District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
District Woman Sentenced in Scheme that Stole from Non-Profit Affordable Housing Complex She RanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rowena Joyce Scott, 71, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for a scheme to steal and embezzle money from the non-profit corporation she was entrusted to run for the benefit of some of the District’s economically disadvantaged residents. Scott – a minister and the former head of the Ward 8 Democrats – was convicted following a June 2023 jury trial on charges of wire fraud, credit card fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Washington D.C. Office, and Chief John Fowler of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Wilkins also ordered Scott to serve 24 months of supervised release and to pay restitution in the amount of $153,432.04 to the Park Southern Neighborhood Corporation (PSNC) and $47,726 to the Internal Revenue Service. She also was ordered to forfeit a $153,432.04 criminal money judgment.
From January 2010 through May 2014, Scott served as the president of the board of directors and manager of PSNC, a non-profit, non-member corporation that owned and operated the Park Southern apartment complex in Southeast Washington, D.C. According to the government’s evidence, Scott was hired to serve PSNC’s charitable mission of providing adequate, safe, affordable housing for the District’s underhoused and underprivileged residents. Instead, Scott engaged in a scheme through which she embezzled at least $125,000 from the organization’s coffers and used nearly $30,000 in additional funds to make purely personal, unauthorized purchases from third-party vendors. All the while, Scott collected $260,000 in “salary” (about $60,000 per year), lived in the building rent-free, and used the property’s common rooms, free of charge, to operate her own ministry. Scott failed to report all of the income she received from PSNC – legitimate or otherwise – for tax purposes. Meanwhile, under her watch, PSNC failed to finish renovations for Americans-with- Disabilities-Act compliant units and failed to make loan payments to the District.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas.
It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Kelly and Diane Lucas, and Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi.
District Man Receives Youth Rehabilitation Act Sentence for Carjacking at Gas StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Adam West, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on March 1, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to 4 ½ years in prison for carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Over the government’s objection, West was sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, which permitted the Court to issue a sentence below the mandatory minimum of seven years.
On December 14, 2023, West pleaded guilty to carjacking, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years’ incarceration. During the plea hearing, West admitted that he carjacked the victim while he was at a Northeast Washington D.C. gas station. West further acknowledged that he approached the victim, who was seated in his car, and demanded that he get out of his car while patting his waistband, to suggest that he was armed. When the victim got out with his hands up, West took the key fob out of the victim’s pocket and drove off.
MPD responded immediately, and used the MPD helicopter to track the stolen vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Seat Pleasant, Maryland, Police Department officers spotted the carjacked vehicle and initiated pursuit. West drove back into Northeast D.C., where he drove over a median, and then onto a sidewalk in the 300 block of 20th Street Northeast, where the car was disabled. Thereafter, Seat Pleasant officers apprehended West and the District’s MPD officers placed him under arrest.
The government asked for eight years’ incarceration, a sentence within the applicable guidelines range and one year above the mandatory minimum. The government opposed imposition of the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The Honorable Errol Arthur sentenced West under the Youth Rehabilitation Act to serve a term of 4 ½ years’ incarceration, with an additional 1 ½ years suspended and a two-year period of probation.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney David “Will” Lawrence, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Convicted of Offenses Arising from Violent Armed Carjacking and ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tavon Owens, 31, of Washington, D.C., was convicted by a jury today of armed carjacking, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and associated firearms offenses for shooting and carjacking a woman on Newton St, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Honorable Heidi Pasichow scheduled sentencing for May 3, 2024 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, in the middle of the afternoon of December 12, 2022, Owens approached the victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of her parked car on Newton St NW. Owens flung the car door open, pointed his firearm at the victim, and ordered her out of the car. The victim started to comply, but then tried to shut the car door to shield herself from Owens and the firearm. Owens then shot the victim in the knee. The victim fell onto the sidewalk, bleeding, and Owens jumped into the victim’s car and drove off.
MPD officers arrived immediately, and with the assistance of patrol officers on the ground and MPD’s Falcon helicopter in the sky, MPD tracked Owens to the 1400 block of Bangor St SE. Owens jumped out of the victim’s car while it was still moving, causing it to crash into a tree, and stashed his firearm behind a home before MPD officers apprehended him.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of MPD’s Fourth and Seventh District Detectives Units who investigated the case, Patrol Officers, and Falcon. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Forgie and Daniel Bromwich, who prosecuted and tried the case.
U.S. Attorney Graves Announces New Affirmative Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Unit in the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves announced today the formation of an Affirmative Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Unit (the Unit) in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia. The new civil unit will focus on investigating and enforcing federal civil rights and environmental laws within the District, as well as conducting regular community outreach regarding civil rights and environmental justice concerns.
“Protecting civil rights within our district is a high priority for both the Department and our Office,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “We recognize that communities of color and low-income communities too often feel the greatest effects of environmental contamination and pollution, so we are also committed to addressing those issues as part of this new unit, and we generally want to hear from our fellow community members when they believe their rights have been violated and legal action is needed.”
The unit will work to enforce federal civil rights laws regarding discrimination, housing, disability access, environmental justice, sexual harassment, and other matters. Coordinating the activities of the unit will be Deputy Civil Chiefs John Truong, the division’s Civil Rights Coordinator, and Diana Valdivia, the office’s Environmental Justice Coordinator. The unit will primarily be staffed with three Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Carlos Andino, Christopher Hair, and Sean Tepe. The unit will work closely with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Environmental and Natural Resources Division and coordinate its activities with other Justice Department components and local, state, and federal agencies as appropriate.
The creation of the unit is part of the Justice Department’s initiative to confront discrimination through modern, comprehensive methods, prioritize community outreach, and make better use of civil enforcement mechanisms. Advancing environmental justice is also a priority for the Justice Department, which recently created the Office of Environmental Justice within the Environmental and Natural Resources Division with a mandate to engage all Justice Department bureaus, components, and offices in the collective pursuit of environmental justice. These efforts will promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for all District residents by working to ensure that they live and work in environmentally safe conditions and enjoy their full panoply of civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
The Office’s Civil Division welcomes information from the public regarding possible civil rights violations and concerns related to environmental, health, and climate impacts on individuals and communities in the district. You may submit information or concerns to [email protected], and learn more at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/affirmative-civil-rights-and-environmental-justice.
District Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Kidnapping and Assaulting a MinorRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donte Johnson, 38 years old, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on March 1, 2024, to 60 months in prison on one count of kidnapping, announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to the evidence, on May 20, 2023, outside of the Deanwood Metro Center located in the 4700 block of Minnesota Ave, Northeast, the female victim (then 17 years of age) was commuting home from work and traveled by train to the metro station where her mother and sisters were going to pick her up in their car. The victim was crossing the street to go to her mother’s car when the defendant came from behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck. The victim attempted to fight the defendant off of her, but he pulled her to the ground and then pressed his body on her. The defendant then tried to pull the victim’s pants down. The victim was not able to break free of the defendant until two eyewitness strangers came to her rescue and were able to pull the defendant off of the victim. Shortly after the incident officers arrived and witnesses identified the defendant, who was still on scene, as the individual who assaulted the victim. He was placed under arrest. On September 26, 2023, the defendant plead guilty to one count of kidnapping, without any caps or other restrictions on the government’s recommendation at sentencing.
The Honorable Marisa J. Demeo sentenced Johnson to 60 months of incarceration, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Johnson will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years after his released.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Marco Crocetti, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Judge Sentences District Man to 32 Years in Prison for 2018 Stabbing in SoutheastRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Marquette Jordan, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 years in prison and five years of supervised release for the April 2018 fatal stabbing of 48-year-old Ivan Lynch in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). A jury returned guilty verdicts, in December 2023, on charges of second-degree murder while armed, carrying a dangerous weapon, and assault.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 30, 2018, the victim, Ivan Lynch, who had just attended a birthday celebration for himself, left the party and was going to meet up with a friend at his apartment. On the way to the friend’s apartment, Mr. Lynch picked up the defendant Marquette Jordan, the defendant’s girlfriend, the girlfriend’s two young children, and a childhood friend of the defendant.
Once inside the apartment, a verbal altercation occurred between Jordan and his girlfriend in front of her two young children. Mr. Lynch intervened and reportedly told the defendant that that is not how we treat women. Jordan and Mr. Lynch then engaged in a verbal dispute resulting in a physical fight between the two men inside the apartment. During the fight, Jordan grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and stabbed Mr. Lynch once in the shoulder, twice in the heart, and three times in the back. After stabbing Mr. Lynch, Jordan then continued to physically assault his girlfriend, threatened to kill her, and charged at her with a knife. The girlfriend grabbed a pillow and fled the apartment without her shoes, and leaving behind her minor children until she returned later that day.
The defendant went through the victim’s pockets before leaving the apartment. School surveillance captured Jordan walking with the two children after the homicide. He was stopped outside by MPD officers shortly after leaving the apartment and law enforcement officers found Mr. Lynch’s keys and his blood on Jordan’s pants and shirt. The murder weapon, the butcher knife, was never recovered. Officers also found Mr. Lynch’s cell phone discarded in an area where the defendant was observed walking, according to surveillance footage in the area. Mr. Lynch’s wallet was mailed from a nearby school to the address on his driver’s license.
In sentencing the defendant, Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt agreed with the government that the circumstances warranted a departure above the D.C. Superior Court Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natalie M. Hynum and Omeed A. Assefi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma McArthur, Marybeth Manfreda, and Richard Barker as well as Grazy Rivera, Kelly Blakeney, Meridith McGarrity, Charlie Bruce, Tracy Owusu, Zachary McMenamin, Karina Hernandez, Katina Adams Washington, Maenylie Watson, and Robert Cephas.
Former Metropolitan Police Officer Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mark Lamont Clark, 57, a former officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, was sentenced today to six months in prison for two counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law, announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Clark was convicted in May of 2023.
According to evidence presented in court, on July 13, 2018, while acting under color of law and fully dressed in his MPD uniform, Clark applied a prohibited chokehold to victim D.T., causing bodily injury through an unlawful use of excessive force, outside a McDonald’s restaurant, following a confrontation Clark had with a friend of D.T. Just five days later, on July 18, 2018, while acting under color of law and again fully dressed in his MPD uniform, Clark similarly escalated a verbal confrontation with a McDonald’s patron, victim K.C., and then applied a prohibited chokehold and a prohibited carotid artery hold to K.C., causing bodily injury. Both offenses were captured on Clark’s MPD body-worn camera (BWC).
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, who presided over Clark’s trial, also ordered the defendant to serve two years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Truscott and George Eliopoulos of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Shooting in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyrone Hawkins, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a nine-year prison term for shooting a man outside of the man’s home in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.
Hawkins pleaded guilty in September, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to assault with intent to kill and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The sentencing guidelines called for a range of five to nine years, and the Honorable Michael O’Keefe sentenced Hawkins to the maximum of nine years on March 1, 2024. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 23, 2021, Hawkins’ co-defendant, Clint Broadus, was driving a car that belonged to Hawkins’s mother, and pulled up beside the victim, who was speaking on a cellphone outside of his home. Hawkins was riding as a passenger in the front seat of the car. Hawkins asked the victim, “where's the weed at?” The victim replied that he didn't have any marijuana, and Broadus drove the vehicle down the street and parked. Hawkins and Broadus exited the vehicle, had a conversation over the hood of the car, and then approached the victim from different directions. Broadus ran across the street towards the victim, reaching for a firearm in his waistband, while Hawkins approached the victim from the same side of the road as where the victim was standing. The victim saw Broadus running towards him, produced a personal pepper spray container and sprayed Broadus with it. Broadus ducked and ran away from the scene. At nearly the same time that the victim deployed pepper spray, Hawkins, who was standing to the victim’s left, pointed a silver-barreled pistol at him and fired multiple times. The victim attempted to flee behind vehicles parked on the street in front of his home, while the defendant fired at him 7 to 11 times. The victim sustained an injury to his upper arm from bullet fragments; multiple vehicles parked along the street were damaged as a result of the gunfire.
