 40.5 grams of crack cocaine, and two handguns.
Agencies participating in Operation Nazare Wave include: Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Metro Transit Police Department; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; Immigrations and Customs Enforcement; Diplomatic Security Service; Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency; Naval Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; D.C. Department of Corrections; Bowie Police Department; Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office; Bladensburg Police Department; Prince George’s County Police Department; Montgomery County Police Department; Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office; Maryland State Police; Charles County Sheriff’s Office; Hyattsville Police Department; Maryland Department of Public Safety; Howard County Police Department; Forest Heights Police Department; Fairfax County Police Department; City of Fairfax Police Department; Prince William County Police Department; Alexandria Police Department; Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff’s Office; Virginia State Police; and City of Dumfries Police Department.
U.S. Attorney Announces District Election Officer for 2024 ElectionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Elizabeth Aloi will lead the efforts of the Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Aloi has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Columbia, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.
United States Attorney Graves said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election. Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”
The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.
Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).
United States Attorney Graves stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy. We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Aloi will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. She can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 202-252-7212.”
In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (202) 278-2000.
Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.
United States Attorney Graves said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”
Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.
Threats to Shoot Auto Shop Workers Get Man Prison SentenceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rashaud Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 80 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and other related firearm charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur sentenced Williams on October 17, 2024, to 60 months in prison for assault with a dangerous weapon and 60 months for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, to run concurrently. Judge Arthur also sentenced him to 20 months in prison for threatening to injure or kidnap a person, to run consecutively.
Williams was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on May 3, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, on August 1, 2023, Williams brought his car into a Petworth area auto shop for repairs. Later in the day, the shop owner called the defendant’s mother to tell her that the car would not be ready until the next day, after they obtained a needed part. Shortly after that call, Williams went to the auto shop and made threats to “shoot up” the entire establishment. The repairman’s girlfriend was there and tried to calm Williams down. Williams then turned the gun on her and threatened to shoot her, then pointed the gun at the owner before leaving.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmanuel Hampton, Erica Rudolf, and Kathryn Bartz, who prosecuted the case.
D.C. Gang Leader Sentenced to 15 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eugene Tracey Hill , 31, of Washington D.C. and a member of the Push Dat Shit (PDS) street crew, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 180 months in prison on four felony charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offenses in the District of Columbia.
The sentence was announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge James VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Hill, aka “Geno” and “Cheese,” pleaded guilty on July 17, 2024, to a four-count criminal information charging him with conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana and a detectable amount of oxycodone, conspiracy to use a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and two counts of possessing a handgun in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
In his plea agreement, Hill admitted that he distributed both marijuana and oxycodone, and that he distributed both substances in bulk to other dealers and in smaller, street-level transactions. He also admitted to purchasing semi-automatic and fully automatic AR-Pistol ghost guns that he stored in “trap houses” maintained by PDS.
In addition to the 180-month prison term, the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson ordered Hill to serve five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Hill held a leadership position in the Push Dat Shit (PDS) Street Crew which held territory in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. Hill conspired with other crew members to distribute both marijuana and oxycodone within their territory and further admitted that the co-conspirators distributed more than 100 kilograms of marijuana during the course of their conspiracy.
Eugene Tracy Hill
The co-conspirators also conspired to use, carry, and possess firearms to protect themselves, their drugs, their cash, and their territory from rival crews with whom PDS had “beefs.” Hill admitted that, as part of the conspiracy one of his co-conspirators assembled fully automatic AR-Pistol machine guns which were then distributed within the crew for use in furtherance of their drug trafficking conspiracy. Hill admitted that he purchased and possessed machine guns during his part in the conspiracy.
Hill was arrested on September 15, 2022, shortly before the FBI executed a search warrant at a “trap house” he and his co-conspirators maintained on Fourth Street, Southeast. FBI agents recovered two Glock handguns, approximately 100 rounds of ammunition, 1.8 pounds of marijuana, two digital scales, a money counter, and approximately $15,000 from that residence. Hill has been detained since his arrest.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI and ATF with assistance from both officers and detectives from the MPD a part of an ongoing joint investigation which has now resulted in 22 convictions and the seizure of two vehicles, 35 firearms, four machineguns, more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition, approximately 60 pounds of marijuana, 41 grams of cocaine base, dozens of oxycodone pills, and approximately $500,000 in cash. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James B. Nelson and Justin F. Song with valuable assistance from Paralegal Specialists Marissa Mondelli and Melissa Macechko.
50-Year Prison Term Handed Down for Man in Double Shooting at a Temp Labor AgencyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Matthew Walker, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today, to 50 years in prison for shooting two men, killing one, at a temporary labor agency in Northeast Washington D.C. on February 14, 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Walker was convicted at trial in January 2024 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
In addition to the 50-year prison term, Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo also ordered Walker to serve five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:45 a.m. on February 14, 2019, Walker walked into Trojan Labor, a temporary labor agency in Northeast Washington D.C. Once inside, Walker ran directly to the agency’s dispatch office, where he repeatedly shot David Remen, one of the agency’s workers and Michael Hardy, the manager of the agency. Walker then fled away from the scene and discarded his clothing, mask, and firearm nearby. Mr. Remen died on scene. Mr. Hardy died in 2022. DNA evidence from the clothing, mask and firearm, as well as ballistic, video, and other evidence linked the defendant to the shooting.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Prava Palacharla who investigated and indicted the case, Deputy Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Donavan for providing forensic DNA expertise, Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez, Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling, and IT Specialist Charlie Bruce.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Seidel and Alec Levy, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
FBI Arrests Alabama Man in the January 2024 SEC X Hack that Spiked the Value of BitcoinRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eric Council Jr., 25, of Athens, Alabama, was arrested this morning, in Athens, in connection with a January 2024 unauthorized takeover of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) X account, formerly known as Twitter, in which hackers posted a fake message from the SEC Chair that caused the value of bitcoin (BTC) to spike by $1,000. Council is expected to make an initial appearance today in the Northern District of Alabama.
Council is charged by indictment, unsealed today, with conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. The arrest and the indictment were announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and SEC Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey.
According to the indictment, on January 9, 2024, Council conspired with others to take unauthorized control of the @SECGov X account (sometimes called the SEC’s Twitter account) and transmitted a fake post in the name of the SEC Chair, falsely announcing, in part, “Today the SEC grants approval for #Bitcoin ETFs for listing on all registered national securities exchanges.” Immediately after the tweet, the price of BTC increased by more than $1,000 per bitcoin.
Shortly after the unauthorized post, the SEC regained control over their X account and confirmed that the announcement was unauthorized and the result of a security breach. Following this corrective disclosure, the value of BTC decreased by more than $2,000 per bitcoin. (At the time, the SEC had been deliberating whether to approve exchange traded funds (ETFs) that held bitcoin.) An unauthorized actor gained control of the SEC X account through a “SIM swap.”
"These SIM swapping schemes, where fraudsters trick service providers into giving them control of unsuspecting victims’ phones, can result in devastating financial losses to victims and leaks of sensitive personal and private information,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Here, the conspirators allegedly used their illegal access to a phone to manipulate financial markets. Through indictments like this, we will hold accountable those who commit these serious crimes."
“The indictment alleges that Eric Council, Jr. unlawfully accessed the SEC’s account on X by using the stolen identity of a person who had access to the account to take over their cellphone number,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Argentieri. “Council, Jr.’s co-conspirators then allegedly used this unauthorized access to the X account to falsely announce that the SEC had approved listing Bitcoin ETFs, which caused the price of Bitcoin to rise by $1,000 and then fall by $2,000. Council’s indictment underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to countering cybercrime, especially when it threatens the integrity of financial markets.”
“The FBI works to identify, disrupt, and investigate cyber-enabled frauds, including SIM swapping,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist. “SIM swapping is a method bad actors exploit to illicitly access sensitive information of an individual or company, with the intent of perpetrating a crime. In this case, the unauthorized actor allegedly utilized SIM swapping to manipulate the global financial market. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners around the country and globe to hold accountable those who break U.S. laws.”
“Today’s arrest demonstrates our commitment to holding bad actors accountable for undermining the integrity of the financial markets,” said SEC Inspector General Jeffrey.
A Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card is a chip that stores information identifying and authenticating a cell phone subscriber. When a cell phone carrier reassigns a phone number from one physical phone to another — such as when a customer purchases a new phone but wants to retain the same number — the carrier switches the assignment of the cell phone number from the SIM card in the old phone to the SIM card in the new phone, a process sometimes referred to as “porting” a number.
A SIM swap attack refers to the process of fraudulently inducing a carrier to reassign a cell phone number from the legitimate subscriber or user’s SIM card to a SIM card, and telephone, controlled by a criminal actor. A SIM swap attack allows a criminal actor to defeat multifactor authentication (MFA) and/or two-step verification process to access a victim’s account so that the criminal actor may steal money and/or data from the victim or access the victim’s online accounts.
As described in the indictment, Council, who used online monikers including “Ronin,” “Easymunny,” and “AGiantSchnauzer,” received personal identifying information (PII) and an identification card template containing a victim’s name and photo from co-conspirators. Council then used his identification card printer to create a fake ID with the information. Council proceeded to obtain a SIM card linked to the victim’s phone line by presenting the fake ID at a cell phone provider store in Huntsville, Alabama. He then purchased a new iPhone in cash and used the two items to obtained access codes to the @SECGov X account. Council shared those codes with members of the conspiracy, who then accessed the account – and issued the fraudulent tweet on the @SECGov X account in the name of the SEC Chairman, falsely announcing the SEC’s approval of BTC ETFs. Council received BTC payment for performing the successful SIM swap. Shortly after, Council drove to Birmingham, Alabama to return the iPhone used in the SIM swap for cash.
He later conducted internet searches for “SECGOV hack,” “telegram sim swap,” “how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI,” and “What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them.”
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, the SEC-Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the Department of Justice’s Market Integrity and Major Frauds Unit (MIMF) and Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). Significant assistance was provided by the FBI’s Birmingham Field Office.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, and DOJ Trial Attorneys Ashley Pungello and Paul Zebb from the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Lauren Archer from the Fraud Section. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant United States Attorney John Hundscheid from the Northern District of Alabama.
For more information on SIM Swapping, go to: https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240411
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
councileric_indictment_24-cr-457_0.pdfChild Predator Sentenced to 10 ½ Year Prison Term for Abusing a Female Relative in 2015Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gary Bellinger, 61, of Maryland, was sentenced today for child sexual abuse for the sexual abuse of a then-15-year-old female relative in 2015. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan sentenced Bellinger to 10 1/2 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Upon release, Bellinger will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
Bellinger was found guilty of one count of first-degree child sexual abuse and one count of second-degree child sexual abuse on May 28, 2024, following a four-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the evidence and testimony presented at trial, in 2015, Bellinger sexually abused a female relative who was 15 years old at the time. The victim first disclosed to family members in 2020.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Crocetti and Kathleen Houck, Victim Advocate Maria Sanchez-Garcia, Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section Paralegals Tiffany Jones and Tiffany Fogle.
Alabama Man Arrested for Role in Securities and Exchange Commission X Account HackRead the Press Release
An Alabama man was arrested by the FBI this morning in Athens, Alabama, on charges related to the January hack of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to court documents, on or about Jan. 9, Eric Council Jr., 25, of Athens, allegedly conspired with others to take unauthorized control of the SEC’s X account and, in the name of SEC Chair Gary Gensler, prematurely announced the approval of bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds. Immediately following the false announcement, the price of bitcoin increased by more than $1,000 per bitcoin. Shortly after this unauthorized post, the SEC regained control over its X account and confirmed that the announcement was unauthorized and the result of a security breach. Following this corrective disclosure, the value of BTC decreased by more than $2,000 per bitcoin.
The conspirators gained control of the SEC’s X account through an unauthorized Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) swap, allegedly carried out by Council. A SIM swap refers to the process of fraudulently inducing a cell phone carrier to reassign a cell phone number from the legitimate subscriber or user’s SIM card to a SIM card controlled by a criminal actor. As part of the scheme, Council and the co-conspirators allegedly created a fraudulent identification document in the victim’s name, which Council used to impersonate the victim; took over the victim’s cellular telephone account; and accessed the online social media account linked to the victim’s cellular phone number for the purpose of accessing the SEC’s X account and generating the fraudulent post in the name of SEC Chairman Gensler.
“The indictment alleges that Eric Council Jr. unlawfully accessed the SEC’s account on X by using the stolen identity of a person who had access to the account to take over their cellphone number,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Council’s co-conspirators then allegedly used this unauthorized access to the X account to falsely announce that the SEC had approved listing bitcoin ETFs, which caused the price of bitcoin to rise by $1,000 and then fall by $2,000. Council’s indictment underscores the Criminal Division’s commitment to countering cybercrime, especially when it threatens the integrity of financial markets.”
“These SIM swapping schemes, where fraudsters trick service providers into giving them control of unsuspecting victims’ phones, can result in devastating financial losses to victims and leaks of sensitive personal and private information,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Here, the conspirators allegedly used their illegal access to a phone to manipulate financial markets. Through indictments like this, we will hold accountable those who commit these serious crimes.”
“The defendant allegedly deceived the public by impersonating the victim and making fraudulent statements on behalf of the SEC,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who attempt to manipulate financial markets for their own gain.”
“The FBI works to identify, disrupt, and investigate cyber-enabled frauds, including SIM swapping,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge David E. Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. “SIM swapping is a method bad actors exploit to illicitly access sensitive information of an individual or company, with the intent of perpetrating a crime. In this case, the unauthorized actor allegedly utilized SIM swapping to manipulate the global financial market. The FBI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners around the country and globe to hold accountable those who break U.S. laws.”
