District of Columbia

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves commends the announcement of the Department of Justice’s new resource for prosecutors, “Framework for Prosecutors to Strengthen Our National Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Involving Adult Victims,”

            The announcement was made today in Dallas, TX at the Conference on Crimes Against Women by Rosemarie Hidalgo, Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).  The guide, written by prosecutors for prosecutors, sets out five principles that, if implemented, will lead to better outcomes for victims, safer communities, and greater accountability for perpetrators of sexual assault and domestic violence.

            “The framework announced today reaffirms our commitment to expanding access to justice for all survivors, who deserve respect and the right to be heard,” said the Department’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Director Rosie Hidalgo. “Enhancing the prosecution response to sexual assault and domestic violence in a trauma-informed manner is a key piece in ending gender-based violence, as part of a broader coordinated community response that includes services and support for survivors, and can have a real, immediate impact on the safety of survivors and entire communities.”

            “This Office sees daily the impact of domestic violence,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “It is why we have so many dedicated and highly trained prosecutors, victim advocates, and staff members working in the space to support survivors, and why we have implemented innovative and effective programs such as the Sexual Assault Cold Case Initiative and the Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Initiative created and staffed by members of the Office’s Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Section. We were proud to participate in this effort and to help draft a framework that will be implemented across the country.”

            Declinations of meritorious allegations may result from misconceptions about how crimes involving sexual assault and domestic violence are committed and reported, how victims give their accounts, and the evidence required to prove their accounts. This guide equips prosecutors to build provable cases by: (1) relying on the evidentiary value of the victim’s account to frame the investigation; (2) meeting with victims and working with investigators and victim specialists to do so; (3) using the law and evidentiary rules effectively; (4) being thoughtful about what justice and accountability look like; and (5) sustaining a productive, healthy, and committed workforce by redefining success– all of which are rooted in a prosecutor’s primary obligation to seek the truth and uphold the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law.

            Staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. joined more than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics, and investigators from an array of jurisdictions to aid the developers of this guide. This guide is designed to encourage prosecutors with all levels of experience to implement its principles when evaluating, investigating, and prosecuting allegations involving sexual assault and domestic violence. In conjunction with this guide, OVW launched a new webpage with resources designed to assist prosecutors in implementing the guide and its principles. This guide further serves as a complement to the Justice Department’s 2022 updated guidance on Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias.

WASHINGTON – Victor Armando Simms, 54, a previously convicted sex offender who most recently lived in Southeast Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today to sexually abusing multiple young girls, recording many of the incidents, and amassing a library of 3,300 still images and over 250 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Chief David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Simms, aka “Stacey Patrick Simms,” pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in Washington D.C. to First Degree Child Sexual Abuse with Aggravating Circumstances, two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse with Children, three counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, and Possession of Child Pornography.

            Judge Chutkan scheduled sentencing for October 22, 2024. Simms faces a sentencing range of 37 years up to lifetime in prison on the seven counts to which he plead guilty. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            According to court documents, law enforcement was called on January 15, 2023, when a young girl discovered explicit images of child sexual abuse on an iPad belonging to Simms. The same day, Simms was formally placed under arrest and charged by complaint with one count of first-degree child sexual abuse in D.C. Superior Court.

            On January 17, 2023, the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force executed a search warrant at Simms’s residence and seized multiple electronic devices including an iPad and a one-terabyte external hard drive. In addition, law enforcement agents seized numerous pills and pill bottles, which were believed to be used to sedate the young victims. Many of the videos produced by Simms showed the young victims asleep during the sexual assaults.

            The forensic examination of the external hard drive revealed 3300 still images and 250 videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, many of which included metadata indicating the date, time, and location where the file was initially produced. The metadata indicated that the minor female victims were sexually exploited and abused by Simms in Washington D.C., and at hotels in Maryland and Virginia.

            According to court documents, Simms is a previously adjudicated sex offender. He was convicted in North Carolina in 2005 of indecent liberties with a six-year-old child and a felony child sex act.

            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 and detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. 

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Bond, Sarah Folse, and Caroline Burrell.

WASHINGTON – Keiphone Bennett, 17, Kevin Edwards, 16, and Asia Clark, 17, of Washington, D.C., were presented in Superior Court on May 16, 2024, and charged as adults for their participation in a series of armed carjackings and robberies, which took place between April 29 and May 6, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            According to the government’s evidence, over the course of seven days, Bennett, Edwards, and Clark, together or separately, committed a series of four armed carjackings and robberies in the District of Columbia. The defendants were arrested on May 7, 2024, after police saw a car used in one of the offenses and attempted to stop it. Rather than stop, the defendants attempted to evade police for approximately thirty minutes. Police pursued the car through the District, Virginia, and Maryland, before police ultimately succeeded in stopping it in the area of Chesapeake Street and Overlook Avenue Southeast.

            Bennett, Edwards, and Clark were charged and presented in D.C. Superior Court. Bennett was charged by complaint with four counts of armed carjacking, one count of armed robbery, and five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  Edwards was charged by complaint with two counts of armed carjacking, one count of armed robbery, and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  Clark was charged by complaint with one count of armed carjacking, one count of armed robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  The Court ordered the defendants held without bond pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 7, 2024. 

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and John Parron.  

An arrest on a complaint is merely a formally charged allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

WASHINGTON – DeJuan Bell, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 24 years in prison for the December 2021 murder of Davon Childs and the shooting of another individual. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Bell pleaded guilty on March 1, 2024. On May 17, 2024, Superior Court Judge Marisa J. Demeo sentenced Bell to 24 years in prison, with five years of supervised release for second degree murder while armed to run concurrently with the sentence of 12 years in prison for aggravated assault while armed and five years of supervised release for that charge.

            According to the government’s evidence, with which Bell agreed, on the evening of December 10, 2021, at approximately 10:00 p.m., in the second floor hallway of an apartment building located in the 2300 block of 4th Street NE, Bell intentionally fired a 9mm semi-automatic handgun at least seven times in the direction of two unarmed people, striking both and killing one of them.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating 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 Paralegal Lauren Douglas and former Paralegal Debra Forte. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin DeRiso and Sarah Santiago, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Delmar Whitley, also known as Damar Whitley, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to a total period of 13 years in prison for shooting a 17-year-old teen in the face and back, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The Honorable Marisa J. Demeo of D.C. Superior Court sentenced Whitley on May 17, 2024, to 13 years for assault with intent to kill while armed and five years for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Whitley entered his guilty plea on March 15, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, with which Whitley agreed, on the morning of August 31, 2022, Whitley returned home to his apartment building in the 4700 block of Alabama Avenue SE. While walking through the common area of the building, Whitley exchanged words with the first victim, a 17-year-old who was visiting the building before he and his classmates were to go to school. After that exchange, Whitley went inside his apartment briefly, came back out armed with a firearm, and shot the teenaged victim in the face. Whitley then chased that victim outside and shot him a second time, hitting him in the back.

            Video footage showed that Whitley also pointed the gun at another teen who had been with the victim and was also trying to get away. Whitley fled the scene immediately after the shooting. Police arrested him on September 22, 2022, and Whitley has been detained since that date.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Prins and Michael Roberts, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Gustav Donald Seestedt, 37, of Northwest Washington D.C., was taken into custody on Thursday, May 16, 2024, following an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The government alleges that on May 7, 2024, Seestedt exchanged messages with an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) assigned to the FBI’s Washington Field Office (WFO) through an encrypted messaging application.  During the chat, Seestedt expressed a sexual interest in children and sent the UC four videos depicting children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, including one video depicting the anal rape of a toddler who was crying and resisting her assailant.

            Distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a statutory maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment. 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 Guideline and other statutory factors.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Shinskie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            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.

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

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Hart, 25, a previously convicted felon from Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for possessing a loaded 9 mm Springfield Armory XDS-9 pistol that he tried to hide from police inside a liquor store refrigerator, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Hart pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon on January 30, 2024. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Hart to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court papers, on November 1, 2023, members of the MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division Robbery Suppression Unit were conducting firearm interdiction activities on the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Junior Ave., SE. About 5:30 p.m., officers observed Hart along with several other individuals leave a nearby restaurant. An investigator who wearing a tactical vest with clearly visible, “POLICE” insignia began to walk behind the Hart, who spotted the investigator, turned away, and started heading towards Malcolm X Avenue, SE. Hart entered a liquor store and stood beside a beverage refrigerator at the back. The investigator, now inside the store, noticed that both of Hart’s hands were inside the refrigerator.

            The investigator saw Hart place a black firearm inside the refrigerator. The investigator arrested Hart. Additional MPD investigators arrived and assisted in the arrest. In the refrigerator, police recovered a 9 mm Springfield Armory XDS-9, with one round in the chamber and six in the magazine. The pistol, which had been reported stolen out of Pittsylvania, Virginia, subsequently was swabbed and determined to have a DNA match with the defendant.

            Hart has a significant criminal history including two prior convictions that include attempted robbery with an unregistered firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar.

WASHINGTON – Montello Washington, 17, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today and charged as an adult with armed carjacking, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon and related charges stemming from a spree of offenses occurring between August 15, 2023 and August 16, 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            Washington was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of armed carjacking, two counts of armed robbery, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, unauthorized use of a vehicle in order to commit crimes of violence, and possession of a firearm during crimes of violence. Washington is scheduled to be arraigned on May 20, 2024, before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz.

            According to the government’s evidence, late in the evening of August 15, 2023, Washington and several accomplices robbed a man at gunpoint while the victim was on his way to work.  During the next several hours, into the early morning on August 16, 2023, Washington and his accomplices committed a series of armed robberies, armed assaults, in which they fired gunshots at two victims, and an armed carjacking. Later in the evening on August 16, 2023, after MPD officers saw the stolen car used to commit these offenses in Southeast DC, they attempted to stop it. The driver led MPD on a pursuit through the District, into Maryland, and back into the District before three people eventually bailed out of the car.  Police apprehended Washington and another person after they fled from the vehicle.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            This case is being prosecuted by AUSAs Stephanie Dinan and Sabena Auyeung of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            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.

WASHINGTON – Antwan Mitchell, 19, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking arising from a February 2024 offense committed in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On May 14, 2024, Mitchell pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to carjacking before the Honorable Jason Park. Judge Park scheduled sentencing for August 5, 2024.