Hawkins was arrested the same day and has been in custody ever since. The co-defendant, Clint Broadus, was sentenced on February 16, 2024, to a five-year prison sentence for assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence pursuant to a plea agreement that was accepted by the Court.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Abubaker Alaway, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Folse, who investigated and prosecuted the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of others who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin DeRiso and Jessica Ans, Paralegal Specialist Debra McPherson, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington.
District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Drug Distribution and Possession of a MachinegunRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Daniel Jahleel Thomas, aka “Dandue,” 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 120 months in prison today, for conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, as well as a detectable amount of oxycodone, unlawful possession of a machinegun, and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during, in relation to, and in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
In addition to the 10-year prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Thomas to serve four years of supervised release.
Thomas pleaded guilty on April 13, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to court documents, Thomas – who used the nickname “Dandue” in rap videos published on YouTube – advertised marijuana and oxycodone for sale on his social media accounts, and published pictures of himself in holding firearms, including fully automatic machine guns.
February 25, 2022, MPD officers saw Thomas’ Instagram story advertising that he had marijuana for sale at the Fort Chaplin Park Apartments in Northeast D.C., and knew that Thomas had a court-ordered stay-away from the complex as a condition of a prior gun arrest. The officers found Thomas standing outside the apartments and, as they approached him, Thomas jumped into the back seat of a parked vehicle. When officers ordered Thomas out of the vehicle to speak with him about the stay-away order, he resisted and pulled away. During the subsequent struggle, officers discovered a firearm in Thomas’ waistband. The firearm was later determined to be a Glock, Model 19, 9mm handgun loaded with one round in the chamber and 14 rounds in the magazine. The handgun was also fitted with a “giggle switch,” which made the handgun capable of fully automatic fire. After placing Thomas under arrest, officers recovered a duffel bag from inside the vehicle and subsequently recovered four one-pound bags of marijuana as well as 81 pills, each of which contained 30mg of oxycodone. Thomas has been detained without bond since his arrest.
At the time of his arrest, Thomas was under investigation by the FBI for his role in a variety of federal offenses related to firearms and narcotic trafficking. Coordination between the FBI and MPD led to an indictment charging Thomas and two of his co-conspirators with numerous federal offenses. Five days before his arrest, Thomas exchanged text messages with a co-conspirator about Thomas’ plan to carry out a drive-by shooting in retaliation for a perceived slight.
In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Scott, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI Washington Field Office, and MPD.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson with valuable help from Paralegal Specialist Genevieve de Guzman.
Activists Charged in Red Powder Attack on U.S. Constitution at the U.S. ArchivesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donald Zepeda, 35, of Maryland, and Jackson Green, 27, of Utah, were charged in a superseding indictment, unsealed yesterday in U.S. District Court, with the February 14, 2024, attack on the U.S. Constitution housed at the National Archives in Washington D.C.
Zepeda and Green are charged with felony destruction of government property for dumping a fine red powder over the document’s display case in the Rotunda of the Archives building. The cost of cleaning up after the stunt, which was intended to draw attention to Climate Change, has already exceeded $50,000. In addition, the act closed the Rotunda for four days.
Green previously was charged in a separate act of vandalism at the National Gallery of Art that occurred on November 14, 2023. Green was charged with one count of destruction of National Gallery of Art property for that offense. As a result of that offense, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson had ordered Green to stay away from the District of Columbia and stay away from all museums or public monuments. On February 22, Judge Berman Jackson ordered that Green be held in the D.C. jail for violating the conditions of his release.
Both incidents were videotaped by supporters of Green and released online.
When he was arrested on February 28, 2024, Zepeda was headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, to meet up with another environmental protestor.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, and the National Archives Records Administration OIG, with assistance from the 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.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Maintaining Fictitious "SuperPac," and Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Christopher Richardson, 37, of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to falsifying a report filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and credit card fraud, both felony offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Scott Moffit of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) – Cybercrime Investigations Division.
According to court documents, in March of 2020, Richardson created an independent expenditure-only political action committee, or “SuperPAC,” named Americans for Progressive Action USA (AFPA) using fictitious names for AFPA’s treasurer and designated agent. Richardson then filed a falsified quarterly report with the FEC claiming that AFPA had raised $4.8 million. Several weeks later, he filed a report of expenditures that falsely claimed that the SuperPAC spent over $1.5 million to purchase advertisements and media production opposing certain candidates for the United States Senate. AFPA’s quick fundraising and spending attracted media scrutiny, questioning the veracity of the FEC reports. Richardson then filed another FEC report that falsely stated that AFPA has refunded the non-existent $4.8 million in donations. For his knowing falsification of the FEC report claiming to make $1.5 million in expenditures, Richardson pleaded guilty to making a false entry in a record. He, separately, pleaded guilty to credit card fraud for the falsification of a credit card application using a stolen social security number.
U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden scheduled sentencing for June 13, 2024. Richardson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the false entry count and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the credit card fraud count. 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’s Washington Field Office and the TIGTA Cybercrime Investigations Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Baset of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Man Pleads Guilty to Maintaining Fictitious Super PAC and Credit Card FraudRead the Press Release
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to filing documents with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that contained false and fictitious information about a political action committee, or Super PAC, and credit card fraud.
According to court documents, in March 2020, Christopher Richardson, 37, of Langhorne, created an independent, expenditure-only Super PAC named Americans for Progressive Action USA (AFPA) that used fictitious names for AFPA’s treasurer and designated agent. Richardson then filed a falsified quarterly report with the FEC claiming that AFPA had raised $4.8 million from several fictitious individuals. Several weeks later, he filed a report of expenditures that falsely claimed that the Super PAC spent over $1.5 million to purchase advertisements and media production opposing certain candidates for the U.S. Senate. Richardson filed another FEC report that falsely stated that AFPA refunded the non-existent $4.8 million in donations.
Richardson also used the alias of one of the fictitious donors to AFPA to obtain a credit card, and then used that card to conduct approximately 200 transactions.
Richardson pleaded guilty to one count of making a false entry in a record and one count of access device fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the false entry count and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the access device fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Scott Moffit of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration’s (TIGTA) Cybercrime Investigations Division made the announcement.
The FBI Washington Field Office and TIGTA Cybercrime Investigations Division investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Ahmed Baset for the District of Columbia.
District Man Indicted on Assault and Related Charges for Shooting a Man Riding a ScooterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON- Antron Belk, 19, of the District of Columbia, was indicted February 28, 2024, by a Superior Court grand jury, on charges of assault with intent to kill while armed and other charges arising from the shooting of a man riding a scooter in the 4400 block of Quarles Street NE.
The eight-count indictment charges Belk with one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of assault with intent to murder while armed, one count of aggravated assault while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, one count of unauthorized use of a vehicle during a crime of violence, and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Judge Marisa Demeo ordered that Belk be held without bond pending trial.
On February 25, 2023, Belk was driving a black Kia Optima with two other passengers and pulled up next to the victim who was riding a scooter on Quarles Street NE. The defendant exited the vehicle and fired multiple shots at the victim before driving away. Surveillance video captured the defendant’s travel until the defendant and the two other passengers were seen exiting the vehicle and eventually entering a residential building. There were approximately 30 shell casings found on scene. The victim survived the shooting but sustained at least eight gunshot wounds, including two in the face area. The black Kia Optima had previously been reported stolen.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Iris McCranie.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Former Maryland Resident Pleads Guilty to Stealing More than $350,000 in COVID-19 Relief FundsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Zhong Jie Chen, 47, formerly of Columbia, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to misappropriating $354,520 of COVID-19 relief funds that he was supposed to use to operate his restaurants. Chen used the misappropriated funds to engage in day trading. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Chen, who now lives in New Jersey, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, which has a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. As part of his plea agreement, Chen must pay restitution and be liable for a forfeiture money judgment. U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper, who accepted Chen’s guilty plea in the District of Columbia, scheduled sentencing for July 2, 2024.
In court documents, Chen admitted that, while he was a Maryland resident, he was the sole owner of two restaurants, one in Washington, D.C., the other in College Park, MD. Between May 2020 and July 2021, he applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) loans for the restaurants.
The Paycheck Protection Program was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program administered by the U.S. government’s Small Business Administration (SBA) that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. Once PPP loan applications were approved, businesses received loan proceeds from third-party lenders. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA also offered EIDL loans to certain entities, including small business owners. These loans were provided directly from the SBA and were low-interest, fixed-rate, long term loans. Both PPP loans and EIDL loans could only be used for specified purposes.
Between May 2020 and July 2021, Chen’s two restaurants received PPP and EIDL loans totaling approximately $964,843. On loan applications, Chen acknowledged understanding how the loans could be used and that if he knowingly used funds for unauthorized purposes, he could be held legally liable by the federal government, and potentially charged with fraud.
Chen admitted that he falsely certified that all loan proceeds would be used for business-related purposes even though he knew and intended that he would misappropriate some loan proceeds to a personal investment account to allow him to engage in day trading. He admitted that he misappropriated $354,520 of loan proceeds and used those funds to engage in day trading.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kondi Kleinman and Ryan Sellinger, who were assisted by paralegal specialists Sonalika Chaturvedi and Michon Tart.
Florida Resident Sentenced to 60 Months for Smuggling Firearms from U.S. to Violent Haitian Gang That Kidnapped 19 AmericansRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jocelyn Dor, 31, a Haitian citizen who resided in Orlando, Florida, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for participating in a sophisticated smuggling scheme that exported or attempted to export at least 24 firearms from the United States to Haiti, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates ordered Dor to serve three years of supervised release. Dor pleaded guilty Oct. 30, 2023, to conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, violating the Export Control Reform Act, and laundering money with the purpose of promoting a specified unlawful activity.
Dor originally was charged in a May 2022 indictment that named co-defendants Joly Germine, also known as “Yonyon,” 31, a Haitian national and Eliande Tunis, 45, a U.S. citizen, of Pompano Beach, Florida.
According to government documents, 400 Mawozo is a notoriously violent Haitian gang and criminal organization that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. From Jan. 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed kidnappings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. Germine served as the “King” of 400 Mawozo and directed operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones. Now in U.S. custody, Germine pleaded guilty on January 31, 2024, to his role in the gunrunning conspiracy that smuggled firearms to Haiti in violation of U.S. export laws, and the laundering of ransoms paid for U.S. hostages to the gang in 2021. Germine faces life in prison when he is sentenced May 15, 2024. Co-defendant and Germine’s former girlfriend Tunis pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on January 17, 2024. Tunis, who styled herself as the “Queen” of 400 Mawozo, also faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on May 8, 2024.
Dor operated as a straw purchaser for 400 Mawozo. Between September 18, 2021 and October 17, 2021, he purchased 10 semiautomatic high-power rifles at gun shops in the Orlando area at Germine’s direction for the express purpose of shipping the weapons to 400 Mawozo gang leaders in Haiti. The rifles were intended for combat. One of the weapons, a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, is primarily used by militaries against equipment. Dor falsely stated to the gun vendors that he was the “actual buyer” of the firearms. He also received multiple transfers of thousands of U.S. dollars from his co-conspirators to pay for them.
The FBI attempted to arrest Dor on October 31, 2021, but was unable to find either Dor or the high-powered rifles. Dor stopped using his cell phones, showing that he was aware that law enforcement was looking for him. The search expanded to the Midwest where Dor was nearly captured at a trucker rest stop. On November 5, 2021, Dor rented a storage unit in Orlando. On November 8, 2021, Dor had his attorney contact the FBI to turn himself in. The FBI arrested Dor that day and recovered the guns at the Orlando storage unit. He has remained in custody since his arrest.