“This criminal indictment demonstrates our commitment to holding bad actors accountable for undermining the integrity of the financial markets,” said Inspector General Deborah Jeffrey of the SEC.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment on Oct. 10 charging Council with one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office and SEC Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ashley Pungello of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney Lauren Archer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
For more information on SIM swapping, go to www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240411.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charge of Traveling to Engage in Illicit Sexual ConductRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Nathaniel Lamar Nelson Scott, 36, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Scott pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. The Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 28, 2025.
According to the government’s evidence, in May 2024, Scott began communicating via an encrypted messaging application with a man he met on a fetish website. Scott believed the man to be a pedophile who was sexually abusing his six-year-old daughter. Unbeknownst to Scott, the man was an undercover officer with the MPD–FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Over the next several days, Scott engaged in graphic conversations about sexually abusing the child. On June 5, 2024, Scott arranged with the undercover officer to meet for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with the child. He traveled from Maryland to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C., and was arrested. Scott has remained in custody since his arrest.
Scott faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The statutory sentences for federal offenses are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes. Any sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. In addition, Scott will be required to register as a sex offender following any prison term.
This 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 MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force 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.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.
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Indictment Charges 19-Year-Old with Shooting Another Teen in the HeadRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Christ Tchakounte, 19, of Hyattsville, MD, has been charged in a seven-count indictment for shooting a 15-year-old victim three times, including once in the head, on the afternoon of January 19, 2024, in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The indictment was returned today by a Superior Court grand jury, and charges Tchakounte with one count each of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, attempt to commit robbery while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license. According to the Government’s evidence, the teenage victim was out shoveling snow in the neighborhood with friends and relatives during a snow day in January 2024 when Tchakounte and an accomplice pulled up in a car, parked in a nearby alley, flanked the victim at the intersection of 16th Street and A Street Southeast, shot the victim three times, and then fled after the victim collapsed in the street. After several months of intensive care, the victim survived.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Daniel Bromwich.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
Alleged Members of Potomac Gardens Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Arrested and Charged with Distributing Fentanyl, Cocaine, and MethamphetamineRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – This morning, six people were arrested on charges connected to a wide-ranging conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, cocaine base, cocaine, and methamphetamine, in the Potomac Gardens Housing Project in Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office.
Arrested were Robert Hunt, 40, Garrett Isley, 42, Maurice Tutt, 50, Vera Jackson, 74, all of Washington, D.C., Michael Augment, 36, of Lorton, Virginia, and Lawrence Smith, 54, of Fairfax, Virginia. Each made their initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“This is the latest federal indictment charging a D.C.-based crew with narcotics and firearms offenses” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Drug trafficking operations, like the one alleged in the indictment, not only peddle poison, but they are also magnets for gun violence. We will continue to aggressively prosecute these crews that are undermining community safety.”
“Fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine have no place in our community,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist. “Today's arrests stem from a yearslong investigation by the FBI and our law enforcement partners and mark a step forward in our efforts to reduce drug trafficking in the nation’s capital.”
The multi-agency law enforcement operation included members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), District of Columbia Housing Authority Police, Virginia State Police, and Fairfax County and City police departments.
According to the indictment, between January and October of 2024, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics in and around the District of Columbia. It is further alleged that Hunt unlawfully distributed fentanyl and carried a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking. Isley is charged with unlawful possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, cocaine base, and methamphetamine.
The indictment arises from a long-term investigation by the FBI, MPD, and the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) into drug and firearms trafficking in Potomac Gardens. In December 2023, MCPD learned that defendant Hunt regularly was selling fentanyl from an apartment in the housing complex. An undercover officer (UC) purchased narcotics, in particular fentanyl, from Hunt. Hunt initially used “runners” to deliver the narcotics to the UC. However, after a few buys, Hunt began to deal directly with the undercover officer. From approximately January 2024 through September 2024, the UC purchased approximately 215.87 grams of fentanyl powder and approximately 2,950 fentanyl pills from Hunt. The UC also purchased a .357 “ghost gun” from Hunt.
Through a court-authorized wiretap on Hunt’s phone, agents learned of several of his co-conspirators and the roles they each played. Agents also placed a camera outside Hunt’s apartment and outside the apartment of one of his supplier’s, defendant Isley. Through a wiretap on Isley’s phone, agents learned of additional members of the conspiracy. MPD stopped Isley in a traffic stop on June 19, 2024, during which they recovered 468 blue, suspected fentanyl pills, about 37.4 grams of cocaine base, approximately 24.5 grams of cocaine, and about 60 grams of methamphetamine and other narcotics.
On October 16, 2024, law enforcement executed search warrants at various stash houses and residences of the co-conspirators. Agents recovered five firearms, approximately $31,000 in cash, approximately 500 grams of suspected fentanyl and smaller amounts of other narcotics, two money counters, and additional drug paraphernalia.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the DEA Washington Field Office, District of Columbia Housing Authority Police, Virginia State Police, and Fairfax County and City police departments.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Maryland and the Eastern District in Virginia in helping to coordinate search warrants and arrests.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mother Pleads Guilty in Death of Three-Year-Old Child from Fentanyl PoisoningRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sasha McCoy, 28, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on October 15, 2024, on the charge of voluntary manslaughter in the death of her 3-year-old daughter on October 28, 2022, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), announced.
McCoy has been in custody since her arrest on February 15, 2024. Her guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 4 to10-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, at approximately 1:00 p.m. on October 28, 2022, McCoy took her two children to the back bedroom of the location she was staying for a nap and placed them in the bed. When McCoy went to check on her children, she found her 3-year-old daughter unconscious and unresponsive. She later died at the hospital. A small plastic bag that contained two blue round pills with a monogram “M” and half of an oval pill were discovered on top of the bed that the children were sleeping in. The drug analysis determined that the partial tablet was Alprazolam – that is Xanax. The oval pills were determined to contain 4-ANPP, Acetaminophen, Fentanyl, Flurofentanyl, as well as other substances. Medical examiners determined the decedent died from fentanyl and flurofentanyl intoxication.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Emma McArthur for her efforts in prosecuting this case.
ARRESTED: Fourth and Fifth Suspects in Connection with Dozens of ATM Robberies and Auto Thefts Around the DMV AreaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, federal law enforcement arrested the fourth and fifth defendants charged in connection with a series of burglaries and robberies of commercial businesses, ATMs, and vehicles in the D.C. and Maryland area. Jonathan Winston, 35, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and Jeffery Felder, 37, of Bowie, Maryland, were arrested this morning in Georgia by the U.S. Marshals Service. They are charged along with Stefon Janey, 32, of Accokeek, Maryland; Thomas Hughes, 37, of Cheverly, Maryland; Jenarro Hewett, 33 of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, with interference with interstate commerce by robbery (also known as Hobbs Act Robbery) and conspiracy. They are believed to be responsible for more than 75 robberies between August 2023 and June 2024.
The arrest and indictment were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Baltimore Field Office and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
“As alleged in the indictment, this crew conspired to commit roughly 40 brazen robberies where they used ‘Jaws of Life’ and similar tools to peel open ATM machines inside stores and outside banks,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Even though the defendants destroyed surveillance footage and took other steps to cover their tracks, our prosecutors and law enforcement officers worked tirelessly to identify the members of this crew who terrorized our region. With all the defendants now arrested, we can work equally hard to hold them accountable for their crimes.”
“Undoubtedly, Prince George’s County is safer with these defendants locked up where they can no longer terrorize local businesses and their employees. Their crimes were aggressive, reckless and dangerous. Now they will face the consequences for each of those crimes,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge DelBagno. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will always work together to make our communities safer and bring violent criminals to justice.”
According to the indictment and other court documents, the defendants would: target commercial businesses with ATM machines, enter the business wearing masks and gloves, and would utilize tools common to fire/rescue, such as “Jaws of Life” to pry open or cut open the doors of the store and the ATMs. The suspects sometimes carried firearms, utilized stolen vehicles, communicated via handheld radios, and destroyed surveillance.
Prior to each robbery, the co-conspirators would meet in vehicles at a predetermined location. At these “meet-up” locations, the co-conspirators would transfer to a different car to carry out the robberies. They carried out multiple robberies over the course of a single evening and would often communicate with each other using handheld radios.
After arriving at a store, the defendants would divide up, with one conspirator remaining in the car as the getaway driver, pry open the outer door, and then at least one of the defendants would subdue the store employees, sometimes directing them to enclosed areas of the store. At least one defendant would attempt to destroy the store’s surveillance and network equipment. At least one defendant would utilize a “Jaws of Life” style tool to open the ATM and remove the cash cassettes. They would flee the store and escape in the robbery vehicle.
Between August 2023 and June 2024, the indictment charges these defendants with robbing or attempting to rob at least 75 ATM machines, laundering at least some of the proceeds at casinos, and related offenses.
Law enforcement arrested Hughes, Hewett, and Janey on July 24, 2024 and, as a result of the arrests and searches, agents and officers recovered 12 firearms, more than $80,000 in cash, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and thousands of dollars’ worth of high-end clothing and merchandise. During the arrests of Felder and Winston on October 15, 2024, law enforcement recovered three additional firearms among other evidence.
This is an ongoing investigation being handled by the MPD Carjacking Task Force and FBI-Baltimore with assistance from local law enforcement, including Howard County Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Tepfer and Kyle McWaters.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District Teen Sentenced to More Than Nine Years in Prison for Several Armed Robberies in July of 2023Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jahmius Brown, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to more than nine years – or 115 months – in prison for his role in a series of armed robberies that took place on July 23, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Superior Court Judge Heidi M. Pasichow sentenced Brown to serve 40 months in prison for a robbery charge and 75 months for an armed robbery charge to be served consecutively for a total of 115 months. Judge Pasichow also ordered Brown to serve three years of supervised release.
Co-defendant Ricky Bronson, 18, of Washington, D.C., will be sentenced at a later date.
Brown and Bronson both previously pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery and one count of robbery in January of 2024. In exchange for their guilty plea, the government agreed not to pursue charges for two additional armed robberies that were alleged to have been part of defendants’ crime spree.
According to the government's evidence, the first robbery occurred at the intersection of 2nd and Bryant Streets, NW, as the first victim was walking down the 100 block of Bryant Street, NW, and observed one of the defendants standing on the corner and a blue sedan parked nearby. As the victim walked down the street, they were suddenly cut off by Brown, who told the victim to stop and then demanded that the victim hand over any valuables. Bronson exited the blue sedan, armed with a firearm, and the victim proceeded to hand over an iPhone and provided the defendants the password to it, per the defendants' demand. Both defendants then re-entered the blue sedan and fled the scene.
MPD later responded to 1331 D Street, NE for another report of an armed robbery. At this scene, detectives interviewed the victim, who stated that they were standing at the rear of a vehicle when another vehicle, a blue sedan, approached the victim from behind. The victim was first approached by Brown, who grabbed the victim's shoulder and said, "Don't scream." Co-defendant Bronson then approached the victim and pressed a gun into their stomach, to which the victim told both men to "Take whatever you want."
Bronson took the victim's cell phone and ordered the victim to unlock it. Brown then grabbed the victim's keys out of their pocket. Both defendants then fled the scene in the blue sedan. Six minutes later, officers responded to a call for an armed robbery in the 1000 block of F Street, NE. There, the victim told officers that they were walking down F Street when they heard a speeding vehicle and observed a blue sedan stop nearby. The victim observed two men get out of the vehicle, and one of them demanded that the victim, "Give me what you got," while the other man pulled out a gun and pointed it at the victim. The victim gave the defendants a cell phone and wallet, and both men fled the scene in the blue sedan.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tamara Rubb and Jacqueline Yarbro.
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Defendant Pleads Guilty to 2022 Murder that Happened in Northeast D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chanos Monroe, aka Chanos Gillis, 41, of District Heights, MD, pleaded guilty today to charges of voluntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm – prior felony conviction, for the 2022 murder of Keith Sistare, 52, at a BP gas station along Benning Rd. Northeast, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Monroe has been in custody since his arrest on June 25, 2024. His guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 14-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, Monroe and an unidentified male chased down the Mr. Sistare after he attempted to get into the driver’s seat of Mr. Monroe’s vehicle which was left idling outside the BP gas station store. Monroe’s fiancé was still in the front seat at the time. Surveillance video shows Mr. Monroe repeatedly stomping on Mr. Sistare’s head while he was lying prone on the ground. Mr. Monroe then went back to his vehicle and got a handgun, but his fiancé convinced him to come back to their car with the gun. Mr. Sistare died, on September 11, 2022, as a result of his injuries.
This case is being investigated by officers, detectives, and other personnel of the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Arraignment Held for Four Charged in Connection with a September 2023 Murder in a Southwest Apartment BuildingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keyshawn Lavender, 23, Deandre Sams, 28, Raymond Mathis, 37, of Washington, D.C., and Deandre Christian, 30, of Fort Washington, MD, were arraigned in Superior Court today on a superseding indictment charging Lavender, Sams, and Mathis with conspiracy to commit robbery, first degree felony murder while armed, and related charges for the September 5, 2023 murder of 32-year-old Matthew Miller. Christian was arraigned on an assault with intent to kill charge for shooting from the balcony of an apartment building.
The superseding indictment was announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. All four defendants were arraigned before Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein.
According to the superseding indictment, Lavender, Mathis, and Sams conspired to rob and shoot Matthew Miller inside an apartment at 222 M Street, Southwest, Washington, D.C. Christian is charged for an alleged retaliatory shooting immediately after the murder.
The defendants entered pleas of not guilty and remain held pending trial. Lavender, Sams, and Mathis are scheduled for trial on September 8, 2025; a trial date for Christian has not yet been set.