            During that plea hearing, Mitchell admitted that he and two co-conspirators, who have never been identified, carjacked a rideshare driver on February 6, 2024. The victim had just dropped off his rideshare passengers in the 200 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE when Mitchell and his accomplices surrounded the victim’s SUV. One of Mitchell’s accomplices held the victim at rifle-point while Mitchell and another accomplice demanded the victim’s car keys and wallet. After the victim got out of his SUV and handed over his car key, Mitchell and his accomplices drove off in the victim’s SUV. MPD Officers responded immediately, canvassed the area, and located the victim’s stolen SUV. While inspecting that vehicle, police also located a second vehicle that Mitchell and his accomplices had used to commit this carjacking. Officers pursued that vehicle and ultimately apprehended Mitchell after he ran from it. Police recovered a firearm in the vehicle, but Mitchell’s accomplices escaped.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sabena Auyeung.

             WASHINGTON – Darrious Johnson, 23, of the District of Columbia, has been charged in a 10-count indictment for unleashing gunfire into a crowded living room during a house party in the Hillbrook neighborhood in Northeast, D.C., in May 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

             A Superior Court grand jury returned the indictment that was filed on May 16, 2024, which charges Johnson with two counts of assault with intent to kill (adults) while armed, one count of assault with intent to kill a minor while armed, aggravated assault while armed, second degree cruelty to children, and related firearm offenses. According to the Government’s evidence, after an argument at the party, Defendant Johnson walked upstairs, retrieved a firearm, walked halfway down the stairs, and fired numerous shots into the crowded living room with adults and children present.  One of the bullets hit the arm of an adult victim who was holding an infant, causing serious injuries. 

             This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza, Megan McFadden, and Sabena Auyeung.

             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.

WASHINGTON – Law enforcement arrested 10 members of a District-area drug trafficking crew charged in a 17-count indictment with participating in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, as well as multiple firearms counts.

            The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer of the National Capital Region of the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Law enforcement executed search warrants, yesterday, for 21 residences, nine vehicles, and 14 individuals in the District and Maryland and seized nearly two dozen firearms as part of the operation.

            Each defendant is charged in a conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and cocaine base within 1,000 feet of a protected location, specifically Phelps ACE High School and AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School in Northeast Washington D.C. Two of the defendants, Charles Manson and Damien Jenkins, were also charged in connection with a shooting that occurred on March 7, 2024, near 19th and I Streets NE. For that incident, Manson was additionally charged with possession of a firearm in connection with a crime of violence and unlawful possession of ammunition.

            The defendants, who all reside in Washington D.C., include:

 

NAME

AGE

AKA

CHARGES

Jamiek Bassil

 

31

“Onion”

 

Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location; Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl x 5

 

Damien Jenkins

34

“Woe”

 

Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location;

Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl x 3; Assault with a Deadly Weapon

 

Trevon Palmer

29

“Rocky”

 

Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location; Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl x 3; Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine

 

Charles Manson

 

33

“Cheese”

Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location; Possession of Ammunition by a Felon; Assault with a Deadly Weapon; Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence or Dangerous Offense

 

Van Robinson

 

32

“Boogie”

Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location

 

Nathaniel Russell

 

20

“Thump”

Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location x 4;

Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl x 3

 

Briyon Shuford

 

29

“Breezy”

Conspiracy to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl and Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location

 

Lydell Douglas

 

40

“L”

Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location

 

Jerome Powell

 

26

“J Rock”

Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location

 

Jason Green

47

--

Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location

            This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. 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 investigation was a multi-agency effort between the Violent Crime Investigations Team of the Violent Crime Suppression Division of the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross-Border Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Duvall and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section.

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

Seven defendants were sentenced yesterday and today following their convictions for federal conspiracy against rights and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act offenses following three separate trials in connection with the use of force and physical obstruction to blockade a Washington, D.C., area reproductive health clinic on Oct. 22, 2020. 

Yesterday, Lauren Handy was sentenced to 57 months in prison, John Hinshaw was sentenced to 21 months in prison, and William Goodman was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Today, Jonathan Darnel was sentenced to 34 months in prison, Herb Geraghty was sentenced to 27 months in prison, Jean Marshall was sentenced to 24 months in prison, and Joan Bell was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

“Violence has no place in our national discourse on reproductive health. Using force, threatening to use force or physically obstructing access to reproductive health care is unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As we mark the 30th anniversary of the FACE Act, it’s important that we not lose sight of the history of violence against reproductive health care providers including the murder of Dr. David Gunn in Florida — tragic and horrific events that led to passage of the law. The Justice Department will continue to protect both patients seeking reproductive health services and providers of those services. We will hold accountable those who seek to interfere with access to reproductive health services in our country.”   

“These defendants conspired to use force to prevent fellow citizens from exercising rights protected by law,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. “People cannot resort to using force and intimidation to prevent others from engaging in lawful activity simply because they disagree with the law. The department was founded to protect the civil rights of our citizens and remains steadfast in this mission.”

“The seven defendants executed an extensive blockade of a reproductive care clinic, including faking a patient appointment to enter the facility,” said Assistant Director Michael Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “FACE Act violations are distressing to anyone attempting to safely access reproductive healthcare, and, in this case, unfortunately resulted in the physical injury of a nurse. The FBI continues our work to ensure everyone has unimpeded access to reproductive health care facilities.”

“As evidenced by today's sentencings, the FBI and our judicial system will not tolerate the obstruction of civil rights,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to investigate FACE Act violations in all jurisdictions, so patients and providers can exercise their right to receive or provide lawful reproductive health care without the threat of violence or intimidation.”

These defendants, and two others, were convicted following three separate trials in 2023. Paulette Harlow and Heather Idoni are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Idoni is scheduled to be sentenced in a separate matter on July 30, following conspiracy and FACE Act convictions in an unrelated clinic blockade from Tennessee. A tenth defendant, Jay Smith, was sentenced to prison following his guilty plea to a felony FACE Act offense on March 1, 2023.

Evidence presented at trial established that the defendants used force and physical obstruction to execute a clinic blockade that was organized by the group’s leaders, Handy and Darnel. The defendants planned and organized the clinic invasion using social media, text messages and telephone calls, and several co-conspirators, including defendants Hinshaw, Goodman, Geraghty, Marshall, Bell, Harlow, Idoni and Smith traveled from northeast and midwestern states to participate in the blockade. Prior to the clinic incursion, the defendants met with other co-conspirators to plan their crime, which included making a fake patient appointment to ensure the group’s entry into the clinic, using chains and locks to barricade the facility and passively resisting their anticipated arrests to prolong the blockade. The clinic invasion was advertised on social media as a “historic” event that was live-streamed on Facebook. The defendants’ forced entry into the clinic at the outset of the invasion resulted in injury to a clinic nurse. During the blockade, one patient had to climb through a receptionist window to access the clinic, while another laid in the hallway outside of the clinic in physical distress, unable to gain access to the clinic.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

Prosecutors from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Mercedes Edmonds, aka Marcedes Edmunds, 38, of Baltimore, Maryland, has been found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and additional firearms charges arising from a 2019 shooting in the 4000 block of Hayes Street NE, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The verdict was returned on May 14, 2024, following a three-day jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Edmonds was also found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a shotgun, and related firearms offenses. Following the verdict, the Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld ordered that Edmonds be detained pending sentencing, which she scheduled for July 16, 2024. At sentencing, Edmonds faces a mandatory minimum term of five years of incarceration.

            According to the government’s trial evidence, on May 1, 2019, Edmonds was standing with a group in the 4000 block of Hayes Street NE, and the victim was dropping items off at a nearby apartment. Apparently perceiving disrespect by the victim toward a member of the group, Edmonds retrieved a shotgun from his car and ordered the victim to leave the area.  As he tried to leave, the defendant shot the victim twice, striking him in the leg. The victim suffered substantial blood loss and had to undergo emergency surgery to save his leg.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.  Invaluable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Bartz and Lauren Winer of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – A U.S. District Court judge today sentenced four more of 10 the defendants who conspired to create a blockade at a Washington, D.C. reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly today sentenced Herb Geraghty, 27, of Pittsburgh to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Joan Bell, 76, of Montague, NY, received 27 months incarceration and three years of supervised release. Jonathan Darnel, 42, of Arlington, Va., was sentenced to 34 months and three years of supervised release. Jean Marshall, 74, of Kingston, Mass., was sentenced to 24 months and three months of supervised release. All four were convicted by a jury of civil rights conspiracy and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act violations.

            Three defendants were sentenced yesterday, May 14. Lauren Handy, 30, of Alexandria, Virginia was sentenced to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. John Hinshaw, 69, of Levittown, New York, received 21 months incarceration and three years of supervised release. William Goodman, 54, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 27 months and three years of supervised release. All three were of civil rights conspiracy and FACE Act violations.

            Two additional defendants–Paulette Harlow, 75, Kingston, Mass., and Heather Idoni, of Linden, Mich., 59 – will be sentenced in the coming weeks. Another of the defendants, the only one to plead guilty, Jay Smith, 34, of Freeport, New York, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release in March 2023.

            As the evidence at trial showed, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to create a blockade at the reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services. As part of the conspiracy, Handy, Hinshaw, and Goodman, traveled to Washington, D.C. from various northeast and midwestern states, to meet with Handy and participate in a clinic blockade that was directed by Handy and was broadcast on Facebook.

            According to the evidence, Handy, Hinshaw, and Goodman – along with their co-conspirators – forcefully entered the clinic and set about blockading two clinic doors using their bodies, furniture, chains, and ropes. Once the blockade was established, their activities were live-streamed. The evidence also showed that the defendants violated the FACE Act by using a physical obstruction to injure, intimidate and interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because they were providing or obtaining reproductive health services.

DEFENDANTS

 

NAME

AGE

GUILTY OF

SENTENCE

Lauren Handy

Alexandria, VA

 

30

Found Guilty on August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act

Sentenced May 14, 2024, to 57 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

John Hinshaw

Levittown, NY

69

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced May 14, 2024, to 21 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

William Goodman Bronx, NY

54

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced May 14, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Jay Smith

Freeport, NY

34

Pleaded Guilty March 1, 2023, to Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced Aug. 17, 2023, to 10 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Jonathan Darnel Arlington, Va.

