District of Columbia

WASHINGTON - Demann Shelton, 31, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury of charges related to a December 2019 incident in which he possessed an illegal firearm in NW Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for July 12, 2024.

            Shelton was found guilty following a jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

            According to evidence presented during the trial, on December 18, 2019, Shelton and two other men were inside an illegally parked car, near 90 L Street NW, when Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) officers drove into the parking lot. Officers ordered Shelton, the sole backseat passenger, to get out of the car. During the ensuing search of the car, officers located a large black jacket on the backseat near where Shelton had been sitting moments earlier. Inside the jacket, officers found a loaded .40 caliber Glock 23 handgun, with an affixed laser light and an inserted extended magazine containing 15 rounds of ammunition, along with a digital scale with white powder residue, Shelton’s photo ID, a credit card with a picture of Shelton on it, and mail with Shelton’s name on it. Officers also located $2,443 in cash in Shelton’s pants pocket.

            Judge Leibovitz 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 Luke Albi and Leah Paisner of the General Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Mario Ernesto Benitez, 29, and Diamante Markell Hall, 29, both of Washington D.C., were sentenced today to 120 months in prison for their roles in a large-scale narcotics conspiracy that trafficked kilogram quantities of fentanyl and additional amounts of cocaine from Southern California to the metropolitan region.

            The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, of the United States Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent of the Virginia State Police.

            Benitez, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine on January 11, 2024, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, who also ordered Benitez to serve five of supervised release on completion of the prison term.

            Hall, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by Judge Friedrich, who also ordered Hall to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, Benitez admitted to trafficking more than three kilograms of a mixture of substance containing fentanyl and 217 grams of cocaine from December 2022 until his arrest in May 2023. Hall admitted to trafficking nearly six kilograms of fentanyl to the metro area in the span of a few months.

            Authorities learned that on December 13, 2022, two packages were shipped at the same time from a facility in Monterrey Park, California, to the Washington, D.C. area. Both packages were addressed to “Martes Benito,” on the 700 block of Congress Street, S.E. The shipper opened the first package pursuant to their own policies as the package was deemed suspicious by its employees. Virginia State Police and the DEA recovered approximately 700 grams of fentanyl pills and 200 grams of cocaine from the first package.

            On December 17, 2022, the shipper informed law enforcement that a second package addressed to “Martes Benito” at the Congress Street address had been intercepted. Law enforcement obtained a state court warrant for the package. It was found to contain approximately one kilogram of fentanyl pills. Video from the shipping facility in Monterrey Park confirmed that Benitez mailed both packages at the same time on December 13, 2023, and the video footage shows the distinctive tattoos on Benitez’s left hand and left wrist.

            Agents also learned that beginning in June 2022, approximately twice a month, Benitez made short trips, flying to Los Angeles, California and then returning to the Washington D.C. area. One of those trips took place from December 12 to December 13, 2023, which coincided with the date that both packages were shipped from the facility near Los Angeles in Monterrey Park. Hall often accompanied him on those trips and helped to ship packages of fentanyl to the Washington metro area.

            On May 3, 2023, agents arrested Benitez in the District. Upon his arrest, agents executed a search warrant at his residence where they seized six grams of cocaine and 150 grams of fentanyl pills, a DPMS AR-style rifle and a Glock Model 19 handgun, $57,226 in cash, and implements used to ship the narcotics. The magazine in the AR-style rifle was loaded.

            Hall addressed his packages to the 500 block of Rittenhouse Street, NW. On September 18, 2023, law enforcement arrested Hall in Maryland. In searching Hall’s residence, agents found 28 grams of suspected cocaine, a loaded Glock Model 30 handgun with an obliterated serial number, additional ammunition of different calibers, a money counter, a digital scale, and $1,500 in cash which Hall admitted was proceeds from his drug sales.

            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, the DEA, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Virginia State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Long.

WASHINGTON – Roberto McBean, 30, of Hyattsville, MD, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on Friday to a string of 10 armed robberies and attempted robberies in the District between August 22, 2023, and January 8, 2024, 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.

            McBean admitted to committing all 10 robberies. He pleaded guilty to four counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery, aka Hobbs Act robbery, on April 26, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who scheduled sentencing for September 5, 2024.

            According to court documents, McBean used a small hammer to rob a Sunoco gas station on the 2400 block of Wisconsin Ave., NW, on August 22, 2023. On August 31, McBean used a small vegetable knife to rob the Georgetown Wine and Spirits on the 2700 block of P street, NW of cash and a bottle of red wine. On September 18, 2023, McBean was stymied when he brandished a knife at the Universal Wine and Spirits on the 2000 block of Florida Ave.-- a customer saw what was happening and barked “Not today, Get out!” and McBean left without taking any money. On November 23, 2023, McBean entered the Glover Park Market on the 2400 block of 37th Street, NW, with a black firearm and robbed the market of cash. On December 8, 2023, McBean gained entry to an Exxon gas station in Georgetown, on the 1600 block of Wisconsin Ave., NW, produced a gun and left with a small amount of cash. On December 8, 2023, McBean returned to the Sunoco gas station on Wisconsin Ave., produced his firearm, and ordered the employee to empty the register in a bag. On December 16, 2023, McBean returned to the Glover Park Market, went behind the counter, and opened the cash register. McBean took the cash from the register, multiple lottery tickets, and a plastic bag.

            On December 20, 2023, McBean went back to the Georgetown Wine and Spirits shop and ordered an employee to empty the register. The employee told McBean that he didn’t have a key to the register and McBean pulled out a firearm and again demanded money. The employee picked up the entire register and handed it to McBean. McBean fumbled with the machine before handing it back. Unsuccessful, McBean left the store. On January 4, 2024, McBean entered Sara’s Market and Dry Cleaners on the 3000 block of Q Street NW. McBean picked up a bottle of wine, set it on the counter, and demanded cash. The employee said the market did not accept cash and only accepted electronic payments. McBean left the store with only a bottle of wine. On January 5, 2024, McBean again returned to the Glover Park Market armed with a handgun and ordered an employee to fill a bag with cash. In addition to the money, McBean took lottery tickets and two packs of cigarettes with him. On January 8, 2024, McBean returned to the Glover Park Market for the fourth time. The store employee recognized McBean as the same man who had robbed her in December and a few days before.

            Agents with the FBI’s Washington Field Office arrested McBean on January 26, 2024.

            Because each of the six stores that McBean robbed bought and sold goods in interstate commerce, McBean’s actions in each of the robberies delayed, obstructed, or affected interstate commerce.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Ryan Lipes and Omeed A. Assefi.

WASHINGTON – Joanna Smith, 54, of Brooklyn, New York, was sentenced today to 60 days in prison for the April 2023 defacement of an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art that displayed a wax sculpture, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, created by Edgar Degas, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division. 

            Smith pleaded guilty on December 15, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to one count of causing injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit. In addition to the prison term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Smith to serve 24 months of supervised release, serve 150 hours of community service, of which 10 hours must involve cleaning graffiti, and pay restitution for the damage to the Degas exhibit. Smith is also barred from entering the District of Columbia and all museums and monuments for two years.

            According to the government’s evidence, Smith, along with other co-conspirators, traveled to Washington D.C., on April 27, 2023, to smear red and black paint on the National Gallery of Art permanent exhibition of the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen created by Degas from 1878 to1881. Smith and a co-conspirator previously had conducted research on the piece and specifically targeted it. Before entering the National Gallery, the duo recorded video statements explaining their intent. Smith and the co-conspirator passed through security undetected with paint secreted inside water bottles.

            The duo approached the exhibit, removed the bottles from their bags, and began smearing paint on the case and base surrounding the sculpture. Smith delivered statements telling onlookers why she was undertaking the action as paint dripped from the exhibit onto the surrounding floor.

            Following the action, the National Gallery was required to remove the sculpture from public display for 10 days while it assessed the sculpture for damage and made repairs to the case. Gallery officials said it cost over $4,000 to repair the damage.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from National Gallery of Art Police, and U.S. Park Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Ralph Butler, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon (felony) of two men on September 22, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Butler pleaded guilty on February 7, 2024, to robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz.

            According to the government’s evidence, with which Butler agreed, on September 22, 2023, at around 5:45 a.m., Butler and another individual approached two men in the 2200 block of Shannon Place SE, produced handguns, and robbed them of their phones, car keys, currency, and, ultimately, their vehicles, which were parked nearby. Butler drove off in one victim’s car, while his accomplice drove off in the other victim’s SUV. Both vehicles were later recovered in Butler’s neighborhood in Southeast Washington D.C.

            Surveillance footage captured both Butler and his accomplice in the area surrounding the crime scene, as well as Butler and his accomplice each driving the stolen vehicles. MPD officers arrested Butler on October 19, 2023.

            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 working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney John Parron.

             WASHINGTON – Daquawn Lubin, 29, of Maryland, and Jonathan Young, 34, of Virginia, are charged in a 14-count indictment, filed today in Superior Court, with conspiring to shoot and kill a victim in Southeast D.C., in July of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

             The indictment charges Lubin and Young with conspiracy, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, and other related offenses.  According to the Government’s evidence, in the evening of July 24, 2023, Lubin and Young had a confrontation with A.A. at an apartment building in the 4600 block of Benning Road, Southeast. Afterward, the two defendants hid in the apartment building’s parking lot, armed with firearms and hidden by dark hooded sweatshirts and masks, lying in wait for the victim. As A.A. walked the dimly lit pedestrian walkway to his car, Lubin and Young burst out of hiding and fired off more than 20 gunshots, striking the victim eight times and twice striking a second victim, who was with A.A.  Lubin and Young then fled the scene.  Both victims survived. 

             This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza.

             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 – Daquan Skipper, 27, of Alexandria, Virginia was sentenced to eight years in prison for carjacking an Uber Eats delivery driver of his motorized scooter in July 2023, and for robbing him of his cell phone, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Skipper pleaded guilty to both charges on January 31, 2024. Superior Court Judge Jason Park, who sentenced Skipper on April 12, 2024, also ordered three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, with which Skipper agreed, on July 29, 2023 outside of a Pizza Hut located at 1501 Maryland Avenue NE, the defendant and two others approached the delivery driver who had just picked up an order. The victim was putting his cell phone into a holder on the handlebars when the defendant and his accomplices ran up to and surrounded him. The defendant threated the victim by telling him he had a gun while gesturing to his waistband as if he did have a gun. The victim believed that the defendant was armed. The defendant grabbed the victim’s phone and the keys to the scooter. The defendant tried to start the scooter several times, but when he failed, he and one of his accomplices dragged the scooter toward the Bladensburg Road NE intersection.