In announcing the charge, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Prins.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
2024-09-18_superseding_indictment_docketed_9-20.pdfProtestor Federally Charged with Assault on Officers During the July 24 Demonstration in Washington D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Zachary Kam, 24, of Chicago, IL, was arrested this morning in connection with a federal criminal complaint charging him with assault on two law enforcement officers during a demonstration at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division, and Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the National Park Service’s United States Park Police (USPP).
Kam will make his initial appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is charged with two counts of assaulting, resisting, opposing, intimidating, interfering, or impeding certain officers or employees.
“Assaulting a federal officer during the course of a protest is not constitutionally protected speech, it is a federal crime,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Tens of thousands of people peacefully protest in our Capital every year. It is a federal crime to punch, push, grab, or shove a federal officer. The relatively few who engage in such conduct during a protest should expect to be federally charged.”
According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, an organization was granted a permit to demonstrate in the area of Columbus Circle, located at Massachusetts Ave. NE, and E St. NE, directly in front of Union Station. From about 3 p.m. until 5 p.m., demonstrators who had gathered in Columbus Circle pulled down flags affixed to the flagpoles; burned flags and objects; sprayed graffiti on multiple statutes and structures; and interfered with law enforcement’s ability to place individuals under arrest.
On July 24, 2024, at approximately 3 p.m., USPP officers were attempting to arrest an individual for pulling down a flag from a flagpole in Columbus Circle. The individual fled and USPP officers caught up with him in the crowd.
As USPP officers were effecting that arrest, Kam approached USPP Officer L.I. from behind, grabbed the top of the officer’s vest, pulled the officer to the ground, and dragged the officer several feet. The assault was captured in multiple videos and photos, later shared on Twitter and other platforms, as well as USPP body-worn camera. Kam then dashed into the crowd, but other police were unable to catch him.
Less than a minute later, Kam returned, grabbed another officer by his vest and pulled that officer to the ground. The second assault was also captured on multiple open-source videos that were later posted to various internet platforms. After the second assault, the attacker again disappeared into the crowd.
At the time of the assaults, Kam was wearing a red and blue hat, gray t-shirt, a tan camouflage vest, blue jeans, and black shoes. USPP Officers who were stationed in an observation post near Columbus Circle broadcasted Kam’s description over police radio. At 7:13 p.m., USPP Officers near John Marshall Park, which is located on the 400 Block of C Street Northwest, spotted an individual that matched the individual’s description, who was later identified as Zachary Kam.
After being stopped by USPP, Kam was placed under arrest and charged in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia with assaulting a police officer.
This case is being investigated by the USPP’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Chicago Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Martin.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jury Returns Guilty Verdict Against District Man on First-Degree Murder While Armed for 2020 ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A jury sitting in Superior Court today found Dennis Chase, 32, of Washington, D.C., guilty of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the December 2020 shooting death of Anthony Orr. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Sentencing is scheduled for January 10, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant drove around the Washington Highlands neighborhood with the victim, Anthony Orr, sitting in the passenger seat. As the defendant slowly drove down Xenia St SE, he raised a gun to Mr. Orr’s head and fired one lethal shot. The defendant pushed Mr. Orr out of the car and sped off. The defendant drove 30 miles North of the District to the woods of Severn, Maryland, where he doused the car in diesel exhaust fluid and attempted to light it on fire. The defendant then hiked through the woods until he found a random home, where he stripped down and hid his clothes and other evidence in the back shed, knocked on the back door, and asked for help. The homeowner called 911, and Anne Arundel County Police arrested the defendant on an unrelated warrant. MPD Homicide Detectives later charged defendant for the murder of Mr. Orr. The defendant claimed he acted in self-defense.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and Assistant United States Attorney Peter Roman. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant United States Attorneys Wes Faulkner and Andrea Antonelli.
Disabilities Day Program Employee Sentenced to 230 Days in Jail for Exploiting Vulnerable Adults and ShopliftingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Danielle Marquita Baltimore, 40, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 180 days of incarceration for financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult or elderly person, and 50 days for shoplifting. Each sentence will run concurrent to each other. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.
Baltimore pleaded guilty to the two charges on October 2, 2024, before the Honorable Robert Rigsby, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, Baltimore worked as a direct support professional at Innovative Day, LLC, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities. Baltimore’s duties included taking individuals who require assistance or supervision in a safe environment outside the home during the day. Along with her guilty plea, Baltimore admitted that on or about December 20, 2023, Baltimore took two vulnerable adults who suffer from cognitive and developmental disabilities to Walmart, located at 310 Riggs Rd NE, Washington, DC. While at Walmart, Baltimore coerced the two vulnerable adults under her care into shoplifting items on her behalf. Baltimore placed items consisting of sneakers, clothing, and various merchandise in bags and gave the bags to the victims. Baltimore instructed the victims to exit Walmart without paying for the items. After leaving Walmart, Baltimore retrieved all of the concealed items from the victims. One victim stated they felt bad for shoplifting but complied for fear Baltimore would harm them for refusing.
This prosecution is part of the Office’s wider efforts to combat crimes against seniors and vulnerable adults. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia launched an initiative to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults. The Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative at the U.S. Attorney’s Office expanded its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults. The initiative has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop and coordinate further its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older or vulnerable victims. The team consists of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions, as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative partners with the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), which is statutorily responsible for investigating and prosecuting District Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse or neglect of residents in health care facilities and board and care facilities and of District Medicaid beneficiaries in noninstitutional or other settings.
This prosecution is indicative of the continued collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General to investigate and prosecute cases of this kind. The government urges the public to provide tips and assistance to stop health care fraud. If you have information about individuals committing health care fraud, please call the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at 202-724-TIPS [202-724-8477].
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Inspector General Lucas acknowledged the work of those who investigated and prosecuted the case from the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of Inspector General’s MFCU. They also commended the efforts of Special Assistant United States Attorney Emmanuela Charles, on detail from the MFCU, who prosecuted the case, and MFCU Special Agents Eduardo Torre and Victor Richardson, who investigated the matter.
Unprovoked Shooting Lands Man in Prison for 20 YearsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyrone Johnson, 43, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in D.C. Superior Court to 20 years in prison for shooting a stranger on August 30, 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Johnson was found guilty at trial in June 2024 of aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during each of those crimes of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo also ordered Johnson to serve five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, at around 5:40 a.m. on August 30, 2022, Johnson entered Starburst Plaza, located at the intersection of Benning Road NE and Bladensburg Road NE, and asked the victim if he could buy a cigarette from him. The victim did not have any cigarettes and told Johnson “no.” Johnson then told the victim to, “Give it up,” before taking out a handgun. Johnson then fired multiple times at the victim at close range, hitting him in his midsection. Johnson then ran into a nearby apartment complex. Police later identified Johnson through review of video surveillance, GPS records, and ballistics evidence that linked Johnson to this shooting and one committed one week before this offense.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of those who helped on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Program Specialist Jennifer Allen, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather and Paralegal Specialists Crystal Waddy and Antoinette Sakamsa, IT Specialist Charlie Bruce, Supervisory Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams and Victim/Witness Coordinators Maenylie Watson and Shanika McCollough, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Lenerz from the Appellate Division, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Folse and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward “Teddy” Dunn, who both investigated the case.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Travis Wolf and Matthew Goldstein, who prosecuted the case.
Protestor Federally Charged with Damaging U.S. Government Property at Union StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Zaid Mohammed Mahdawi, 26, of Richmond, Virginia, was arrested this morning in connection with a federal criminal complaint charging him with destruction of federal property. The complaint alleges that Mahdawi spray-painted the monument at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station in Washington, D.C., on July 24, 2024.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division, and Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police (USPP).
Mahdawi will make his initial appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He is charged with destruction of government property.
“Politically motivated destruction or defacing of federal property is not protected speech, it is a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Anyone engaged in such conduct in the District of Columbia should expect to get federally prosecuted. Our community has zero tolerance for those who want to destroy or deface our monuments and other federal property.”
“The FBI does not conduct investigations based solely on First Amendment activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI investigates people only when we receive information or allegations that they are, or may be, violating federal law or posing a risk to national security. We are committed to working closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to bring to justice any individuals who commit federal crimes, including destruction of federal property.”
According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, an organization was granted a permit to demonstrate in the area of Columbus Circle, located at Massachusetts Ave. NE, and E St. NE, directly in front of Union Station. From about 3 p.m. until 5 p.m., demonstrators who had gathered in Columbus Circle pulled down flags affixed to the flagpoles; burned flags and objects; sprayed graffiti on multiple statutes and structures; and interfered with law enforcement’s ability to place individuals under arrest.
Between 3:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., an individual later identified as Mahdawi climbed the monument located in the center of Columbus Circle, which was captured on video footage filmed by USPP from an observation post looking down at Columbus Circle. The same event was captured in open-source video and photos later posted to various internet platforms. After climbing to a ledge, Mahdawi began to spray paint the monument.
Footage obtained from a review of open-source videos posted to X (formerly Twitter) showed Mahdawi using red spray paint to write “HAMAS IS COMIN” on the Columbus statue. After completing the phrase, Mahdawi spray-painted an inverted red triangle above the slogan.
On July 30, 2024, the U.S. Park Police issued a bulletin seeking information on five individuals who engaged in criminal activity on July 24, 2024. The same day the bulletin was posted, the U.S. Park Police received a tip that they forwarded to the FBI. Through that tip and other leads, FBI was able to identify Mahdawi. Additionally, law enforcement databases revealed that Mahdawi had previously been arrested in Richmond, Virginia, on two occasions (December 2023 and April 2024).
The flags that were pulled down from the flag poles, and the statues and structures in Columbus Circle, are all property of the federal government. The National Park Service estimated that the cost to clean and repair the site at about $11,282.23.
This case is being investigated by the USPP’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Unit and the FBI Washington Field Office, with assistance from the FBI Richmond Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Martin.
A criminal indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Prison Sentence Handed Down to Man Who Shot Teen in a Domestic DisputeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Deangelo Wooten, 27, was sentenced today to eight years in prison, for shooting a minor in January 2024, with whom he was in a romantic relationship, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Wooten pleaded guilty on July 19, 2024, to one count of aggravated assault while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Today, Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo sentenced Wooten to eight years in prison for the aggravated assault while armed charge, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Demeo also sentenced Wooten to six years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, to run concurrently.
According to the governments evidence, in January 2024, the victim, who was 16-years-old at the time, was in a dating relationship with Wooten, who was 26-years-old at the time. On January 20, 2024, the defendant sent several text messages to the victim, stating “Imma shoot you dead in your face” and “On dior when I see you imma kill you.” Initially, the victim thought the defendant was making these statements to get a reaction from her. The defendant then texted her and asked if they could meet for her to give him his shoes. The victim agreed and went with two others to meet Wooten at 13th Street and Congress Street SE, to give the defendant his shoes.
At around 1:00 p.m., the victim and her friend arrived and waited in a car at the location. Shortly thereafter the defendant drove up in a blue car. Wooten jumped out of the blue car and approached the victim, who was sitting in the back seat of her friend’s car. Wooten took the shoes from the victim with one hand, produced a gun in the other hand pointing it at the victim’s head, and fired while standing within arm’s length of the victim. The victim, anticipating the shot, raised her arm to protect her head, and the bullet entered and exited her arm and grazed her back. The defendant walked away, got back in his vehicle and drove off. The victim began to bleed and the other two people in the vehicle drove her to the hospital, where she received treatment.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Roessler, who prosecuted the case.
Guilty Verdict Returned in First Jury Trial Involving a Felony Machine Gun Charge Since New Firearms Law Went into EffectRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keimontay Holston, 21, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty in Superior Court of possession of a machine gun, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The verdict was returned on October 2, 2024, following a jury trial. Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno scheduled sentencing for December 11, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 6:00 a.m. on June 6, 2024, members of MPD’s Robbery Suppression Unit executed a search warrant at the defendant’s apartment, located in the 2300 block of Hartford Street, SE. Upon entering the apartment, law enforcement officers encountered Holston in the hallway, as he was leaving the dining room of the residence. Once stopped, officers searched the apartment and recovered a black 9mm Glock 17. The Glock had a “giggle” switch attached to it, and it had a magazine containing 17 rounds of ammunition. Officers also found an additional magazine with 31 rounds of ammunition in the defendant’s apartment. The recovered firearm was fully functional, and the “giggle” switch attachment allowed a shooter to fire multiple rounds of ammunition with a single pull of the trigger, converting the Glock 17 into a machine gun.
Holston was arrested during the execution of the search warrant and has been detained since.
Holston is the first individual convicted at trial of the felony offense of possession of a machine gun, which was increased from a misdemeanor to a felony under the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024.
“As a result of the recently enacted Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act, it is now a felony to possess one of these conversion devices that transform handguns into the types of machine guns that mobsters used in the 1920s and 30s,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. “This is the first guilty verdict, at trial, under this new statute, and we expect many more such verdicts. Our Office will continue to make aggressive use of this new statute to try to remove these devices from the streets in the same way that laws passed in the 1930s helped to remove machine guns from our streets.”
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey Comber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Child Sexual Abuser Sentenced to 52.5 Years in PrisonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Matthew Stitt Johnson, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 52.5 years in prison for two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count second-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances for abusing three minor children.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Johnson pleaded guilty on August 29, 2022, before U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb. In addition to the 52.5-year prison term, Judge Cobb ordered Johnson to register as a sex offender.
According to the government’s evidence, Johnson sexually abused three children, an eight-year-old, a five-year-old, and an eight-month-old infant, between 2015 and 2020. Johnson took videos of his sexual abuse of the five-year-old child and the eight-month-old infant. While the five-year-old and her sister reported the abuse to their mother, the abuse was not reported to law enforcement.