42

Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced

 May 15, 2024, to 34 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Jean Marshall Kingston, Mass.

74

Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced

 May 15, 2024, to 24 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Joan Bell

Montague, NJ

76

Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced

 May 15, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Herb Geraghty Pittsburgh, Pa

27

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced

 May 15, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Paula ‘Paulette’ Harlow

Kingston, MA

75

Found Guilty Nov. 16, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentencing Scheduled for

 May 31, 2024

Heather Idoni Linden, Mich.

59

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

Sentencing Scheduled for

May 21, 2024

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. It was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of New York; and FBI Field Offices in Newark, New York City, Boston, and Detroit provided valuable assistance.

 

WASHINGTON – Michael Lomax, 58, of Washington D.C., was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for offenses committed against two victims, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Lomax pleaded guilty on January 30, 2024, to one count of armed robbery and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for the crimes committed against two separate victims. Today, Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow sentenced Lomax to serve five years’ imprisonment for each offense, for a total of 10 years, followed by five years of supervised release. 

           According to the government’s evidence, with which Lomax agreed, on November 9, 2023, at around 5:15 a.m., Lomax went to the first victim’s apartment unit in the Adams Morgan area with a woman who knew the victim. After the victim let his acquaintance and Lomax inside, Lomax pointed a firearm at the victim, robbed him, and fled the area. Approximately nine and a half hours later that same day, at around 2:50 p.m., Lomax was in the 300 block of Delafield Place NW when he got into an argument with the second victim. During that argument, Lomax fired one shot at that second victim, hitting him in the leg, before fleeing that scene.

            Police subsequently arrested Lomax on December 2, 2023, after eyewitnesses from the robbery recognized him and notified police.   

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Carlton.

WASHINGTON – Tarell Shoemaker, 21, a previously convicted felon, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for unlawfully possessing a machine gun, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Shoemaker, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty on January 10, 2024, in U.S. District Court to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon and possession of a machine gun. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Richard J. Leon ordered Shoemaker to serve three years of supervised release on completion of his prison sentence.

            According to court documents, on September 8, 2023, agents from the FBI and investigators from the MPD executed a federal search warrant at an apartment on the 3000 block of 30th Street, SE. The residence consisted of four bedrooms, and nine individuals were found inside, including Shoemaker.

            In Shoemaker’s bedroom, FBI agents discovered a Glock .40 caliber pistol inside of a Louis Vuitton bag stashed behind the bed; one box of 20-count “Fort Scott Munitions,” 40 S&W TUI ammunition on a shelf inside the bedroom closet; and a 9mm ammunition drum in the bedroom closet. The Glock pistol had an obliterated serial number and was equipped with an extended magazine containing 24 rounds of ammunition with one round in the chamber. The Glock also was equipped with a machinegun conversion device, also known as a “giggle switch” or a “Glock switch,” designed to convert the pistol into a weapon which shoots automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

            Shoemaker subsequently acknowledged that the recovered firearm was his, and that he owned the Louis Vuitton bag in which it was found. In addition, at the time Shoemaker possessed the firearm, he was aware that he previously was convicted of an offense carrying a term of imprisonment in excess of one year. That conviction was also firearm related. At the time of the arrest for the current offenses, Shoemaker was still on probation for the Maryland conviction.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Coley, with valuable assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Marin, of the Violence Reduction & Trafficking Offenses Section.

WASHINGTON – A U.S. District Court judge today sentenced three of 10 defendants who conspired to create a blockade at a Washington, D.C. reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Lauren Handy, 30, of Alexandria, Virginia, to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release. John Hinshaw, 69, of Levittown, New York, received 21 months incarceration and three years of supervised release. William Goodman, 54, of Bronx, New York, was sentenced to 27 months and three years of supervised release. All three were convicted by a jury of civil rights conspiracy and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act violations. Four additional defendants will be sentenced tomorrow and two more in the coming weeks. Another of the defendants, the only one to plead guilty, Jay Smith, 34, of Freeport, New York, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and three years of supervised release in March 2023.

            “These defendants conspired to use force to prevent fellow citizens from exercising rights protected by law,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves. “People cannot resort to using force and intimidation to prevent others from engaging in lawful activity simply because they disagree with the law. The Department was founded to protect the civil rights of our citizens and remains steadfast in this mission.”

            “Violence has no place in our national discourse on reproductive health. Using force, threatening to use force or physically obstructing access to reproductive health care is unlawful,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As we mark the 30th anniversary of the FACE Act, it’s important that we not lose sight of the history of violence against reproductive health care providers including the murder of Dr. David Gunn in Florida – tragic and horrific events that led to passage of the law. The Justice Department will continue to protect both patients seeking reproductive health services and providers of those services. We will hold accountable those who seek to interfere with access to reproductive health services in our country.”   

            “As evidenced by today’s sentencings, the FBI and our judicial system will not tolerate the obstruction of civil rights,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg. “The FBI will continue to investigate FACE Act violations in all jurisdictions, so patients and providers can exercise their right to receive or provide lawful reproductive health care without the threat of violence or intimidation.”

            As the evidence at trial showed, the defendants, engaged in a conspiracy to create a blockade at the reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services. As part of the conspiracy, Handy, Hinshaw, and Goodman, traveled to Washington, D.C. from various northeast and midwestern states, to meet with Handy and participate in a clinic blockade that was directed by Handy and was broadcast on Facebook.

            According to the evidence, Handy, Hinshaw, and Goodman – along with their co-conspirators – forcefully entered the clinic and set about blockading two clinic doors using their bodies, furniture, chains, and ropes. Once the blockade was established, their activities were live-streamed. The evidence also showed that the defendants violated the FACE Act by using a physical obstruction to injure, intimidate and interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because they were providing or obtaining reproductive health services.

DEFENDANTS

 

NAME

AGE

GUILTY OF

SENTENCE

Lauren Handy

Alexandria, VA

 

30

Found Guilty on August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act

 

Sentenced May 14, 2024, to 57 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

John Hinshaw

Levittown, NY

69

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentenced May 14, 2024, to 21 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

William Goodman Bronx, NY

54

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentenced May 14, 2024, to 27 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

Jay Smith

Freeport, NY

34

Pleaded Guilty March 1, 2023, to Violating the FACE Act

Sentenced Aug. 17, 2023, to 10 Months Incarceration and Three Years of Supervised Release

 

Jonathan Darnel Arlington, Va.

42

Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentencing Scheduled for

 May 15, 2024

 

Jean Marshall Kingston, Mass.

74

Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentencing Scheduled for

 May 15, 2024

 

Joan Bell

Montague, NJ

76

Found Guilty September 15, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentencing Scheduled for

 May 15, 2024

 

Herb Geraghty Pittsburgh, Pa

27

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentencing Scheduled for

 May 15, 2024

Paula ‘Paulette’ Harlow

Kingston, MA

75

Found Guilty Nov. 16, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentencing Scheduled for

 May 31, 2024

Heather Idoni Linden, Mich.

59

Found Guilty August 29, 2023, of Felony Conspiracy Against Civil Rights and Violating the FACE Act

 

Sentencing Scheduled for

May 21, 2024

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office. It was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of New York; and FBI Field Offices in Newark, New York City, Boston, and Detroit provided valuable assistance.

WASHINGTON – Cody Michael Tarner, 26, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for pouring gasoline over several U.S. Supreme Court Police cars on Capitol Hill and setting one ablaze, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Tarner pleaded guilty on January 9, 2024, in federal court to a charge of arson before U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth. In addition to the prison term, Judge Lamberth ordered Tarner to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution in the amount of $32,371.42.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 15, 2020, Tarner drove onto the United States Supreme Court’s property located on First Street Northeast, Washington D.C., and parked his vehicle in an employee-only parking spot. Tarner got out of his car and walked around the Supreme Court property. Tarner then returned to his car and pulled out a red gas can. At 1:48 p.m., Tarner was observed on security camera footage pouring gasoline onto three unmarked Supreme Court Police vehicles parked in Supreme Court employee-only parking spaces. The unmarked vehicles had emergency police lights visible from the outside of the vehicles, and one of the vehicles had emergency police lights on the roof of the vehicle.

            While pouring the gasoline on the vehicles, some of it splashed onto Tarner’s clothing. Tarner lit one of the vehicles on fire. The result was a violent ignition of the gasoline. Tarner was engulfed in flames resulting in severe burns and injuries to himself. The fire seriously damaged two of the police vehicles, one of which was a total loss.

            Tarner admitted to starting the fire with unleaded gas he had bought in Pennsylvania for that purpose. The investigation revealed that Tarner had several prior encounters with law enforcement in which he expressed anti-government and militia extremist ideologies. Tarner also claimed to be the leader of an identified militia group.

            This case was investigated by FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Supreme Court of the United States Police – Protective Intelligence Unit, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole and Attorney James Peterson.

WASHINGTON – Ruth Nivar, 56, and Yessica Moya, 35, both of Washington, D.C., were arrested this morning on charges related to extortion and conspiracy. The charges, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General of the District of Columbia. 

            According to the indictment, unsealed yesterday, Nivar, a former employee at the District of Columbia Department of Human Services, was charged with extorting payments from individuals applying for health care coverage from the D.C. government to process those benefits.  Starting at least as early as November 2022, Nivar introduced Moya as a co-conspirator into her extortion scheme in an apparent attempt to disguise Nivar’s receipt of payment and information from law enforcement.

            If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in prison for committing Hobbs Act extortion and five years in prison for conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act extortion.  The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Office of the Inspector General of the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Madhu Chugh, of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

24-cr-222_nivar_moya_indictment.pdf

WASHINGTON – Six members of “18th Street,” a violent international street gang, were found guilty in U.S. District Court on an array of charges that included racketeering, kidnapping, and murder.

            The convictions were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, ICE Deputy Director Russ Hott of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            A federal jury in Washington D.C. deliberated for three days before delivering the verdicts to U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. The Court published the verdicts on Friday and today. Judge McFadden scheduled sentencings for September 20; September 27; October 4; and October 11, 2024.