In October 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for kidnapping 16 U.S. citizens, including five children, and one Canadian citizen who were part of a missionary organization visiting an orphanage in Port au Prince. The gang demanded a ransom of $l million for each hostage. The hostages escaped on or about December 16, 2021. Earlier that year in June, the gang took two U.S. citizens hostage and released them only after receiving $25,000 ransom. In August, the gang took another U.S. citizen hostage and released her after receiving $50,000.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Haitian National Police, the government of Haiti, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Special Prosecutions Section.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Second Degree Murder for a Fatal Shooting in Northeast D.C. in November 2023Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Andre Hicks, 40, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to second degree murder while armed for the fatal shooting of Daniel Adams, 34, of Southeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 3, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, around 9:10 p.m. on November 25, 2023, Hicks approached 1705 Benning Road Northeast, Washington, D.C., on foot. Several people were standing inside and immediately out front of that address. The victim, Daniel Adams, was one of the people standing out front. After walking up to the address and going up its front stairs, the defendant stood for a moment by the front door, looking back in the direction of Mr. Adams. The defendant then pulled a gun out of his pants and held it to his side, away from and out of view of the victim. With the gun out, the defendant started to slowly walk back down the steps in front of that building toward where the victim was standing. Once the defendant had come within a few feet of the victim, he drew his gun up, pointed it at the victim, and started firing repeatedly. Hicks continued to fire at Mr. Adams as Mr. Adams ran away. Hicks then fled the scene. Mr. Adams was taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his gunshot wounds and died the next day.
This case was investigated by the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alec Levy.
Felon Pleads to Unlawful Possession of a Short-Barreled Rifle That Was Discovered in His Car Along with PCP and Cocaine BaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Clarence Faulkner, 42, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to federal firearms and drug charges, announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Faulkner pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession with intent to distribute (phencyclidine) before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. Sentencing is set for May 31, 2024.
According to court documents, on November 4, 2023, MPD officers were patrolling on the 300 block of 61st Street, NE. They spotted a running unoccupied red sedan parked on the side of the street. Officers got out of their patrol car to investigate. They were able to contact the owner and advise him not to leave his vehicle running and unattended.
Parked in front of the red sedan was a gray Acura. Officers approached the Acura to make sure it had not been tampered with. In plain view, on the rear passenger floorboard, officers saw a clear plastic bag filled with a green leafy substance that officers recognized was a large quantity of marijuana. Officers then opened and searched the vehicle. Inside they recovered more than two pounds of marijuana, 108 grams of cocaine base, six fluid ounces of liquid phencyclidine (PCP), and a loaded Glock semi-automatic pistol that had been modified into a short-barreled rifle. The short-barreled rifle was loaded with 28 rounds in a 31-capacity feeding device. Officers also found $38,891 in cash, a wallet with an ID for Clarence Faulkner, mail addressed to Faulkner, and Faulkner’s vehicle registration for the gray Acura in the vehicle. Police stopped and arrested Faulkner, who had been standing on a sidewalk nearby.
Federal law prohibits Faulkner from possessing a firearm because he has multiple prior felony convictions, to include prior convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Faulkner faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to a $1 million fine. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Faulkner has been held since his arrest.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and ATF’s Washington Field Division.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron Tepfer and Special U.S. Attorney Katherine Toth.
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Former Couple Sentenced to Prison Terms for Illegally Trafficking over 80 Firearms from Georgia and Texas to the DMVRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gregory Bournes Jr., 31, of Lancaster, Va., and Dream Jackson, 30, of Riverdale, Ga., were sentenced today in connection with trafficking more than 80 firearms into the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Bournes and Jackson each pleaded guilty on October 5, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. They were sentenced by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth. Based on the applicable federal sentencing guidelines, Judge Lamberth sentenced Bournes to 30 months in prison and Jackson to 27 months in prison. Following their prison terms, Bournes and Jackson will each serve three years of supervised release.
According to court papers, from February 2021 through February 2022, Bournes and Jackson—who were in a romantic relationship at the time—conspired to purchase firearms from licensed dealers in the States of Georgia and Texas and to transport and transfer the firearms to the District of Columbia and elsewhere, for the purpose of unlawfully reselling the firearms for profit. In total, Bournes and Jackson purchased more than 80 pistols, which they then sold to others. As part of their guilty pleas, Bournes and Jackson each admitted that they knew or had to reason to believe that their conduct would result in prohibited persons receiving firearms.
In March 2023, following their indictment by a federal grand jury, Bournes and Jackson were arrested in Georgia—where they both resided at the time—pursuant to warrants issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. They have remained in custody since the time of their guilty pleas.
Most of the firearms trafficked by Bournes and Jackson remain unaccounted for, and law enforcement in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area continue to recover the trafficked firearms in connection with criminal activity. To date, 34 firearms have been recovered by law enforcement. Several of those firearms had been used in furtherance of criminal activity, including an armed carjacking in the District of Columbia and an attempted murder in Prince George’s County.
The case was investigated by the ATF with valuable assistance from the ATF’s Washington Field Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine A. Pattison, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Strong.
District Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Maurice Devonte Beckham, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for illegally possessing a loaded firearm in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Beckham pleaded guilty on November 20, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. He was sentenced by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. Following his prison term, Beckham will serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, shortly after 2 a.m. on January 30, 2023, MPD officers were on patrol in the 1100 block of Raum St. Northeast when they observed Beckham walk quickly toward a running Honda CR-V and enter its driver’s seat. The officers recognized Beckham from prior interactions and knew him to have outstanding arrest warrants.
An officer approached the Honda—which was later determined to have been stolen—and Beckham accelerated, nearly striking the officer, and crashed into an occupied, marked police cruiser and a citizen’s parked vehicle. Officers opened the driver’s door and removed Beckham. Beckham attempted to flee on foot. Officers apprehended Beckham and placed him in handcuffs. They then observed in plain view on the driver’s seat floorboard—the same area from which they had just removed Beckham—a semi-automatic firearm. The recovered weapon was a Micro Draco 7.62x39mm caliber firearm, with one round in the chamber and 20 rounds in its 30-round capacity magazine.
Beckham has remained in custody since his arrest.
At the time of the offense, Beckham was on probation in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for unauthorized use of a vehicle, failure to appear in court, and other charges. As a result of his arrest in this case, Superior Court judge Heidi Pasichow revoked Beckham’s probation on June 23, 2023, and sentenced him to a 15-month prison term. The 37-month sentence imposed today will run consecutively to the Superior Court sentence, for a total term of 52 months’ imprisonment.
Federal law prohibits Beckham from possessing a firearm because of his prior conviction for unauthorized use of a vehicle, which is a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.
Middleman Sentenced to 110 Months for Facilitating Bribes Between Nightclub and Bar Owners and a District Tax OfficialRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Anthony Merritt, 48, was sentenced today to 110 months in prison for facilitating bribes to a District tax official from business owners who wanted to evade tax obligations, announced 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.
Merritt, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, played key roles in at least two sophisticated and long-term bribery conspiracies. For Vincent Slater, who formerly served in the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue, Merritt handled communications with business owners and allowed Slater to maintain apparent distance from them as he fraudulently reduced their liabilities or intervened on their behalf within OTR. For business owners, Merritt ferried cash bribe payments to Slater. And for himself, Merritt took a cut—or sometimes times, all—of the bribe payments that drove the scheme. Through his actions, Merritt deprived the District of Columbia of at least $2.3 million.
Merritt was charged in two separate indictments, one for each of the separate conspiracies. In June 2023, a jury convicted Merritt of the bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud charges from the first indictment. In September 2023, Merritt pleaded guilty to the bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud offenses charged in the second indictment.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Merritt to serve three years of supervised release and to pay restitution of $736,536.52 (of at least $200 per month), and to forfeit $581,378.77.
Slater pleaded guilty on bribery counts in June 2020 and admitted to causing a total loss of more than $3 million to the District. In addition, Slater admitted that typically, he and Merritt agreed to solicit bribe payments equaling approximately half of the amount the taxpayer sought to evade paying, and then to split the bribe proceeds between themselves. Slater resigned from OTR in December 2017, concluding both schemes, each of which had lasted over five years.
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.
Judge Walton sentenced two business owners on January 25, 2024, for their respective roles in the separate but concurrent multiyear schemes. Andre De Moya, 51, of Temple Hills, Maryland, received 30 months in prison. Davoud Jafari, 72, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced to 24 months in prison.
The businesses that benefited from De Moya’s participation in the scheme included concert venue Echostage as well as downtown bars and nightclubs such as Eyebar (later renamed Eden), Ultrabar, L8 Lounge, and Barcode. Evidence at trial showed that De Moya also introduced additional business owners to Merritt, leading to parallel schemes involving restaurants Café Asia and Umaya and nightclub Muse Lounge. Jafari owned and operated Zeba Bar in Columbia Heights through a company called Gevani, Inc.
In announcing Merritt’s sentencing, 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, with substantial assistance by the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight. U.S. Attorney Graves also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including 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.
MPD Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Federal Civil Rights Violation for Fatal Shooting of D.C. MotoristRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Enis Jevric, 42, a Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), pleaded guilty today in federal court to violating the constitutional rights of 27-year old An’Twan Gilmore by using excessive force, on August 25, 2021, in a police shooting that killed Mr. Gilmore. Jevric also pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter under D.C. law. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the Washington Field Office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 1, 2024.
According to documents filed with the court, the defendant willfully used unconstitutionally excessive and unreasonable force by shooting Mr. Gilmore. Specifically, shortly before 3:00 am on August 25, 2021, the defendant and other MPD officers were dispatched to respond to a call for an armed man—later identified as Mr. Gilmore—who was either asleep or unconscious in the driver’s seat of a car that was stopped at the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue, N.E. The defendant approached the car and directed another officer to knock on its windows to rouse Mr. Gilmore. When Mr. Gilmore awoke, the car moved forward several feet, stopped briefly, and then moved forward again. As it did so, the defendant fired his MPD-issued firearm at the car four times. The car rolled down New York Avenue, and the defendant fired at it six more times. Three of the defendant’s shots struck Mr. Gilmore, who died a short time later from his wounds. No other officer fired at Mr. Gilmore.
“Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of the community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming majority of Metropolitan Police Department officers who do their difficult and dangerous jobs honorably,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “But Officer Jevric violated the Constitution and abused his position by recklessly using deadly force where none was necessary, resulting in the tragic and unjustified loss of Mr. Gilmore’s life—a tragedy that has permanently changed the lives of Mr. Gilmore’s family and friends. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone within the District and to holding accountable all who violate those rights.”
“As a sworn police officer, Jevric knew the acceptable boundaries in which he was authorized to use deadly force,” said Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “His willful disregard of these rules resulted in Mr. Gilmore’s tragic and untimely death. While no judicial process will adequately address the loss that the Gilmore family has suffered in this situation, we are committed to ensuring the fullest administration of justice on behalf of the victim and his family.”
As part of his guilty plea, the defendant admitted that his conduct constituted unconstitutional, unreasonable force, and that he acted willfully, in reckless disregard of Mr. Gilmore’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force by police. He also admitted that his conduct created an extreme risk of death to Mr. Gilmore and was a gross deviation from a reasonable standard of care.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with extensive assistance from the FBI Laboratory including the Laboratory Shooting Reconstruction Team. It is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft Following Theft from Residential Front Porch in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Ernest Persha, 62, of Washington, D.C., was indicted on February 21, 2024, 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 12, 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Persha is to be arraigned on March 5, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 12, 2023, Persha took a package from the front porch of a residence in Northeast, Washington, D.C. Persha was immediately stopped and arrested by officers in the crime suppression unit of the Metropolitan Police Department, who were surveilling the property at the time of the crime.
Persha 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 27 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 Erika Norman.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft Following Theft from Residential Front Porch in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Eugene Fleet, 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 January 12, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Fleet is to be arraigned on March 13, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on January 12, 2024, Fleet took a package containing a baby blanket from a resident’s porch in Northwest, Washington, D.C. Fleet was later located and arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Fleet 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 27 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 Lisa Limb.