In May 2021, law enforcement received a tip that Johnson downloaded child pornography from a cloud-based service and subsequently executed a search warrant on his home. Videos depicting the sexual abuse of the five-year-old and eight-month-old victims were discovered in Johnson’s cell phones along with 13,000 images of child pornography. Johnson distributed the images of his sexual abuse of children in internet forums dedicated to trading child pornography, particularly trading images of the rape and torture of infants and toddlers, and actively sought out and distributed other child pornography images over a two-year period.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force 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. The investigation received valuable assistance from the MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigation Division, Human Trafficking Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Platt and Janani Iyengar with the valuable assistance of Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant.
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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Canadian National Pleads Guilty to Possession of Sex Abuse Videos of Toddler and Prepubescent BoysRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Matthew Norman Ballek, 32, of Saskatchewan, Canada, pleaded guilty today to a federal child pornography charge stemming from his distribution of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement agent in January 2024, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Ballek pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of child pornography. The Honorable Reggie B. Walton scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 21, 2025.
According to plea documents, in January 2024, a member of the FBI–MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online dating application in an undercover capacity. Law enforcement has learned that the application is sometimes used by individuals who have a sexual interest in children. Ballek contacted the undercover agent and, believing he was communicating with a pedophile, expressed an interest in child pornography. Ballek later sent the undercover agent three video files via an encrypted messaging application. Those video files depicted adult men raping toddler and prepubescent boys. Ballek was arrested in the District of Columbia on February 7, 2024. The FBI seized and forensically examined Ballek’s phone, which contained 10 unique videos and at least 21 unique still images that constitute child pornography.
Ballek has remained in custody since his February 7, 2024, arrest.
Ballek faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. In addition, Ballek must pay mandatory restitution of at least $3,000 to any identified victim. The statutory sentences for federal offenses are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only. Any sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In addition, Ballek will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to deportation proceedings and other adverse immigration consequences following any prison term.
This 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 MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force 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.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Karen L. Shinskie.
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Two Foreign Nationals Sentenced for Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud Apple Inc. Out of 6,000 iPhonesRead the Press Release
Two men were sentenced yesterday for participating in a scheme to defraud Apple Inc. (Apple) out of millions of dollars worth of iPhones. Haotian Sun, 34, a Chinese citizen residing in Baltimore, was sentenced to 57 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,072,200 in restitution to Apple and a forfeiture money judgment of $53,610. Pengfei Xue, 34, a Chinese citizen residing in Germantown, Maryland, was sentenced to 54 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $397,800 in restitution to Apple and a forfeiture money judgment of $19,890.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from May 2017 to September 2019, Sun and Xue, along with their co-conspirators, submitted counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repair to induce Apple to replace the counterfeit phones with genuine iPhones. As part of the scheme, Sun and Xue would receive shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores, including an Apple Store in Washington, and other authorized Apple service providers. Members of the conspiracy submitted more than 6,000 inauthentic phones to Apple during the conspiracy, causing a loss of more than $2.5 million.
On Feb. 20, Sun and Xue were both convicted after a five-day jury trial of one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Sun was also convicted of one count of mail fraud and Xue was convicted of six counts of mail fraud.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office made the announcement.
USPIS and HSI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.
Scheme to Defraud Distressed Homeowners Out of $15 Million Nets Virginia Man 60 MonthsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Terrylle Blackstone, 37, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in federal prison for participating in a conspiracy that fraudulently promised thousands of homeowners across the U.S. legal help in avoiding foreclosure. The scheme generated at least $15 million for the conspirators but never provided any legal services to the client-victims.
The sentence was announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office.
Blackstone pleaded guilty on June 6, 2024, to a count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud before U.S District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss. In addition to the prison term, Judge Moss ordered Blackstone to serve three years of supervised release and pay $159,145.35 in restitution.
According to court documents, from January 2018 until February 2021, Blackstone worked with attorneys David Maresca of Virginia, Scott Marinelli of New Jersey, and Sam Babbs of Florida. The co-conspirators told homeowners that they operated a “national law firm” based in Washington, D.C.; that attorneys would review the homeowner’s file and provide legal representation to the homeowners; that an attorney in the homeowner’s local area would be assigned to assist them; that the homeowner could meet and consult with those attorneys about the case; and that attorneys in their law firm could help the homeowner, if necessary, file for bankruptcy.
From 2016 until 2019, the conspirators marketed Synergy Law with telephone, television, and internet advertising which told homeowners that attorneys at Maresca and Marinelli’s Synergy Law (Synergy) in Manassas could help them avoid foreclosure. During 2018 and 2019, bankruptcy judges, Synergy clients, and the U.S. Trustee’s Program raised concerns about Synergy’s practices in bankruptcy matters. Blackstone attended court hearings on behalf of Synergy where he made false statements to the court about the firm’s operations. In early 2019, Marinelli was incarcerated in Pennsylvania. Yet Blackstone, Maresca, Marinelli, and others continued to operate Synergy and collect monthly payments purportedly for legal services. During this time, there was no attorney who was a member of Synergy who could practice law. Synergy never had attorneys review all homeowner files and Synergy never had attorneys contact a client’s lender to discuss a mortgage resolution. They also continued to use the interstate wires to operate their “law firm” in ways that were essential to the scheme, such as soliciting clients by telephone.
From 2019 until at least 2022, the conspirators marketed another firm, Themis Law, with television and website advertising which told homeowners that attorneys with Themis could help them avoid foreclosure. Themis operated a call center at an office in Manassas, Virginia. Call center workers used scripts during their phone calls with homeowners in which Themis falsely promised that an attorney would review the homeowner’s case file; that this attorney knew their lender’s “internal guidelines” for a “mortgage resolution”; and that an assigned “legal team” would contact the homeowner’s lender to negotiate a resolution. Themis required homeowner-clients to pay an initial retainer amount followed by a monthly recurring amount for as long as the firm represented the homeowner. When Themis clients faced imminent foreclosure, Themis advised those clients to consider filing for bankruptcy to save their home and referred the clients to Babbs at the Babbs Law Firm. Those clients then signed a new retainer agreement and paid additional fees to Babbs.
During his dates of employment at Synergy Law and Themis Law, Blackstone received no less than $159,145.35 in direct payments from the companies. Judge Moss ordered that Blackstone pay a forfeiture money judgment in that amount.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Washington, D.C. Field Office of IRS-CI.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Borchert.
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New Charges Filed Against Alleged Stalker Who Distributed Revenge Porn, Threatened, and Fired Shots at Ex-GirlfriendRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A U.S. District Court grand jury returned a 27-count superseding indictment today charging Nahvarj Mills, 31, of Brandywine, MD, with stalking, disseminating non-consensual pornography, and numerous firearms charges related to three shootings. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division; and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Mills is charged with cyberstalking in violation of a protective order; cyberstalking; interstate stalking in violation of a protection order; interstate stalking in violation of a protection order – emotional distress, use of a dangerous weapon; two counts of interstate stalking in violation of a protection order – bodily injury, emotional distress, use of a dangerous weapon; interstate violation of a protection order; three counts of interstate violation of a protection, use of a dangerous weapon; three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon; possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; interstate communications with intent to extort; assault with intent to kill while armed; three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon; three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence; and four counts of first degree unlawful publication.
Mills has been detained since February 2024.
According to court documents, Mills and the alleged victim, his former significant other, began dating in approximately December 2022. Mills physically abused the victim on multiple occasions. In approximately the summer of 2023, the victim ended the relationship with Mills. Angry about the breakup, Mills began contacting the victim by phone. He appeared uninvited at her workplace in Maryland and at her home in the District. Mills threatened to distribute sexually explicit images of the victim and then he made good on his threat.
On November 23, 2023, the victim received text messages stating in part, “Got no job, got no kids, got no family. I have nothing to do. But what I do have, is the money to keep bothering you.”
Around December 31, 2023, the victim received 30 phone calls from “No Caller ID.” The calls followed an attempt by the victim to meet up with Mills in an effort to make amends. Those efforts ended when Mills pulled out a gun and pointed it at the victim’s head.
On January 2, 2024, the victim reported Mills’ conduct to the MPD and filed a petition for a Civil Protection Order (CPO). The victim’s mother subsequently electronically served Mills with a Temporary Protection Order at his known phone number. In the same conversation, Mills sent the mother numerous sexually explicit photos and videos of the victim. Mills also wrote, “I can easily pull this .40 trigger,” followed by photos of a firearm and ammunition that appear consistent with the .40 caliber firearm and ammunition later recovered from Mills’ home pursuant to a residential search warrant.
Also in early January, Mills allegedly created a fake Instagram account in the victim’s name. The victim then received several messages from the account threatening to disseminate sexually explicit images and videos of her. Mills later made good on his threat and sent out the images and videos to several individuals who knew the victim. On January 6, 2024, Ring camera footage captured footage of a man believed to be Mills outside the victim’s home. The man spread typed-out paragraphs containing threatening messages along with explicit images. A few days later, on January 11, 2024, the victim found more sexually explicit photos on her lawn.
On January 19, 2024, a D.C. Superior Court Judge granted a CPO, which ordered Mills to stay away from the victim, her home, her workplace, her vehicle, and her family.
On January 20, 2024, Mills again spread sexually explicit images outside the victim’s home. On this occasion, the victim personally observed Mills in her front yard and saw him return to a vehicle along with another individual.
Also on January 20, 2024, Mills allegedly spread sexually explicit images outside another victim’s home. He also reportedly sent numerous unwanted and threatening text messages and made unwanted calls to this victim. Mills is now charged with one count of cyberstalking in connection with this victim.
The campaign of stalking and violence against the first victim escalated further in late January 2024. Three separate shootings targeted the victim’s bedroom on January 21, 22, and 23. The third shooting occurred after Mills called the victim and threatened to kill her.
On January 26, 2024, Mills returned to the victim’s home where police arrested him and charged him with violating the protection order. Once again, the court ordered Mills to stay away from the victim and not contact her. Nonetheless, Mills made continued efforts to contact the victim.
On February 7, 2024, Mills was arrested pursuant to a warrant issued by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Mills has been detained since his arrest on February 7, 2024.On July 18, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned an initial seven-count indictment, and Mills was transferred to federal custody.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington D.C., the FBI’s Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Houck, Marco Crocetti and Caroline Burrell of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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Serial Sexual Predator Charged in Five Cold Case RapesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department today announced the arrest of Ernesto Mercado, 54, of Arlington, Virginia, in connection with five sexual offenses that occurred in the Georgetown area of the District of Columbia between 2008 and 2012. The arrest is the culmination of work by the Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative, a joint effort by MPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with support from other law enforcement partners, to reinvestigate, solve, and bring charges in previously unsolved sexual assault cases.
Mercado was arrested last night and is charged by complaint with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances and five counts of second-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances in connection with five previously unsolved, forensically linked home invasion rapes. He had an appearance in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia today. The Honorable Heide L. Herrmann ordered the defendant held pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for October 10, 2024.
Joining in today’s announcement were U.S. Marshal Robert Dixon with D.C. Superior Court, and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.
The attacks occurred in the Georgetown area of Northwest Washington, D.C. According to the complaint, evidence testing in all five cases yielded the same unknown male DNA profile which also matched a DNA profile for a separate offense that occurred just off the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
According to the complaint, in multiple attacks, the complainants were sleeping when Mercado began his assault. They reported being awakened to a stranger who was sexually assaulting them. After the victims woke up, the assailant fled.
“Thanks to DNA evidence from the rape kits of courageous survivors, improvements in DNA technology, and the tireless efforts of our law enforcement partners and our prosecutors, we were able to link these six rapes,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Once we had a DNA profile of the suspect, the team used every forensic tool at its disposal, as well as old-fashioned detective work, to identify the person behind this DNA profile. That hard work led to yesterday’s arrest of Ernesto Mercado. This case, and the Cold Case Initiative itself, are a testament to the law enforcement officers, the prosecutors and the advocates who never stop working on behalf of the victims.”
“For the past 16 years, our Sexual Assault Unit detectives have continued to follow-up on leads and connect the cases together – looking for patterns, evidence, and a suspect,” said Chief Pamela A. Smith. “We know that people often want answers right away in cases, but our detectives never gave up and today’s announcement speaks to their unending commitment to bring justice to victims.”
“As yesterday's arrest demonstrates, advancements in technology and collaboration among law enforcement partners can lead to breakthroughs in cases that have previously gone unsolved,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist. “The FBI Washington and Baltimore field offices reaffirm our commitment to seeking justice for victims of heinous crimes no matter how much time passes. We thank our federal and local partners who contributed to this investigation as well as those who work alongside us every day to protect our communities.”
The incidents charged include: a June 26, 2008, sexual assault; a July 10, 2009, sexual assault; a February 28, 2010, sexual assault; an August 29, 2010, sexual assault; and an August 31, 2012, sexual assault, all in the District of Columbia. The defendant was linked to the attacks through DNA testing and other investigative tools.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone who was a victim of sexual assault or who may have information related to these or other cases, please call the MPD at 202-727-9099 or text 50411. You can remain anonymous.
This case is being investigated by the Cold Case Sexual Assault Initiative, a collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Significant assistance is being provided by the U.S. Marshal’s Service’s Superior Court Unit, the FBI Investigative Genetic Genealogy Team, FBI’s Baltimore and Washington Field Offices, the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, and the Arlington County Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Platt and Amy Zubrensky.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Defraud Apple Inc. out of 6,000 iPhones Nets Prison Terms for Two Maryland ResidentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Haotian Sun, 34, and Pengfei Xue, 34, both Chinese nationals, were sentenced today for participating in a sophisticated scheme to defraud Apple Inc. out of millions of dollars’ worth of iPhones. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly sentenced Sun to 57 months in prison, and sentenced Xue to 54 months in prison.
The sentences were announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office.