            The victim followed the defendant until he saw and flagged down MPD police officers. The defendant dropped the scooter and ran when an MPD police officer tried to arrest him. Police eventually apprehended him and recovered the victim’s phone.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Ans and Rashmika Nedungadi.

WASHINGTON – Jamilla Haskins, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 14 months in prison for attempting to stab a detective and pepper spraying him after he confronted her about stealing from the store, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Haskins pleaded guilty on February 21, 2024 to assault with a dangerous weapon.

            According to the government’s evidence, on January 23, 2024, at the CVS located at 128 Kennedy Street NW, Haskins concealed 30 items, including hair clips, shaving cream, and body oil, belonging to CVS, inside of her bag. She then passed all points of sale and attempted to leave the store without paying for the items. An MPD detective who was checking on the retail thefts at local stores, saw Haskins attempting to steal items, stopped her, and confronted her about the property she had taken. Haskins responded by pepper spraying the Detective in the face. The detective then attempted to detain the defendant inside the CVS. Haskins began pushing the detective away and was actively trying to get away from him. Haskins still had merchandise in her possession. The struggle worked its way from the exit doors through the vestibule to the front outside entrance of the store. During the struggle, Haskins pointed a black pocketknife at the detective and threatened to stab him. The detective – with pepper spray in his eyes – disarmed her. Haskins continued to try to make her escape. The detective and MPD officers responding to his call were able stop Haskins at the corner of 2nd St NW on Kennedy St NW and recover her knife.

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

WASHINGTON – Eleanor Hunton Hoppe, 46, of Charlottesville, Va., today pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography in a plot to molest a young girl. The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves of the District of Columbia and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Hoppe pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, who scheduled sentencing for September 23, 2024. The terms of Hoppe’s plea agreement call for her to serve 135 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In addition, she will have to register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 25 years.

            According to court documents, in late February 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer encountered Hoppe on a social media site where individuals discuss their sexual interest in children and child sexual abuse material. Hoppe distributed three images of child pornography to the undercover officer and repeatedly expressed an interest in sexually abusing his purported 8-year-old daughter. On March 16, 2023, P Hoppe arranged to have the undercover officer bring his daughter from D.C. to a hotel in Warrenton, Va., where she would meet them to sexually abuse the child. Police arrested Hoppe when she arrived at the hotel.

            This case was investigated by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, and the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

            It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Rachel Forman.

WASHINGTON – DeAngelo Wayne McNeil, 37, of Washington D.C, was sentenced today to 36 months for unlawfully possessing a firearm and, while near a school, possessing cocaine base with the intent to sell it. The sentence, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            McNeil pleaded guilty January 24, 2024, to a count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine base near schools. In addition to the three-year prison term, Chief U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered McNeil to serve six years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, when he was arrested on September 21, 2023, McNeil was on release in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia for similar conduct: unlawfully possessing a gun and possessing cocaine. He also had a 2018 conviction for possessing a gun and possessing cocaine with the intent to sell it.

            Police took McNeil into custody near 1919 I Street, Northeast, which is about 850 feet from Phelps High School, located at 704 26th Street Northeast. Officers recovered a set of vehicle keys in McNeil’s hand. In addition, police found McNeil was carrying nearly 20 grams of a rock-like substance that field tested positive as crack cocaine. In his front left pocket, McNeil was carrying $545.25 in cash and a small digital scale.

            McNeil’s car was located nearby. Police searched the vehicle and recovered $4960 in cash and a Glock model 30 .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from the locked glovebox. The gunwas loaded with one round in the chamber and 12 rounds of ammunition in the magazine.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Lipes and Jared English.

            Owen M. Grigsby, 44, of Waldorf, Maryland, and Himmeh Kuawogai, 46, of Ellicott City, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in connection with filing false and misleading information in order to fraudulently obtain over $95,000.00 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Grigsby is a patrol officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who is currently on administrative leave with pay. Kuawogai is an accountant and owner of HAK Accounting Services. Both men both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by engaging in a scheme to defraud and obtain money and property by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises, which carries a potential penalty of five years in prison. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss presided over the guilty pleas and scheduled sentencing for September 10, 2024.  

            According to court documents, Kuawogai helped Grigsby establish Owen Grigsby Associates (OAG) in Maryland in July 2020. At the time, Grigsby was employed by the MPD. Although Grigsby was required to report any outside business venture to MPD pursuant to MPD policies, Grigsby failed to do so. OGA allegedly had no legitimate purpose and was created only to obtain EIDL and PPP loans.

            In October 2020, Grigsby filed an EIDL application on behalf of OGA containing materially false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA). Grigsby was approved for that loan and fraudulently obtained $53,600.00. In December 2021, Grigsby filed an application containing materially false statements on behalf of OGA to the SBA seeking to modify his original EIDL in the amount of $214,500.00. Grigsby was denied that loan modification. Grigsby applied for the EIDLs despite never intending to use loan funds for a legitimate business purpose.

            In April 2021, Grigsby submitted his first PPP loan application on behalf of OGA containing materially false statements to Harvest Small Business Finance, LLC (HSBF), an FDIC-insured financial institution. In April 2021, Grigsby submitted his second PPP loan application on behalf of OGA containing materially false statements to HSBF. As a result of Grigsby’s first fraudulent and misleading PPP loan application, HSBF approved Grigsby’s loan application for OGA for $20,833.00 causing HSBF to disburse $20,833.00 into OGA’s bank account. As a result of Grigsby’s second fraudulent and misleading PPP loan application, HSBF approved Grigsby’s “Second Draw” loan application causing HSBF to disburse $20,833.00 into OGA’s bank account. Grigsby applied for the two PPP loans despite never intending to use loan funds for a legitimate business purpose. In August 2021, Grigsby filed two PPP loan forgiveness applications containing materially false statements. As a result of these fraudulent loan applications, HSBF forgave OGA’s first and second PPP loans.

            For each fraudulent loan and forgiveness application Grigsby submitted on behalf of OGA, Kuawogai assisted Grigsby by providing him with amended and fake documents and explaining the loan application process to him via messaging applications, the phone, and email.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

The case is being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Rebecca G. Ross

WASHINGTON – Khin Phoo Ngon, 27, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty yesterday in Superior Court to six felony counts arising from her defrauding a Covid-19 tenant assistance program of more than $245,000, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

            According to the government’s evidence, to which Ngon admitted in her plea, in 2021 Ngon submitted seven fraudulent applications to the Stronger Together by Assisting You (STAY DC) program, a DC government program established in 2021 to help cover unpaid rent and utilities for renters suffering hardship from the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time she submitted all seven applications, Ngon was the sole tenant of an apartment at 1111 New Jersey Ave SE in the District. Two of her fraudulent applications listed her actual address and stated accurate information about unpaid rent she owed, but falsely stated that her 2020 income was $17,270 and that her projected 2021 income was $12,000. In 2020, however, Ngon had actually received income well in excess of $57,650, the STAY DC program’s minimum qualifying threshold for a household of one, and was on pace to exceed that threshold for 2021 when she submitted both applications.

            Ngon also submitted two applications in which she listed her residence as 3210 ½ O Street NW, an apartment she had moved out of in the summer of 2020 with her rent paid in full. Ngon attached a fictitious lease to that application and falsely stated in her application that she was residing at the O Street address and owed 19 months of unpaid rent. Based on that fraudulent application, Ngon received $37,000 from the program.

            In her guilty plea, Ngon also admitted to submitting two STAY DC applications in her stepfather’s name without his knowledge or permission. Ngon falsely stated in those applications that her stepfather lived at 3632 N Street NW in the District and owed tens of thousands of dollars in back rent. In fact, Ngon’s stepfather lived in Virginia, and had never lived at that address. Ngon admitted that she attached stolen and doctored documents to both applications, including her stepfather’s expired driver’s license and federal and DC tax return documents. Ngon fraudulently obtained $82,800 from these two applications.

            Finally, Ngon admitted to submitting a seventh STAY DC application, on behalf of an associate of hers. Ngon created a fraudulent lease document for an apartment at 450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, falsifying the lease term and monthly rent due. Based on those and other fraudulent representations, the STAY DC program issued Ngon’s associate a check for $78,200. Through a series of transactions involving other individuals, Ngon received at least $38,500 of those funds.

            Ngon pled guilty to two counts of First-Degree Felony Fraud, two counts of First-Degree Felony Theft, and two counts of First-Degree Identity Theft. Her plea included the admission that, in total, she defrauded the DC government out of approximately $246,020.

            The Honorable Jason Park accepted Ngon’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for August 9, 2024.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming, on detail from the DC Office of the Attorney General to prosecute matters involving fraud and public corruption.

WASHINGTON – Bryan Rice, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine base in an open-air drug market in Northwest and being in possession of a firearm at a District nightclub, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Rice is one of 20 defendants charged in connection with a wide-ranging investigation centered on drug trafficking in the area of 7th and O Streets Northwest. Rice pleaded guilty January 5, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute narcotics and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. In addition to the 10-year prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Rice to serve four years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, Rice, aka “Ice,” sold both fentanyl and cocaine base, including distribution quantities of each, to undercover officers on five occasions between October 20, 2021, and March 24, 2022. When he was arrested on April 25, 2022, Rice was at the Rosebar Lounge, a nightclub on Connecticut Avenue. During an altercation, he was observed by police with a firearm in his waistband. The weapon, a 9mm Glock 17 with 17 rounds in the magazine, had been outfitted with a machine gun conversion device, which is designed to allow the gun to be fired as a fully automatic weapon.