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.
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft Following Theft from CVS in NorthwestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Peter Harshaw (aka Peter Allen), 64, of Washington, D.C., was indicted on February 21, 2024, by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of felony second-degree theft stemming from events occurring on January 19, 2024, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Harshaw is to be arraigned on February 26, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on January 19, 2024, Harshaw took store merchandise without paying from the CVS store in Northwest Washington, D.C. Harshaw was quickly located and arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Harshaw 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 27 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 Naveed Amalfard.
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.
Armed Carjacking Added to a 55-Count Superseding Indictment Charging Members of the Violent KDY Drug CrewRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A superseding indictment adds 22 new charges – including armed carjacking, armed robberies, and weapons offenses involving machineguns –against the alleged core members of the violent Kennedy Street drug trafficking organization. The superseding indictment also names a 17th co-defendant, Adebayo Adediji Green, 29, of Hyattsville, MD., who was arrested on February 22, 2024.
The superseding indictment charges defendants Keion Michael Brown, 20, and Jovan “Chewy” Williams, 19, in a November 17, 2023, spree of armed carjackings and robberies; defendants Tristan Ware and Keion Brown with illegal possession of a machine gun in furtherance of drug trafficking; defendants Khali Brown, Aaron Mercer, Angel Suncar, and David Penn with illegal possession of firearms; defendants Brown, Ware, and David Penn with possession with intent to deliver marijuana; defendants Penn, Aaron Mercer, and Angel Suncar with possession with intent to deliver cocaine; and defendant Adebayo Adediji Green with conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and marijuana, and illegal possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Defendants Warren Fields and Antonio Reginald Bailey previously pleaded guilty. A chart of the remaining defendants and their charges can be found below.
According to the original indictment, KDY members operated open-air drug markets in the 100-1200 blocks of Kennedy Street in Northwest, as well as surrounding streets. The organization’s members are charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl, oxycodone, cocaine base, and marijuana, and using firearms, including fully automatic weapons, to enforce and protect the crew’s territory, including through intimidation and acts of violence.
The original indictment further alleges that KDY crew members conspired to establish shell companies to launder their illegal proceeds. During the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 40 firearms (including eight suspected machineguns).
The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Lynch.
KDY DEFENDANTS
NAME
AGE
CHARGES
Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga
27
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute One Hundred Kilograms or More of Marijuana, Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, and Detectable Oxycodone
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts)
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts)
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment Exceeding One Year (2 Counts)
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering (2 Counts)
Khali Ahmed Brown, AKA
“Migo Lee”22
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and Detectable Oxycodone
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting (1 Count)
Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl (2 Counts)
Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (3 Counts)
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun and Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (3 Counts)
Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun (2 Counts)
Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number (2 Counts)
Keion Michael Brown
20
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, and Detectable Oxycodone
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (4 Counts)
Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts)
Armed Robbery, Aiding and Abetting
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence (2 Counts)
Carjacking while Armed and Aiding and Abetting
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Oxycodone
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by an Individual Under Felony Indictment
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense
Miasiah Jamal Brown, AKA “Michael Jamal Crawford”
21
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, 400 Grams of Fentanyl, a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base, and Detectable Oxycodone
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense
Tristan Miles Ware, AKA “Greedy”
23
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, 400 Grams of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base
Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (3 Counts)
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment Exceeding One Year (2 Counts)
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts)
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense
Jovan Williams, AKA “Choo Choo” and “Chewy”
19
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, 400 Grams of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts)
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun and Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts)
Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun (2 Counts)
Unlawful Shipment, Transportation, and/or Receipt of a Firearm and Ammunition to Commit a Felony Offense
Armed Robbery and Aiding and Abetting (2 Counts)
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence
Carjacking while Armed and Aiding and Abetting
Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence
Juwan Demetrius Clark, AKA “Squirrel” and “Juan Clark”
23
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering (2 Counts)
Aaron Deandre Mercer, AKA “Curby,”
27
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl (2 Counts)
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense
David Penn, AKA “Turtle”
30
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl (2 Counts)
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana (2 Counts)
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense (2 Counts)
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense
Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License (2 Counts)
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment for a Term Exceeding One Year (2 Counts)
Angel Enrique Suncar, AKA Coqui”
29
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Base
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by a Term Exceeding One Year
Carrying and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense
Adebayo Adediji Green
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Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense
Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; and defendant Green is from Hyattsville, MD. The 15 remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Task Force KleptoCapture Announces Array of New Charges, Arrests, and Forfeiture Proceedings in Advance of Second Anniversary of Illegal Invasion of UkraineRead the Press Release
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From the outset of Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the Department of Justice has prioritized enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed alongside our global partners. Today, the Department continues that work through significant enforcement actions in five separate federal cases against sanctioned oligarchs and facilitator networks supporting the Russian regime.Today’s actions coincide with the approaching two-year mark of Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine. Read more about the Justice Department’s efforts to hold Russia accountable here.
“The Justice Department is more committed than ever to cutting off the flow of illegal funds that are fueling Putin’s war and to holding accountable those who continue to enable it,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “That is why today we are announcing several additional enforcement actions that the Justice Department has taken to bring prosecutions against and seize assets of sanctioned enablers of the Kremlin and Russian military.”
“Since the onset of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Justice Department has used every tool in our arsenal – including our international partnerships – to target the criminal actors and activity propping up Vladimir Putin, his henchmen, and his illegal war,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “Over the last two years, our Task Force KleptoCapture has restrained, seized, and obtained judgments to forfeit nearly $700 million in assets from Russian enablers and charged more than 70 individuals for violating international sanctions and export controls levied against Russia. The charges we announce today against oligarchs, facilitators, and money launderers are the next chapter: so long as Russia's aggression continues, so too will our resolve to hold its enablers accountable. We stand firmly with the people of Ukraine.”
“It has been two years since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the FBI continues to go after the Russian criminals who finance and enable Russia’s war,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “To the people of Ukraine fighting for their freedom: The FBI remains steadfast in our efforts to disrupt and hold accountable the criminals supporting the Russian War, and we will continue to stand with you to fend off Russian aggression for as long as it takes.”
In the Southern District of New York, the Department unsealed charges against three people, including sanctioned oligarch Andrey Kostin and two of his U.S.-based facilitators. The facilitators, Vadim Wolfson, aka Vadim Belyaev and Gannon Bond, were arrested today.
In the Middle District of Florida, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Sergey Vitalievich Kurchenko, a sanctioned pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch, in a years-long scheme to violate and evade U.S. sanctions by receiving funds from and doing approximately $330 million in business with U.S. persons.
In the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta-based dual national Feliks Medvedev pleaded guilty to his role in laundering over $150 million through bank accounts and shell companies on behalf of Russian clients. Separately, on Feb. 13, KSK Group – a sanctioned Russian company which assists Russian citizens with international money movements – and two overseas Russian nationals, including one sanctioned individual, were indicted for money laundering.
In the Southern District of Florida, the United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint against two Miami luxury condominium properties owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Perevalov. The properties are allegedly connected to a conspiracy to maintain and transfer real estate for the benefit of Perevalov. Located at the Ritz Carlton in Bal Harbour, the properties are valued at approximately $2.5 million.
Lastly, in the District of Columbia, a superseding indictment was unsealed today charging Vladislav Osipov with bank fraud in connection with a criminal scheme to facilitate the operation of the Motor Yacht (M/Y) Tango, a 255-foot luxury yacht that the Justice Department has previously stated is owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.
United States v. Kostin et al., Southern District of New York
Today, the United States unsealed an indictment charging Andrey Kostin, a sanctioned Russian oligarch and the President and Chairman of a Russian state-owned bank with participating in two schemes to violate U.S. sanctions and arrested two U.S.-based co-conspirators for their role in facilitating one of the schemes.
As alleged in the indictment, Kostin participated in a scheme to evade sanctions and launder funds to support two superyachts, collectively worth over $135 million. Kostin and two U.S. persons also allegedly engaged in a scheme to evade sanctions related to a luxury home in Aspen, Colorado. Facilitators Vadim Wolfson, aka Vadim Belyaev, 56, of Austin, Texas, and a legal permanent resident of the United States, and Gannon Bond, 49, a U.S. citizen of Edgewater, New Jersey, were arrested earlier today.
Kostin is a Russian oligarch who was sanctioned by OFAC on April 6, 2018, pursuant to Executive Order 13661 for being an official of the Government of the Russian Federation. From at least on or about April 6, 2018, through at least on or about March 2, 2022, Kostin and others, including at times Wolfson and Bond, allegedly participated in schemes to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), through the provision of funds, goods, and services, including U.S. financial services and U.S. dollar transactions, to and for Kostin’s benefit. The indictment alleges that Kostin also engaged in a scheme to commit money laundering to promote IEEPA violations.
According to the indictment, before and after OFAC sanctioned Kostin, he beneficially owned and controlled, through various shell companies, several assets worth tens of millions of dollars, including two superyachts identified as the Sea Rhapsody and Sea & Us, valued at over $135 million. Kostin and others allegedly violated IEEPA on numerous occasions, including by causing U.S. dollar payments to be made for the maintenance, operation, and improvement of the Sea Rhapsody and Sea & Us for the benefit of Kostin and without an OFAC license, which is required for U.S. persons to transact with a sanctioned person. In causing these U.S. dollar payments to be made, Kostin and others also allegedly committed international money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Kostin also owned a luxury home in Aspen, Colorado, that he purchased for $13.5 million in 2010. From at least on or about April 6, 2018, through at least in or about September 2019, Kostin, Wolfson, Bond, and others participated in a scheme to violate the IEEPA by providing funds, goods, and services for the benefit of Kostin, whose property and interests in property, including the Aspen home, were blocked as a result of the OFAC sanctions against him. Specifically, notwithstanding having been sanctioned by OFAC, Kostin and his conspirators allegedly schemed to operate, maintain, and improve Kostin’s Aspen residence in a manner designed to conceal Kostin’s continued ownership of this luxury asset. In addition, in or about September 2019, Kostin, Wolfson, Bond, and others allegedly committed additional sanctions violations by dealing in and transferring Kostin’s blocked property. Specifically, the conspirators allegedly arranged to sell the Aspen home and provide Kostin with approximately $12 million resulting from the sale.
Kostin, 67, of Russia, remains at large and is believed to be in Russia. KOSTIN is charged with two counts of conspiracy to violate IEEPA, two counts of violating IEEPA, and one count of conspiracy to commit international money laundering, all of which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Wolfson is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and two counts of violating IEEPA, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Bond is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and two counts of violating IEEPA, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The FBI’s Washington Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Deininger and David Felton for the Southern District of New York’s Illicit Finance and Money Laundering Unit, and Trial Attorneys Derek Shugert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Oleksandra Johnson of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are prosecuting the case.
United States v. Kurchenko, Middle District of Florida
Pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Sergey Vitalievich Kurchenko, 38, currently believed to be living in Moscow, Russia, is charged with violating the IEEPA and U.S. sanctions on Russia in connection with a years-long scheme to do business in the United States, in violation of U.S. sanctions. Kurchenko was sanctioned by OFAC in 2015 for his role in misappropriating state assets of Ukraine or of an economically significant entity in Ukraine.
As alleged, between in or about July 2017 through in or about February 2022, Kurchenko and others used a network of shell companies that Kurchenko owned and controlled to sell metal products – including pig iron, wire rods, and steel billets – to individuals and entities in the United States, including a U.S. company identified as Company A in court documents. The metal products included items produced in factories in the Donbas region of Ukraine that were owned and controlled by Kurchenko. As alleged, Kurchenko committed money laundering by transferring funds into and out of the United States in connection with the scheme and his IEEPA violations.
