District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Joshua Hemphill, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 26 years in prison today for two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and other charges, in an early morning shooting that took place in Southeast Washington on September 21, 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            A jury found Hemphill guilty on June 7, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, on September 21, 2018, Hemphill went to the home where his former romantic partner was staying with her friend. In a fit of rage, he fired one round into the door and made his way inside the apartment. He then chased the two women into a small closet where he fired two rounds from approximately three feet away. The first round hit the friend in the left hand and the second hit her in the back of her head. The friend was 24 weeks pregnant at the time she was shot. The victim received emergency neurosurgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and both she and her child survived.

            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 expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb and Angela Buckner, current Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bonnie Thompson, Dana Joseph, Ryan Sellinger, and Jodi Lazarus, Appellate Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nick Coleman and Bryan Han, Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle, Garcia Clarke, Lynda Randolph, and Tijuana McPhail, Supervisory Paralegal Specialists Linda McDonald and RaeShawn Johnson, Supervisory Victim Services Advocate Roderick Johnson, Victim/Witness Advocates Lu Lan and Rogers Dickerson, Witness Security Specialists Orlando Teel  and Lesley Slade, and Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Maenylie Watson. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaVater Massie-Banks and Brian Yang, from the Domestic Violence Unit who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, the self-described “King” of a notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in a 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.

The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least 24 firearms, including AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, described by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as a military weapon, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti for their criminal activities. Co-defendant Eliande Tunis, 45, of Pompano Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty on Jan. 17 to the same offenses.

“Mr. Germine, a leader of a notorious Haitian gang, admitted to an illegal gun-running scheme to arm fellow gang members with U.S. firearms in support of the group’s violent crime spree across Haiti, including the alleged 2021 kidnapping of 16 U.S. citizens,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department will aggressively pursue every tool at its disposal to hold accountable those who would smuggle U.S.-origin weapons and other controlled goods for the benefit of malicious actors and their criminal enterprises.”

“Violent gangs have ravaged Haiti, and all too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of their violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans. Preventing them from illegally shipping anymore firearms or laundering the proceeds of kidnappings strikes a critical blow against the gang they once led.”

“Violent, well-armed gangs pose an ongoing threat to U.S. Citizens who live in or travel to Haiti,” said Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. “As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere. This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.”

The plea came at the end of the government’s case during trial, after the testimony of 24 witnesses and two weeks of evidence. Germine, a Haitian national, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge John D. Bates to the 48-count second superseding indictment. The indictment charged Germine with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on May 15.

Germine’s co-defendant and former girlfriend, Tunis, who styled herself as his “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen”, pleaded guilty on the eve of trial on Jan. 17, to the same 48-count indictment. She also faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on May 8. Another co-defendant, Jocelyn Dor, 31, who acted as a straw gun purchaser for Germine and Tunis, previously pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2023, and will be sentenced on Feb. 28.

According to evidence presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine. In approximately May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis shipped additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States. 

400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least Jan. 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims have generally been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiate payment for their release. At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gang’s funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms.

In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, 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 were all released or had escaped by on or about Dec. 16, 2021. This case does not address those hostage taking charges, for which Germine has been separately indicted in case number 22-cr-161 (DDC).

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the ATF and the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the government of Haiti, particularly the Haitian National Police, the Justice Department’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.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen P. Seifert and Kimberly Paschall and Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Beau Barnes of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

            WASHINGTON – Saber Fakih, 48, of the United Kingdom, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.

            The announcement was issued by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Dugan of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement; FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the Baltimore Field Office; and FBI Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division; and Homeland Security and Investigation’s Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI’s Baltimore Field Office. 

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Saber Fakih to serve three years of supervised release.

            According to his plea agreement, Saber Fakih conspired with Bader Fakih, 43, of Canada, Altaf Faquih, 72, of the United Arab Emirates, and Alireza Taghavi, 48, of Iran, to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran, without first obtaining the requisite license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

            Saber Fakih’s co-conspirators held themselves out as procurement agents of Rayan Roshd, which has since been sanctioned by the U.S. Government for its procurement activities related to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). 