On February 20, 2024, after three-and-a-half days of testimony, Sun, of Baltimore, and Xue, of Germantown, MD, were found guilty by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud. In addition to the prison terms, Judge Kelly today ordered Sun to serve three years of supervised release and pay $1,072,000 in restitution. Judge Kelly ordered Xue to serve three years of supervised release and pay $397,800 in restitution.
According to the government’s evidence, between May 2017 and September 2019, Sun, Xue, and other conspirators defrauded Apple Inc. by submitting counterfeit iPhones to Apple Inc. for repair to get Apple to exchange them with genuine replacement iPhones. Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the D.C. metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, including the Apple Store in Georgetown. Trial evidence and evidence developed after trial showed that members of the conspiracy submitted more than 6,000 inauthentic phones to Apple during the conspiracy, causing an intended loss of approximately $3.8 million and an actual loss of more than $2.5 million.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division and Homeland Security Investigations’ Washington Field Office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Valuable assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi. Essential work also was provided by Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Mariela Andrade, and Liliana Villamizar.
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Large Scale Narcotics Trafficker Sentenced to Almost 20 Years in Prison on 10 Counts Related to Drug and Firearms OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Antonio Christian Payne, 31, of Northeast Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 235 months in prison on 10 felony charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offenses in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet of the Washington Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Payne was found guilty by a federal jury on December 18, 2023, following a five-day trial in U.S. District Court of unlawful possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana; unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; unlawful possession with intent to distribute Oxycodone; unlawful opening and maintenance of a premises to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance; using, carrying, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; using carrying, and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense; and carrying a pistol without a license.
In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Payne to serve five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 18, 2022, Payne initiated an armed confrontation outside his stash house at his mother’s home in a residential neighborhood in Northeast D.C. full of young families and their children. During the incident, at 2430 Baldwin Crescent, NE, Payne brandished a firearm at a would-be intruder whom he perceived to be staking out his residence and the valuable contraband inside. The individual returned minutes later and, in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood, fired multiple rounds at the Payne’s stash house as well as at Payne’s cousin who happened to be outside. Law enforcement officers responded to the scene to investigate the reported drive-by shooting and to determine if Payne’s cousin needed medical aid. The officers entered the house by consent to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
At the same time, additional officers and detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and ultimately reviewed surveillance footage. The video revealed that minutes prior to the drive-by shooting, Payne had brandished a firearm at someone who had attempted to access Payne’s car and garage, both of which were later found to have narcotics and ammunition in them.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the residence expecting to find the single handgun they believed to be present. Instead, they uncovered base of operations for Payne’s lucrative drug trafficking operation, which entailed a multitude of controlled substances, chief among them almost 750 grams of fentanyl, protected by a small arsenal of assault rifles, handguns, hundreds of rounds ammunition, firearms accessories, and a bullet proof vest. Additional warrants executed on Payne’s digital devices further fleshed out the true breadth and longevity of the Payne’s drug and firearms trafficking business.
Payne did not simply possess a large quantity of fentanyl. Officers also recovered a cornucopia of controlled substances, including more than a 125 grams of pure crystal meth; 240 grams of cocaine powder; 175 grams of crack cocaine; hundreds of illegal oxycodone pills; and 12 kilos of marijuana, along with more than $26,000 in U.S. currency.
The case was investigated by the ATF High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force and MPD.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Hart and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section (VRTO). Valuable assistance was provided by paralegal Peter Gaboton, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Engallena who assisted in the investigation and charging of this case. Leif Hickling and Charlie Bruce of LitTech, and VRTO supervisory paralegal Mary Downing provided valuable assistance on this case.
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Guilty Plea Entered in Connection with March 2024 Shooting in NW DCRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Taiyon Suggs, 49, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in Superior Court for shooting at a victim, on March 25, 2024, as the victim fled in his truck, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Suggs pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Sentencing is scheduled for December 10, 2024 before the Honorable Heidi Pasichow.
According to the government’s evidence, at around 5 p.m. on March 25, 2024, Suggs fired multiple gunshots at the victim as the victim fled in his vehicle in an alley near the 3700 block of 10th Street Northwest in Washington, D.C. At least one of the bullets that Suggs fired hit the victim’s front passenger window.
The defendant was apprehended on April 10, 2024, and has been in custody ever since. Possession of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a five year mandatory minimum prison term.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Jacob Green of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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Readout of Justice Department’s “Walk the Redline” Event to Commemorate the Third Anniversary of the Combating Redlining InitiativeRead the Press Release
To commemorate the third anniversary of the Justice Department's Combating Redlining Initiative, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia conducted a walking tour yesterday along Washington D.C.'s historic U Street Corridor.
This year also marks the Justice Department’s 30th anniversary of redlining enforcement efforts. In 1994, the department filed its first redlining case against Chevy Chase Federal Savings Bank in Washington, D.C. Walking the historic U Street Corridor highlights the roots of the department’s fair lending enforcement efforts and continued commitment to fight for equal opportunity for all people and communities impacted by redlining.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves met with three of the longest enduring Black-owned businesses in Washington D.C. — Industrial Bank, Lee’s Flower and Card Shop and Ben’s Chili Bowl — to discuss how access to credit and financial services impacted the neighborhood. Leaders reflected on the local Black community’s rich history of entrepreneurship and contributions to the local economy despite historical redlining.
Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. Starting in 2025, lenders will also be required to collect and report on the racial demographics of small business loans provided by financial institutions.
“These three legacy D.C. establishments underscore how access to credit and loan services can be transformative in providing access to economic opportunity and generational wealth for Black communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “Our Combating Redlining Initiative is holding financial institutions accountable for unlawful redlining practices and has resulted in historic relief to close the widening wealth gap between communities of color and others. As we expand our efforts, we look forward to reviewing future data on business loans to ensure that banks are engaged in fair lending to small businesses.”
“Industrial Bank’s relationship with Lee’s Flower and Card Shop and Ben’s Chili Bowl shows how businesses can thrive when banks provide access to lending,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, along with our partners at the Civil Rights Division, are committed to holding accountable those banks that are not providing equal access to lending.”
In October 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Clarke launched the Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative as the most aggressive and coordinated effort to fight discriminatory lending against communities of color. The Initiative brings a comprehensive approach by working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, State Attorneys General and financial regulatory agencies nationwide to address redlining.
Since 2021, the department has reached major milestones since its launch, including:
- Securing 13 settlements totaling $137 million in relief for communities of color across the country in California, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Tennessee.
- Securing a historic amount of relief that includes $121 million in subsidies for home loans and is expected to generate over $1 billion in investment in affected communities in places such as Houston; Memphis, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Los Angeles; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Information about the Justice Department’s fair lending enforcement work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/fair-lending-program. Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. Information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil rights enforcement may be found at www.justice.gov/usao-dc/affirmative-civil-rights-and-environmental-justice.
Beginning in 2025, consistent with section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, lenders will be required to collect and report certain demographic data for small business loan applications. Information about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s small business lending rulemaking may be found at Small business lending rulemaking | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov).
Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves meet with management at Industrial Bank. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves are shown a mural by the owners of Lee's Flower and Card Shop. Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves tour Ben's Chili Bowl.Readout of Justice Department’s “Walk the Redline” Event Meeting with D.C. Local Business Leaders to Commemorate the Third Anniversary of the Combating Redlining InitiativeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – To commemorate the third anniversary of the Justice Department's Combating Redlining Initiative, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia conducted a walking tour along Washington D.C.'s historic U Street Corridor.
This year also marks the Justice Department’s 30th anniversary of redlining enforcement efforts. In 1994, the department filed its first redlining case against Chevy Chase Federal Savings Bank in Washington, D.C. Walking the historic U Street Corridor highlights the roots of the department’s fair lending enforcement efforts and continued commitment to fight for equal opportunity for all people and communities impacted by redlining.
Assistant Attorney General Clarke and U.S. Attorney Graves met with three of the longest enduring Black-owned businesses in Washington D.C. — Industrial Bank, Lee’s Flower and Card Shop and Ben’s Chili Bowl — to discuss how access to credit and financial services impacted the neighborhood. Leaders reflected on the local Black community’s rich history of entrepreneurship and contributions to the local economy despite historical redlining.
Redlining is an illegal practice in which lenders avoid providing services to individuals living in communities of color because of the race or national origin of the people who live in those communities. Starting in 2025, lenders will also be required to collect and report on the racial demographics of small business loans provided by financial institutions.
“These three legacy D.C. establishments underscore how access to credit and loan services can be transformative in providing access to economic opportunity and generational wealth for Black communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Clarke. “Our Combating Redlining Initiative is holding financial institutions accountable for unlawful redlining practices and has resulted in historic relief to close the widening wealth gap between communities of color and others. As we expand our efforts, we look forward to reviewing future data on business loans to ensure that banks are engaged in fair lending to small businesses.”
“Lee’s Flower and Card Shop, Ben’s Chili Bowl and Industrial Bank are perfect examples of how businesses can thrive when banks provide equal access to lending,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, along with our partners at the Civil Rights Division, are committed to holding accountable those banks that are not providing equal access.”
In October 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Assistant Attorney General Clarke launched the Justice Department’s Combating Redlining Initiative as the most aggressive and coordinated effort to fight discriminatory lending against communities of color. The Initiative brings a comprehensive approach by working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, State Attorneys General and financial regulatory agencies nationwide to address redlining.
Since 2021, the department has reached major milestones since its launch, including:
- Securing 13 settlements totaling $137 million in relief for communities of color across the country in California, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Tennessee.
- Securing a historic amount of relief that includes $121 million in subsidies for home loans and is expected to generate over $1 billion in investment in affected communities in places such as Houston; Memphis, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Los Angeles; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Information about the Justice Department’s fair lending enforcement work can be found at www.justice.gov/crt/fair-lending-program. Individuals may report lending discrimination by calling the Justice Department’s housing discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291 or submitting a report online. Information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil rights enforcement may be found at www.justice.gov/usao-dc/affirmative-civil-rights-and-environmental-justice.
Beginning in 2025, consistent with section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, lenders will be required to collect and report certain demographic data for small business loan applications. Information about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s small business lending rulemaking may be found at Small business lending rulemaking | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov).
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Four-Time Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Unlawfully Possessing Firearm and Distribution Quantity of PCPRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy Eugene Taylor, 36, a four-time convicted felon from Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to federal charges stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm and a distributable quantity of liquid phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, in August 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Samuel Ward of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Division (ATF); and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Taylor pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year and one count of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of phencyclidine. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for April 2, 2025.
According to court papers, on August 11, 2023, officers with MPD’s Seventh District Crime Suppression Team were patrolling the 300 block of Livingston Terrace Southeast in a marked police cruiser. Officers observed that Taylor was wearing a crossbody satchel with a distinct “L-shaped” bulge protruding from the bag. Based on this observation, officers believed Taylor was carrying a firearm and attempted to speak with him from their vehicle. Taylor moved the bag to the opposite side of his body—out of view—and was turning his body away from the police. As officers exited the vehicle to get a better look at the bag, Taylor fled on foot into a nearby apartment building in which he did not reside.
Officers pursued Taylor into the building, where they stopped him. An officer frisked Taylor’s satchel and immediately felt a hard object that he recognized to be a firearm. Officers opened the satchel and recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson M&P 9 2.0 9-millimeter, semiautomatic handgun. The firearm was loaded with one chambered round of 9mm ammunition and an additional 21 rounds of 9mm ammunition in its extended magazine. Officers also recovered three vials of liquid phencyclidine, commonly known as PCP, from the bag. The quantity of PCP recovered was indicative of distribution rather than personal use.
Following his arrest, Taylor agreed to participate in an interview with an MPD detective. In the interview, Taylor admitted that the firearm belonged to him and that he was engaged in the distribution of PCP.
Federal law prohibits Taylor from possessing a firearm because he has previously been convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Taylor has been convicted of four such offenses in the District of Columbia since 2007, including a 2020 conviction for the same federal firearms charge to which he pleaded guilty today.
Taylor was arrested on October 27, 2023, and has remained held without bond since his arrest.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison and up to a $1,250,000 fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
At the time of the offense Taylor was serving a term of supervised release for his 2020 federal firearms conviction. Upon his conviction in this case, Taylor faces revocation of supervised release and up to 24 additional months in prison.
The case was investigated by ATF and MPD as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine A. Pattison and Katherine M. Toth, who indicted the case and litigated pretrial motions.
23cr406
Crew Member Sentenced to 168 Months for Role in String of Gun-Point Robberies of South Asian Jewelry Stores That Netted MillionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy Marquette Conrad, 34, of Washington D.C., was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 168 months in federal prison for participating in a multi-state string of violent gun-point robberies of South Asian jewelry stores that netted millions of dollars in cash and gold for the 16-member crew, allegedly led by Trevor Wright, aka rapper “Taliban Glizzy.”
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the Washington Field Office; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Nelson I. Delgado of the Newark Field Office, U.S. Marshal Peter Marketos of the United States Marshals Service, and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Conrad, aka “Twin,” pleaded guilty on May 30, 2024, to interfering with interstate commerce by robbery (aka Hobbs Act robbery) and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. In his plea, Conrad accepted responsibility for four robberies that took place in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Conrad to serve 48 months of supervised release.
According to court documents, over the course of 18 months, Conrad and his co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to rob multiple South Asian jewelry stores, across multiple states, of heavy gold jewelry. The conspiracy began in January 2022 and continued until August 2023, ending only when several of the co-conspirators, including Conrad, were charged and arrested. Before they were apprehended the co-conspirators robbed at least ten jewelry stores of millions of dollars in jewelry, terrorizing multiple victims and leaving behind a wake of destruction and financial loss.
Conrad was arrested on August 30, 2023. Officers executed a search warrant at a residence associated with him in NW D.C., whereupon they recovered a Glock 23 .40 caliber pistol equipped with a machine-gun conversion device; and an AK-Style 7.62 x 39mm rifle.