To facilitate the unlawful transactions described above, Kurchenko allegedly met with U.S.-based purchasers in Moscow to negotiate metal transactions between entities that he owned and controlled and U.S. persons, including Company A and its representatives. As alleged, Kurchenko willfully engaged in transactions involving the sale and shipment of products valued at more than $330 million to individuals and companies in the United States.
Kurchenko is charged with conspiracy to violate the IEEPA and U.S. sanctions against Russia, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The FBI Tampa Field Office, Orlando Resident Agency, and Washington Field Office, International Corruption Unit, are investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chauncey Bratt for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Sean O’Dowd of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Section and Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
United States v. Feliks Medvedev and United States v. KSK Group et al., Northern District of Georgia
On Feb. 7, Feliks Medvedev, 42, a Russian citizen residing in Buford, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business in connection with using shell companies to make more than 1,300 financial transfers totaling over $150 million into bank accounts controlled by the defendant.
According to court documents, Medvedev registered eight shell companies in the state of Georgia between July 2019 and July 2020, for which he was the sole agent and signatory on relevant bank accounts. Medvedev’s purported business purposes for these companies included, among others, “computer software wholesaler,” “professional equipment,” and “coal / mineral wholesaler.” Court documents note that these companies did not have any employees, or expenditures for payroll, rent, equipment, or other business-related costs.
As stated in documents filed with the court, throughout the scheme, there were over 1,200 transfers totaling over $150 million into the bank accounts for these companies, which were controlled by Medvedev. Over $150 million was then transferred out of these accounts in over 1,300 transactions. Medvedev retained over $500,000 from the funds transferred into accounts he controlled.
Medvedev pleaded guilty to one count of conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Medvedev is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.
Relatedly, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia returned an indictment on Feb. 13, alleging that Alexey Chubarov, 42, of Russia, and Lev Solyannikov, 31, of Russia, and their company KSK Group, conspired with Medvedev in the transfer of these funds and then laundered the illegal proceeds.
According to the indictment, KSK Group is a business consulting firm in Moscow, Russia, and Chubarov and Solyannikov both worked for KSK Group. Chubarov and Solyannikov allegedly informed Medvedev about incoming wires and then directed Medvedev concerning the outgoing transfers he should make, including transferring certain funds to the Singapore Precious Metal Exchange (Exchange) to purchase gold bullion. According to the indictment, Medvedev’s companies transmitted at least $65 million to purchase gold from the Exchange.
On Sept.14, 2023, OFAC added Chubarov and KSK Group to the list of Specially Designated Nationalss and Blocked Persons, pursuant to Executive Order 14024, for operating or having operated in the financial services sector of the Russian Federation economy.
Chubarev and Solyannikov are charged with conspiracy to conduct an unlicensed money transmitting business and conducting an unlicensed money transmitting business, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each count; conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and money laundering which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, which carries a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison.
The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Huber, Norman L. Barnett, and Sekret T. Sneed for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
Forfeiture of Real Properties Belonging to Viktor Perevalov, Southern District of Florida
Today, the United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the Southern District of Florida alleging that two Bal Harbour condominiums are subject to forfeiture based on violations of IEEPA, OFAC sanctions, and federal money laundering statutes.
As alleged in the complaint, Viktor Perevalov and Valeri Abramov were co-founders of VAD, AO, a Russia-based construction company responsible for constructing the Tavrida Highway in the Russian-occupied Crimea region of Ukraine. On Jan. 26, 2018, pursuant to Executive Order 13685, OFAC sanctioned Victor Perevalov, Valeri Abramov, VAD, AO, and others following the Russian invasion of Crimea, effectively blocking all of their property or interests in property in the United States from being transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in.
According to the complaint, soon after the sanctions, R.S., a Miami real estate agent retained to manage the properties, worked to transfer the two condominiums owned by Perevalov, Units 1616 and 1617 located at 10295 Collins Avenue, Bal Harbour, Florida, 33154 (the Defendant Properties) to an LLC in violation of the sanctions. The Defendant Properties have a combined value of approximately $2.5 million. On April 10, 2018, R.S. and others, including a law firm, formed 1616 Collins LLC., and named R.P., a Perevalov family member who was a minor at the time, the entity’s purported sole beneficial owner. On June 14, 2018, the title of the Defendant Properties was transferred to 1616 Collins LLC in violation of the sanctions. R.S. served as Perevalov’s power of attorney for the transfer. After the transfer, R.S. continued to lease the Defendant Properties, collected proceeds derived from the Defendant Properties, and used those proceeds to maintain the Defendant Properties including by making property tax payments.
FBI’s Miami Field Office is investigating the case with support from the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marx P. Calderón and Eli Rubin for the Southern District of Florida, Trial Attorneys Sinan Kalayoglu and Lindsay Gorman of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, and Trial Attorney Joshua E. Kurland of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this civil action.
United States v. Osipov, District of Columbia
A superseding indictment, unsealed today, charges Vladislav Osipov, 52, a Russian national who resides in Switzerland, with five new counts of bank fraud in connection with the operation of a 255-foot luxury superyacht that the Department has stated is owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.
The indictment states that Vekselberg’s luxury superyacht is the Tango, which was registered in the Cook Islands. The Tango was the first superyacht belonging to a sanctioned individual with close ties to the Russian regime to be seized at the request of the U.S. government following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Osipov remains at large. Today, the U.S. State Department offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Previously indicted in November 2022, Osipov is now charged with 17 counts for crimes including bank fraud, punishable by up to 30 years in prison; violating U.S. sanctions punishable by up to 20 years in prison; conspiring to defraud the United States, punishable by up to five years in prison; and money laundering, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Spanish Ministry of Justice and the Spanish Guardia Civil.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Maeghan Mikorski for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Chris M. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Paralegals Brian Rickers and Jorge Casillas, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick.
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The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in all of these cases.
These cases were coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
An indictment and a criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. A civil forfeiture complaint is merely an allegation that money or property was involved in or represents the proceeds of a crime. These allegations are not proven until a court awards a judgment in favor of the United States.
Puerto Rico Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 18 Years for Managing Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy that Shipped Dozens of Kilos to the DMV AreaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rey Rivera Ruiz, 40, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for managing a Puerto Rico drug trafficking organization responsible for shipping dozens of kilograms of cocaine to the Washington D.C. metro area.
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; and Acting Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall, of the United States Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Rivera Ruiz to serve five years of supervised release.
Rivera Ruiz, aka “Gordo,” pleaded guilty on May 26, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. As part of his plea agreement, Rivera Ruiz admitted he was responsible for distributing between 50 and 150 kilos of cocaine as part of the conspiracy. He also admitted he managed or supervised the criminal activity, which involved at least five co-conspirators.
According to the government’s evidence, beginning in October 2019, Rivera Ruiz, assisted by several other individuals, shipped multiple kilograms of cocaine every month from post offices in San Juan to the mainland U.S., including addresses in the Washington, D.C. area, via the U.S. Postal Service. Investigators estimated that the members of the conspiracy shipped at least 65 parcels containing up to two kilograms of cocaine each. Once the cocaine arrived in the Washington, D.C. area, local drug dealers broke up the bricks into smaller portions and distributed the drug.
Additionally, the Puerto Rico drug trafficking organization’s members allegedly traveled from San Juan to the Washington, D.C. area to collect drug sales proceeds, and then surreptitiously traveled on commercial airliners to return the money to Ruiz Rivera and others.
On April 15, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at the home of Ruiz Rivera and found a USPS receipt for a parcel which had been mailed April 9. Law enforcement then seized the parcel while it was still in the mail stream and found it contained a kilo of cocaine.
In total, 10 individuals have been convicted for their roles in this drug trafficking conspiracy.
On November 8, 2023, co-conspirator Jann Jousten Aponte-Rivera, 27, of San Juan, was found guilty in the District of Columbia of participating in the drug-related murder of Shantay Myisha Butler, 42, of Frederick, Maryland. Specifically, Aponte-Rivera was found guilty in U.S. District Court of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, one count of causing the intentional death of Ms. Butler while engaged in drug trafficking conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine, and one count of causing the death of Ms. Butler through the use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking offense.
Aponte-Rivera, 27 was sentenced yesterday, February 21, 2024, to 50 years in prison.
The murder took place October 14, 2020. At that time, a D.C.-area drug dealer owed thousands of dollars to the Puerto Rico drug trafficking organization. In October 2020, after first meeting with Rivera-Ruiz and supplying him with some of the proceeds believed to be owed, the D.C.-area dealer was then lured by Aponte-Rivera and co-conspirator Michael Gabriel Hernandez Rivera, 21, to a desolate part of Levittown, Puerto Rico, under the guise that they would be fishing. When they arrived, Ms. Butler was in the passenger seat of the vehicle driven by the local drug trafficker. Then, both Aponte-Rivera and Hernandez Rivera opened fired on the vehicle. The D.C.-are drug dealer was able to drive off as the shots were fired, while sustaining gunshot wounds, but Ms. Butler sustained a gunshot wound to the head and appears to have died instantly. Miraculously, the D.C.-area dealer managed to escape and survived after months in a coma and medical treatment. The D.C.-area dealer has since pleaded guilty to his involvement in the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
The charged drug trafficking conspiracy ended in April 2021 when law enforcement arrested Rivera, Aponte-Rivera, and Hernandez-Rivera. The three men have remained in custody since. Aponte-Rivera is scheduled for sentencing on February 8, 2024
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and the FBI’s SAC Scott commended investigators at the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Montgomery Co. Police Department (MCPD), Frederick City Police Department, San Juan USPIS OIG, the Puerto Rico Police Department (Bayamon Homicide Division), the Police of Rico San Juan Homicide Division, and the Institute of Forensic Sciences of Puerto Rico.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and David T. Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Fletcher and Dineen Baker assisted in the investigation and charging of this case.
Former Walgreen’s Managers and Alleged Accomplices Indicted on Charges in Connection with a Series of Inside-Job Store RobberiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Two former store managers and two accomplices were charged today in a 15-count indictment in connection with a series of inside-job robberies at the Walgreen’s in Chinatown, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Michael Robinson, 33, of Maryland, Kamanye Williams, 24, London Teeter, 20, and Gianni Robinson, 26, all of Washington D.C., are charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery and interference with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery). Other charges include brandishing a firearm during the commission of an act of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year, and aiding and abetting.
Michael Robinson and Teeter were employed as store managers at the Walgreens, located at 801 7th Street Northwest. Michael Robinson has consented to pretrial detention. Teeter was arrested this morning. Gianni Robinson is scheduled for a detention hearing on February 23, 2024. Williams had his initial appearance on February 21, 2024 and is scheduled for a detention hearing on February 28, 2024
According to court documents, the Robinsons, Teeter, and Williams devised a plan to carry out armed robberies of the Walgreens store in Chinatown nearly once a month, beginning in July 2023, when either Michael Robinson or London Teeter were working. As store managers, Michael Robinson and Teeter knew the timing of cash transfers within the business. In each robbery, a masked gunman entered the store, forced an employee into the manager’s office or accessed the manager’s office using a code provided by Michael Robinson and Teeter. The gunman then robbed the employees and fled through a rear exit. Michael Robinson and Teeter took turns pretending to be the “victim” manager on duty, knowing that the robberies would be captured on internal surveillance. During the September 2, 2023 robbery, Michael Robinson asked Williams to hit him with a firearm in order to make the robbery seem more believable.