            Another co-conspirator, Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad, 46, has also been charged with smuggling, wire fraud and related offenses arising from the same scheme. Rohollahnejad previously was added to the Department of Commerce’s, Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List in March 2020, for acting contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests by procuring goods on behalf of a Specially Designated National (SDN).

            According to the government’s evidence, in 2017 and 2018, Fakih and his co-conspirators attempted to export to Iran items that had potential civil and military uses. Potential military uses of the industrial microwave system (IMS) (with some modification) include high-power microwave-based Directed-Energy Weapon systems. The counter-drone system, which has both commercial and military uses, can be used to stop, identify, redirect, land or take total control of a target unmanned aerial vehicle.

            Saber Fakih admitted in his statement of offense that he was the primary liaison between the Iranian purchaser and the U.S.-based seller of the IMS. He placed a bid with the Massachusetts vendor, coordinated an inspection of the machine, and generally corresponded with the vendor on Taghavi’s behalf, knowing it was ultimately destined for Iran.

            Rohollahnejad caused the equivalent of $450,000 to be sent from Iran to the UAE, where Altaf Faquih picked it up and converted it from Emirati currency to U.S. dollars. Faquih then transferred the money to Bader Fakih in Canada via three separate wire transfers. Bader Fakih then transferred the money to the U.S. company for the purchase of the IMS.

            In addition to the IMS, Saber Fakih and Bader Fakih conspired to purchase two counter-drone systems worth nearly $1 million from a Maryland-based company on behalf of Taghavi.

            Saber Fakih was arrested in the United Kingdom pursuant to a U.S. Extradition Request on or about February 10, 2021. On January 25, 2022, he entered a plea of guilty to count two of the indictment in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, HSI’s Baltimore Field Office, and the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement.

            The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterespionage and Export Control Section.

WASHINGTON – Paul Maucha, 58, a Kenyan national, was found guilty today of perpetrating an advance fee and investment scheme that defrauded numerous victims.

            The jury verdict, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of the FBI Atlanta Field Office.

            According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Maucha, along with a co-conspirator, engaged in a scheme through a shell company Maucha controlled, American Eagle Services Group Inc. (AESG), to make numerous misrepresentations to victims about AESG, its assets, and its access to money and capital.

            In particular, Maucha—through AESG—promised victims who were seeking loans that AESG would provide them with these loans, so long as victims first provided AESG with an advanced fee while misrepresenting the purpose of that fee. AESG also told victims falsely that these advance fees could be refunded if AESG did not fund the loan. As proven at trial, however, Maucha and his co-conspirator knew that AESG did not have the capital to make these loans at the time the lending agreements were executed, and refunds to victims could not be assured because Maucha and his co-conspirator were splitting the fees between themselves and spending them, such that there was no money left to be refunded.

            The jury convicted Maucha of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and one count of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 16, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the conspiracy and wire fraud counts and 10 years in prison for each count of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property. 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, and Special Agent in Charge Keri Farley of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

            The FBI investigated the case, with substantial assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.

            Trial Attorneys Tian Huang and Tamara Livshiz of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine M. Macey for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.  Assistant Chief William E. Johnston of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein for the District of Columbia previously provided valuable assistance in the investigation.

WASHINGTON – Kevin Thomas, 57, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court for one count of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult or elderly person, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Superior Court Judge Deborah J. Israel accepted Thomas’ guilty plea today and ordered 180 days in jail, suspended, 18 months of supervised probation, mental health and drug treatment services as deemed necessary, and ordered that Thomas make a $50 payment to the Victims of Violent Crimes Fund.

            According to court documents, Thomas was employed as a customer service representative and smoking aide at Capital City Skilled Nursing Facility (CCSNF), a residential rehabilitation and healthcare center, located in Southeast Washington. Thomas’ job duties included taking individuals outside of the facility to their designated smoking area.