            The 18th Street organization engages in a variety of criminal activities throughout the United States, including in the District, Virginia, and Maryland Its activities have included acts of murder, kidnapping, assault, robbery, witness intimidation, and firearms and narcotics trafficking to fuel the gang’s violent operations. The gang is active throughout Central and South America -- particularly in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras -- and has established a presence in Europe. It uses violence to maintain control over specific geographical areas.

            This investigation began in 2019 and looked into the full breadth of criminal activity 18th Street was involved in within the greater D.C. metropolitan area. As the investigation into 18th Street’s racketeering activities progressed, it began to center on a series of murders, attempted murders, and kidnappings of suspected rivals and members suspected of disloyalty. 

              One such act was the attempted murder of C.H. on May 21, 2021. With respect to that offense, the evidence at trial showed that Jexon Madrid-Flores and another 18th Street member brandished a firearm at C.H. as the latter stopped at a convenience store in Columbia Heights that afternoon during the middle of an afternoon bike ride.  Defendant Madrid-Flores and the other gang member then followed C.H. and pulled up their vehicle alongside the victim, who was riding his bike in the bike lane. From their vehicle, the other 18th Street member discharged multiple rounds at C.H. in broad daylight, striking C.H. in the leg.  The evidence showed that Madrid-Flores believed the victim to be a member of a rival gang and had hoped for a promotion within 18th Street for attempting to murder a potential rival. 

            The investigation also entailed the July 14, 2021, murder of Carlos Ramos Martinez in a wooded area near Elkton, MD. Martinez, aka “FIRE,” was a member of a rival faction of 18th Street called the Revolucionarios and was believed to be recruiting members away from the  LCB clique. According to the seven-count superseding indictment, Jose Santos Alvarado-Velasquez and Gerlin Neptali Diaz-Lopez killed Ramos Martinez. Carlos Rolando Martinez-Mora and Jose Anselmo Ibarra-Cristales participated in planning and facilitating the slaying, respectively. Alvarado-Velasquez, Diaz-Lopez, and Ibarra-Cristales were in the U.S. illegally at the time.

            The investigation also involved a second murder committed in Rockville, MD, on December 19, 2021. According to the superseding indictment, Rolando Martinez-Mora planned and ordered the killing of a suspected member of MS13, Danis Alcides Salgado Mata.  As a result, Mata was shot and killed on the heels of his mother’s wedding celebration.  Mata’s mother and stepfather were also shot but survived their injuries.

            A dozen members of 18th Street were arrested and charged in the conspiracy. The first trial against six of the defendants commenced on April 10, 2024, and concluded last week. A second group of 18th Street gang members will be tried in July 2024.

        According to the indictment, members of 18th Street are required to commit acts of violence to further the interests of the gang. These violent acts are often directed against rival gang members, 18th Street members who violate gang rules or otherwise disrespect the gang, and persons who are suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. Additionally, 18th Street members sell and transport narcotics, weapons, and other contraband to generate money to support the gang and its criminal activities. Some of the proceeds of this criminal activity are wired to members of the gang’s leadership in other countries. 18th Street members control geographical areas and use violence to maintain their control.

            18th Street – a gang founded in Los Angeles that now includes up to 50,000 members – is organized into “cliques,” or smaller groups operating within specific cities or regions that all operate under the umbrella rules of 18th Street to include the following: the Tiny Locos Sureños (TLS), Los Crazy Brothers (LCB), and the Revolucionarios.

           This prosecution 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 was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement Removal Operations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department. The District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the Montgomery County, Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office provided valuable assistance.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jack Korba, Will Hart, and Sitara Witanachchi. Valuable assistance was provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilead Light and Christopher Marin.      

18th STREET DEFENDANTS

 

NAME

AGE

AKA

CLIQUE

CONVICTED OF

Jose Santos Alvarado-Velasquez,

Takoma Park, MD

 

 

22

 

“Vago”

 

Los Crazy Brothers

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO)  -Conspiracy; Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR)- Murder; Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping Resulting in Death; Kidnapping Resulting in Death; Discharge of a Firearm – Crime of Violence; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm – Illegal Alien

Gerlin Neptali Diaz-Lopez

Washington, D.C.

22

“Sicario”

Tiny Locos Sureños

RICO-Conspiracy; VICAR-Murder; Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping Resulting in Death; Kidnapping Resulting in Death; Discharge of Firearm – Crime of Violence; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm – Illegal Alien

Jose Anselmo Ibarra-Cristales

Beltsville, MD

23

“Chemo”

Los Crazy Brothers

RICO-Conspiracy, VICAR-Murder; Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping Resulting in Death;

Carlos Rolando Martinez-Mora

Hyattsville, MD

24

“Crosty”

Los Crazy Brothers

RICO-Conspiracy; VICAR-Murder x2; Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping Resulting in Death; Kidnapping Resulting in Death

Bradley Andree Martinez-Mora

Hyattsville, MD

21

“Joker”

Los Crazy Brothers

RICO-Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping Resulting in Death

Jexon Madrid-Flores

Boston, MA

22

“Spooky”

Tiny Locos Sureños

RICO-Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping Resulting in Death

VICAR-Attempted Murder;

VICAR-ADW; Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence; Discharging a Firearm During a Crime of Violence; Aggravated Assault while Armed

 

WASHINGTON – Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, of St. Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty today in an attempted attack on the White House, on May 22, 2023, that included driving a U-Haul truck into the fence surrounding the building.  Kandula pleaded guilty to a charge of willful injury or depredation of property of the United States.

            The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stohler of the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, Chief Jessica M. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled sentencing for August 23, 2024.. Kandula is an Indian national who was born in Chandanagar, India. At the time of the incident, he was a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. with a green card.

            According to court documents, Kandula flew on a commercial flight from St. Louis, Missouri, to Washington D.C. in the afternoon of May 22, 2023, connecting through another airport on a one-way airline ticket. Kandula arrived at Dulles International Airport about 5:20 p.m., and rented a truck at 6:30 p.m. He stopped for food and gas, and then drove to Washington, D.C., where he crashed into the barriers protecting White House and President’s Park at 9:35 p.m. at the intersection of H Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest. Kandula drove onto the sidewalk, sending pedestrians running from the scene. After striking the barriers, the truck backed up in reverse, then lurched forward, striking the metal barriers a second time. The second impact disabled the truck which began smoking from the engine compartment and leaking fluids.

            Kandula next exited the vehicle and went to the back of the truck. From a backpack he removed a flag, a three-by-five foot red-and-white banner with a Nazi Swastika in the center, and brandished it. U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service officers arrested Kandula at the scene and took him into custody.

            According to the plea agreement, at the time Kandula crashed the truck into the White House perimeter, he was attempting to gain access to the White House to seize political power. Kandula’s intent was to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship fueled by ideology of Nazi Germany and for himself to be put in charge of the United States. Kandula admitted to investigators that he would have arranged for the killing of the U.S. President and others if necessary to achieve his objective. His actions were calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion.

            Kandula’s actions caused $4,322 in damage to the National Park Service and over $50,000 in damage to U-Haul International. This amount included costs for repairing the metal bollard barriers to their original condition and ensuring structural soundness, oil and chemical removal, spill cleanup, and disposal of fluids from the crashed U-Haul, and the cost of the destroyed U-Haul truck.

            Kandula planned the attack for several weeks. Prior to renting the truck and crashing it on White House grounds, he made several attempts to gain access to vehicles or armed security guards. For example, on April 22, 2023, Kandula requested 25 armed guards and an armored convoy from a security company located in Virginia. On May 4, 2023, Kandula attempted to contact several other companies in  an attempt to rent a large commercial tractor-trailer truck, a dump truck, or another large truck. Kandula was unsuccessful in arraigning for security guards or a tractor-trailer truck or dump truck. Kandula had attempted to arrange for the services of these security guards and the use of large vehicles in order to carry out his offense against the U.S. Government.

            This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, the U.S. Park Police, and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider.

 

 

WASHINGTON – A South Dakota man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Darrell Goins, 42, of Newell, South Dakota, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with six felony offenses, including civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; and entering and remaining, disorderly or disruptive conduct, and act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds using a dangerous weapon.

In addition to the felonies, Goins is charged with two misdemeanor offenses of disorderly or disruptive conduct and act of physical violence in a Capitol building or grounds and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.

The FBI arrested Goins on May 9, 2024, in South Dakota, and he made his initial appearance in the District of South Dakota today.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Goins was part of the crowd gathered on the Capitol’s West Plaza, standing directly in front of a line of the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers that had formed to protect the building. While there, open-source video footage depicts Goins raising his fist in the air and cheering to the crowd of rioters. At approximately 1:50 p.m., rioters began to breach the police line protecting a staircase located at the north end of the West Plaza. Goins proceeded to join the crowd in pushing forward up the stairs and, before entering the stairway, Goins allegedly threw what appears to be a full, approximately 20-ounce plastic soft-drink bottle in the direction of a USCP officer.

After throwing the bottle, Goins moved with the crowd up the northwest stairs before again confronting a police line attempting to halt the crowd’s movement. Here, Goins physically engaged with several USCP officers while attempting to break through their lines. During this confrontation with police, Goins made it to the top landing of the stairway that police were protecting. Eventually, however, USCP officers were able to wrestle Goins to the ground and bring him to a seated position on the stairs.

Court documents say that the rest of the mob advanced to the top landing of the stairs, and Goins returned to his feet and remained directly in front of the police line. At some point in the subsequent minutes, Goins obtained a USCP officer’s riot shield and passed it off to another rioter. Eventually, other rioters succeeded in breaking through the police line and began surging up the remaining stairs at approximately 2:09 p.m. Less than a minute later, Goins joined the crowd and advanced up the stairs and to the Capitol’s Upper West Terrace.

From the Upper West Terrace, Goins allegedly entered the Capitol building via the Senate Wing Door at 2:14 p.m.— one minute after the initial breach of the Capitol building at this entrance. Once inside, Goins moved further into the building and arrived at the foyer just inside the Senate Carriage Door. At that time, USCP officers were working to clear the building by moving rioters out through the Senate Carriage Door.  Despite efforts by the police to move the crowd out through the Senate Carriage Door, Goins remained inside the Capitol building. He positioned himself just to the side of the door’s interior while other rioters outside the door attempted to gain entry.