It is further alleged that other robberies of the store were planned but not carried out. Messages between Gianni Robinson, Michael Robinson, and Kamanye Williams show the co-conspirators constantly surveilled the Walgreens to see the amount of cash in the manager’s office and the location of armed security guards, in order to determine the best times to rob the store.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force. Assistance is being provided by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Song with the Federal Major Crimes section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Sentenced to 29 Years in Prison for April 2020 KillingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ravel Mills, 29, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 29 years in prison for the murder of Toussaunt Strong on April 18, 2020, in the 3400 block of 24th Street SE. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On October 3, 2023, a jury convicted Mills of second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Toussaunt Strong, 28, of Clinton, Maryland, was outside of his father’s home in the Shipley Terrace neighborhood shortly before 7:00 pm on April 18, 2020. The defendant encountered Mr. Strong after he exited a nearby home and then pointed a weapon at him. In response, Mr. Strong ran away. The defendant then began to chase Mr. Strong up the 3400 block of 24th Street SE. As Mills got closer to Mr. Strong, he pulled his jacket hood over his head before shooting Mr. Strong. Video cameras captured the chase however, the shooting was not captured on camera. There were no eyewitnesses to the murder. The government presented video surveillance, circumstantial, and motive evidence in securing the conviction.
Under the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Mills faced a sentencing range of 144 to 288 months for second-degree murder while armed, 36 to 84 months for the possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and six to 24 months for the carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Michael K. O’Keefe sentenced Mills to 288 months for second degree murder while armed, 60 months for possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, and 24 months for the carrying a pistol without a license. He further ordered that the time for the possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence run consecutive to the murder.
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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Sharon Donovan, Deputy Chiefs of the Homicide Section; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark and former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcey Rinker; Supervisory Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Paralegal Specialists Mabry Johnson, Meridith McGarrity, Grazy Rivera and Stephanie Gilbert; and Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Maisha Treadwell, and Charlie Bruce.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Korba who investigated and indicted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miles Janssen and Andrea Antonelli who prosecuted the case.
Bank Fraud Charges Added to Indictment Against Swiss Businessman in Connection to Russian Oligarch’s SuperyachtRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A superseding indictment, unsealed today, charges Vladislav Osipov, 52, a Russian national who resides in Switzerland, with five counts of bank fraud, in addition to charges previously lodged, in connection with the operation of a 255-foot luxury superyacht owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch, Viktor Vekselberg.
The superyacht, registered in the Cook Islands, is known as the Motor Yacht (M/Y) Tango (International Maritime Organization number 1010703). The Tango was the first superyacht to be seized by the U.S. government under court order following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The new charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston of the Minneapolis Field Office, and Task Force Klepto-Capture Co-Directors Michael Khoo and David Lim.
Osipov remains at large. The U.S. State Department today offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction. The reward is offered under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program.
Osipov was previously indicted in November 2022 on multiple charges in connection with operating the superyacht that included conspiracy to defraud the United States; violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act; and money laundering. The superseding indictment brings the total number of charges to 17, and seeks the forfeiture of Tango and all fees, payments, and monies derived from services performed on its behalf.
According to the superseding indictment, despite U.S. sanctions that had been previously issued against Vekselberg in 2018, Osipov and a co-conspirator facilitated the operation of the Tango through the use of U.S. companies and the U.S. financial system, attempting to obfuscate Vekselberg’s involvement in the vessel.
“Facilitators of sanctions evasion enable the oligarchs supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime to flout U.S. law,” said U.S Attorney Graves. “The United States will not allow its financial institutions and persons to be manipulated or defrauded for the purposes of benefitting those who support tyranny.”
“The security of our financial systems and protection of our nation's economic integrity are of utmost importance,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI will not relent in ensuring that U.S. law is upheld and that our financial institutions remain impervious to exploitation by those who support tyranny.”
Osipov served in senior positions in multiple companies controlled by Vekselberg. Among his many roles, Osipov functioned as Vekselberg’s personal manager of Tango. Osipov designed a complicated ownership structure of shell companies to hide Vekselberg’s ownership of the superyacht, despite that Vekselberg designed the vessel, was its sole user, and was the ultimate beneficial owner. The conduct enabled Vekselberg to evade the Treasury Department’s “Know Your Customer” regulations applicable to U.S. financial institutions and the reporting of transactions to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Vekselberg is described by the Treasury Department as the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Renova Group, which is comprised of asset management companies and investment funds that own and manage assets in several sectors of the Russian economy, including tech and energy.
As alleged, after Vekselberg was sanctioned in April 2018, he hired a yacht management company in Palma de Mallorca, Spain to take over the management of Tango. Osipov and his employees instructed the yacht management company to avoid doing business with banks in Tango’s true name. The management company, thereafter, devised a scheme to use a false name for the yacht, “the Fanta,” to hide from financial institutions that payments were ultimately for the benefit of Tango and Vekselberg, a practice to which Osipov and his employees assented. The bank account for Tango thereafter bore the reference name “Fanta” on the bank records. Additionally, Osipov instructed employees of the superyacht, to include its captains, that they could continue to do business with U.S. companies despite sanctions, as it was up to the U.S. companies to decide what to do. Osipov further instructed the same employees that the yacht management company could organize payments for the superyacht in dollars, and then be reimbursed by Vekselberg (through Osipov) in Euros.
Thus, due to these instructions from Osipov, Vekselberg’s personal yacht manager, the superyacht’s management company and its employees conveyed false information to U.S. financial institutions and conducted business with U.S. companies, in an effort to avoid the impact of U.S. sanctions against Vekselberg. Tango employees used their own credit cards to purchase an array of items from U.S. companies on behalf of the superyacht, only to be reimbursed by the yacht management company. Tango employees ordered goods through use of a U.S. internet service provider as an intermediary, who then billed the same items back to the yacht management company. Items purchased included navigation and computer software, luxury monogramed bath robes, leather basket magazine holders, weather forecasting software, internet computing systems, satellite television, and teleconferencing software, all products of U.S.-origin products or services supplied by U.S. companies.
As a result of the obfuscations, U.S. financial institutions unknowingly processed hundreds of thousands of dollars of transactions for Tango that they otherwise would not have permitted had they known of Vekselberg’s involvement in the financial transaction. The financial institutions received information, all done in furtherance of the scheme designed by Osipov, that the goods were sold to the Tango employees, the U.S. internet service provider, and to “the Fanta.” Further, these payments and Vekselberg’s involvement in them were not reported to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
On April 4, 2022, Spanish law enforcement executed a Spanish court order freezing Tango. The Spanish acted following a request from the Department of Justice that it assist with the execution of a seizure warrant, issued in March 2022 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which alleged that Tango was subject to forfeiture based on violations of U.S. law.
The case is part of the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The task force leverages all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.
The charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office. Valuable assistance has been provided by the Spanish Guardia Civil - Jefatura de Informacion - Unidad Especial Numero III (UCE-III). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Maeghan Mikorski and Paralegal Brian Rickers, with valuable assistance provided by Paralegal Jorge Casillas and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, all of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in working with the Spanish authorities throughout this matter.
Firearms and Drug Charges Filed Against District Man Who Allegedly Committed Crimes While on Pre-Trial Release for Shooting a 14-Year-OldRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A superseding indictment charges Darnell Lamont Savoy, 24, of Washington D.C., with charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, possession of a large-capacity feeding device, and second-degree cruelty to children.
The charges contained in a federal indictment, docketed on February 15, 2024, are in addition to a case charged in Superior Court in connection with the 2018 shooting of a 14-year-old child, and a subsequent 2022 stabbing that Savoy allegedly committed while under indictment – and on pretrial release – for the shooting, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
An arraignment for Savoy is scheduled for April 26, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly.
In 2021, Savoy was released from custody, over the government’s written and oral objections, and put on home confinement while awaiting trial on assault with intent to kill while armed and related offenses stemming from the 2018 shooting. According to court documents, 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 on the block, 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 camo jacket, investigators discovered 27 zip baggies with an off-white powder weighing a total of 7.3 grams, 29 blue bills 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. The jacket also contained Savoy’s driver’s license, Visa credit card, and Costco membership card. In a hall closet, on top of a dryer, officers discovered a loaded, unregistered, semi-automatic Glock 30, with 23 rounds in a 30 round capacity magazine. DNA testing linked Savoy to the firearm. DNA from the woman living in the apartment could not be linked to the firearm. The fentanyl recovered during the search warrant was located in a common area of the apartment that the three-year-old had access to, which could have led to the overdose of the child.
The charges of assault with intent to kill while armed with a firearm and other counts stem from the 2018 shooting of a 14-year-old. The victim had been sitting in a car with his father, when Savoy drove up with two other men who began shooting, believing the vehicle contained individuals involved in the murder of a member of Savoy’s crew. Trial in that case is scheduled to begin in April of 2024.
The 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 charges are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District Teen Pleads Guilty to CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Miliki Lee, 19, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in Superior Court in the District of Columbia to carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
According to court documents, the victim was driving in the 1000 block of Buchanan St NE at approximately 9:30 p.m. on October 27, 2023, when Lee and two other juveniles, who were driving another vehicle, drove in front of her, blocking her path. Lee and his co-conspirators got out and surrounded the victim’s vehicle, and eventually forced her out of her car at gunpoint. Within minutes MPD officers responded to the victim’s call and used the MPD helicopter to track the stolen vehicle into Prince George’s County Maryland. Prince George’s County police followed Lee back into the District, where Lee crashed the vehicle. Prince George’s County police and MPD officers apprehended Lee after he ran from the car. Police also recovered a Glock handgun that was loaded with 29 rounds of ammunition.
Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 17, 2024. Lee faces a mandatory minimum term of seven years in prison for carjacking, and a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison for possessing and using the firearm during the carjacking.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the Prince George’s County Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Bartz.
Convicted Drug Trafficking Murderer Sentenced to 50 YearsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jann Jousten Aponte-Rivera, 27, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was sentenced today to 50 years in prison for the drug-related murder of Shantay Myisha Butler, 42, of Frederick, MD, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Criminal and Cyber Division, and Acting Inspector in Charge Ajay Lall, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg.
Aponte-Rivera was convicted after a jury trial on November 8, 2023 of all three counts charged, including: conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine; continuing criminal enterprise – causing the intentional death of Shantay Butler; and causing the death of Shantay Butler through the use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking offense. Aponte-Rivera was part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization based in San Juan that was sending kilogram quantities of cocaine to the mainland United States, including the Washington D.C. region, via the U.S. Postal Service. Law enforcement identified more than 50 parcels of cocaine shipped by the organization from Puerto Rico to the area with a wholesale street value of at least $2 million. Once the drugs arrived in the metropolitan area, a local drug trafficking organization distributed the cocaine to mainland dealers.
The drug trafficking organization’s members, including Aponte-Rivera, traveled from San Juan to the Washington, D.C. area to collect drug proceeds, and then surreptitiously traveled on commercial airliners with the proceeds. Aponte-Rivera was indicted with co-defendants Rey Rivera Ruiz, Nomar Medina Diaz, and Michael Gabriel Rivera Hernandez.
According to the facts introduced at trial, the leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization owed several thousand dollars to the Puerto Rico drug trafficking organization and had been ordered to pay for several kilograms of cocaine which did not arrive in the Washington, D.C.-area. On October 14, 2020, Aponte-Rivera lured the leader of the Washington, D.C. area drug trafficking organization and Shantay Butler to a desolate part of Toa Baja in Puerto Rico. When the leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization arrived with Ms. Butler in a car, Aponte-Rivera ambushed them, but pulling out a firearm and firing on the vehicle. The leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization was shot five times, remained in a coma for several weeks, but survived. His girlfriend, Ms. Butler, died of her wounds.
The FBI arrested Aponte-Rivera on April 15, 2021, in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Rivera Ruiz pleaded guilty on May 26, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and is set to be sentenced before Chief Judge Boasberg on February 22, 2024. In total, 10 individuals have been convicted for their roles in this drug trafficking conspiracy.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Montgomery Co. Police Department (MCPD), and the Frederick City Police Department (FCPD).
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and David T. Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Fletcher and Dineen Baker assisted in the investigation and charging of this case.
Two Maryland Residents Found Guilty of Multimillion Dollar Scheme to Defraud Apple Inc. out of 5,000 iPhonesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Haotian Sun, 33, and Pengfei Xue, 33, both Chinese nationals, were found guilty today by a federal jury for participating in a sophisticated scheme to defraud Apple out of millions of dollars’ worth of iPhones, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, of the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division; and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations, Washington Field Office.