            On November 29, 2021, a resident of the facility reported that a staff member pushed him from his wheelchair while he was attempting to enter CCSNF’s smoking area. The victim has physical and psychological disabilities that would classify him as a “vulnerable adult” under D.C. Code § 22-932. During a subsequent interview, the victim stated that the staff member, identified as Thomas, pushed him and he fell out of his wheelchair and onto the ground, where he laid for several minutes without assistance from the defendant. After reviewing video of the incident, Thomas was immediately suspended from CCSNF, who then reported the abuse to the District’s Department of Health.

            This prosecution is indicative of the continued collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General (D.C. OIG) to protect vulnerable adults.  The D.C. OIG operates the District’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), which is statutorily responsible for investigating and prosecuting District Medicaid provider fraud as well as abuse or neglect of residents in health care facilities and board and care facilities and of beneficiaries in noninstitutional or other settings.  The government urges the public to provide tips and assistance to stop health care fraud and abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults. If you have information about individuals committing these types of offenses, please call the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at 202-724-TIPS [202-724-8477].

            In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the D.C. OIG MFCU.  They also acknowledged the efforts of the D.C. Department of Health for their initial response.  They commended the work of Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason Facci, on detail from the D.C. OIG, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Joly Germine, 31, of Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, the self-described “King” of a notoriously violent Haitian gang known as 400 Mawozo, pleaded guilty today to his role in a 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. The conspiracy resulted in the purchase in the United States of at least twenty-four firearms, including AK-47s, AR-15s, an M4 Carbine rifle, an M1A rifle, and a .50 caliber rifle, described by the ATF as a military weapon, which were smuggled from the United States to the gang in Haiti for their criminal activities. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office. Co-defendant Eliande Tunis, 45, of Pompano Beach, Florida, pled guilty on January 17, 2024, to the same offenses.

            The plea came at the end of the government’s case during trial, after the twenty-four witnesses and two weeks of evidence. Germine, a Haitian national, pled guilty in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge John D. Bates to the 48-count second superseding indictment. The indictment charged Germine with conspiring to violate U.S. export control laws and to defraud the United States, violating export control laws, smuggling, and laundering the proceeds of ransoms paid to free U.S. hostages taken by the gang and laundering money to promote his crimes. He faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced on May 15, 2024.

            Germine’s co-defendant and former girlfriend Tunis, who styled herself as his “wife” and was described at trial as the “Queen”, pled guilty on the eve of trial on January 17, 2024, to the same 48-count indictment. She also faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced on May 8, 2024. Another co-defendant, Jocelyn Dor, age 31, who acted as a straw gun purchaser for Germine and Tunis, previously pled guilty on October 30, 2023, and will be sentenced on February 28, 2024.

            “Violent gangs have ravaged Haiti, and, all too often, Americans in Haiti have been targets of their violence,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “These two defendants not only helped lead a prominent violent gang in Haiti, but they were also intimately involved in arming the gang and laundering ransom proceeds the gang obtained from kidnapping Americans.  Preventing them from illegally shipping anymore firearms or laundering the proceeds of kidnappings strikes a critical blow against the gang they once led.”

            “Violent, well-armed gangs pose an ongoing threat to U.S. Citizens who live in or travel to Haiti,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri, of the Miami Field Office. “As Joly Germine and Eliande Tunis have just learned, the FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling gangs who undertake hostage-taking of U.S. Citizens anywhere. This includes taking away their ability to wreak violence on the innocent using smuggled firearms.”

            According to the evidence the government presented at trial, from at least March through November 2021, Germine, Tunis, and two co-defendants conspired with each other and with other gang members in Haiti to acquire and supply firearms to the 400 Mawozo gang in Haiti. Germine directed the gang’s operations from a Haitian prison using unmonitored cell phones, including directing gang members in Haiti to transfer money to Tunis and others in the United States for the purpose of obtaining firearms for the gang. Germine then provided Tunis and the two other U.S.-based co-defendants, all Florida residents, specifications for firearms and ammunition that Germine and other gang leaders wanted sent to Haiti. Tunis and the two co-defendants then purchased at least 24 rifles, handguns, and a shotgun at Florida gun shops while falsely stating that they were the “actual buyers” of the firearms, when they were in fact acting as straw purchasers for Germine. In approximately May 2021, Tunis smuggled firearms and ammunition to Haiti in containers disguised as food and household goods. In October 2021, Tunis shipped additional firearms and ammunition to Haiti, again by smuggling the firearms, but those firearms were seized by the FBI before they left the United States.  