            Rice has six prior adult convictions. His first, in 2006, came after he was involved in an armed robbery. His second came less than three years later, after he sold drugs to an undercover officer. Two years after that, he was convicted of possession of a firearm. He was convicted in 2014 and 2019 of additional robbery and theft-related offenses; in one instance, he tried to snatch someone’s phone, and in the other, he was caught trying to steal merchandise from department stores. In April 2022—the same month he was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm in the instant case—he was convicted of possession of cocaine after he apparently sold someone drugs and was also found to be in possession of drugs for the purpose of distribution.

            This case stems from a collaborative investigation by the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) of MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force, the Washington Division of the DEA, and the U.S. Park Police. The Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force targets the most egregious and violent street crews operating in the District of Columbia. 

            The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Wasserman and Kevin Rosenberg and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaunik Panse.

WASHINGTON – Eugene Williams, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday for the February 8, 2022, shooting death of 16-year-old DeShaun Francis, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Williams was sentenced by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            Williams previously pleaded guilty on December 6, 2023, to voluntary manslaughter while armed with a firearm. According to the D.C. Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Williams faced a sentencing range of seven-and-a-half to 15 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office requested 15 years in prison. The Court sentenced Williams under the Youth Rehabilitation Act and ordered him to serve eight-and-a-half years of a 10 year sentence, suspending 18 months of prison time. Williams must also serve 18 months of supervised probation, upon release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 8, 2022, Williams arranged to buy marijuana from a family member of DeShaun Francis. The family member, who was also planning to visit his father after making the sale, asked Mr. Francis if he wanted to ride along. Mr. Francis agreed to come along and was seated in the front passenger seat of the car when Williams came out to inspect the marijuana. Williams initially walked to the driver’s side of the car, briefly interacted with the occupants, and then re-entered an apartment building. A short time later Williams returned to the car with his codefendant, Anthony Greene. Greene approached the driver’s side of the car and Williams then walked to the passenger side of the car, armed with a firearm, and fired one shot into the car, striking DeShaun Francis, who was unarmed, in the head. Thereafter, as Greene and Williams fled the scene, there was an exchange of gunfire between Mr. Francis’ family member and Greene and Williams.  Mr. Francis was hospitalized in critical condition until February 11, 2022, when he succumbed to his injuries.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Rickard and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Antonelli, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Stephon Lee, 22, of the District of Columbia, pleaded guilty April 19, 2024, to committing a string of six robberies that targeted local businesses, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Lee pleaded guilty before the Honorable Judge Robert Salerno in Superior Court to two counts of armed robbery, two counts of robbery, one count of attempted armed robbery, and one count of second-degree theft. Lee remains held without bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for June 28, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in April 2023 and ending with his arrest in July 2023, Lee robbed a a dry cleaner, fast-food restaurants, a pharmacy, and two local convenience stores. Lee targeted stores throughout the city, striking when there were few or no customers. In each instance, Lee attempted to steal money from the cash register. But when he could not easily take the money, Lee fought his victims. On two occasions, Lee was armed with a knife, and one occasion he grabbed a nearby pair of scissors.

            On April 5, 2023, Lee went to a dry cleaner on Alabama Avenue SE under the auspices of drycleaning his jacket. As Lee asked the victim how much the drycleaning would cost, he suddenly walked behind the counter, grabbed the victim by the back of the neck, and demanded that she open the register. When the victim did not comply quickly enough, the two struggled. Lee grabbed a pair of scissors from under the counter, put them to the victim’s neck, and threatened to stab her if she refused to open the register. She opened the register and Lee took cash before fleeing.

            On June 18, 2023, Lee ordered a sandwich at a fast-food franchise on Riggs Road NE, and then left abruptly, saying that he would come back to pay.  About 30 minutes later, Lee returned and stood behind a customer who was checking out. Once the employee opened the register to give the customer change, Lee lunged across the counter, grabbed the money tray, and fled the store.

            On June 23, 2023, Lee was armed with a knife when he entered a pharmacy on Ingraham Street NE.  When the victim, a store employee, was alone, Lee went behind the counter, pulled out a knife, and demanded money from the register. When the victim could not open the register quickly enough, Lee pressed his knife against the victim’s side. The victim opened the register, and Lee took the cash and ran out of the store. 

            On June 26, 2023, Lee went to a convenience store on First Street NW.  As the cashier stood at the register, Lee walked behind the counter, opened the register, took the cash, and fled.

            On July 10, 2023, Lee entered a food market on Fourth Street NW. He took an item and attempted to leave the store when a store employee pepper sprayed him.  Lee threw the item at the victim, pulled out a knife, and waived it at her.  He then grabbed the cash register from the counter and, while still holding the knife, repeatedly slammed the register on the ground until it opened.  He took cash from the register and fled.

            On July 10, 2023, Lee went to a fast-food restaurant on Marion Barry Avenue SE and milled around as other customers ordered. One customer, with her infant in a stroller next to her, ordered a meal and started to pay with cash. When the restaurant cashier opened the register to give the customer change, Lee lunged across the counter and grabbed cash from the register before fleeing.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Miller and Will Lawrence. 

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WASHINGTON – Chanel Clinton, 27, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, plus an additional 24 months of suspended jail time, for the January 2024 shooting of a woman at a convenience store in Northeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Clinton pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon on February 7, 2024. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Erik Christian ordered Clinton to serve five years of probation.

            According to court documents, on January 18, 2024, Clinton was working as an armed Special Police Officer assigned to the 7-Eleven at 4854 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE. She and the victim, a former acquaintance of Clinton’s, got into an argument when the victim videoed Clinton in a taunting manner. The two continued their verbal altercation in the parking lot. An off-duty MPD Sergeant happened to be paying for his purchases inside the 7-Eleven when he heard the argument in the parking lot. The sergeant, who was in full uniform, walked outside as Clinton grabbed the victim in the face, and Clinton and the victim began to fight. The sergeant briefly separated the two women. Suddenly, Clinton pulled out her service weapon and fired once, hitting the victim in the shoulder just above the collarbone. The sergeant, who had ordered Clinton to drop her weapon before she fired, immediately placed Clinton under arrest. The victim was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital. Investigators recovered a 9 mm Glock 17 pistol at the scene.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Lawrence, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Derrick Teeter, 23, of Oxon Hill, MD, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for a carjacking robbery committed in Southeast Washington, D.C., last year, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Jessica M.E. Taylor, of the U.S. Park Police.

            Pursuant to a plea agreement, on February 7, 2024, Teeter pleaded guilty in Superior Court to robbery and unlawful use of a vehicle. Today, Superior Court Judge Erik Christian sentenced the defendant to 60 months in prison for robbery, and a consecutive 24 months in prison for unlawful use of a vehicle. The court also denied the defendant’s request for sentencing under the Youth Rehabilitation Act.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 2, 2022, shortly after 11:30AM, the defendant requested a Lyft ride for pick up in the 3800 block of South Capitol Street SE to take him to the 600 block 46th Street SE. Teeter entered the rideshare vehicle and sat in the back seat on the passenger side. While riding in the vehicle, the defendant pretended to feel sick and asked the victim to pull to the side of the road. The victim pulled over to a grassy area, where the defendant exited the vehicle. The defendant requested water and some tissue from the victim. After the victim retrieved these items from his vehicle and returned to attend to the defendant, Teeter pushed the victim to the ground, immediately jumped into the driver’s seat, and took off in the victim’s vehicle. While lying on the ground, the victim grabbed the passenger’s door of his vehicle, yelling for the defendant to “stop”, who kept driving and dragged the victim for a short distance. The victim let go and managed to get up and flag down assistance from other drivers passing by. One of those drivers called 911, and police and emergency personnel arrived on the scene and provided aid to the victim on the scene for his injuries. The vehicle was recovered the next day.

            This case was investigated by the United States Park Police Major Crimes Unit with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department.  It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Bartz.

WASHINGTON – A 76-count superseding indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court today charging four District men with conspiring to commit a total of 33 carjackings in Washington D.C. and Maryland between December 2022, and June 2023. The charges build on a previous superseding indictment that had charged three of the men with 33-counts covering a total of 11 carjackings. The most recent superseding indictment charges Cedae Hardy, 19, and newly added defendant Keyonte Rice, 19, with an attempted carjacking resulting in death where, during a failed January 4, 2023, carjacking, a 39-year-old man was shot and killed in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 2600 block of Kirkwood Place in Hyattsville, Maryland. The suspect vehicle allegedly used in this homicide, which was taken in another armed carjacking on January 3, 2023 also allegedly committed by Hardy and Rice, was set on fire a few hours after the homicide.

            Additional charges include conspiracy to commit carjacking; carjacking; attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury; brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; conspiracy to commit arson; aiding and abetting; interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle; and possession, sale, or receipt of a stolen vehicle.

            The indictment was announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the indictment, between December 2022 and June 2023, Cedae Hardy, 19, Landrell Jordan III, 19, Malik Norman, 20, and Keyonte Rice, 19, and other uncharged co‑conspirators, conspired to carjack victims of their vehicles at gunpoint around the District of Columbia and Maryland and to sell the carjacked vehicles for profit or use them in future carjackings. 

            All four of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking. Hardy, aka “Peso,” is charged, alone and with various members of the conspiracy, in 24 of the carjacking counts. In addition to the January 4, 2023, attempted carjacking resulting in death, alleged to have been committed by Hardy and Rice, Hardy is further charged with attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury for an April 18, 2023, carjacking in Hyattsville, Maryland, in which Hardy allegedly shot a rideshare driver multiple times at close range.

LEAD CHARGES AS OF APRIL 19, 2024

Defendant

Charges

Cedae Hardy

• Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking (1 count)
• Carjacking (20 counts)
• Attempted Carjacking Resulting in Death (1 count)
• Attempted Carjacking Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury (1 count)
• Attempted Carjacking (2 counts)
• Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (20 counts)
• 9 Additional Carjackings or Attempted Carjackings Charged as Overt Acts in the Conspiracy
• Conspiracy to Commit Arson (1 count)

Landrell Jordan III

• Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking (1 count)
• Carjacking (3 counts)
• Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (3 counts)
• 1 Additional Carjacking Charged as an Overt Act in the Conspiracy

Malik Norman

• Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking (1 count)
• Carjacking (5 counts)
• Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (4 counts)
• 1 Additional Carjackings Charged as an Overt Act in the Conspiracy

Keyonte Rice

• Conspiracy to Commit Carjacking (1 count)
• Carjacking (5 counts)
• Attempted Carjacking Resulting in Death (1 count)
• Brandishing a Firearm During a Crime of Violence (5 counts)
• 4 Additional Carjackings or Attempted Carjackings Charged as Overt Acts in the Conspiracy
• Conspiracy to Commit Arson (1 count)

            All four defendants are in custody.