Sun, of Baltimore, and Xue, of Germantown, MD, were found guilty by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud, which carry a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly scheduled sentencing for June 21, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, between May 2017 and September 2019, Sun, Xue, and other conspirators defrauded Apple Inc. by submitting counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repair to get Apple to exchange them with genuine replacement iPhones. Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers, including the Apple Store in Georgetown. Trial evidence showed that conspirators submitted more than 5,000 inauthentic phones to Apple during the conspiracy, intending to cause a loss of more than $3 million to Apple.
Sun and Xue used various aliases during the scheme. They were arrested on December 5, 2019.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Essential work was provided by Paralegal Specialists Sona Chaturvedi, Liliana Villamizar, Mariela Andrade, and Amanda Rohde, as well as former Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Two Foreign Nationals Convicted of Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud Apple Inc. Out of 5,000 iPhonesRead the Press Release
A federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted two Chinese nationals today for participating in a sophisticated scheme in which they submitted more than 5,000 inauthentic phones to Apple Inc., intending to cause a loss of more than $3 million to Apple.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, from May 2017 to September 2019, Haotian Sun, also known as Hao Sun, Jack Sun, and Frank Sun, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Pengfei Xue, 33, of Germantown, Maryland, along with their co-conspirators, submitted counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repair to get Apple to exchange them with genuine replacement iPhones. Sun and Xue received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong at UPS mailboxes throughout the D.C. Metropolitan area. They then submitted the fake iPhones, with spoofed serial numbers and/or IMEI numbers, to Apple retail stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.
In 2017, Sun opened eight UPS Store mailboxes using his Maryland driver’s license and university identification card. U.S. postal inspectors arrested Sun and Xue in December 2019.
The jury convicted Sun and Xue of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on June 21 and each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington Field Office made the announcement.
USPIS and HSI investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Ryan Dickey of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
Maryland Real Estate Investor Sentenced for Stealing a Residence in Northwest Washington D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Franklin A. Olaitan, 51, of Beltsville, Maryland, was sentenced to 40 months in prison for stealing a residential property in Northwest Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. The sentence was handed down on Friday, February 16, 2024, by U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman who also ordered Olaitan to serve three years of supervised release, to not buy or lease any properties during the period of supervised release, to pay at least $580,663.73 in restitution and a $111,159.63 criminal forfeiture money judgment and pay a $100 assessment.
Olaitan pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols on Aug. 15, 2023, to one count of wire fraud. As part of the plea, Olaitan admitted he caused the filing of a false deed transferring the property, which he immediately resold to a third-party, pocketing the sale proceeds. As a result of the fraudulent scheme, Olaitan caused over $600,000 in losses to the various victims.
According to the government’s evidence, between September 23, 2016, through March 22, 2017, Olaitan stole a real property on First Street, NW, using a fake deed and other falsified documents in order to rapidly sell the property, pocketing the sale proceeds, and defrauding the true owner of the property, settlement company, mortgage lenders, title company, and the buyer. Olaitan impersonated the victim owner through false documents which enabled him to get away with his theft for a significant time during which the buyer of the property spent over $600,000 renovating the property.
Olaitan was arrested Dec. 15, 2021, in the District.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office conducted the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Christopher Howland prosecuted the case with valuable assistance from Paralegal Specialists Lisa Abbe and Liliana Villamizar, Victim-Witness Service Coordinator Tonya Jones, Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derrick Williams and Veronica Sanchez.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Deadly Homicide in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jamaarr Morgan, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to 12 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Jacques Russ, on December 14, 2021, in the Unit block of 61st Street Northeast, Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Morgan pleaded guilty, on July 12, 2023, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. Under the District of Columbia Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Morgan faced a sentencing range of 90 to 180 months of incarceration. On Friday, February 16, 2024, the Honorable Marisa Demeo sentenced Morgan to 144 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on December 14, 2021, Morgan encountered Mr. Russ in the Unit block of 61st Street Northeast on December 14, 2021, around 6:50 a.m., as the victim was on his way to work. Morgan proceeded to shoot the victim once in the head before fleeing the scene. Mr. Russ’s body was found lying in the street a short time later by a passerby.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Dean, who prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance by Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris and Lauren Douglas and Victim Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez.
D.C. Woman Charged in Death of Three-Year-Old Child from Fentanyl PoisoningRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sasha McCoy, 27, of Washington, D.C., was arrested on February 15, 2024, on the charge of first-degree felony murder in the death of her three-year-old daughter on October 28, 2022, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.
Defendant McCoy was arraigned on February 16th in D.C. Superior Court where she entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree cruelty to children for allegedly allowing her child to ingest a lethal dose of fentanyl. The Honorable Renee Raymond found probable cause that the defendant committed the murder and held her without bond pending her preliminary hearing on March 8, 2024, before Judge Brandt in Courtroom 201.
In announcing the arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Emma McArthur for her efforts in prosecuting this case.
An arrest on a complaint 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.
Russian Citizen Pleads Guilty to Selling Stolen Financial Information on Criminal Internet Marketplace, SlilppRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Georgy Kavzharadze, 27, pleaded guilty today to being a prolific vendor of stolen financial information, login credentials, and other personally identifying information (PII) on a criminal internet marketplace called Slilpp, announced 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.
Kavzharadze pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who scheduled sentencing for July 19, 2024.
Kavzharadze is also known as “George” and “Georgii” and went by online monikers of “TeRorPP,” “Torqovec,” and “PlutuSS.” In Cyrillic his name is ГЕОРГИЙ КАХОВИЧ КАВЖАРАДЗЕ.
According to court documents, between July 2016 and May 2021, Kavzharadze, using the name “TeRorPP,” listed for sale over 626,100 stolen login credentials on Slilpp and sold more than 297,300 of them on the illegal marketplace. Those credentials were subsequently linked to $1.2 million in fraudulent transactions, or attempted transactions. On May 27, 2021, Kavzharadze's account on Slilpp listed 240,495 login credentials for sale that would allow the buyer to use the information to steal money from the victim’s online payment and bank accounts. The credentials included access to bank accounts in New York, California, Nevada, and Georgia. Kavzharadze only accepted Bitcoin as payment for the credentials. An FBI analysis connected Kavzharadze to withdrawals of more $200,000 in Slilpp profits from his Bitcoin account.
In June 2021, the FBI, in a coordinated action with international law enforcement partners, disrupted Slilpp by seizing its infrastructure and domain names. The Slilpp database contained a wealth of historical information about Slilpp vendors, customers and transactions, including subscriber and payment information for individual accounts that have been used to buy and sell login credentials over Slilpp. The database accurately reflected known Slilpp transactions and subscriber records, including FBI undercover purchases.
On August 19, 2021, Kavzharadze was charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. He was subsequently extradited to the United States. He had an initial appearance in the U.S. District Court on May 18, 2022.
This case was investigated by the FBI.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph “Tony” Misher. Valuable assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Lisa Abbe, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Demian S. Ahn, and former Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart.
Retired FBI Special Agent in Charge Sentenced for Concealing Information from the Federal Bureau of InvestigationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles F. McGonigal, 55, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, was sentenced today to 28 months in prison for his undisclosed receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual with ties to the Albanian government while McGonigal was supervising counterintelligence investigations.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway of the Los Angeles Field Office; and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the Washington Field Office.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered McGonigal to serve three years of supervised release. McGonigal pleaded guilty on September 22, 2023, to one count of concealing material facts. In imposing the sentence, the Court found that McGonigal’s conduct involved substantial interference with the administration of justice.
According to papers filed with the court, McGonigal was responsible for overseeing counterintelligence and national security matters when he served as Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI’s New York Field Office from August 2017 through his retirement from the FBI in September 2018. During this time, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessperson who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and before foreign governments. Specifically, McGonigal hid from the FBI that he received at least $225,000 in cash from the individual and traveled abroad with him and met with foreign nationals, in-part to advance their private business interests.
The FBI arrested McGonigal on January 21, 2023, at J.F.K. International Airport in New York. He was simultaneously indicted on charges by DDC and Southern District of New York. In December 2023, McGonigal was sentenced to 50 months in prison and ordered to pay a $40,000 fine for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to commit money laundering in an unrelated case being prosecuted in the Southern District of New York.
Today’s sentence of 28 months will be served consecutively with McGonigal’s previous sentence of 50 months out of the Southern District of New York.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Stuart D. Allen, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the DOJ’s National Security Division Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs.
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Retired FBI Special Agent in Charge Sentenced for Concealing Information from the FBIRead the Press Release
Charles F. McGonigal, 55, a former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, was sentenced today to 28 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his undisclosed receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual with ties to the Albanian government while McGonigal was supervising counterintelligence investigations.
McGonigal pleaded guilty on Sept. 22, 2023, to one count of concealing material facts. In imposing the sentence, the court found that McGonigal’s conduct involved substantial interference with the administration of justice.
According to papers filed with the court, McGonigal was responsible for overseeing counterintelligence and national security matters when he served as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New York Field Office from August 2017 through his retirement from the FBI in September 2018. During this time, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessperson who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and before foreign governments. Specifically, McGonigal hid from the FBI that he received at least $225,000 in cash from the individual and traveled abroad with him and met with foreign nationals, in-part to advance their private business interests.
The FBI arrested McGonigal on Jan. 21, 2023, at J.F.K. International Airport in New York. He was simultaneously indicted on charges by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Columbia and the Southern District of New York. In December 2023, McGonigal was sentenced to 50 months in prison and ordered to pay a $40,000 fine for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to commit money laundering in an unrelated case being prosecuted in the Southern District of New York.
Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway of the Los Angeles Field Office and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The FBI Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Stuart D. Allen and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Friedman for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case, with assistance from Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.
Jury Finds Maryland Man Guilty of Armed Carjacking of Delivery DriverRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Hahqwon Beale, 25, of Greenbelt, MD, was found guilty yesterday of armed carjacking and related firearm offenses following a jury trial in Superior Court. The offenses were committed in Northwest DC on May 7, 2018. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Beale was convicted of armed carjacking, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a person with a prior felony conviction. Judge Anthony C. Epstein ordered that Beale be held without bond pending sentencing. Beale has been detained since his arrest on May 8, 2018. The sentencing date for the armed carjacking offenses is yet to be determined. Beale is also facing charges of first-degree murder while armed and related offenses for the murder of George Johnson, Jr., which was committed the same night as the May 7, 2018 carjacking. The homicide trial is scheduled to begin on June 10, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 7, 2018, at approximately 10:55 p.m., Beale and a female co-conspirator called a Pizza Boli’s restaurant to order food to be delivered to the 400 block of Farragut Street in Northwest DC. When the delivery driver arrived at the location, he walked to the trunk of his vehicle to retrieve the order. Beale approached the driver from behind, put a gun to the driver’s back, and demanded money. The driver gave Beale around $300 to $400 of cash from his pocket, which belonged to Pizza Boli’s. Beale and the co-conspirator then entered the victim’s vehicle and drove away. MPD officers located the stolen vehicle approximately 4.5 hours after the carjacking, with Beale and the co-conspirator asleep inside. Law enforcement officers took both suspects into custody. Following his arrest, Beale used a D.C. Jail phone to call an associate and arrange for a third person to retrieve and conceal the Glock 26 handgun that Beale had used to commit the carjacking. The firearm was recovered during a search warrant executed at the home of Beale’s co-conspirator. The co-conspirator previously pleaded guilty to robbery for her role in the charged crimes.
This case is being investigated by MPD’s Homicide Branch. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Ganjei and Charles R. Jones.
District Men Sentenced for April 2021 Murder in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andre Smith, 27, and Malachi McFarland, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years and 14 years of incarceration, respectively, for the April 2021 shooting death of Kerry Odoms, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They were sentenced by the Honorable Robert Okun of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed on October 30, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, just prior to the homicide, Kerry Odoms, 29, of Washington, D.C., was socializing on Apr. 15, 2021 with a group of people that included McFarland, in the parking lot of 3319 10th Place SE, in the Congress Heights neighborhood.