When he pleaded guilty, Conrad accepted responsibility for his involvement in the November 10, 2022, armed robbery of an estimated $1 million in gold from Baral Jewelers and Gift Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; the November 27, 2022 armed robbery of an estimated $100,000 in gold from Sara Jewelry in Jersey City, New Jersey; the December 22, 2022 armed robbery of an estimated $400,000 in gold jewelry at Chintamanis Inc. in Franklin Park, New Jersey; and the August 4, 2023 armed robbery of an estimated $150,000 in gold from Jolie Jewelry in Washington, D.C.
From surveillance footage taken during the robbery of Baral Jewelers in Harrisburg.
In the aftermath of the Chintamanis robbery, Conrad and his co-conspirators fled the scene at high speed, colliding with another vehicle, and ultimately killing one of the co-conspirators, who police found in the backseat of the getaway vehicle along with two loaded firearms, a hammer, a duffel bag, and stolen gold jewelry from Chintamanis.
This case was investigated by the ATF, FBI Washington Field Office, FBI Newark Field Office, U.S. Marshals, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sitara Witanachchi and Andrea Duvall.
23cr137
Seven Year Sentence Handed Down for the Carjacking of a Rideshare DriverRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tykel Wilson, 22, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced on Friday for the armed carjacking of a rideshare driver, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Wilson pleaded guilty on June 28, 2024, to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. On September 27, 2024, Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno sentenced Wilson to seven years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, with which Wilson agreed, at approximately 1:43 p.m., on April 29, 2023, in the 900 block of Allison Street, NW, the victim, a rideshare driver, had pulled his car over after dropping off a passenger. While parked, Wilson approached the victim’s car, armed with a silver firearm, and demanded that the victim exit his car. The victim complied with the Wilson’s demands and Wilson drove off in the victim’s car.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Bartz and Randle Wilson, who prosecuted the case.
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Chinese National and DPRK Facilitator Extradited to the United States; Faces Charges of Conspiracy, Bank Fraud, and Violating North Korea SanctionsRead the Press Release
On Sept. 27, the Commonwealth of Australia extradited Jin Guanghua, 53, to the United States. Jin, a Chinese national, and his co-conspirators North Korean banker, Sim Hyon-Sop, 50, and Chinese nationals Qin Guoming, 60, and Han Linlin, 41, both of Liaoning Province, were all charged by indictment in 2022 in connection with a multi-year scheme to facilitate the sale of tobacco to North Korea through the U.S. financial system in violation of the sanctions imposed on North Korea. Jin made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia today.
Between 2009 and 2019, the defendants engaged in a scheme to purchase leaf tobacco for North Korean-owned entities and used front companies and false documentation to cause U.S. financial institutions to process at least 310 transactions worth approximately $74 million that the financial institutions otherwise would have frozen, blocked, investigated, or declined, had they known that the transactions involved trade with North Korea. The transactions resulted in an estimated nearly $700 million in revenue for North Korean entities, and ultimately, for the government of North Korea. The defendants are charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to violate and violations of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the North Korean sanctions regulations, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and laundering monetary instruments.
Jin was residing in Australia and was attempting to depart the country for China at the time of his arrest by Australian authorities on March 23, 2023. The arrest followed a request by the United States for Jin’s provisional arrest with a view toward extradition.
This case is part of a larger Justice Department response to the ongoing efforts of North Korea to evade sanctions and use the U.S. financial system to engage in illicit trafficking of tobacco products. As alleged in the indictment, trafficking in tobacco products generates revenue for advancing North Korea’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programs. North Korea has been developing nuclear weapons since at least 2006 and financed these activities through illicit trade, including trafficking of tobacco and counterfeit cigarettes, which North Korea has engaged in since at least 1992. North Korea’s counterfeit cigarette production capacity is estimated to exceed two billion packs a year. Counterfeit cigarettes are a major source of income to the North Korean regime and may be the single most lucrative item in the North Korean portfolio, as smuggled tobacco is estimated to garner revenue as much as $20 on every $1 spent in cost. North Korean tobacco sales are alleged to flow back to the North Korean government, including to slush funds designed to sustain the loyalty of a core of party elite and to underwrite weapons development programs.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for bank fraud, 20 years in prison for violating IEEPA, and 20 years in prison for committing money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement.
The FBI Phoenix Field Office and HSI Colorado Springs and investigating the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Federal Police, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert, David Recker, and Steven Wasserman for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Jorge Casillas.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Chinese National and DPRK Facilitator Extradited to the United States; Faces Charges of Bank Fraud, Conspiracy, and Violating North Korea SanctionsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Sept. 27, the Commonwealth of Australia extradited Jin Guanghua, 53, to the United States. Jin, a Chinese national, and his co-conspirators North Korean banker, Sim Hyon-Sop, 50, and Chinese nationals Qin Guoming, 60, and Han Linlin, 41, both of Liaoning Province, were all charged by indictment in 2022 in connection with a multi-year scheme to facilitate the sale of tobacco to North Korea through the U.S. financial system in violation of the sanctions imposed on North Korea. Jin made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia today.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves made the announcement with Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement.
Between 2009 and 2019, the defendants engaged in a scheme to purchase leaf tobacco for North Korean-owned entities and used front companies and false documentation to cause U.S. financial institutions to process at least 310 transactions worth approximately $74 million that the financial institutions otherwise would have frozen, blocked, investigated, or declined, had they known that the transactions involved trade with North Korea. The transactions resulted in an estimated nearly $700 million in revenue for North Korean entities, and ultimately, for the government of North Korea. The defendants are charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to violate and violations of International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the North Korean sanctions regulations, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and laundering monetary instruments.
Jin was residing in Australia and was attempting to depart the country for China at the time of his arrest by Australian authorities on March 23, 2023. The arrest followed a request by the United States for Jin’s provisional arrest with a view toward extradition.
This case is part of a larger Justice Department response to the ongoing efforts of North Korea to evade sanctions and use the U.S. financial system to engage in illicit trafficking of tobacco products. As alleged in the indictment, trafficking in tobacco products generates revenue for advancing North Korea’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programs. North Korea has been developing nuclear weapons since at least 2006 and financed these activities through illicit trade, including trafficking of tobacco and counterfeit cigarettes, which North Korea has engaged in since at least 1992. North Korea’s counterfeit cigarette production capacity is estimated to exceed two billion packs a year. Counterfeit cigarettes are a major source of income to the North Korean regime and may be the single most lucrative item in the North Korean portfolio, as smuggled tobacco is estimated to garner revenue as much as $20 on every $1 spent in cost. North Korean tobacco sales are alleged to flow back to the North Korean government, including to slush funds designed to sustain the loyalty of a core of party elite and to underwrite weapons development programs.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for bank fraud, 20 years in prison for violating IEEPA, and 20 years in prison for committing money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Phoenix Field Office and HSI Colorado Springs and investigating the case. Valuable assistance was provided by the Australian Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Federal Police, and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Steven Wasserman, and Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Jorge Casillas for the District of Columbia, along with Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, are prosecuting the case. Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division provided substantial assistance on this matter.
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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Three IRGC Cyber Actors Indicted for ‘Hack-and-Leak’ Operation Designed to Influence the 2024 U.S. Presidential ElectionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Iranian nationals, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) employees, Masoud Jalili, 36, also known as, مسعود جلیلی, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, 34, also known as, سید علی آقامیری, and Yaser Balaghi, 37, also known as, یاسر بلاغی, with a conspiracy with others known and unknown to hack into accounts of current and former U.S. officials, members of the media, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals associated with U.S. political campaigns. The activity was part of Iran’s continuing efforts to stoke discord, erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process, and unlawfully acquire information relating to current and former U.S. officials that could be used to advance the malign activities of the IRGC, including ongoing efforts to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC – Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
As alleged, in or around May 2024, after several years of focusing on compromising the accounts of former U.S. government officials, the conspirators used some of the same hacking infrastructure from earlier in the conspiracy to begin targeting and successfully gaining unauthorized access to personal accounts belonging to persons associated with an identified U.S. Presidential campaign (U.S. Presidential Campaign 1), including campaign officials. The conspirators used their access to those accounts to steal, among other information, non-public campaign documents and emails (campaign material). The activity broadened in late June 2024, when the conspirators engaged in a “hack-and-leak” operation, in which they sought to weaponize campaign material stolen from U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 by leaking such materials to members of the media and individuals associated with what was then another identified U.S. Presidential campaign (U.S. Presidential Campaign 2), in a deliberate effort to, as reflected in the conspirators’ own words and actions, undermine U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“The Justice Department is working relentlessly to uncover and counter Iran’s cyberattacks aimed at stoking discord, undermining confidence in our democratic institutions, and influencing our elections,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The American people – not Iran, or any other foreign power – will decide the outcome of our country’s elections.”
“This indictment alleges a serious and sustained effort by a state-sponsored terrorist organization to gather intelligence through hacking personal accounts so they can use the hacked materials to harm Americans and corruptly influence our election,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The detailed allegations in the indictment should make clear to anyone who might attempt to do the same that the Department of Justice has the ability to gather evidence of such crimes from around the globe, will charge those who commit such crimes, and will do whatever we can to bring those charged to justice.”
"The defendants' hack-to-leak scheme is one of the Iranian government's latest ploys to erode public trust in the U.S. presidential election process," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office. "The FBI will not tolerate malign foreign influence operations targeting U.S. political campaigns or voters. We will continue to work with our partners, as we have this year and during previous elections cycles, to identify and disrupt threats to elections and protect Americans' right to vote."
As alleged in the indictment, beginning in or around January 2020, Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi, working on behalf of the IRGC, commenced a wide-ranging hacking campaign that used spearphishing and social engineering techniques to target and compromise victims computers and accounts. Among the conspirators’ techniques were: using virtual private networks and virtual private servers to obscure their true location; creating fraudulent email accounts in the names of prominent U.S. persons and international institutions; creating spoofed login pages to harvest account credentials; sending spearphishing emails using compromised victim accounts; and using social engineering to obtain victims’ login information and multi-factor recovery/authentication codes. Some of the conspirators’ efforts were successful, while others were not.
In April 2019, the U.S. Department of State designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. Among the purposes of the conspiracy were for the conspirators to: (i) steal victims’ data, such as information related to U.S. government and foreign policy information concerning the Middle East; (ii) steal information relating to current and former U.S. officials that could be used to advance the IRGC’s malign activities; (iii) disrupt U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; (iv) stoke discord and erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process; (v) steal personal and private information from persons who had access to information relating to U.S. Presidential Campaign 1, including non-public campaign material and information; and (vi) undermine U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election by leaking stolen campaign material and information.
As reflected in the September 18, 2024 joint statement released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former Trump’s campaign as text in the emails. There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied. Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.”
As alleged in further detail in the indictment, the conspirators’ hack-and-leak efforts involved the conspirators emailing stolen campaign material to individuals that the conspirators believed were associated with what was then U.S. Presidential Campaign 2 and members of the media.
First, between on or about June 27 and July 3, the conspirators sent or forwarded an unsolicited email message to personal accounts of three persons that the conspirators believed were associated with U.S. Presidential Campaign 2. The June 27 email was sent to two recipients, and then forwarded the same day to another account for one of those recipients (due to the earlier email being sent to an invalid account for that recipient). This email chain contained campaign material stolen from an official for U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 (U.S. Victim 11). Neither of the recipients replied to the conspirators’ email. In addition, the conspirators sent a follow up email on July 3rd to a third recipient’s account, and the recipient similarly did not reply to the conspirators.
Second, between on or about July 22, 2024, and on or about August 31, 2024, the conspirators distributed other campaign material stolen from U.S. Victim 11 regarding U.S. Presidential Campaign 1’s potential vice-presidential candidates to multiple members of the news media, in an attempt to induce the news media to publish the material. In one instance, for example, the conspirators’ message stated “I think this information is worth a good [U.S. news publication] piece with your narration. Let me know your thoughts.”
As alleged, these defendants also sought to promote the IRGC’s goals and mission by compromising and maintaining unauthorized access to the email accounts of a number of former government officials, including U.S. Victim 1, who had served in a position with responsibility over U.S. Middle East policy at the time of Qasam Soleimani’s death. Using this access, the defendants obtained information to assist the IRGC’s efforts to target U.S. Victim 1 and others, including their means of identification, correspondence, travel information, lodging information and other information regarding their whereabouts and policy positions.
Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi are charged with: conspiracy to commit identity theft, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, unauthorized access to computers to obtain information from a protected computer, unauthorized access to computers to defraud and obtain a thing of value, and wire fraud, all while knowingly falsely registering domain names, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; eight counts of wire fraud while falsely registering domain names, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 27 years in prison; and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, each of which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Concurrent with today’s announcement, the U.S. Department of State, through the Rewards for Justice Program, issued a reward of up to $10 million for information on Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi, the IRGC’s interference in U.S. elections, or associated individuals and entities. Also, concurrent with today’s announcement, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended, and E.O. 13848 designated Jalili for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, a cyber-enabled activity originating from, or directed by persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States that is reasonably likely to result in, or has materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States and that has the purpose or effect of causing a significant misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers, or financial information for commercial or competitive advantage or private financial gain.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating this case. The FBI Cyber Division and Springfield and Minneapolis Field Offices provided substantial assistance in this matter. For more information on threat activity as well as mitigation guidance, the FBI has released a Joint Cyber Security Advisory titled “Iranian Cyber Actors Targeting Personal Accounts to Support Operations.”
The Department of Justice would like to thank the following private sector partners for their assistance with this case: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Meta.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Christopher Tortorice for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Greg Nicosia of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Paralegal Specialists Mariela Andrade and Kate Abrey. Josh Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section also provided valuable assistance.