            Attempted carjacking resulting in death, as charged in this superseding indictment, carries a statutory maximum of life. Attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury carries a statutory maximum of 25 years in prison. Carjacking carries a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum term of seven years in prison. Interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle and sale or receipt of a stolen vehicle each carry a statutory maximum of ten years in prison. Conspiracy to commit carjacking carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only. The sentence imposed 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 Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department Carjacking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the Prince George’s County, Montgomery County, Takoma Park, and Hyattsville, Maryland, Police Departments. 

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Mayer-Dempsey and Paul V. Courtney, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Toth, of the Federal Major Crimes 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.

23cr296

WASHINGTON – Arman Amirshahi, 46, was sentenced today to three years of probation and 200 hours of community service for paying bribes to a District tax official to evade his tax obligations. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and the D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee.

            Amirshahi was part of one of the several sophisticated and long-term bribery schemes helmed by co-conspirators Anthony Merritt, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, and Vincent Slater, former manager in the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR). In furtherance of the schemes, four business owners—including Amirshahi, Charles Zhou, Andre De Moya, and Davoud Jafari – paid cash bribes, through Merritt as middleman, to Slater, to evade their business taxes.

            A former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, Merritt held himself out as a permit and licensing expediter and introduced the business owners to the scheme. For a cut of the bribe payments, Merritt handled communications with the business owners. Merritt ferried their cash bribe payments to Slater, and allowed Slater to maintain apparent distance from them as he fraudulently reduced their liabilities or intervened on their behalf within OTR. Slater resigned from OTR in December 2017, concluding the schemes, each of which had lasted over five years. Through their actions, the co-conspirators deprived the District of Columbia of approximately $3 million.

            Each of the defendants was convicted for their roles in this conduct. Amirshahi and Zhou pleaded guilty to bribery in January 2019 and February 2019, respectively. In 2019, Slater, De Moya, and Merritt were charged in one indictment, and Slater, Jafari, and Merritt were charged in a second indictment. Slater pleaded guilty post-indictment in June 2020. 

            In June 2023, a jury convicted De Moya and Merritt of conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud. In September 2023, Merritt pleaded guilty to the second indictment in which he was charged. In October 2023, the jury convicted Jafari of conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud. 

            Merritt was sentenced to 110 months in prison for his central role in facilitating the separate conspiracies. For their respective roles, De Moya received a sentence of 30 months; Slater received a sentence of 27 months; and Jafari received a sentence of 24 months. Zhou, the first co-conspirator to cooperate with the government, was sentenced to five years of probation.  Each defendant also was ordered to pay restitution and forfeit their ill-gotten gains, where applicable. 

            The businesses that benefited from the scheme included the concert venue Echostage as well as downtown bars and nightclubs such as Eyebar (later renamed Eden), Ultrabar, L8 Lounge, Barcode, Café Asia, Umaya, Zeba Bar, and Muse Lounge.

            In addition to the probation and community service, Amirshahi was ordered to serve the first year of the sentence under home confinement except for employment, religious ceremony, treatment programs or medical appointments, or emergencies with notification to the probation office.

            U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the agencies who investigated the case, including the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. He also credited the substantial assistance from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight. In addition, U.S. Attorney Graves expressed appreciation for the efforts of Paralegal Specialists Liliana Villamizar, Amanda Rhode, and Mariela Andrade, and former Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Michon Tart.

            Finally, Graves acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey, Emily Miller, and Timothy Visser, who prosecuted these cases through trial, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston and former AUSA Amanda Vaughn, who participated in the underlying investigations and earlier court proceedings.

18cr0335

WASHINGTON – Jose Eduardo Valasquez, 62, of Solomons Island, Maryland, was sentenced today to 140 months in prison for attempting to meet up with an underaged child in Washington D.C. for sex.

            The sentence, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by 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).

            Valasquez pleaded guilty to a count of coercion and enticement on December 15, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. In addition to the prison term, Judge Chutkan ordered Valasquez to serve 15 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender. 

            According to court documents, Valasquez began communicating on social media with a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl on November 16, 2020. In reality, the girl was an undercover officer working with FBI/MPD Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. Valasquez, using an account bearing the username “Jose E V,” initiated a conversation with the undercover officer by sending a message to the effect of “I really like you” in Spanish. Valasquez eventually offered $200 to “be with [her] in bed.”

            Valasquez then arranged a November 17 meet-up in Northwest, Washington, D.C, after he got off work at 5 p.m. He sent amorous messages and exchanged text messages about being a 9th grader in high school. On the way to a motel for his expected tryst, Valasquez got a flat tire on I-395 and had to reschedule. Valasquez canceled another planned assignation after he was scared off by police.

            On December 14, 2020, Valasquez asked if he could pick up her at 2:30 that day to have sex. At approximately 2:26 p.m., Valasquez asked his correspondent to walk up to 19th and C Street Northeast. Members of law enforcement located Valasquez near the corner of 19th and C Streets Northeast, operating a Toyota Corolla. Police arrested Valasquez at 15th and C Streets Northeast.

            Valasquez admitted that he drove from Maryland to the District to have sex with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl, on the date of December 14, 2020. He arrived at the arranged meet location for the sexual act, only to be confronted by law enforcement and learn that the 14-year-old girl with whom he had been communicating was actually a law enforcement agent. He also admitted that his efforts to entice the person to meet him at locations outside of the District of Columbia were for the purpose of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

            This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation/Metropolitan Police Department Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force

            It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Arco and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Buckner.

23cr223

 

WASHINGTON – Antwain Ulmer, 19, of Washington, D.C., was indicted yesterday on one count of first degree murder while armed, one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, and other related charges stemming from a July 9, 2023 shooting inside of a convenience store that resulted in the death of 30-year-old Charles Sullivan, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced. 

            Ulmer was indicted on April 17, 2024, by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on multiple charges including first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license. In addition to indicting Ulmer on first degree murder while armed for firing the shots that killed Charles Sullivan, the grand jury also indicted him for firing a shot that came within inches of striking and injuring or killing an uninvolved shopper that was in the zone of harm created by Ulmer’s conduct.

            Ulmer is to be arraigned on April 19, 2024, at a hearing before the Honorable Robert Okun. If convicted, he faces a maximum of ninety years in prison.

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

 

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WASHINGTON – Benjamin Robertson, 33, of Washington, D.C., was indicted yesterday by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on second degree murder of a senior citizen, assault with a dangerous weapon committed against a minor, fleeing a law enforcement officer, tampering with physical evidence, and destroying property stemming from an event occurring on July 12, 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor, of the United States Park Police (USPP) announced.

            Robertson is to be arraigned on April 29, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 12, 2023, Robertson fled a traffic stop striking and killing Bing Wong and injuring a minor victim. Robertson was located and arrested after investigation by the United States Park Police. 

            This case was investigated by the United States Park Police and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter.

            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 – Kevin Weaver, 31, of Washington, D.C., was indicted yesterday on carjacking and other charges stemming from the September 10, 2023, carjacking and kidnapping of a D.C. Neighborhood Connect driver, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            Weaver was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of carjacking a senior citizen, kidnapping a senior citizen, and threatening to injure and kidnap a senior citizen. Weaver was also charged with committing each of these offenses against a taxicab driver.

            Weaver is to be arraigned on April 30, 2024, at a hearing before the Honorable Erik Christian. Weaver faces a mandatory minimum of seven years’ incarceration if convicted of the charge of carjacking and is subject to enhanced penalties for having allegedly committed these offenses against a senior citizen and a taxicab driver.

            According to the government’s evidence, on September 13, 2023, at about 3:39 p.m., the victim, a driver for D.C. Neighborhood Connect, picked up Weaver and another individual at 1228 Perry Street NE and drove them to 501 Franklin Street NE, where both passengers exited the vehicle. As the driver began to drive away from the area, Weaver stepped into the middle of street, forcing the driver to bring his vehicle to a stop. Weaver then entered the Neighborhood Connect vehicle, demanded to be driven to 1228 Perry Street NE, and repeatedly threatened to kill the driver of the van.

            As the driver approached the intersection of 7th Street NE and Monroe Street NE, the driver stopped and exited the vehicle, and ran to a nearby police vehicle to seek assistance. Weaver then entered the driver’s seat of the Neighborhood Connect vehicle and drove to 1228 Perry Street NE, where he was apprehended by members of the Metropolitan Police Department. Weaver has been in custody since his arrest.       

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Helfand.

            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 – U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves joined Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Saul of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Executive Assistant Chief Jeff Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), to update the public on the process they put in place two years ago to review every firearms arrest in the District of Columbia, looking at data about the person arrested and data about the firearm they possessed to determine whether they should be prosecuted in U.S. District Court or in D.C. Superior Court.

            The office and our partners refer to this effort as, “Project Safe Neighborhood” (PSN). In the two years since this PSN process was put in place, the office has accepted 127 firearms cases for federal prosecution.

            Among the cases accepted as part of PSN:

• the average age of the defendant was 30 years old;
• 38% had gang or crew affiliations;

• 21% had a previous homicide arrest;
• 54% had a previous robbery arrest;
• 52% were suspects in previous shootings;

• 22% were arrested with a machine gun conversion device;
• 13% were arrested with a privately made firearm;

            These cases continue to make their way through the criminal justice system, with over 50 defendants having already been sentenced or found guilty after either a trial or a guilty plea.

            “The work we have done between this Project Safe Neighborhood effort and our other efforts have collectively taken hundreds of drivers of violence out of our community over the last couple years,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This group of law enforcement partners has spent a substantial amount of time identifying those driving violence within our community and developing investigations designed to hold them accountable so we can remove them from our community.  Removing this many drivers of violence has an impact on community safety.” 