Goins later returned to the area inside the Senate Wing Door and exited the building at approximately 2:30 p.m.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Birmingham, Minneapolis, and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 40 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,424 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law

WASHINGTON – Azriel Ethan Echavarria, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 192 months in prison for committing a string of armed carjackings and violent armed robberies with two co-defendants in the District and Suburban Maryland during 2022.

            The sentencing was announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police (MPD); ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Washington Division, Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division, Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County, Md., Police Department, and Chief Marcus G. Jones, of the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department.

            Echavarria pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on January 26, 2024, to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce, also known as a Hobbs Act robbery; conspiracy to commit carjacking; and armed robbery. In addition to the 16-year prison term, the Honorable Beryl A. Howell, ordered Echavarria to serve 60 months of supervised release.

            According to court documents, Echavarria admitted to personally participating in the armed robberies of six individuals, five businesses and/or their employees, and two armed carjackings during the first three months of 2022.

            One of Echavarria’s co-conspirators, Tyrell Jordan Stewart, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 15 years in prison on January 12, 2024, after pleading guilty in the same spree of carjackings and violent armed robberies.

            According to the government’s evidence, Echavarria and his co-defendants are members of the Kennedy Street Crew or KDY, a violent street gang that operates in the Kennedy Street neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. KDY is among the largest crews in the District based on both territory and its vast membership.

            The prosecutions of Echavarria and his co-conspirators are part of an ongoing coordinated law enforcement investigation into the Kennedy Street Crew, also known as “KDY.” The multi-year investigation reflects the efforts of nearly every federal law enforcement agency in the District of Columbia, along with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Division.

            The above efforts are 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.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department and the Prince George’s County, Md., Police Department, and ATF’s Washington Field Division.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Coley of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was also provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lynch.

WASHINGTON – Joseph Ruben Baer, 20, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was taken into custody today following an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the indictment, unsealed today, on April 18, 2024, Baer distributed video files depicting the sexual exploitation of minor boys via a social media communication application.

            In early 2024, a member of the FBI–MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force was monitoring an online application in an undercover capacity. Law enforcement has come to learn that the application is used by some individuals who have a sexual interest in children. The undercover agent encountered Baer, who sent a message believing he was communicating with a pedophile. Baer expressed an interest in the sexual exploitation of prepubescent boys and later sent the undercover agent two video files via a social media communication application. Those video files depicted Baer masturbating while watching child pornography on a laptop computer. On April 25, 2024, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Baer with one count of distribution of child pornography. The case is assigned to the Honorable Loren L. AliKhan.  

            Earlier today, law enforcement executed a search warrant at two residences connected to Baer in Silver Spring, Maryland, and arrested him in the District of Columbia. Baer made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and has been ordered held without bond pending trial.

            Distribution of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a statutory maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment. 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 Guideline and other statutory factors.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and MPD’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the U.S. Marshals Service.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            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.

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

            WASHINGTON –Damion Brown, 33, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury on ten felony charges, including first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree child sexual abuse, for sexually abusing the 13-year-old daughter of his long-time girlfriend in February of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The verdict was returned on May 7, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Anthony Epstein scheduled sentencing for July 12, 2024. Brown faces a maximum sentence 36 years in prison for the crimes.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 24, 2023, the 13-year-old victim was home alone with the defendant, who was the victim’s mother’s live-in boyfriend. While the victim was changing clothes, the defendant came into her room and began hugging and kissing her and pushed her onto her bed. The defendant performed a number of sexual acts on the child, then left the room laughing. The victim immediately left the apartment and reported to her aunt, who called the police. The defendant was still in the apartment when police arrived.

            Subsequent DNA testing determined that the defendant could not be excluded from the positive results of DNA found on the victim after the abuse.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case was prosecuted by the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Sarah Folse and Robert Platt.

WASHINGTON – Earl Isaac III, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 90 months in prison in connection with possessing a Glock firearm with a machine gun conversion device, narcotics trafficking, and related counts, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Isaac, 21, also known as “Frontline,” pleaded guilty on January 9, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to four counts: (1) unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; (2) unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana; (3) unlawful possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and (4) using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. In addition to the prison term, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ordered Isaac to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, police executed a search warrant at a residence on Stanton Road SE on June 1, 2023. Under a bathroom sink, police found a .40 caliber Glock firearm, outfitted with a machine gun conversion device, and loaded with a high-capacity magazine that contained 21 rounds of ammunition. Police also found more than 100 small, round, blue pills inscribed with “M30” throughout the premises that were determined to contain fentanyl; 2.68 kilos of marijuana; and $2,020 in cash in the front left pocket of Isaac’s jeans.

            Isaac previously was convicted in 2022 for carrying a pistol without a license and sentenced to a 14-month suspended prison term under the Youth Rehabilitation Act with a one-year probationary term in D.C. Superior Court, which was later revoked.

            Isaac’s social media account showed that Isaac advertised marijuana for sale, sold marijuana and fentanyl, and posed with marijuana and the money he had earned from drug sales.

            The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with valuable assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Coley and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Sellinger. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Leiter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi.

WASHINGTON – Collin Edwards, 29, of Largo, Maryland, was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for leading a group involved in manufacturing counterfeit oxycodone pills mixed with fentanyl and for using stolen personal identifying information (PII) to file fraudulent unemployment insurance claims that netted more than $250,000, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division; and Special Agent in Charge of the National Capital Region Troy W. Springer, of the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General.

            Edwards, also known as “Chills,” pleaded guilty on November 9, 2023, in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to a felony charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 or more grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine. Edwards admitted that he, and the members of his conspiracy, were accountable for producing and distributing at least 1.2 kilograms of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Edwards also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.

            In addition to the 14-year in prison term, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Edwards to serve five years of supervised release. Edwards previously agreed to forfeit $100,000.

            According to court documents, this case began with the June 21, 2021, discovery of a make-shift drug lab in in Laurel, Maryland. In August 2021, law enforcement began investigating Edwards and others and learned that the group was running a fentanyl pill pressing operation in and around Washington, D.C., and Maryland, renting apartments with stolen identities, for the purpose of manufacturing and distributing these counterfeit pills. Edwards and six others were identified as participants in the drug trafficking operation.

            Law enforcement identified another apartment Edwards and the group were renting in a fictitious identify, this time, a high-end luxury apartment located in the Navy Yard area of Washington, D.C. On Mar. 29, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at the apartment with Edwards present and seized baggies of pills and loose powder, together amounting to more than 516 pills and more than 76 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. 

            During the search of the apartment, authorities seized Edwards’ cellphone. The phone contained countless text message conversations with other drug traffickers discussing pill sales in the hundreds and thousands. On May 15, 2020, for example, Edwards wrote to an unknown contact, “I’m over here counting out 5000 pills bro. Hold on.” Edwards wrote co-conspirators on a regular basis to discuss the strength of the pills, the supply, and pricing. He also openly discussed moving an industrial pill press from the Laurel apartment to his girlfriend’s father’s home in Annapolis, Maryland following the discovery of the drug processing lab in Laurel.

            The FBI also located troves of text messages between Edwards and others laying out a scheme to commit wire fraud involving unemployment insurance fraud. Edwards obtained database documents containing personal identifying information (PII) for hundreds of victims. The documents contained birthdates, social security numbers, home addresses, e-mail addresses, and past phone numbers. Edwards used this stolen PII to apply online for unemployment insurance benefits in victims’ names. Edwards caused pre-loaded debit cards in victim names to be sent to the homes of his associates and family members. He then retrieved the cards and withdrew funds at ATM locations around the DMV area. Edwards admitted that he and other co-conspirators illegally netted at least $250,000 through the scheme. Most victims had no knowledge that their identity had been used to apply for unemployment benefits.

            Edwards was arrested in downtown Baltimore on October 20, 2022, a month after evading capture following a high-speed car chase.

            Edwards has multiple prior convictions for drug offenses and armed robbery. According to court documents, one prior conviction stemmed from a gun-point robbery where Edwards and a co-conspirator threatened to blow a victim’s head off in his own apartment. Edwards was on supervision for that offense while committing the crimes in this case.

            Edwards is the last defendant to be sentenced in this investigation.

• On June 23, 2023, Chase Cole was sentenced to twelve months and one day of incarceration
• On October 13, 2023, Garnell Lucas was sentenced to 72 months of incarceration.
• On December 15, 2023, Tyron Waters was sentenced to 70 months of incarceration.
• On January 12, 2024, Laura Garvin was sentenced to 24 months of incarceration.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section with the assistance of former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah J. Rasalam and Marnee Rand of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section.

WASHINGTON – Earl Britt, 60, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for burglarizing the W.S. Jenks & Sons Hardware store on February 12, 2024. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Britt pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree burglary in March 7, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 12, 2024, at approximately 9:05 p.m., MPD officers responded to the report of a burglary at the W.S. Jenks & Sons Hardware store located at 910 Bladensburg Rd, NE. When officers arrived, they observed that the front glass window pane of the store had been shattered. A man walking his dog in the area at the time of the break-in reported seeing a man break the window to the store and gave a description of the man to the officers. The store manager, who had received an alert on his phone when Britt broke into the store, was able to provide footage from the surveillance video to law enforcement. Surveillance video from the store showed a man, matching Britt’s description, destroying the store’s glass windowpane with a cinder block and crawling inside of the broken window into the store. The video further captured the defendant jump behind the counter where the register is located and begin to open and search the register drawers for cash. A short time later, Britt is seen leaving the store through the same broken window where he entered and fled on foot along Bladensburg Rd NE.

            Britt was apprehended a short time later, after officers were able to match his description with the surveillance video and eyewitness account.