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An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
hack_to_leak_indictment_20240927_.pdfFBI Most Wanted Poster English
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Three IRGC Cyber Actors Indicted for ‘Hack-and-Leak’ Operation Designed to Influence the 2024 U.S. Presidential ElectionRead the Press Release
Note: View the indictment here and the FBI Wanted Poster here.
The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Iranian nationals, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) employees, Masoud Jalili, 36, also known as, مسعود جلیلی, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, 34, also known as, سید علی آقامیری, and Yaser Balaghi, 37, also known as, یاسر بلاغی (the Conspirators), with a conspiracy with others known and unknown to hack into accounts of current and former U.S. officials, members of the media, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals associated with U.S. political campaigns. The activity was part of Iran’s continuing efforts to stoke discord, erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process, and unlawfully acquire information relating to current and former U.S. officials that could be used to advance the malign activities of the IRGC, including ongoing efforts to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC – Qods Force (IRGC-QF).
As alleged, in or around May, after several years of focusing on compromising the accounts of former U.S. government officials, the conspirators used some of the same hacking infrastructure from earlier in the conspiracy to begin targeting and successfully gaining unauthorized access to personal accounts belonging to persons associated with an identified U.S. Presidential campaign (U.S. Presidential Campaign 1), including campaign officials. The conspirators used their access to those accounts to steal, among other information, non-public campaign documents and emails (campaign material). The activity broadened in late June, when the conspirators engaged in a “hack-and-leak” operation, in which they sought to weaponize campaign material stolen from U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 by leaking such materials to members of the media and individuals associated with what was then another identified U.S. Presidential campaign (U.S. Presidential Campaign 2), in a deliberate effort to, as reflected in the conspirators’ own words and actions, undermine U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“The Justice Department is working relentlessly to uncover and counter Iran’s cyberattacks aimed at stoking discord, undermining confidence in our democratic institutions, and influencing our elections,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The American people – not Iran, or any other foreign power – will decide the outcome of our country’s elections.”
“Today’s charges represent the culmination of a thorough and long-running FBI investigation that has resulted in the indictment of three Iranian nationals for their roles in a wide-ranging hacking campaign sponsored by the Government of Iran,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The conduct laid out in the indictment is just the latest example of Iran’s brazen behavior. So today the FBI would like to send a message to the Government of Iran – you and your hackers can’t hide behind your keyboards.”
“These hack-and-leak efforts by Iran are a direct assault on the integrity of our democratic processes,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Iranian government actors have long sought to use cyber-enabled means to harm U.S. interests. This case demonstrates our commitment to expose attempts by the Iranian regime or any other foreign actor to interfere with our free and open society.”
“This indictment alleges a serious and sustained effort by a state-sponsored terrorist organization to gather intelligence through hacking personal accounts so they can use the hacked materials to harm Americans and corruptly influence our election,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. “The detailed allegations in the indictment should make clear to anyone who might attempt to do the same that the Justice Department has the ability to gather evidence of such crimes from around the globe, will charge those who commit such crimes, and will do whatever we can to bring those charged to justice.”
As alleged in the indictment, beginning in or around January 2020, Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi, working on behalf of the IRGC, commenced a wide-ranging hacking campaign that used spearphishing and social engineering techniques to target and compromise victims computers and accounts. Among the conspirators’ techniques were: using virtual private networks and virtual private servers to obscure their true location; creating fraudulent email accounts in the names of prominent U.S. persons and international institutions; creating spoofed login pages to harvest account credentials; sending spearphishing emails using compromised victim accounts; and using social engineering to obtain victims’ login information and multi-factor recovery/authentication codes. Some of the conspirators’ efforts were successful, while others were not.
In April 2019, the Department of State designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. Among the purposes of the conspiracy were for the conspirators to: (i) steal victims’ data, such as information related to U.S. government and foreign policy information concerning the Middle East; (ii) steal information relating to current and former U.S. officials that could be used to advance the IRGC’s malign activities; (iii) disrupt U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; (iv) stoke discord and erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process; (v) steal personal and private information from persons who had access to information relating to U.S. Presidential Campaign 1, including non-public campaign material and information; and (vi) undermine U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election by leaking stolen campaign material and information.
As reflected in the Sept. 18 joint statement released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, FBI, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former Trump’s campaign as text in the emails. There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied. Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.”
As alleged in further detail in the indictment, the conspirators’ hack-and-leak efforts involved the conspirators emailing stolen campaign material to individuals that the conspirators believed were associated with what was then U.S. Presidential Campaign 2 and members of the media.
First, between on or about June 27 and July 3, the conspirators sent or forwarded an unsolicited email message to personal accounts of three persons that the conspirators believed were associated with U.S. Presidential Campaign 2. The June 27 email was sent to two recipients, and then forwarded the same day to another account for one of those recipients (due to the earlier email being sent to an invalid account for that recipient). This email chain contained campaign material stolen from an official for U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 (U.S. Victim 11). Neither of the recipients replied to the conspirators’ email. In addition, the conspirators sent a follow up email on July 3rd to a third recipient’s account, and the recipient similarly did not reply to the Conspirators.
Second, between on or about July 22 and on or about Aug. 31, the conspirators distributed other campaign material stolen from U.S. Victim 11 regarding U.S. Presidential Campaign 1’s potential vice-presidential candidates to multiple members of the news media, in an attempt to induce the news media to publish the material. In one instance, for example, the conspirators’ message stated “I think this information is worth a good [U.S. news publication] piece with your narration. Let me know your thoughts.”
As alleged, these defendants also sought to promote the IRGC’s goals and mission by compromising and maintaining unauthorized access to the email accounts of a number of former government officials, including U.S. Victim 1, who had served in a position with responsibility over U.S. Middle East policy at the time of Qasam Soleimani’s death. Using this access, the defendants obtained information to assist the IRGC’s efforts to target U.S. Victim 1 and others, including their means of identification, correspondence, travel information, lodging information and other information regarding their whereabouts and policy positions.
Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi are charged with: conspiracy to commit identity theft, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, unauthorized access to computers to obtain information from a protected computer, unauthorized access to computers to defraud and obtain a thing of value, and wire fraud, all while knowingly falsely registering domain names, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; eight counts of wire fraud while falsely registering domain names, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 27 years in prison; and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, each of which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Concurrent with today’s announcement, the Department of State, through the Rewards for Justice Program, issued a reward of up to $10 million for information on Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi, the IRGC’s interference in U.S. elections, or associated individuals and entities. Also, concurrent with today’s announcement, the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended, and E.O. 13848 designated Jalili for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, a cyber-enabled activity originating from, or directed by persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States that is reasonably likely to result in, or has materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States and that has the purpose or effect of causing a significant misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers, or financial information for commercial or competitive advantage or private financial gain.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating this case. The FBI Cyber Division and Springfield and Minneapolis Field Offices provided substantial assistance in this matter. For more information on threat activity as well as mitigation guidance, the FBI has released a Joint Cyber Security Advisory titled “Iranian Cyber Actors Targeting Personal Accounts to Support Operations.”
The Justice Department would like to thank the following private sector partners for their assistance with this case: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Meta.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Christopher Tortorice for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Greg Nicosia of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Paralegal Specialists Mariela Andrade and Kate Abrey. Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section also provided valuable assistance.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Serial Sex Offender Is First Defendant Charged Under New Secure DC Law Targeting Repeat Sexual AbusersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Hilliard, 65, of no fixed address, was charged by complaint today in D.C. Superior Court with one count of enhanced misdemeanor sexual abuse (a felony) and two counts of third-degree sexual abuse for sexually touching a treating nurse at George Washington University Hospital, a stranger to him. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Hilliard is detained pending a September 30, 2024, preliminary hearing.
According to the complaint, at approximately 9:00 a.m., on September 26, 2024, the victim attempted to draw blood from Hilliard, where he sat inside of a hospital room. Hilliard requested to sit in a chair to get his blood drawn. As the nurse approached him, Hilliard grabbed her into a face-to-face bear hug. He then touched her on her genitalia and buttocks.
Hilliard has more than three prior convictions for misdemeanor sexual abuse. Most recently, he pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court on December 19, 2023, to two misdemeanor charges for sexually abusing a woman and physically assaulting another, both of whom were strangers to him.
Hilliard is the first individual charged with enhanced misdemeanor sexual abuse, a felony created by the D.C. Council’s Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024. Before this legislation went into effect, repeat offenders who committed such assaults could not be charged with a felony, no matter how many times this Office had prosecuted those defendants, often for virtually identical misdemeanor sexual abuse conduct.
“The reason we advocated so vigorously for this change and are so appreciative of its enactment is that there is a relatively small population of offenders who repeatedly commit this offense that are not deterred by misdemeanor convictions,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves. “This new law allows our Office to charge these individuals with felonies so that we can advocate for them to be removed from our community for longer periods of time.”
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Houck.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Trying to Extort Millions of Dollars from D.C.-Based CompanyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Cameron Curry, 25, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to stealing sensitive data from his prior employer, a D.C.-based company, and extorting the company by threatening to publish this data unless the company paid him $2.5 million. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.
Curry pleaded guilty to one count of felony extortion for making an interstate threat to injure the property or reputation of another in order to extort money before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 28, 2025.
According to court documents, Curry admitted that he had been working as a contract employee with the victim company but was told on December 5, 2023, that his last day of employment would be December 15, 2023. On December 11, 2023, posing under the pseudonym of “Loot,” Curry began sending a series of emails to the victim company and its employees threatening to publish certain sensitive financial records and personally identifiable information of the victim company’s employees. In one email, Curry wrote, “If you wish to reclaim your data, we recommend doing so promptly at 2.5 million USD in order to save your company and stocks, as each subsequent month will incur a $100,000 USD increase.” Between December 11 and January 23, Curry allegedly sent over 60 similarly threatening emails to the company.
Law enforcement identified Curry as the individual posing as “Loot” by metadata in the communications he sent to the company, user information for the email address he used to send these communications, and account details for the cryptocurrency wallet to which he directed the victim to send him the ransom he demanded, among other evidence.
On January 24, 2024, when the FBI sought to execute a search warrant at Curry’s residence, Curry was arrested after he refused to leave the residence and then sent a series of messages to the victim company threatening to publish its data if he were to be arrested.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Field Office in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey and Joseph “Tony” Misher for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
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Jury Finds Man Guilty of Child Sexual Abuse of a 15-Year-Old Girl in 2005-2006Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Lucius Kearney, 52, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a D.C. Superior Court jury of first-degree sexual abuse of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. The sexual assault took place nearly 20 years ago when the victim was 15 years old, and the defendant was approximately 33 years old. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan scheduled sentencing for December 10, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, in the 2005-2006 school year, when the victim was in tenth grade, she met the defendant – then a Fourth District Metropolitan Police Department officer – while doing a school project. At their initial meeting at the Fourth District Police Station, the defendant and victim exchanged phone numbers and began communicating about the school project. Their conversations turned sexual, and ultimately the defendant engaged in sexual acts with the victim in his truck near a D.C. public library, where the victim was volunteering to complete her high school community service hours.
The victim disclosed the abuse in 2020 after randomly encountering the defendant while he was on duty in the area where the victim lived. Kearney’s body worn camera showed that after this coincidental encounter, which occurred in 2019, Kearney ran the tags from the victim’s car and said to himself: “How in the world did I f**king manage to do that?!?” The defendant was charged in 2021.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Peter Taylor and Richard Kelley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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Jury Finds DC Man Guilty of Aggravated Assault while Armed for Southeast DC ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Calvon Brown, 30, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a Superior Court jury yesterday of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and other related firearm charges for a late-afternoon shooting that took place on March 22, 2024, in Southeast DC, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.
The verdict was returned on September 26, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judge Erik Christian scheduled sentencing for December 10, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 22, 2024, the victim walked into a corner store in the 2300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE in which the defendant and his associates were dealing suspected drugs. The defendant verbally confronted the victim about his loud music playing from a portable Bluetooth speaker, and the two agreed to go outside to what the victim thought was a fistfight. When they got outside, the victim put his things down to ready himself, but the defendant indicated that they needed to go around the corner and into the alley. When they did so, the defendant pulled out a gun and shot at the victim several times, one shot of which hit the victim in the upper thigh/buttocks. The victim and the defendant then wrestled over the gun. Ultimately, the victim was able to recover it and tried to fire back at the defendant, but the gun jammed. The defendant then fled the scene. The victim then called his girlfriend, who encouraged him to go to the police station to report the incident. The defendant was arrested on April 25, 2024, and has been held since.
This aggravated assault charge was brought as a result of the D.C. Council’s Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024. The change in the law recognizes that all gunshot wounds are serious bodily injury for purposes of aggravated assault.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lizzy Van Haasteren and Mark Levy.
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Judge Sentences 20-Year-Old Man to Nine Year Prison Term for Shooting Two Minor Victims in Northwest D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eric Lemus, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan for shooting two minor victims on March 22, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Lemus pleaded guilty on February 9, 2024, to one count of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office requested a sentence of 219 months (18.25 years) of incarceration. The Court sentenced the defendant to 108 months (nine years) incarceration, with an additional 39 months suspended and two years of supervised probation. The Court sentenced Lemus under the Youth Rehabilitation act, over the government’s objection.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 22, 2023, Lemus encountered the two minor victims, ages 15 and 17, at Park Road Park in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Northwest D.C. Lemus produced a handgun and opened fire on the two victims, who were both struck and later treated for gunshot wounds. After firing multiple rounds at the two victims until the magazine was empty, Lemus attempted to flee the scene. The defendant was immediately apprehended by officers with the Metropolitan Police Department, who discovered the handgun that Lemus used to commit the shooting, located inside of his sweatshirt pocket. The crime was captured on video by a bystander who had witnessed the incident.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Coates Huether and Carlos A. Valdivia, who prosecuted the case.