            “Project Safe Neighborhoods is one of our most valued partnerships to date. The program frequently offers an immediate solution to swiftly removing prohibited possessors of firearms from our communities.” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, “If a prohibited person is encountered by ATF or one of our partnering agencies and happens to meet the agreed upon criteria, the violators will be recommended for federal prosecution.”

            “Echoing the words of United States Attorney Graves and my colleagues, DEA works diligently to protect the American public by conducting daily investigations and operations to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations and criminals that pose a threat to our communities and endanger our citizens,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Forget. “A key strategy to halt this violence is our collaboration with state, local, and federal partners. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an example of our collaborative approach to violence prevention, aimed at protecting the well-being of Washingtonians and beyond.”

            “The FBI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to reduce violent crime in the District through targeted strategies like Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Saul. “Seizing firearms linked to previously convicted felons allows us to promptly remove drivers of gun violence from our communities and prosecute them for their crimes.”

            “As our officers work hard day in and day out to remove guns from our communities, collaboration with our federal law enforcement partners is vital to making sure we can hold offenders accountable,” said MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith. “Project Safe Neighborhood is doing just that. Collectively the work of this program and many other initiatives we have with our federal partners and the US Attorney’s Office allow us to make our communities safer by removing the people that are driving gun violence and fear into our neighborhoods.”

WASHINGTON – A 21-count superseding indictment, unsealed today in U.S. District Court, charges four Washington D.C. men — Lamont M. Langston, 43; Jamar Bennett, 44; Norman Morris, 43; and Kelvin Sanker, 42 — with distributing and conspiring to distribute mass amounts of phencyclidine (also known as PCP) in the metropolitan region, and with firearms offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the DEA Washington Division.

            According to court documents, the defendants organized a drug trafficking organization that packaged and distributed multiple kilograms of PCP in the District of Columbia. Jamar Bennett allegedly sold PCP to undercover officers on numerous occasions in 2023 and 2024.  The PCP was supplied by Langston, with assistance from Morris and Sanker. Bennett and Morris are also alleged to have dealt fentanyl in the District of Columbia, with Bennett selling large quantities of fentanyl to an undercover officer.

            Langston was arrested on February 25, 2024, by MPD officers after fleeing from a police cruiser and discarding a handgun that had been converted into a machinegun with a “giggle switch.”  Langston hid from law enforcement in the Watts Branch tributary stream until he was located with help from an MPD helicopter and extracted with an MPD K9. From Langston’s person, coat, and vehicle, law enforcement recovered an AK-style Mini Draco pistol loaded with 22 rounds of ammunition, a water bottle containing an amber liquid that tested positive for PCP, and nearly $10,000 in cash. Langston made his initial appearance in District Court on March 1, 2024. 

            Bennett was arrested March 6, 2024, and made his initial appearance the same day.  During a search of his residence, law enforcement recovered a Ruger LC9 handgun. Today, April 17, Morris was arrested in Anne Arundel County and Sanker was arrested in Washington D.C. Morris and Sanker also made their first court appearances today.

            All four defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute PCP. Langston is also charged with using, carrying, and possessing a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; and with two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Bennett is charged with five counts involving the distribution of fentanyl, and nine counts involving distribution of PCP. Morris also faces a fentanyl distribution charge. 

            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.

            The case is being investigated by DEA and FBI. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Stempel and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Roman of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section.

            An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

WASHINGTON – Stephen Rattley Johnson, 36, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today of transporting and possessing child pornography. The jury verdict, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 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, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to court documents and the evidence presented at trial, on September 21, 2020, and October 1, 2020, Johnson uploaded hundreds of child pornography files to his Google Drive cloud storage account. Google identified 220 of the files as known child pornography and closed Johnson’s account. Consistent with its statutory obligations, Google reported the material to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which in turn referred the matter to law enforcement. Investigators obtained the contents of Johnson’s Google account, which included hundreds of child pornography files.

            Law enforcement arrested Johnson on October 7, 2021, and searched his then-residence in the H Street Corridor of Northeast Washington. Among other evidence, law enforcement seized his cellphone and the laptop Johnson had used to upload the child pornography. Although Johnson deleted the child pornography from his computer after Google closed his account, digital forensics experts were able to recover artifacts showing that Johnson had downloaded many of the files as early as April 2020 and that he had opened and watched them. Many of the files are videos depicting the rape and sadistic sexual abuse of prepubescent girls. In addition, Johnson’s web browser history showed that he had navigated to child pornography online—including several of the files he later uploaded to Google—and evidence from his cellphone showed that he continued to seek out child pornography even after Google closed his account.

            The jury found Johnson guilty of five counts of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.  On the possession count, the jury further found that the child pornography involved minors under 12 years of age, an aggravating circumstance that doubles the statutory maximum sentence. The Honorable Carl J. Nichols, who presided over the trial, has ordered Johnson detained pending sentencing.

            Transportation of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison and a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Possession of child pornography involving minors under 12 years of age carries an enhanced maximum term of 20 years in prison. The offenses also carry potential financial penalties, including mandatory restitution for identified victims.  The maximum statutory penalties for federal offenses are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only. The sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS).

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney and Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Lipes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

            The prosecution team received valuable assistance from the High Technology Investigative Unit at CEOS, and all of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Marissa Mondelli and Carolyn Carter-McKinley, former Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, Victim–Witness Service Coordinator Tonya Jones, Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Janani Iyengar and Jocelyn Bond.

            This case was 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 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.

WASHINGTON – Darnell Lamont Savoy, 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, which was revealed during the investigation into an October 2022 stabbing that Savoy committed while he was on release and under indictment for the December 2018 near-murder shooting of a 14-year-old boy in Northeast Washington, D.C.

            The plea was announced by 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 (MPD).

            Savoy pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly to the use of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Judge Kelly set a sentencing date for August 2, 2024. Savoy faces at least five years and a maximum of life in prison on the charge. A district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            Over the federal government’s written and oral objections, in 2021, Savoy was released from custody while awaiting trial in Superior Court on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and related offenses stemming from the 2018 shooting. 

            According to court documents, months later, on October 11, 2022, Savoy allegedly stabbed a person during an argument and fled the scene. Investigators tracked Savoy to the 3900 block of Southern Avenue, SE. On the morning of October 21, 2022, MPD officers and FBI agents executed a search warrant at an apartment unit where Savoy was staying with a woman and a 3-year-old child. During the search, law enforcement found a plastic bag containing 4.55 grams of an off-white powder, a digital scale with white powder residue, a red cut straw with white powder residue, and a two-pack of naloxone. The powder and the residues tested positive for fentanyl.

            In a blue jacket that contained Savoy’s ID and credit card, investigators discovered 27 zip baggies with an off-white powder weighing a total of 7.3 grams, 29 blue pills stamped M30, 16 red zip baggies containing an off-white powder weighing nearly 5 grams, and $473 in U.S. currency. The powders tested positive for fentanyl.

            In a hall closet, on top of a dryer, officers discovered a loaded, unregistered, semi-automatic Glock 30, loaded with 24 rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. DNA testing linked Savoy to the firearm. The fentanyl recovered during the search warrant was found in a common area of the apartment that the three-year-old had access to, which could have led to the death or serious injury of the child.

            On March 29, 2024, Savoy and two co-defendants pleaded guilty in Superior Court to their roles the December 28, 2018, shooting of a father and son in the Clay Terrace neighborhood. Savoy was driving when his co-defendant fired 30 shots into an SUV in which the father and son were sitting. The boy was shot nine times, including in the head, abdomen, chest, and back. The father sustained gunshot wounds to his leg and hand. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2024.  

            The federal case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Long and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Stempel. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney William G. Hart and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam.

            The shooting of the boy and his father was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberley Nielsen and Sharon Donovan. 

Sereika Savariau, 37, of Jamaica, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to creating a series of fraudulent debt relief companies that tricked U.S. victims into paying fraudulent processing fees and disclosing sensitive personal identifying information.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Sally Luttrell of the Treasury Department, Office of Inspector General.

Savariau, also known as Sereika Savariau-Goodison, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution, which carries a potential penalty of 30 years in prison. The Honorable Amit P. Mehta presided over Savariau’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for September 19, 2024. 

As part of her guilty plea, Savariau admitted that from at least June 2016 through September 2018, she and other conspirators created and operated a series of fraudulent debt relief companies that tricked U.S. citizens into paying bogus processing fees and disclosing personal identifying information and identity documents. One of the fraudulent websites said consumers could receive up to $60,000 in government-funded aid to pay their bills. Another claimed consumers could receive up to $25,000 in annual debt relief.

Savariau admitted that through their false representations she and her co-conspirators tried to defraud U.S. victims out of more than $550,000. More than 50 individuals sent money to conspirators because of the scheme, most commonly through Western Union, believing the funds were service processing fees.

Conspirators also fraudulently used some of the victims’ personal identifying information for other illegal purposes. For example, one victim’s information was used to create a PayPal account for use in the scheme. Her information also was used to apply for and obtain an American Express pre-paid credit card. A different victim’s name and address were used to register one of their fraudulent debt relief sites.

Savariau’s conduct directly violated a prior judicial order issued in September 2015 by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton in Case No. 14-CV-1414 that, among other things, permanently restrained her and those working with her from misrepresenting to others that they would reduce substantially consumers’ debts.

Savariau was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2021 and extradited from Jamaica to the United States in September 2023.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Inspector General, the Justice Department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Savariau.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Louisa Becker and Ashley Pungello of the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging a former North Korean official serving in Thailand, Myong Ho Ri, with conspiracy to violate U.S. economic sanctions, bank fraud, and international money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen, and Special Agent in Charge Derek Gordon, with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington D.C. Field Office.

            According to the indictment, Ri arranged for shipments of goods to North Korea using U.S. dollar wire transfers without receiving a license from the U.S. Treasury Department. Ri is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and 18 counts of international money laundering relating to a scheme to smuggle goods into North Korea from Thailand via Dalian, China. 

            “This defendant allegedly skirted the sanctions put in place to protect our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “He is also alleged to have thwarted U.S. banking laws, so that he could conduct business for North Korea, a foreign government that is determined to unlawfully expand its nuclear program. Working with our partners, we will make every effort to bring to justice the people who put this country at risk, no matter where in the world they operate.”