Smith approached the group and moments later, at 9:54 p.m., lunged toward Odoms while firing multiple gunshots. As Smith began shooting at Odoms, McFarland ran a short distance away, returned, and fired a second round of gunshots directly at Odoms. The gunfire from both defendants killed Odoms, who suffered eight gunshot wounds.
- 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 Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Antonelli, Jin Park, and former AUSA Steven Rickard, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Shooting a Man in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ryan Parker, 24, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced today to 12 years of incarceration for the March 2023 shooting of a man outside of Malcolm’s Liquors on Minnesota Avenue NE, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
On August 8, 2023, Parker pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of aggravated assault while armed and carrying a pistol without a license. The Honorable Erik Christian sentenced the defendant to 10 years for the aggravated assault charge and two years for the carrying a pistol without a license charge, with those sentences to run consecutively to each other.
According to the government’s evidence, with which Parker agreed, on March 6, 2023, Parker fired 14 gunshots at the victim, and hit him twice while the two were standing outside of Malcolm’s Liquors on Minnesota Avenue. At the plea hearing, Parker admitted that the underlying argument was over the victim’s refusal to give him a cigarette. As a result of the shooting, the victim sustained injuries to his hand and leg.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Latrice Washington-Williams. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Alec Levy, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Indicted on Enhanced Second-Degree Theft for Theft from Ross Retail Store in NortheastRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, February 14, 2024, Terri Ross (aka Terri Rosser), 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 December 31, 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.
Ross is to be arraigned on February 26, 2024, at a hearing before a Superior Court judge.
According to the government’s evidence, on December 31, 2023, Ross took clothing items without paying from the Ross Dress for Less store in Northeast, Washington, D.C. Ross was later located and arrested after investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Ross 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 24 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.
Six People Charged in Just over a Week in Separate Felony Strangulation CasesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Between February 5 and February 13, 2024, in the District of Columbia, six people were arrested and charged with felony strangulation under D.C. Code 22-404.04 which was created through the Prioritizing Public Safety Emergency Amendment Act of 2023. They are among 26 people charged since the D.C. Council created this new criminal offense in the D.C. Code which went into effect in July of 2023.
The recent cases include:
On February 13, 2024, Lontez Williams, 40, of D.C. was arrested and charged with strangulation and child cruelty, for allegedly squeezing the neck of a three-year-old child by wrapping his arm around it, and then hurling the child victim into a couch when his family intervened to stop him. Williams was presented to a magistrate judge on February 13, 2024 and was ordered held*.
On February 12, 2024, Leonel Bonilla, 27, of D.C., was arrested and charged with strangulation and aggravated assault, for an alleged attack on a female victim in D.C. The victim reported that Bonilla escalated a verbal altercation occurring in a car when he pulled over and grabbed her around the neck so that she could not breathe and eventually lost consciousness. Bonilla was presented to a magistrate judge on February 12, 2024, and was ordered held*.
On February 10, 2024, Marc Gatling, 40, of D.C., was arrested for simple assault and charged with strangulation for an alleged attack on a female victim on February 9, 2024, in D.C., that started as a verbal altercation. The victim left the premises but returned to retrieve personal belongings. While she was there, Gatling allegedly tried to prevent her from leaving, eventually pushing her down and strangling her. Gatling was presented to a magistrate judge on February 10th and was released.
On February 7, 2024, Ronald McKinnon, 63, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with strangulation and one count of kidnapping for an alleged attack on a female in his home. The victim called 911 after the defendant allegedly assaulted and strangled her and confined her in the basement. McKinnon was presented to a magistrate judge on February 9, 2024, and was ordered held*.
On February 5, 2024, Michael Alston, 58, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with strangulation and assault with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly punched a 72-year old female, strangled her, and threatened her with a knife. The victim managed to escape. Alston was presented to a magistrate judge and was later released on GPS monitoring.
On February 5, 2024, Deangelo Dunn, 27, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with strangulation, after allegedly strangling a female victim because she refused to give him money. Dunn was later released.
“The data shows that people strangled by an intimate partner are 800% more likely to be the victim of a homicide,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “Recognizing this danger, we advocated for a felony charge for strangulation, and we are grateful that the Council passed, and the Mayor signed, emergency legislation temporarily creating a specific felony. We have aggressively charged this crime since it was enacted in July 2023. Now is the time to make the legislation permanent and to create a presumption that people who engage in this life-threatening conduct will be held in jail after their arrest.”
In addition to those cases, on January 19, 2024, Joseph Coles, 34, was arrested and charged with simple assault, a misdemeanor, involving a woman he met thru an online dating app. The victim went to Coles’s D.C. home on January 19th to bring him food. During the visit, the defendant became upset and allegedly began strangling the victim while holding her pinned against a wall. He was released on the simple assault charge and, after further investigation, was charged by superseding complaint with felony strangulation.
These cases were investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Strangulation is widely recognized as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence. A major strangulation study in San Diego, which is frequently cited, found: “Many victims suffer internal injuries, including permanent brain damage. Signs and symptoms do exist and can be documented even without visible injury… Most abusers do not strangle to kill. They strangle to show they can kill. Victims often suffer major long-term emotional and physical impacts. Surviving victims are much more likely to die later if their abuser has strangled them.” The study also noted that “…..the odds of becoming a victim of attempted homicide increased by 700%, and the odds of becoming a homicide victim increased by 800%, among women who had been strangled by their partner.”
*Defendants that were ordered held had an additional hold-eligible offense since felony strangulation is currently not hold eligible.
Serbian Citizen Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Operating the Monopoly Narcotics Marketplace on the Dark NetRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Milomir Desnica, 34, a national of Serbia and Croatia, was sentenced to 168 months in prison for operating the Monopoly Market, a dark net website that provided a vast online marketplace for the sale of illicit narcotics, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Desnica to forfeit cash and cryptocurrency obtained from his involvement in operating Monopoly. Desnica pleaded guilty on Nov. 8, 2023, to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to the government’s evidence, Desnica, of Smederevska Palanka, Serbia, entered into a conspiracy in 2019 to develop and operate a website that became Monopoly Market. According to the indictment, Monopoly grew into an international marketplace for the sale of illicit narcotics including opioids, stimulants, psychedelics, and prescription medications, among other drugs. The products were sold by individual vendors on Monopoly with Monopoly admins typically taking a 5% cut for each facilitated sale. Vendors were required to prove they had sufficient stock of their product. Monopoly would accept photographic proof of the inventory.
In 2021, law enforcement within the United States placed and received numerous orders on Monopoly for narcotics from various vendors. Authorities ordered more than 100 grams of methamphetamine on Monopoly. Through its investigation, the FBI determined that Monopoly facilitated over $18 million in narcotics sales around the world, including the sale of over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine to customers in the United States.
In December 2021, in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners in Germany and Finland, law enforcement seized the computer server hosting Monopoly and took it offline. Law enforcement analyzed the seized server and identified records of the narcotics sales, financial records documenting cryptocurrency payments on Monopoly, an online forum associated with Monopoly, communications from the Monopoly operators to vendors, commission payment invoices, and more. Desnica was identified as an operator of Monopoly through the analysis of the records. The FBI identified Bitcoin wallets used by administrators to collect commissions.
In November 2022, in coordination with the Austrian Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) and the Public Prosecutors Office Vienna, Desnica was located and arrested in Austria. Law enforcement conducted a search of his residence and vehicle and seized electronics and cash.
On June 23, 2023, Desnica was extradited from Austria to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.
This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force and Germany’s Zentrale Kriminalinspektion (ZKI) Oldenburg Cybercrime Unit. The Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force is composed of FBI agents, analysts, and task force partners, including special agents and officers of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and detectives from local assisting police agencies. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious darknet marketplaces and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other opioids.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked to secure the arrest and extradition from Austria of Desnica and provided significant assistance. Valuable assistance was also provided by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation; Europol; Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt; Austria’s Bundeskriminalamt Cybercrime Competency Center, FAST team, and Public Prosecutors Office Vienna; and the Republic of Serbia High-Tech Crimes Special Prosecutor.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty and former U.S. Attorney Andy Wang of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Man Arrested After Standoff Left Three Officers ShotRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Stephen Claude Rattigan, also known as Julius James, 48, of Washington, D.C., has been charged with assault with intent to kill while armed, assault on a police officer while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence following the shooting of three Metropolitan Police Department officers and an hours-long standoff in Southeast DC. He is also being charged with misdemeanor cruelty to animals. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Rattigan made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Renee Raymond today, where he was ordered held without bond pending a preliminary hearing on February 29, 2024 before Judge Maribeth Raffinan.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2024, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department responded to Rattigan’s residence in the 5000 block of Hanna Place Southeast to execute an arrest warrant because of a complaint of animal cruelty. That warrant stemmed from an incident in April 2023 in which Rattigan was captured by a security camera beating one of his dogs several times in the face. On January 12, 2024, an Animal Control Investigator visited the residence to address the issue of the number of animals on the property and the need for a permit. Previously on January 8, 2024, a Humane Society Officer visited Rattigan’s residence to address the issue of inhumane living conditions for the animals based on complaints received.
On the day of arrest, law enforcement officers approached Rattigan’s residence and identified themselves as police officers, in an attempt to arrest Rattigan on the outstanding arrest warrant. Upon law enforcement’s entry into the home, Rattigan opened fire, shooting and striking several officers. Rattigan barricaded himself inside the residence for more than 12 hours until he was taken into custody later in the day. After the arrest, authorities removed 31 dogs from his home. The law enforcement officers who were struck are all currently in stable condition.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Goldstein.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of First Degree Murder While Armed in 2020 Shooting on Southern AvenueRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, a jury sitting in Superior Court found Terrell Poe, 37, of Washington, D.C., guilty of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm, in the September 2020 shooting death of Christopher Washington. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for April 19, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, at 2:24 p.m. in the afternoon on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, Christopher Washington, 30, of Washington, D.C., was waiting at the bus stop on Southern Avenue, SE when Poe pulled up in a stolen white pickup truck, got out of the truck with an assault rifle, and shot him to death. Just minutes earlier, in a local church parking lot, Poe had switched from his girlfriend’s car into the stolen pickup truck and gone looking for Mr. Washington. Poe passed Mr. Washington as he walked up Indian Head Highway in Maryland, then turned around and followed Mr. Washington, apparently losing sight of him, and then finding him again at the bus stop. After the murder, Poe returned to the church parking lot, dropped off the stolen truck and drove off in his girlfriend’s car.
Poe was arrested on October 5, 2020.
This case is being 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. Attorneys Peter V. Roman and Wes Faulkner.
Metro Attacker Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Assault at L’Enfant Plaza Metro StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Neal Pitt, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release by D.C. Superior Court Judge Erik Christian following Pitt’s conviction at trial for assault with significant bodily injury.
Pitt was convicted for an attack that took place on the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station platform on March 9, 2021. The verdict was returned on October 30, 2023, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 9, 2021, at approximately 7:45 a.m., Daniel Olsen was traveling on his way to work. Without provocation, Pitt followed Mr. Olsen on the Branch Avenue bound platform, grabbed him by the throat, and slammed him to the ground. Mr. Olsen landed on his right shoulder, resulting in a broken humerus that required surgery and months of physical therapy to repair. Pitt fled the scene but was identified based on CCTV footage, SmarTrip records, and his own statements that placed him at the scene of the crime.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metro Transit Police Department Chief Michael Anzallo commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit Police Department. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kraig Ahalt and Shaniqua Butler, who investigated and prosecuted the case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Coates Huether, Travis Wolf, Bonnie Lindemann, Sandra Braschi, and Benjamin Bleiberg, who initially investigated the case.