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Former FAA Contractor Indicted for Illegally Acting as an Agent of the Iranian GovernmentRead the Press Release
Note: View the indictment here.
Former Federal Aviation Administration contractor, Abouzar Rahmati, 42, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Great Falls, Virginia, was indicted for acting and conspiring to act as an agent of the Iranian government in the United States without prior notice to the Attorney General. He made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia today this afternoon.
According to the indictment, from at least December 2017 through June 2024, Rahmati conspired with Iranian government officials and intelligence operatives to act on their behalf in the United States, including by meeting with Iranian intelligence officers in Iran, communicating with coconspirators using a cover story to hide his conduct, obtaining employment with an FAA contractor with access to sensitive non-public information, and obtaining open-source and non-public materials about the U.S. solar energy industry and providing it to Iranian intelligence.
“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Iranian officials and intelligence operatives, even lying to obtain employment as a U.S. government contractor only to then share sensitive government materials with Iran,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “When undisclosed agents of Iran or any other foreign government seek to infiltrate American companies or government agencies, the Justice Department will use every available tool to identify them and bring them to justice.”
“This defendant is charged with infiltrating a U.S. agency with the intent of providing Iran with sensitive information vital to our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Thanks to the great work of the FBI and the FAA’s investigators, this defendant was stopped in his tracks and a known adversary’s plot was exposed.”
“This indictment describes the reprehensible actions of an individual who allegedly betrayed his country by transferring sensitive U.S. information to a foreign power. This alleged betrayal not only undermines our national security but also puts U.S. jobs and livelihoods at risk,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “We will not tolerate any actions that compromise U.S.-based sensitive information and are committed to ensuring that justice is served swiftly and decisively.”
According to the indictment, from June 2009 to May 2010, Rahmati served as a First Lieutenant in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — an Iranian military and counterintelligence organization under the authority of the Supreme Leader of Iran. After being discharged from the IRGC, Rahmati lied to the United States government regarding his military service with the IRGC in order to, among other things, gain employment as a U.S. government contractor.
In August 2017, Rahmati offered his services to the Iranian government through a senior Iranian government official who previously worked in Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and with whom Rahmati had previously attended university. Four months later, in December 2017, Rahmati traveled to Iran, where he met with Iranian intelligence operatives and government officials and agreed to obtain information about the U.S. solar energy industry, to provide that information to Iranian officials, and to conduct future communications under a cover story based on purported discussions about research with fellow academics.
After Rahmati returned to the United States in December 2017, he obtained various non-public and open-source materials related to the U.S. solar energy industry and provided them to an Iranian government official. Rahmati also applied for multiple positions with private companies and U.S. government entities that would provide him with access to sensitive information, eventually obtaining a position with U.S. Company 1 supporting the FAA on a contract related to the power and electrical architecture of the FAA’s National Airspace System (NAS). After Rahmati obtained the position, he informed an Iranian intelligence officer that he was “in the process of moving to and joining a new company” and that they could “work more effectively if it is finalized.”
In response to tasking from Iranian officials, and in furtherance of his agency relationship with the Government of Iran, Rahmati exploited his employment with U.S. Company 1 by downloading sensitive non-public U.S. Company 1 documents related to the FAA, storing them on removable media, and taking them to Iran, where he provided the documents to the Government of Iran in April 2022. These included documents related to the NAS that would give a person unfamiliar with NAS facility engineering a reasonable understanding of how the NAS power and electrical architecture is configured.
After he returned to the United States in April 2022, in response to tasking from Iranian government officials, Rahmati sent additional information relating to solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, U.S. airports, and U.S. air traffic control towers to his brother, a co-conspirator, so that he would provide those files to Iranian intelligence on behalf of Rahmati.
The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case. FAA’s Office of Counterintelligence and Technical Operations provided significant assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Kimberly Paschall for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Beau Barnes and Alexander Wharton of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia provided significant assistance.
Former FAA Contractor Indicted for Illegally Acting as an Agent of the Iranian GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Former Federal Aviation Administration contractor Abouzar Rahmati, 42, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Great Falls, Virginia, was indicted today for acting and conspiring to act as an illegal agent of the Iranian government in the United States.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.
According to the indictment, from at least December 2017 through June 2024, Rahmati conspired with Iranian government officials and intelligence operatives to act on their behalf in the United States, including by meeting with Iranian intelligence officers in Iran, communicating by email using a cover story to hide his conduct, obtaining open-source and private materials about the U.S. solar energy industry to provide to Iranian intelligence, obtaining employment with an FAA contractor with access to sensitive information, and exfiltrating sensitive FAA documents to provide to Iranian intelligence.
“This defendant is charged with infiltrating a U.S. agency with the intent of providing Iran with sensitive information vital to our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Thanks to the great work of the FBI and the FAA’s investigators, this defendant was stopped in his tracks and a known adversary’s plot was exposed.”
“As alleged, the defendant conspired with Iranian officials and intelligence operatives, even lying to obtain employment as a U.S. government contractor only to then share sensitive government materials with Iran,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “When undisclosed agents of Iran or any other foreign government seek to infiltrate American companies or government agencies, the Justice Department will use every available tool to identify them and bring them to justice.”
“The FBI and U.S. Government have repeatedly warned of the global threat the Government of Iran poses to our national security on all fronts, including the targeting of our critical infrastructure,” said Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Mr. Rahmati used his access to provide sensitive aviation materials to a hostile foreign intelligence service. The FBI will aggressively pursue any foreign actor or government that targets U.S. critical infrastructure in any attempt to disrupt or gain access to our aviation sector. We want to recognize and thank our partners at the FAA who worked alongside us in investigating this threat to our national security.”
According to the indictment, from June 2009 to May 2010, Rahmati served as a First Lieutenant in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—an Iranian military and counterintelligence organization under the authority of the Supreme Leader of Iran which has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States Government. After being discharged from the IRGC, Rahmati lied to the United States government regarding his military service with the IRGC in order to, among other things, gain employment as a U.S. government contractor.
In August 2017, Rahmati offered his services to the Iranian government through a senior Iranian government official who previously worked in Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security and with whom Rahmati had previously attended university. Four months later, in December 2017, Rahmati traveled to Iran, where he met with Iranian intelligence operatives and government officials and agreed to obtain information about the U.S. solar energy industry, to provide that information to Iranian officials, and to conduct future communications under a cover story based on purported discussions about research with fellow academics.
After Rahmati returned to the United States in December 2017, he obtained various private and open-source materials related to the U.S. solar energy industry and provided them to an Iranian government official. Rahmati also applied for multiple positions with private companies and U.S. government entities that would provide him with access to sensitive information, eventually obtaining a position with U.S. COMPANY 1 supporting the FAA on a contract related to the FAA’s National Airspace System (NAS). After Rahmati obtained the position, he informed an Iranian intelligence officer that he was “in the process of moving to and joining a new company” and that they could “work more effectively if it is finalized.”
In response to tasking from Iranian officials, and in furtherance of his agency relationship with the Government of Iran, Rahmati exploited his employment with U.S. COMPANY 1 by downloading sensitive U.S. COMPANY 1 documents related to the FAA, storing them on removable media, and taking them to Iran, where he provided sensitive documents to the Government of Iran in April 2022. These included documents related to the NAS that would give a person unfamiliar with NAS facility engineering a reasonable understanding of how the NAS power and electrical architecture is configured.
After he returned to the United States in April 2022, in response to tasking from Iranian government officials, Rahmati sent additional information relating to solar energy, solar panels, the FAA, U.S. airports, and U.S. air traffic control towers to his brother, a co-conspirator, so that he would provide those files to Iranian intelligence on behalf of Rahmati.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Significant assistance was provided by the FAA’s Office of Investigations and Professional Responsibility.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Kimberly Paschall for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Beau Barnes and Alexander Wharton of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Significant assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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‘Clay Terrace Hitsquad’ Member Sentenced for Weapons and Trafficking of a Controlled SubstanceRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON— Tamonie Chambliss, 28, of Capitol Heights, Maryland was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 46 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a handgun and for distributing marijuana that he mass-marketed using social media and packaged with a label that included a photo of his face.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Chambliss, aka “moneyman biggs,” pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024, before the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly to unlawful possession of a firearm by an individual previously convicted of a crime of violence and to unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana. In addition to the prison term, Judge Kelly ordered Chambliss to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, the MPD and FBI were investigating sales of controlled substances and crimes of violence involving firearms between July 2022 and the summer of 2023 on the 5300 block of Clay Terrace, in Northeast Washington, D.C.
During the investigation, law enforcement identified a crew believed to be involved in the sales of PCP, crack cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana, and other controlled substances, as well as the transfer and possession of illegal firearms. Law enforcement identified Chambliss as a member of the crew known as the “Clay Terrace Hitsquad” or the “Double Back Gang.” Investigators determined that Chambliss specialized in selling marijuana in the neighborhood and marketed the drug through social media using packaging illustrated with an image of his face.
On March 7, 2023, the Sixth District Crime Suppression Team observed a gray Lexus sedan parked in front of 260 54th St. Northeast, Washington, D.C., one block from Clay Terrace, surrounded by individuals who quickly departed as the police cruiser approached. A VIN search determined that the vehicle was unregistered and that the tag on the Lexus was reported stolen. Although several individuals claimed ownership of the vehicle, all refused to provide officers with identifying documents. One of these individuals presented officers with a fictitious insurance card that listed Chambliss as the operator of the vehicle.
A history check of the vehicle’s VIN found that Chambliss previously had been stopped driving the Lexus in Laurel. Officers executed a search of the vehicle and found a baggie containing 10 stamped M30 pills (oxycodone). Officers also found a backpack that contained nearly a kilogram of marijuana, a scale, and a 30-round extended magazine containing 21 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. The vehicle also contained credit cards, identification cards, and a Maryland vehicle registration assigned to Chambliss.
As part of the same investigation, law enforcement executed search warrants at two addresses linked to Chambliss. On July 26, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant for Chambliss’ residence on the 5000 block of Clay Terrace in Northeast, Washington, D.C., where they recovered a Glock 30S .45 caliber handgun loaded with 2 rounds of ammunition, as well as an inside-the-waistband handgun holster. Chambliss later admitted to owning the gun, despite knowing he was prohibited from possessing firearms based on his felony conviction in 2017 for a gun-point robbery.
On March 15, 2024, U.S. Marshals executed a warrant at an address in Laurel, Maryland, where they arrested Chambliss. During a search, Marshals observed in plain view about 3.4 kilograms of marijuana in Chambliss’ bedroom and on a kitchen counter.
On February 15, 2024, Chambliss was indicted on six counts related to unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana, unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime of violence, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, and possession of unregistered ammunition.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), in conjunction with the FBI Washington Field Office.
It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ernesto J. Alvarado and Adam Stempel with the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
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United States Seizes More than $6 Million in Alleged Proceeds of a Crypto-Confidence SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States seized over $6 million worth of cryptocurrency from perpetrators overseas, announced U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee Francis M. Hamilton III, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Criminal Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Knoxville Division.
The perpetrators in Southeast Asia targeted one or more individuals in the United States and fraudulently obtained millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency through a cryptocurrency confidence investment scheme.
The FBI was able to trace victim funds on the blockchain and located multiple cryptocurrency wallet addresses which still held victim funds totaling more than $6 million.
Cryptocurrency confidence investment schemes begin by criminals contacting potential victims through seemingly misdirected text messages, dating applications, or professional meetup or investment groups. Next, using various means of manipulation, the criminal gains the victim’s affection and trust. The perpetrator then recommends cryptocurrency investment by touting their own, or an associate’s, success in the field. Means of carrying out the scheme vary, but a common tactic is to direct a victim to a fake investment platform hosted on a website. These websites, and the investment platforms hosted there, are created by criminals to mimic legitimate platforms. The subject assists the victim with opening a cryptocurrency account, often on a U.S.- based exchange, and then walks the victim through transferring money from a bank account to that cryptocurrency account. Next, the victim will receive instructions on how to transfer their cryptocurrency assets to the fake investment platform.
On its surface, the fraudulent platforms often show lucrative returns, encouraging further investment; however, all deposited funds are actually routed to a cryptocurrency wallet address controlled completely by the perpetrators. The perpetrators frequently allow victims to withdraw some of their “profits” early in the scheme to engender trust and help convince victims of the legitimacy of the platform. As the scheme continues, victims are unable to withdraw their funds and are provided various excuses as to why. Ultimately, victims are locked out of their accounts and lose all their funds.
“In these scams, fraudsters trick U.S. citizens into believing they are transferring funds to cryptocurrency investment opportunities when, in fact, they are just unwittingly turning their money over to the fraudsters,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The fact these fraudsters and their accounts are typically located outside the United States, will not stop us or our partners at the FBI from doing all we can to recover the proceeds of these frauds and to hold the people running them accountable.”
“Investment scams and schemes are not new, but committing fraud with digital currency presents new challenges for law enforcement attempting to recover lost funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Carrico. “The FBI along with our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate allegations of crypto scams, but the best defense is to educate yourself before making any investment. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Based on data submitted to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (https://www.ic3.gov/) in 2022 alone, perpetrators of these schemes targeted tens of thousands of victims in the United States and resulted in over two billion dollars in private assets being siphoned overseas. The loss amount reported in IC3 complaints involving cryptocurrency increased 45% since 2022, from more than $3.8 billion to over $5.6 billion in 2023.
The FBI Knoxville Division is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and FBI’s Virtual Asset Unit are providing invaluable assistance.
The Department of Justice would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in effectuating the transfer of these assets. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Rick Blaylock Jr. of the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph DeGaetano of the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Trial Attorney Stefanie Schwartz from the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team with the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice.
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