            “As alleged, this defendant deliberately circumvented U.S. sanctions by using front companies to deceive American banks as he smuggled goods into North Korea,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will be relentless in pursuing those who violate sanctions and advance North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.”

            “Today’s announcement exposes a former North Korean official’s efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions and exploit the U.S. financial system,” said Special Agent in Charge Gordon. “By his actions, Myong Ho Ri, a North Korean official at the time of the suspected activity, not only allegedly committed numerous counts of money laundering but also purportedly conspired with others to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by illegally directing payments through U.S. banks. HSI Washington, D.C. will aggressively pursue criminal charges against those acting on behalf of hostile regimes that threaten the security of the American people. This includes historically hostile nations who attempt to subvert U.S. economic sanctions.”

            On March 15, 2016, the President issued Executive Order 13,722 to address the Government of North Korea’s continuing pursuit of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.  That and subsequent regulations prohibit the export of financial services from the United States or by any U.S. person to North Korea, including the processing of U.S. dollar wires for transactions conducted overseas.

            According to the indictment, beginning around February 2015, Ri used his position as Third Economic and Commercial Secretary in the Embassy of North Korea in Thailand to negotiate contracts on behalf of a North Korean company to ship goods into North Korea from Thailand, utilizing multiple front companies and co-conspirators in Thailand and Malaysia. Ri and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed the intended destination of the goods from banking institutions located in the United States and directed shipments through Dalian, China in order to obscure the true nature of their business. As a result, U.S. financial institutions unknowingly processed multiple U.S. dollar transactions for the benefit of North Korea.

            This case is being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigation’s Washington D.C. Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Maeghan Mikorski from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Stephen Marzen and Tracy Varghese of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. Valuable assistance was also provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Grady.

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

An indictment was unsealed today charging a former North Korean official serving in Thailand, Myong Ho Ri, with conspiracy to violate U.S. economic sanctions bank fraud, and international money laundering.

According to the indictment, Ri arranged for shipments of goods to North Korea using U.S. dollar wire transfers without receiving a license from the U.S. Treasury Department. Ri is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and 18 counts of international money laundering relating to a scheme to smuggle goods into North Korea from Thailand via Dalian, China. 

“As alleged, this defendant deliberately circumvented U.S. sanctions by using front companies to deceive American banks as he smuggled goods into North Korea,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will be relentless in pursuing those who violate sanctions and advance North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.”

“This defendant allegedly skirted the sanctions put in place by the U.S. government in order to protect our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. “He is also alleged to have thwarted U.S. banking laws, so that he could conduct business for North Korea, a foreign government that is determined to unlawfully expand its nuclear program. Working with our partners, we will make every effort to bring to justice the people who put this country at risk, no matter where in the world they operate.”

On March 15, 2016, the President issued Executive Order 13,722 to address the Government of North Korea’s continuing pursuit of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. That and subsequent regulations prohibit the export of financial services from the United States or by any U.S. person to North Korea, including the processing of U.S. dollar wires for transactions conducted overseas.

According to the indictment, beginning around February 2015, Ri used his position as Third Economic and Commercial Secretary in the Embassy of North Korea in Thailand to negotiate contracts on behalf of a North Korean company to ship goods into North Korea from Thailand, utilizing multiple front companies and co-conspirators in Thailand and Malaysia. Ri and his co-conspirators deliberately concealed the intended destination of the goods from banking institutions located in the United States and directed shipments through Dalian, China in order to obscure the true nature of their business. As a result, U.S. financial institutions unknowingly processed multiple U.S. dollar transactions for the benefit of North Korea.

The Department of Homeland Security Investigation’s Washington D.C. Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Tortorice and Maeghan Mikorski for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Stephen Marzen and Tracy Varghese of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance was provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Grady.

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 -- Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, M.D., 64, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was charged in U.S. District Court yesterday on a 29-count count superseding indictment for illegally distributing prescriptions for narcotics in exchange for cash. According to court documents, Okafor allegedly distributed oxycodone and promethazine with codeine to individuals outside the usual course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose from his medical practice in Washington, D.C.

            As part of the conspiracy as charged in the superseding indictment, Okafor would distribute controlled substance prescriptions to co-conspirators whom he knew to be abusing or diverting the medication, in names and addresses requested by his co-conspirators, even when he knew the names or addresses were false. Okafor is alleged to have distributed dangerous and highly addictive controlled substances via medically unnecessary prescriptions to co-conspirators in at least 37 states nationwide and had knowledge that co-conspirators were traveling from the Washington, D.C. metro area to states as far as California, Florida, and Maine to have these illicit prescriptions filled. As part of the conspiracy, Okafor was paid in cash by his co-conspirators for each prescription issued. In addition to the charge of conspiracy, Okafor stands charged with maintaining a drug involved premises, and 26 counts of controlled substance distribution. These 26 counts include distributions to co-conspirators, an actual patient, and undercover law enforcement sources.

            The charges were announced April 11, 2024, by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Assistant Director David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon, of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia, and Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division.

            Okafor was previously indicted in March 2023 for distribution of controlled substances outside the legitimate practice of medicine. The superseding indictment unsealed yesterday charges Okafor with a total of 29 counts.

            If convicted, Okafor faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the DC-Office of Inspector General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). The Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division provided valuable assistance and served an Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) on Okafor’s DEA registration because it was determined that he posed an imminent danger to public health and safety due to the volume of unlawful distribution of opioids.  

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey and Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section.

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

WASHINGTON – Keyon Slaughter, 27, of Waldorf, Maryland, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with the December 2022 murder of Dana Bailey, Jr., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The indictment charges Slaughter with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, first‑degree felony murder while armed, first-degree burglary while armed, and related firearm offenses, including illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted person, punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the morning hours of December 5, 2022, Slaughter entered the apartment that his girlfriend shared with her husband, Dana Bailey, Jr., in Southeast, Washington, D.C. Bailey had learned of his wife’s affair with Slaughter earlier in 2022. Slaughter confronted and shot Bailey once in the chest, killing him. Slaughter then fled the scene and traveled to North Carolina. Before Bailey died, he identified Slaughter as the murderer to a responding officer by Slaughter’s nickname, “Papi.” At that time, defendant was on supervised probation for a 2019 conviction for armed robbery in Charles County, Maryland. Slaughter was arrested in this case in July 2023 and has been detained pending trial since his arrest.

            This case is being investigated by members of MPD’s Homicide Branch. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles R. Jones.

            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 – On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, Brandon Goodwin, 38, 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 March 28, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            Brandon Goodwin is to be arraigned on May 1, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 28, 2024, Brandon Goodwin took store merchandise without paying from the Target store in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Mr. Goodwin was arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.    

            Mr. Goodwin 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 39 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 Lauren Gaskin.

            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 – On Wednesday, April 10, 2024, Melvin Dykes, 61, 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 23, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            Dykes is to be arraigned on April 30, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 23, 2024, Dykes took merchandise without paying from the CVS store in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Dykes was located and arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.  

            Dykes 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 39 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 – Jamie Macedo, 22, of Washington, D.C., was indicted on charges of first degree murder while armed, attempted armed robbery, and firearms offenses in relation to the July 2023 shooting death of Maxwell Emerson, a visiting teacher, during a robbery that ended on a university campus in Northeast D.C., announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            The indictment, filed on April 10, 2024, in the Superior Court, also charges possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The defendant will be arraigned on Friday, April 12, 2024.

            According to documents filed with the court and the government’s evidence, on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, Mr. Emerson, who was in Washington, D.C. for a conference at the Library of Congress’s Teacher Institute, was approached by the defendant at 7:32 a.m. outside the Brookland-CUA Metro Station. Mr. Emerson was captured on video walking away from the Metro station a few minutes later with his hands raised and with the defendant following him. Macedo forced Emerson toward a small park area near 611 Alumni Lane. Just before 8 a.m., Mr. Emerson sent a snapchat message attempting to inform a family member he was being robbed at gunpoint. Surveillance video captured Macedo closing in on Mr. Emerson who was seated on a park bench. Macedo attempted to grab personal property from Mr. Emerson and a struggle ensued during which Macedo shot Mr. Emerson in the abdomen. Mr. Emerson died as a result of the gunshot wound.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante.

WASHINGTON – Linda Laird, 59, and her father, James Blizzard, 80, both of Cordova, Maryland, are charged in a five-count indictment, unsealed today, with conspiracy to commit Social Security fraud and theft of public money, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult or elderly person, and fraud in the first degree against a senior citizen. The charges were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia. The defendants appeared in District Court today and were released pending trial.

            The indictment was returned on April 9, 2024, by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to court documents, beginning in November 2017, Laird and Blizzard conspired and engaged in a scheme to deceive the Superior Court of the District of Columbia into appointing them as co-guardians and co-conservators of a vulnerable adult. At the time, the vulnerable adult was 81 years of age and suffered from severe cognitive impairments that rendered her incapacitated and required her to reside in a nursing home located in Washington, D.C. 

            While the vulnerable adult resided in the nursing home, Laird and Blizzard were required, in part, to act as fiduciaries and apply the vulnerable adult’s money towards her support, care, habilitation, and treatment. Instead, the indictment alleges, Laird and Blizzard used their authority as co-guardians and co-conservators to redirect U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits intended for, and checking account funds belonging to, the vulnerable adult to their personal bank accounts for their own benefit. In total, Laird and Blizzard diverted more than $21,000 in Social Security benefits and obtained over $85,000 from the vulnerable adult’s bank account for their personal use. Laird and Blizzard did not use these funds to pay for the vulnerable adult’s care.

            This case is being investigated by the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Facci, on detail from the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.

            An indictment is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

WASHINGTON – A 14-count indictment, filed in U.S. District Court, charges three District men in a spree of armed carjackings and commercial gunpoint robberies within Washington D.C. and suburban Maryland in March of 2024. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Kanard Bishop, 26, Edward LeRoy Brown, 24, and Khalil Boyd, 18, are charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (aka “Hobbs Act” robbery); carjacking; using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence; and aiding and abetting.