            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. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Lindsey Miller, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Saki Frost, 17, of Washington, D.C., was charged by complaint yesterday as an adult in D.C. Superior Court on the charges of assault with intent to murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed, stemming from a shooting that occurred on May 3, 2024, near Dunbar High School. Frost’s codefendant, Azhari Graves, 18, was charged on May 4, 2024, with assault with intent to kill while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon.  Both defendants have also been charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.  Both defendants are held without bond pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 28, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 3, 2024, at approximately 9:53 am, Graves and Frost opened fire on a sedan that was driving down Kirby Street NW, near Dunbar High School. A witness to the shooting reported hearing machine gun fire. Surveillance video captures Frost and Graves running down an alleyway holding firearms prior to the shooting.  Surveillance video also captures the shooting, in which an individual appearing to be Frost fires a gun toward the sedan.  Surveillance footage also captures Graves after the shooting holding a firearm with the slide locked to the rear of the weapon, indicating that the weapon had been fired. Graves and Frost then fled the area in a vehicle. Later that day, MPD officers located the defendants’ vehicle and arrested Graves and Frost. Investigators recovered a total of 29 shell casings from the scene of the shooting and numerous fragments from the exterior of Dunbar High School as well as classrooms inside the school.  Investigators also observed at least six bullet strikes to the N Street side of Dunbar. During the shooting, one Dunbar student suffered a graze wound to the head from the gunfire. 

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand of the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            WASHINGTON –Marcus Walker, 23, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder while armed and other charges in the shooting of Erik King in the early hours of October 11, 2022, inside an apartment in Northeast Washington, D.C. announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Walker was also found guilty of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon of an adult female and six-year-old child who were in the room with Mr. King during the shooting, as well as second degree cruelty to children, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. The verdict was returned on May 7, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert Okun scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2024.  

            According to the government’s evidence, Walker was living in the living room of his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. Early in the morning of October 11, 2022, the defendant became upset that his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, Erik King, were engaged in sexual relations in the bedroom of the apartment. Walker sent his ex-girlfriend aggressive text messages about the subject for approximately an hour.  He then burst in through the locked bedroom door and told the two to stop having sex. When they did not, the defendant shot Mr. King twice—once in the chest and another in the scrotum.  Mr. King died on scene.  A six-year-old child was also present in the bedroom when the shots were fired. 

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Galloway and Alec Levy.

WASHINGTON – Ronald Hinkle, 46, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 72 months in prison for possessing multiple illegal firearms as he distributed cocaine, cocaine base, and heroin in the District. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Hinkle, aka “Ronald Archer,” pleaded guilty on August 2, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. In sentencing Hinkle, Judge Kollar-Kotelly also ordered five years of supervised release and community service.

            According to court documents, law enforcement officers arrested Hinkle on February 21, 2018, on the 2500 block of R Street SE after Hinkle entered a rental car. The agents recovered 84 grams of crack cocaine in plastic bags from Hinkle’s waistband and an additional eight grams of cocaine and 30 grams of heroin from the car. Agents obtained a warrant and searched Hinkle’s nearby one-bedroom apartment where they recovered several kilograms of cocaine, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of contraband, and three firearms. The firearms, which included two pistols – a Ruger and a Glock – were later tested at FBI forensic labs and found to be linked to Hinkle through his DNA.

            This investigation was 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 was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the DEA, and MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron Tepfer and Thomas Strong.

WASHINGTON – Jordan Tyler Alexander, 20, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm that was discovered after he fled from police in a stolen car and crashed it following a high-speed chase. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Alexander pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on February 13 to a count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a felony. Alexander is also facing trial for armed robbery and weapons counts in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

            In addition to the 46-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Leon ordered Alexander to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, a Prince George’s County police officer was on patrol at 2 a.m. on August 9, 2023, when he watched a white Honda Accord pull into the parking lot of a convenience store in Suitland, MD, and then immediately leave. The officer suspected that the vehicle drove away after spotting his marked police cruiser. The police officer later saw the Honda pull into the parking lot of a tobacco store. The officer ran the vehicle’s license plate number and learned the car had been stolen in an armed robbery on July 24, 2023, in Southeast Washington, D.C.

            The officer followed the Honda and witnessed it run a red light. The officer switched on his flashers and siren. The Honda sped off. The officer received authorization to pursue the Honda and followed it into the District at speeds that reached 100 m.p.h. before it crashed into a guardrail at I-295 Northbound near the exit for Minnesota Ave., NE.

            Alexander jumped out of the driver’s side door and ran down I-295 as cars drove past him. An unidentified individual jumped out of the front passenger side of the vehicle. A law enforcement officer caught up to the fleeing Alexander and maneuvered in front of him. Alexander subsequently surrendered.

            Inside the crashed white Honda investigators discovered a Glock 27, 40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine on the driver’s side floorboard. Next to the firearm was a cell phone. On the front passenger seat, there was an additional black Glock 22, 47 caliber pistol. The Glock on the floorboard was loaded with 17 bullets and had one in the chamber.

            This case was investigated by the Prince George’s County Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and the Metropolitan Police Department as part of Project Safe Neighborhood

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar with valuable help provided by paralegal Karla Nunez.

WASHINGTON – Rashaud Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a Superior Court jury of assault with a dangerous weapon (firearm) and related charges following a trial before the Honorable Errol Arthur, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The jury also found Williams guilty of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and threatening to injure or kidnap a person. The verdict was returned on May 3, 2024. Judge Arthur scheduled sentencing for June 28, 2024. Williams faces a five-year mandatory minimum term of incarceration for these crimes.

            According to the government’s evidence, Williams brought his car into a Petworth area auto shop for repairs on August 1, 2023. 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. A short time later, Williams went to the auto shop and threatened 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.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Emmanuel Hampton, Erica Rudolf, and Kathryn Bartz.

WASHINGTON - Andre Hicks, 40, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was sentenced today for the murder of Daniel Adams in November 2023 in Northeast Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo sentenced Hicks to 25 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. 

            According to the government’s evidence, around 9:10 p.m. on November 25, 2023, Hicks approached 1705 Benning Road Northeast, Washington, D.C., on foot. Several people were standing inside and immediately out front of that address. The victim, Daniel Adams, was one of the people standing out front. After walking up to the address and going up its front stairs, the defendant stood for a moment by the front door, looking back in the direction of Mr. Adams.  The defendant then pulled a gun out of his pants and held it to his side, away from and out of view of the victim. With the gun out, the defendant started to slowly walk back down the steps in front of that building toward where the victim was standing. Once the defendant had come within a few feet of the victim, he drew his gun up, pointed it at the victim, and started firing repeatedly.  Hicks continued to fire at Mr. Adams as Mr. Adams ran away. Hicks then fled the scene. Mr. Adams was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds and died the next day. 

            In announcing the sentence U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Alec Levy.

WASHINGTON – Lawrance Arnold, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for shooting a civilian in the Logan Circle Area of Northwest Washington DC, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Mr. Arnold pleaded guilty to Armed Robbery in January 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Michael Ryan.  

           According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of November 25, 2023, Arnold broke into the victim’s apartment in the 14th & U Street area of Northwest Washington DC. The victim woke at approximately 7:20 am and found Arnold in his apartment, taking his clothing. The victim confronted Arnold and tried to take back his property. During that altercation, which spilled into the hallway outside the apartment, Arnold pulled a gun, shot the victim in the neck, and ran.

           Bleeding from the neck, the victim walked to the corner of 14th an V Street Northwest, and flagged down a police officer. Arnold was able to provide a detailed description of his assailant, which police used to apprehend Arnold several blocks away. The victim subsequently identified Arnold as his assailant. Investigators also linked the firearm used in this case to another case, in which Arnold was captured by surveillance footage after discharging a firearm.

           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 Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy. 

           Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emmanuel Hampton, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON –Isaiah Green, 19, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of robbery while armed, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On May 2, 2024, Isaiah Green pleaded guilty before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Judge Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for July 5, 2024.

            According to the evidence, with which the defendant agreed, he robbed two victims, D.H. on August 19, 2023, and E.C. on December 3, 2023 at gunpoint.

            In the days leading up to the August 19, 2023, robbery, D.H. had seen a Stihl brand saw advertised for sale on Facebook Marketplace. D.H. contacted the purported seller and arranged to meet him in the 5100 block of B Street SE to buy the saw. When D.H. arrived, Green and an accomplice immediately grabbed D.H. and robbed him at gunpoint, taking his cell phone, wallet, credit and debit cards, and checks totaling $1500. A citizen came to D.H.’s aide after the robbery and called 911.

            In the days leading up to the December 3, 2023, robbery, E.C. had also seen an item advertised on Facebook Marketplace, a Hilti Laser, and contacted the purported seller to arrange to buy it. E.C. agreed to meet the seller in the 3600 block of Highwood Drive SE. E.C. drove with his wife to that location, where a man then got out of his car with a box E.C. believed contained the laser. As E.C. got of his car to inspect the laser, two assailants approached him, held him at gunpoint, and robbed him of his wallet, containing cash and bank cards, and an iPhone 13. The gunmen then pointed their guns at E.C.’s wife and rifled through the center console of the car, taking additional cash and a card. All three men then drove off together.

            Working in tandem with Prince George’s County Police, MPD Detectives obtained evidence from Facebook about the accounts used to set up these and other crimes, and used that information to identify Green. Police obtained a search warrant for his residence, which they executed on December 21, 2023. During that search, police found a phone on Green’s bed that was linked to the Facebook account used in the robbery of D.H, E.C.’s wallet, credit cards and identification card on a dresser in the same room, and the Hilti laser and box used to lure E.C. from his car.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and has been prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Elizabeth Van Haasteren.

 

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, Calvin Miler, 25, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on February 2, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            Miler will be arraigned on May 20, 2024 before a Superior Court judge.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 2, 2024, Miler went inside the CVS store located in Southwest Washington D.C. and took store merchandise for sale from the shelves. He then walked out of the CVS store without paying for the items. Miler was arrested after investigation by members of the Metropolitan Police Department.    

            Miler has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.

            Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 42 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Yee Yee Myint.

            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. 

miler_indictment_redacted.pdf

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, Ernest McEachin, 39, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on onecount of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on February 23, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            McEachin will be arraigned on May 20, 2024 before a Superior Court judge.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 23, 2024, McEachin went inside the CVS store located in Southwest Washington D.C. and took store merchandise for sale from the shelves. McEachin then walked out of the CVS store without paying for the items. McEachin was arrested after investigation by members of the Metropolitan Police Department.    

            McEachin has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.

            Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 42 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.

            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 Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika Norman.