            According to court documents, the defendants targeted fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, and package delivery vehicles, and would work together to arrange for a car to be used to commit the robberies, either by carjacking or arranging the use of an associate’s vehicle. The indictment, filed April 10, 2024, alleges that on March 17, 2024, law enforcement responded to a report of an armed carjacking of a Mercedes Benz on the 4300 block of Southern Ave., SE, in which the perpetrators took the victims’ car, phones, wallet, and cash.

            It is further alleged that, between 3 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on March 20, 2024, law enforcement received numerous reports of attempted armed robberies and carjackings including: around 3 a.m., at a McDonald’s restaurant in Capitol Heights, Maryland, where two masked, armed suspects climbed through a drive-thru window and attempted to open the register by pressing random buttons but were unsuccessful; less than an hour later, a carjacking on the unit block of 35th Street, NE, in which the owner of the car reported that three armed gunmen had just taken his 2018 Dodge Durango; at 4:11 a.m., an armed robbery at a Denny’s Restaurant on the 4400 block of Benning Road in which the employee couldn’t open the cash register so the gunmen ripped the register off the counter and fled; at 4:59 a.m., an attempted armed robbery at  McDonald’s on the 7700 block of Landover Road, Landover, Maryland, in which one of the gunmen attempted to climb through the drive thru window but was pushed back out by the cashier; at 5:03 a.m., at a 7-Eleven on the 7500 block of Landover Road, where two armed gunmen entered and demanded cash; and at 5:26 a.m., a robbery at a 24hr market on the 5200 block of Marlboro Pike, District Heights in which the gunmen stole money and retail products.

            On March 27, 2024, at 8:47, Prince George’s County police were called to Brooks Drive in District Heights, Maryland, for a reported carjacking of a 2022 Dodge Challenger. At 12:09 p.m., two men robbed a FedEx delivery truck at Burns and G Streets, SE. The armed men took several packages from the interior of the truck, robbed the FedEx employees of their personal belongings, and fled. The robbery was captured on surveillance cameras mounted inside and on the exterior of the truck.

            On March 28, 2024, detectives working with the Prince George’s County Police Department’s Carjacking Interdiction Unit were conducting surveillance on a carjacked 2022 Dodge Challenger in District Heights. The Challenger stopped directly in front of a Game Stop store on the 5700 block of Silver Hill Road. Two men, later identified as Bishop and Brown, aka “Shiesty,” exited the vehicle. A man later identified as Boyd, aka “Lil Bill,” was behind the wheel. As detectives prepared to conduct a tactical block of the Challenger, they realized that two men were committing a robbery of the Game Stop. Detectives moved in shouting loud verbal commands. Bishop and Brown fled through the emergency exit at the rear with their firearms displayed. Detectives caught Bishop after a short foot pursuit. They recovered a loaded .40 caliber Glock 22 at the scene. Brown ran with a gun in his hand. A detective fired at Brown, striking him in the lower torso. Detectives recovered a .40 caliber “ghost gun” loaded with nine rounds. Boyd led police on a chase which ended after he crashed and tried to flee on foot.

             The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington’s Violent Crime Task Force and the MPD Carjacking Task Force with significant assistance from the Prince George’s County Police Department.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jackson and Omeed Assefi, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Toth.

            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 – Jevaughn “Ledo” Mark, 32, and his brother Angelo Mark, 30, were charged yesterday in a 17-count superseding indictment for participating in a conspiracy that distributed large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine in the metropolitan area. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Jevaughn Mark is currently being held on charges that include eight counts of unlawful distribution (of fentanyl, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin) and distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl between January 10, 2024, and March 13, 2024. The charges stem from six controlled purchases in which undercover DEA and MPD taskforce officers (UC-DEA/MPD) contacted Jevaughn Mark and purchased narcotics. In each instance, the UC-DEA/MPD agents requested to buy “Special K” or ketamine from Jevaughn Mark. In every instance, Jevaughn Mark supplied a mixture of fentanyl and other substances, including heroin, but not ketamine.

After obtaining an indictment against Jevaughn Mark, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence in connection with his arrest. From his residence, agents recovered two firearms, cocaine, fentanyl, approximately $38,000 in U.S. currency, body armor vests, and drug trafficking paraphernalia. The same day, law enforcement also executed a search warrant at another residence tied to Jevaughn Mark, in which they located his brother, Angelo Mark. From Angelo Mark’s bedroom, law enforcement recovered seven firearms, 900 rounds of ammunition, dozens of pills, cocaine, fentanyl, drug trafficking paraphernalia, and approximately $50,000 in U.S. currency.  Based on the evidence, both brothers were indicted in the current superseding indictment.

            Both brothers are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine in the superseding indictment.  Separately, Angelo Mark is charged in the superseding indictment with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and unlawful possession of a firearm after having previously been convicted of an offense punishable by a term exceeding one year.  Jevaughn Mark’s additional charges in the superseding indictment include possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and heroin, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and unlawful possession of a firearm having previously been convicted of an offense punishable by a term exceeding one year. 

             The case is being investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department with the collaboration on the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Coley, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section.

             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.

            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 –Raymon Edward Dandridge, 39, of Harwood, Maryland, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to distributing more than 20 videos depicting adult men sexually abusing toddlers and infants. The plea agreement was announced by 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 A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Dandridge already is serving a sentence for possession of child pornography on a 2022 conviction out of Ann Arundel County, MD. Today, Dandridge pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth in Washington D.C. to a federal count of distribution of child pornography. Judge Lamberth scheduled sentencing for September 18, 2024.

            According to court documents, Dandridge, aka “D4ALL” and “Ray Gozeinu,” communicated with an undercover FBI agent on April 26, 2023, over an encrypted messaging service. During the chat, Dandridge sent the undercover agent 20 videos depicting the sexual assaults of prepubescent children. Later, Dandridge agreed to meet the undercover agent and the undercover agent’s purported 8-year-old daughter “to play with her” on the afternoon of Friday, April 28, 2023. Law enforcement arrested Dandridge when he arrived at the Washington D.C. location for the meet-up.

            When he is sentenced, Dandridge will face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison on the distribution of child pornography charge, due to his prior conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

            It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Shinskie and Caroline Burrell and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Larson.

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

WASHINGTON – Corde Fitzhugh-Clingman, 23, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today on two counts of felony murder and other related charges stemming from the July 8, 2021 slaying of 24-year-old Muntsier Sharfi and the April 25, 2022 slaying of 26-year-old Zekariya Elmi, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced. Fitzhugh-Clingman was also indicted on charges involving the attempted armed robbery of Mr. Sharfi, Mr. Elmi, and another individual. 

            Fitzhugh-Clingman was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, on multiple charges of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder), with aggravating circumstances, attempted armed robbery, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license.

            Fitzhugh-Clingman is to be arraigned on April 12, 2024, at a hearing before the Honorable Anthony Epstein. He faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted of the charges.

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

            This case is being prosecuted by 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 – Michael Owusu-Sakyi, 47, of Washington, D.C., was charged today in Superior Court with aggravated assault while armed for shooting a woman on April 5, 2024, in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. The defendant is held pending a preliminary hearing on Friday.

            According to court documents, the victim was in the 1700 block of Fairlawn Avenue SE when Owusu-Sakyi approached her from behind and shot her once in the arm. After shooting the victim, the defendant said that he thought she was someone else, and told her to call 911 before he fled the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital to treat her gunshot wound. Police subsequently obtained a warrant for Owusu-Sakyi’s arrest.

            These charges were brought as a result of the D.C. Council’s Secure DC Omnibus Emergency Amendment Act of 2024, that went into effect last month. The change in the law recognizes all gunshot wounds as serious bodily injury.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Roberts.

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

WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging Jaevonn Archer, 20, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, and Timothy Williams, 30, of Maryland, with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping in the February 25, 2024, abduction of a Virginia-based man.

            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, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Agents with the FBI arrested Archer and Williams early this morning at two separate residences in Maryland. In addition, Malik Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C., a previously convicted felon, was arrested at a third location and faces a related firearms charge in U.S. District Court.

            As part of the takedown operation, law enforcement searched five residences in and around the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Numerous firearms, vehicles, narcotics, and proceeds from the February 25, 2024, kidnapping were recovered. The arrests follow a coordinated takedown operation led by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from the FBI Baltimore Field Office, Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, and Arlington County Police Department. Assistance was also provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Maryland.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin F. Song and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Lipes are prosecuting the case.

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

On April 4, the United States transferred over 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, and RPG-7s, and over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. These armaments were seized by U.S. Central Command and partner naval forces from four flagless vessels in the Arabian Sea enroute from Iran to Yemen, where sanctioned groups including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directly support the Houthi movement. The Department of Justice then filed a civil forfeiture action against the seized munitions, resulting in a Dec. 1, 2023, order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia transferring title to the United States.

“With this weapons transfer, the United States government is both disrupting Iran’s destabilizing efforts and supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s brutal, unprovoked invasion,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to use our legal authorities, including forfeiture, to support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.”

“As we see Russia and Iran engaging in conduct to undermine global security, the Department of Justice is taking deadly weapons out of the hands of terrorists and putting them into the hands of Ukrainians defending their homeland,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.  “We will continue to use the full reach of our authorities to disrupt the Iranian government’s efforts to undermine stability and to support the Ukrainian people’s stance against tyranny.”

“Civil forfeiture remains an important tool in our efforts to stop or disrupt terrorist organizations like the IRGC,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Its use in this case demonstrates the power of our counter-threat financing actions to strip legal control of assets from bad actors.  We are proud to have been able to work with CENTCOM in this matter, and through them to further the efforts of partners like the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight to maintain freedom.”

According to court documents in the civil forfeiture action, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command seized the weapons from four interdictions of stateless dhow vessels: two from 2021 and two from 2023. These interdictions led to the discovery and seizure of four large caches of conventional weapons, including long arms and anti-tank missiles, and related munitions – all of which were determined to be primarily of either Iranian, Chinese, or Russian origin.