            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. 

mceachin_indictment_redacted.pdf

WASHINGTON - Carson Posey, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for second degree murder while armed related to the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Shantal Hill, on April 15, 2020, in front of the Tyler House Apartments on the south side of 1200 North Capitol Street, Northwest. The sentencing was announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Posey pleaded guilty, on September 29, 2023, to one count of second-degree murder while armed. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe also ordered Posey to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on April 15, 2020, Posey and Hill walked out of the front of the apartment building following what appeared to be a heated argument involving a third person. Posey shot Hill, his ex-girlfriend, nine times in the legs, buttocks, and chest and fled the area. Hill identified her assailant to responding police officers while aid was being provided on the scene. Hill also stated, “I [am] a single mother and I can’t die.” She died shortly after midnight on April 16, 2020.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division, Homicide Branch, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Delonta Stevenson, 29, and Vorreze Thomas Jr., 26, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today for the murder of Terrance Allen, 32, in Southeast Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Delonta Stevenson was sentenced to 85 years in prison by D.C. Superior Court Judge Marisa J. Demeo after being found guilty on February 1, 2024 of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and related firearms offenses.

            Vorreze Thomas Jr. was sentenced to 53 years in prison by D.C. Superior Court Judge Marisa J. Demeo after being found guilty on February 1, 2024 of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, first-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and related firearms offenses. Thomas was found guilty under an aiding and abetting theory.

            According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on the morning of January 18, 2021, Stevenson and Thomas’ vehicle intercepted a vehicle driven by Mr. Allen as it was leaving the Stanton Glen Apartments. Stevenson fired thirty-four shots with a rifle, while sitting in the front passenger’s seat, into the back of Mr. Allen’s vehicle. As a result, the victim was killed and two other passengers in Mr. Allen’s car were wounded. Mr. Allen was not the intended target; rather, Stevenson and Thomas were attempting to kill one of the other men in the car with Mr. Allen with whom they had a dispute.

            Following the shooting, Stevenson and Thomas attempted to flee the scene in Thomas’ vehicle. A nearby MPD officer heard the shooting, observed the men fleeing the scene and was given authorization to pursue. Stevenson and Thomas eventually crashed their vehicle at the intersection of 29th and Erie Street SE and successfully fled on foot. Both men were arrested on February 17, 2021.

            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 Homicide Branch. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, Lead Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity, Paralegal Specialists Mabry Johnson, Lashone Samuels, and Stephanie Gilbert, Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling, IT Specialist Charlie Bruce, Supervisory Victim-Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Victim/Witness Services Coordinators Shanika McCullough and Maenylie Watson, Victim Assistance Specialist Christina Bloodworth, Supervisory Security Specialist Lesley Slade, and Security Specialist Robert Cephas.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Korba who investigated and indicted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miles Janssen and Zach Horton who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Frederick Powell, 29, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury of unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction) and other charges after attempting to hide his pistol inside the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission building following a Friday-night vehicular flight from police through the H-Street corridor on September 15, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Powell also was found guilty of carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, as well as felony fleeing from law enforcement and reckless driving. The verdict was returned on April 30, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld scheduled sentencing for July 12, 2024. Powell faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

             According to the government’s evidence, on September 15, 2023, at approximately 9:40 p.m., Powell was driving an unregistered vehicle in the 800 block of K Street. When MPD officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Powell fled at high speed, running red lights and stop signs, even though traffic was heavy and many pedestrians, enjoying the district’s night life, were around.

            An MPD officer later spotted Powell’s vehicle parked outside the entrance to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission building. As officers approached, Powell entered the building, and once out of view of officers, took a .45 caliber pistol from his waistband and discreetly placed it on the floor. The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and nine rounds in the magazine. The serial number on the firearm had been obliterated, making it difficult to trace. Luckily, Powell’s actions were captured on the building’s surveillance system.

            Powell had previously been convicted of two counts of robbery and one count of conspiracy in 2017 and was on supervision for a 2021 conviction for unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction).

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Hahn Air Lines GmbH, a privately owned company based in Germany, and its Minneapolis-based subsidiary Hahn Air USA Inc. (collectively Hahn Air) have agreed to pay $26.8 million to resolve allegations that Hahn Air violated the False Claims Act by knowingly failing to remit to the United States certain travel fees that Hahn Air collected from commercial airline passengers flying into or within the United States.

Hahn Air Lines GmbH operates as a commercial travel company whose primary business includes offering an electronic ticketing database that allows travel agencies worldwide to issue airline passenger tickets for travel on airlines based on agreements that Hahn Air Lines GmbH has with numerous commercial airlines located around the world. Pursuant to its business model, Hahn Air Lines GmbH collects certain mandatory travel fees, including certain passenger fees that are owed to the United States.

The settlement resolves allegations that, from 2012 to 2018, Hahn Air allegedly knowingly and improperly avoided paying to the United States certain travel fees that Hahn Air had collected from airline passengers purchasing Hahn Air tickets. These included Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection User Fees owed to the Department of Agriculture (USDA); Customs User Fees and Immigration User Fees owed to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fees owed to the Transportation Security Administration. 

“Companies that benefit from air travel in the United States must pay their fair share of the costs associated with that such travel,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates that we will protect the taxpayers by ensuring that those who are obligated to pay money to the United States, whether in the form of travel fees or other types of payments, are held accountable for what they owe.”

“Companies cannot pocket, for their own benefit, government taxes and fees that they collect from their customers,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “This settlement shows that companies that intentionally do so will face stiff penalties.”

“I appreciate the continued partnership with the Justice Department’s Civil Division and our other law enforcement partners,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). “Today’s multimillion dollar settlement is a result of our collective efforts and demonstrates that the United States holds corporations accountable when they fail to comply with the law.”

“Participation in Government travel business programs is a privilege and should not involve actors who seek to circumvent paying travel costs to the U.S. Government,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG). “Thanks to the hard work and tireless efforts of the investigative team, the interests and integrity of the United States and the business process throughout Government continue to be protected. The USDA Office of Inspector General appreciates the commitment of the Department of Justice and the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners. Our resources are well utilized when we work together to investigate those who intend to defraud the U.S. Government. This resolution demonstrates that we are committed to holding businesses accountable when they choose to abuse the integrity of vital government programs.”

The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. MGSNOVA Advisory, LLC v. Hahn Air, Inc. et al, No. 1:15‐cv‐02184 (D.D.C.). As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblower will receive a total of approximately $4.8 million.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from the Offices of Inspector General for the DHS and USDA.

Trial Attorney Richard W. Hagner of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darrell Valdez for the District of Columbia handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

Settlement

WASHINGTON – Hahn Air Lines GmbH, a privately owned company based in Germany, and its Minneapolis-based subsidiary Hahn Air USA, Inc. (collectively, “Hahn Air”) have agreed to pay $26.8 million to resolve allegations that Hahn Air violated the False Claims Act by knowingly failing to remit to the United States certain travel fees that Hahn Air collected from commercial airline passengers flying into or within the United States. 

          The settlement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari for the Department of Homeland Security, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker for USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

          Hahn Air Lines GmbH operates as a commercial travel company whose primary business includes offering an electronic ticketing database that allows travel agencies worldwide to issue airline passenger tickets for travel on airlines based on agreements that Hahn Air Lines GmbH has with numerous commercial airlines located around the world.  Pursuant to its business model, Hahn Air Lines GmbH collects certain mandatory travel fees, including certain passenger fees that are owed to the United States. 

          The settlement resolves allegations that, from 2012 to 2018, Hahn Air allegedly knowingly and improperly avoided paying to the United States certain travel fees that Hahn Air had collected from airline passengers purchasing Hahn Air tickets.  These included Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection User Fees owed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA); Customs User Fees and Immigration User Fees owed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and Passenger Civil Aviation Security Service Fees owed to the Transportation Security Administration.   

          “Companies cannot pocket, for their own benefit, government taxes and fees that they collect from their customers,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves. “This settlement shows that companies that intentionally do so will face stiff penalties.”

          “Companies that benefit from air travel in the United States must pay their fair share of the costs associated with that such travel,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement demonstrates that we will protect the taxpayers by ensuring that those who are obligated to pay money to the United States, whether in the form of travel fees or other types of payments, are held accountable for what they owe."

          “I appreciate the continued partnership with the Justice Department’s Civil Division and our other law enforcement partners,” said Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari for the Department of Homeland Security. “Today’s multimillion dollar settlement is a result of our collective efforts and demonstrates that the United States holds corporations accountable when they fail to comply with the law.”

          “Participation in Government travel business programs is a privilege and should not involve actors who seek to circumvent paying travel costs to the U.S. Government,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker for USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).  “Thanks to the hard work and tireless efforts of the investigative team, the interests and integrity of the United States and the business process throughout Government continue to be protected. The USDA Office of Inspector General appreciates the commitment of the Department of Justice and the cooperative efforts of our law enforcement partners. Our resources are well utilized when we work together to investigate those who intend to defraud the U.S. Government. This resolution demonstrates that we are committed to holding businesses accountable when they choose to abuse the integrity of vital government programs.”

          The settlement resolved a lawsuit filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery.  The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. MGSNOVA Advisory, LLC v. Hahn Air, Inc. et al, No. 1:15‐cv‐02184 (D.D.C.).  As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblower will receive a total of approximately $4.8 million. 

          The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from the Offices of Inspector General for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Agriculture.  

          The matter was handled by Trial Attorney Richard W. Hagner of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darrell Valdez for the District of Columbia.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, Kenneth Collins, 37, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on January 17, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            Collins is to be arraigned on May 22 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.

            According to the government’s evidence, on January 17, 2024, Collins took merchandise without paying from the CVS store in Southeast, Washington, D.C. He was located and arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.  

            Collins has two or more prior theft convictions, though not from the same occasion, and therefore is subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail for each count of theft for which he is indicted.

            Since September 1, 2023, including the aforementioned case, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has indicted 42 cases involving a felony second-degree theft charge based on a defendant’s two or more prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion.

            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 U.S. Attorney Anne Cotter.

            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.

WASHINGTON – Eric Davis, 60, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury of first-degree murder while armed for the July 2021 shooting of Theodore “Bino” Riley, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for August 2, 2024.