This action followed the government’s successful March 2023 forfeiture action against over one million rounds of ammunition en route from Iran to Yemen, which were also transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces. These forfeiture actions addressed the illicit trafficking of advanced conventional weapons systems and components by sanctioned Iranian entities that directly support military action by the Houthi movement in Yemen and the Iranian regime’s campaign of terrorist activities throughout the region. The forfeiture complaints alleged sophisticated schemes by the IRGC to clandestinely ship weapons to entities that pose grave threats to U.S. national security.

The HSI Washington Field Office and the DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office are leading the larger investigation of the Iranian weapons-smuggling network, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in conducting the seizures.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen, Brian P. Hudak, Rajbir S. Datta, and Anna D. Walker for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys S. Derek Shugert and Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division litigated the case, with support from Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Angela De Falco.

WASHINGTON – On Apr. 4, the United States transferred more than 5,000 AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles, RPG-7s and more than 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces. The transfer constitutes enough materiel to equip one Ukrainian brigade with small arms rifles and will help Ukraine defend against Russia’s invasion. These armaments had been seized by U.S. Central Command naval forces from four flagless vessels in the Arabian Sea enroute from Iran and destined for Yemen, where sanctioned groups including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) directly support the Houthi movement. The Department of Justice then filed a civil forfeiture action against the seized munitions, resulting in a Dec. 1, 2023, order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia transferring title to the United States.

            “With this weapons transfer, the United States government is both disrupting Iran’s destabilizing efforts and supporting Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s brutal, unprovoked invasion,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will continue to use our legal authorities, including forfeiture, to support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.”

            “Civil forfeiture remains an important tool in our efforts to stop or disrupt terrorist organizations like the IRGC,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Its use in this case demonstrates the power of our counter-threat financing actions to strip legal control of assets from bad actors.  We are proud to have been able to work with CENTCOM in this matter, and through them to further the efforts of partners like the Ukrainian armed forces in their fight to maintain freedom.”

            According to court documents in the civil forfeiture action, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command seized the weapons from four interdictions of stateless dhow vessels: two from 2021 and two from 2023. These interdictions led to the discovery and seizure of four large caches of conventional weapons, including long arms and anti-tank missiles, and related munitions – all of which were determined to be primarily of either Iranian, Chinese, or Russian origin.

            This action followed the government’s successful March 2023 forfeiture action against over one million rounds of ammunition en route from Iran to Yemen, which were also transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces. These forfeiture actions addressed the illicit trafficking of advanced conventional weapons systems and components by sanctioned Iranian entities that directly support military action by the Houthi movement in Yemen and the Iranian regime’s campaign of terrorist activities throughout the region. The forfeiture complaints alleged sophisticated schemes by the IRGC to clandestinely ship weapons to entities that pose grave threats to U.S. national security.

            The HSI Washington Field Office and the DCIS Mid-Atlantic Field Office are leading the larger investigation of the Iranian weapons-smuggling network, with substantial assistance from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in conducting the seizures.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen, Brian P. Hudak, Rajbir S. Datta, and Anna D. Walker for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys S. Derek Shugert and Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division litigated the case, with support from Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Angela De Falco.

 

WASHINGTON – Diandre Caesar, 30, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a Superior Court jury of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The verdict follows a five-day trial. 

            According to the government’s evidence, at around 1:00 p.m., on June 28, 2022, Caesar got into a verbal argument with the victims, who were trying to drive out of the McDonald’s parking lot on New York Avenue in Northeast Washington D.C.  As the victims turned onto New York Avenue NE to leave, with their infant child in a car seat in the backseat, Caesar followed them and, after trying to open the front passenger door, kicked the rear door multiple times.  The victims continued driving, at which point Caesar pulled out a firearm and fired at the car several times, striking it at least four times.  Police later arrested Caesar on a warrant on August 24, 2022.

            The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2024.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Travis Wolf and Michael Toogun prosecuted the case at trial.

WASHINGTON – Oscar Ramos, 35, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today of first degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed for the May 28, 2015 shooting that killed 50-year old Pedro Melendez Alvarado, of Alexandria, Virginia, and wounded 56-year old Miguel A. Rodriguez Carabantes, also of Alexandria, Virginia.  The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

               A Superior Court jury returned the verdict after a six-day trial. According to the government’s evidence, Ramos, who is a member of MS-13, was a passenger in a car that was driving on I-295 NB, in Southwest, D.C., near exit 1, when the car he was in pulled alongside another vehicle being driven by Mr. Alvarado who was on his way to work with Mr. Carabantes. The defendant and another passenger in the car with him opened fire on Mr. Alvarado’s car, struck the victims, then pulled away.

               The defendant was charged in 2021 after evidence was developed identifying him as one of the shooters. The defendant and Mr. Alvarado are both from El Salvador. The defendant believed Mr. Alvarado was somehow involved in the death of the defendant’s father, years earlier, in El Salvador.

               The Honorable Mark Raffinan scheduled sentencing for July 12, 2024.

               In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from MPD, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office, the Prince George’s County (Md.) Police Department, the Montgomery County (Md.) Police Department, the Chelsea, Massachusetts Police Department, and the Anne Arundel County (Md.) Fire Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Jacqueline Yarbro who prosecuted the case at trial.

WASHINGTON – Trey Prillerman, 19, Nelfy Hernandez, 20, both of Washington, D.C., and Deandre Levy, 22, of Gaithersburg, MD, were sentenced today for their roles in an August 2020 drive-by shooting that claimed the life of 17-year-old Taijhon Wyatt. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan sentenced Prillerman to 17 years in prison; Hernandez to 13 years in prison; and Levy to eight years in prison.

            Defendants Prillerman and Hernandez pleaded guilty, in August of 2023, to second degree murder while armed; Levy pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed. Hernandez, additionally, pleaded guilty to felony assault for assaulting a DYRS guard in a separate incident.

            According to the government’s evidence, on August 10, 2020, at approximately 9:30 p.m., the victim, Taijhon Wyatt, was walking with a group of friends in an alley near 9th and Kennedy St., NW. A stolen vehicle driven by defendant Prillerman arrived at the mouth of the alley where defendants Hernandez and Levy opened fire into Taijhon’s group, killing him and wounding another individual who was with him. The three defendants fled the area in the stolen car, which was subsequently recovered outside of Baltimore. Officers arrived a short time after the shooting and discovered the teenager suffering from gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. 

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Forman and Dennis Clark.

WASHINGTON – Trenton Robinson, 28, of District Heights, Maryland, was sentenced today to 234 months in prison for his role as an enforcer for a D.C. street crew whose members distributed more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, as well as oxycodone and codeine, and used, carried, brandished, and discharged firearms during their drug trafficking crimes in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C. 

            The sentencing 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, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            “This drug trafficker used a machine gun to spray bullets in the direction of a car passing through his drug dealing territory,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The hail of gunfire, which injured one person, miraculously did not kill anyone. Federally prosecuting those who, like this defendant, are driving violence is critical to protecting our community.” 

            "Robinson not only distributed drugs but also used illegal firearms to fend off perceived threats to his co-conspirators and what they claimed as their territory,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Scott. “His lengthy sentence is the result of coordination between the FBI and our federal and local partners. We will continue to counter violent crime as a team to ensure that we prevail in bringing violent recidivists to justice."

            “This individual will learn a costly lesson as he serves a lengthy prison sentence. The usage of machine guns on our streets is sadly something that has gained much more traction since 2020,” said ATF Special Agent in Chargeailimai. “We hope that sentences such as this will serve as a deterrence to others seeking to possess and use illegal firearms more specifically machine gun conversion devices/ switches in our communities. We will continue to work alongside our partners to ensure that individuals like Robinson are held accountable for their actions.”

            Robinson, aka “Zulu,” pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson on October 24, 2023, to one count of brandishing a firearm in relation to drug trafficking, and one count of discharging a firearm in relation to drug trafficking. In addition to the 19.5-year prison sentence, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Robinson to serve five years of supervised release.

            Robinson, who regularly carried a fully automatic AR-Pistol machinegun, admitted as part of his plea agreement that he discharged that machinegun at the driver of a vehicle passing through the crew’s drug dealing territory on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020. He also admitted that he and his crew possessed between 25 and 99 firearms between June of 2019 and September of 2020.

            Robinson committed the charged crimes while he was on supervised parole for second degree murder in Montgomery County. On December 21, 2010, Robinson and an accomplice murdered a 19-year old man while attempting to rob him. 

            This case was investigated by the FBI, ATF, and MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.

WASHINGTON – Kevon Lockerman, 29, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a Superior Court jury of armed robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The verdict follows a two-day trial. According to the government’s evidence, on June 15, 2023, the defendant and another man, who was never identified, went into a smoke shop on West Virginia Avenue NE and tried to set up their own business inside, with a scale, a knife, and product they offered for sale. The store’s surveillance footage showed that when the complainant walked in, the defendant and his accomplice try to sell the complainant marijuana without success. The defendant handed a knife to his accomplice as the complainant spoke to the store’s clerk. When the complainant turned to leave the shop, the defendant and his accomplice blocked the complainant’s path. The accomplice gestured toward the knife, which he had tucked in the front of his pants, and the complainant handed the defendant cash. After the two men left together, the complainant turned to the store clerk with tears in his eyes, and told him he had been robbed. Police arrested the defendant roughly three weeks later near the same smoke shop.

            The Honorable Erik Christian has scheduled sentencing for June 27, 2024.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Van Haasteren and Matthew Goldstein, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Traquon McCalip, 21, of Washington D.C., was arraigned today in U.S. District Court on a six-count indictment charging him in a March 20, 2024, daylight shooting, in the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE, that left another man wounded. The indictment was announced today 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, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            McCalip, aka “TwinGlock,” who was previously convicted of a firearm possession offense in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is charged with aggravated assault while armed; two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence; two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon; and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, specifically, a Canik TP9SF Elite 9mm handgun and 9mm ammunition.

            On March 20, 2024, a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer arrived on the scene of the shooting after hearing gunfire, and McCalip fled in a vehicle. A police pursuit by officers from the Fifth and Sixth districts, with use of FALCON, the MPD Air Support Unit, ultimately led to McCalip being stopped at 1805 Bladensburg Road, NE. A 9mm Canik magazine and additional ammunition was found in the driver’s seat of the car McCalip was driving, and a 9mm Canik handgun was recovered from the scene of the shooting.    

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses 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.