            Davis was found guilty following a jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence or dangerous offense.

            According to evidence presented during the trial, on July 19, 2021, around 7:33 p.m., Davis was captured on surveillance walking with the victim, Theodore Riley, to an alley adjacent to 1608 Gales Street Northeast. Once in the alley, Davis shot Mr. Riley once in the head. The defendant then quickly walked out of the south end of the alley and fled while attempting to change his outward appearance by putting on a long-sleeved shirt over the short-sleeved shirt he had been wearing. Mr. Riley was found in the alley face-down with a single .45 caliber casing at his feet.

            Davis was arrested on September 22, 2021. Judge O’Keefe ordered that the defendant remain held pending sentencing.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Gibbons and Saman Danai of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Travis Wicks, 48, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for possessing a Sig Sauer P-365 handgun that had been converted into a rifle and equipped with a drum magazine loaded with forty-rounds of ammunition, along with a laser sight. 

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, of the Washington Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Wicks pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The plea represents his fourth gun charge. In addition to the 57-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, ordered Wicks to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on May 1, 2023, MPD officers executed a search warrant at the Southeast Washington D.C. apartment where Wicks was known to stay. The search recovered one round of 9mm ammunition in a kitchen cabinet, a black firearm laser sight on a living room coffee table, nine loose 9mm rounds inside a bedroom closet, a drum-style magazine containing 40 rounds of 9mm ammunition in the bedroom closet, and a Sig Sauer P-365 semi-automatic handgun with an obliterated serial number inserted into a rifle conversion kit, also found on the bedroom closet floor. Subsequent DNA analysis linked Wicks to the weapon.

            According to the sentencing memo, Wicks has a long and varied history of violent behavior that now includes four gun charges. In October 2005, Wicks was convicted in D.C. Superior Court of voluntary manslaughter while armed for stabbing an unarmed man 20 times in a restaurant.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yasmine Emrani and Cameron Tepfer.

sentencing_memorandum_travis_wicks.pdf modified_sig_sauer.pdf

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice today announced the filing of a forfeiture complaint against a set of aircraft landing gear for a Boeing 737-800 that was detained in September 2023 at Miami International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. The gear was purchased for the benefit of a Kyrgyz Republic-based transhipper of dual-use items servicing the Russian Federation, in violation of U.S. economic sanctions.

            The pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Ryan L Spradlin of the Denver Field Office, and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod with the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security.

            According to court documents, the landing gear had been sold in June 2023 by a Florida-based aircraft parts overhauler and reseller for $1.55 million to an intermediary in Istanbul, Turkiye, GQ Solution Electronic Ekipman Limited.

            “This Office continues to use every tool it has to stop illegal transactions with Russian businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Today’s complaint stops an attempted illegal transfer to the Russian Federations of parts for airplanes and seeks to permanently deprive both the Russian Federation and the company that tried to sell them of these goods.”

            Concurrent with today’s action, the State Department announced new sanctions against entities engaged in Russia’s technology sector, including GQ Solution Elektronik Limited in connection with the company’s supplying of electronic components to Russia-based companies.

            In July 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated LLC RM Design and Development (RMDD) as a Specially Designated National (SDN) for operating in the electronics sector of the Russian Federation economy.  According to OFAC, RMDD was established in March 2022, less than one month following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. OFAC has described RMDD as a “prolific shipper of dual-use goods to Russia, including to firms that have supplied electronics to Russia-based defense companies.” As a result of RMDD’s designation as an SDN, all property and interests in property of RMDD that are in the United States are blocked.  

            On July 25, 2023, five days after being designated as an SDN by OFAC, RMDD sent an email asking HML Aviation to “switch [the purchase] fully to our partners GQ Solution.” After the email, all mentions of RMDD were scrubbed from invoices for the landing gear.

            On August 29, 2023, GQ Solution completed HML Aviation’s End Use/End User Certification form. Among the items included in the form are statements that GQ Solution “will not export or re-export U.S. products, technology or software… to any restricted country unless otherwise authorized by the United States Government.”

            On September 1, 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) alerted the shipper that it had detained the landing gear shipment at the airport in Miami. 

            This forfeiture action is a product of the U.S. government’s coordinated effort to enforce U.S. sanctions and export controls against the Russian Federation following the invasion of Ukraine. The forfeiture complaint detailed here is merely an allegation. The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.

            The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Colorado Springs Field Office and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security are leading the larger investigation into Russian Federation attempts to avoid U.S. sanctions and export controls.

            This case is being litigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Conor Mulroe and Rick Blaylock Jr., with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Sean Heiden of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

            This case was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls, and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

Muzzamil Zaidi, 40, and Asim Mujtaba Naqvi, 40, both of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty today for their roles in an illicit scheme to collect tens of thousands of dollars from the United States to Iran, including in the name of Ayatollah Ali Husseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and arrange for the money to be exported to Iran without the required licenses from the Offices of Foreign Assets Control.

According to court documents, in December 2018, Zaidi received permission to collect khums – a religious tax on wealth – on behalf of several Imams. Between December 2018 and December 2019, Zaidi and Naqvi collected payments of this tax, as well as donations purportedly to help victims of the ongoing civil war in Yemen, from individuals in the United States.

Zaidi and Naqvi arranged for the funds to be exported from the United States to Iran and to be received by the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran. Zaidi and Naqvi enlisted friends, family members, and other associates to carry the cash out of the United States, in amounts less than $10,000 in order to avoid law enforcement scrutiny. One transfer of dollars to Iran involved a group of 25 travelers going on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq, and the subsequent transport of U.S. dollars hand-carried by those travelers to Iran. Both Zaidi and Naqvi were arrested in Houston on Aug. 18, 2020, as a result of this scheme.

The transfer of money was illegal because the United States has imposed economic sanctions on Iran since 1995. Every year since 1984, the U.S. State Department has named Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism. And on June 24, 2019, the President imposed additional sanctions on the Supreme Leader of Iran that prohibit the provision of funds to, or for the benefit of, the Supreme Leader of Iran.

Zaidi and Naqvi both pleaded guilty to conspiracy and violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who scheduled sentencing for Zaidi on Aug. 13 and for Naqvi on Oct. 1.

The FBI Washington Field Office and the FBI Houston Counterterrorism team are investigating the case. FBI Field Offices in Dallas, Chicago, and Detroit provided valuable assistance.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jolie Zimmerman, Erik Kenerson, and Maeghan Mikorski for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Adam Small and Derek Shugert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Muzzamil Zaidi, 40, and Asim Mujtaba Naqvi, 40, both of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty today for their roles in an illicit scheme to collect tens of thousands of dollars from the United States to Iran, including in the name of Ayatollah Ali Husseini Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and arrange for the money to be exported to Iran without the required licenses from the Offices of Foreign Assets Control.

            The guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen, FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. of the Houston Field Office, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.

            Zaidi and Naqvi both pleaded guilty to conspiracy and violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who scheduled sentencing for Zaidi on August 13, 2024, and for Naqvi on October 1, 2024.

            According to court documents, in December 2018, Zaidi received permission to collect khums – a religious tax on wealth – on behalf of several Imams. Between December 2018 and December 2019, Zaidi and Naqvi collected payments of this tax, as well as donations purportedly to help victims of the ongoing civil war in Yemen, from individuals in the United States.  

            “The defendants smuggled cash out of the United States for the purpose of illegally delivering it to Iran, a country that sponsors terrorism across the globe,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.  “This Office and our law enforcement partners will find and prosecute those seeking to unlawfully fund this regime.”

            “For over 40 years, Iran has financed terror organizations that export fear, violence, and death across the globe,” said FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams. “Zaidi and Naqvi financially supported Iran’s dispersion of terror through a system of subterfuge and deception. Thanks to the work of FBI counterterrorism agents, their system has been neutralized and Iran’s rabid campaign of state-sponsored terrorism has been impaired.”

            “The FBI remains steadfast in preventing U.S. currency from reaching the most prolific state sponsor of terrorism in the world,” Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg said. “Today's hearing should be a warning to others that the FBI is committed to finding those who willfully circumvent U.S. sanctions and bring them to justice.”

            Zaidi and Naqvi arranged for the funds to be exported from the United States to Iran and to be received by the Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran.  Zaidi and Naqvi enlisted friends, family members, and other associates to carry the cash out of the United States, in amounts less than $10,000 in order to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.  One transfer of dollars to Iran involved a group of 25 travelers going on a religious pilgrimage in Iraq, and the subsequent transport of U.S. dollars hand-carried by those travelers to Iran.  Both Zaidi and Naqvi were arrested in Houston on August 18, 2020, as a result of this scheme.

            The transfer of money was illegal because the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions on Iran since 1995.  Every year since 1984, the U.S. State Department has named Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism.  And on June 24, 2019, the President imposed additional sanctions on the Supreme Leader of Iran that prohibits the provision of funds to, or for the benefit of, the Supreme Leader of Iran.  

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the FBI Houston Counterterrorism investigative team. The FBI’s offices in Dallas, Chicago, and Detroit all provided valuable assistance.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jolie Zimmerman, Erik Kenerson, and Maeghan Mikorski of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, along with Trial Attorneys Adam Small and Derek Shugert of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON – Ronald Lamont Jenkins, 35, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today to the daylight armed robbery of a Northeast Washington D.C bank branch in June 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Jenkins pleaded guilty today to a charge of bank robbery before U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss, who scheduled sentencing for August 21, 2024.

            According to court documents, Jenkins entered the bank branch on 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue on June 13, 2022. Jenkins approached the counter, stated “open the drawer,” and lifted the front of his shirt to reveal the handle of a black-and-gold handgun tucked into his waistband. As the teller opened the register, Jenkins reached over the counter and grabbed a large amount of cash before quickly leaving the bank. FBI Agents traced Jenkins’ flight path and recovered a pair of neon yellow gloves, a black hooded sweatshirt, a pair of brown shoes, a pair of sweatpants, and a black face mask – all of which matched the clothing worn during the robbery. A subsequent laboratory review discovered Jenkins’ DNA on that clothing, and he was arrested on November 15, 2023. Jenkins has been detained since his arrest.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.