            400 Mawozo is a violent Haitian gang that operated in the Croix-des-Bouquets area to the east of the capital, Port-au-Prince. From at least January 12, 2020, 400 Mawozo was engaged in armed hostage takings of U.S. citizens in Haiti for ransom. The victims have generally been forced from their vehicles at gunpoint and kept in various locations by armed gang members while their relatives and colleagues negotiate payment for their release.  At trial, the government presented evidence that the gang received ransom payments from the hostage taking of three U.S. citizens in the summer of 2021, who testified at trial, and the cash ransom proceeds were commingled with the gangs’ funds and transferred via MoneyGram and Western Union from the United States to Haiti to buy more firearms. In the fall of 2021, the 400 Mawozo gang claimed responsibility for taking 16 U.S. citizens hostage, 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. This case does not address those hostage taking charges, for which Germine has been separately indicted in Case No. 22-cr-161 (DDC).

            The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office, with assistance 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.

WASHINGTON – Andra Vance, 49, a former Metro Transit Police (MTPD) officer, was sentenced yesterday to one year and one day in prison for unlawfully beating an unarmed transit rider with a metal baton on Feb. 16, 2018.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clark of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and MTPD Chief Michael Anzallo.

            “This violent, brutal beating of a citizen by someone cloaked in police powers deserves significant punishment and condemnation,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The vast majority of officers in the District execute their duties in an exemplary manner. Their jobs only get harder when officers like this one betray their position and damage the trust the community should have in these public servants.”

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Vance to serve 12 months of supervised release.

            “This sentencing should make clear that officers who abuse their authority will be held accountable, regardless of whether their actions occur on public streets or inside public transit systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Clark. “The department will continue to aggressively prosecute law enforcement officers who willfully violate the civil rights of our community members.”

            The Metro Transit Police Department conducted a routine review of Vance’s use of force within hours of the incident. Based on the review, the department immediately suspended Vance’s police powers, launched an internal investigation, and notified federal authorities.

            “MTPD strongly condemns the actions of any officer who abuses their authority in the use of excessive force. This case is an aberration against the good MTPD officers who keep the system safe for our customers and employees every day,” said MTPD Chief Anzallo. “What happened is disgraceful, which is why we immediately relieved the former officer of his duties and investigated. We appreciate the U.S. Attorney in the District and investigators with the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspections for their part in bringing justice for this criminal act. No law enforcement officer is above the law.”

            According to the government’s evidence, the victim -- ­­identified as D.C. -- attempted to use an invalid Metro card to board a train at the Anacostia Metro station. The card was confiscated by Metro Transit personnel and D.C. became angry. D.C. complained to Vance and briefly walked away from the fare gate. When D.C. returned to the fare gate, Vance used his metal baton to hit D.C. in the head without legal justification. When D.C. fled, Vance chased him and continued to swing the baton at D.C.’s head and neck.

            A fellow officer who witnessed the assault and who helped handcuff D.C. testified that D.C. was not a threat to Vance or anyone else at the station at the time that Vance struck D.C. in the head. D.C. was taken to Howard University Hospital where he was treated for head injuries.

            The Metro Transit Authority investigated the case. ­

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gauri Gopal and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Maura White.

Former Washington, D.C., Metro Transit Police (MTPD) Officer Andra Vance was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and one year of supervised release for unlawfully beating an unarmed transit rider with a metal baton on Feb. 16, 2018.

“This sentencing should make clear that officers who abuse their authority will be held accountable, regardless of whether their actions occur on public streets or inside public transit systems,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to aggressively prosecute law enforcement officers who willfully violate the civil rights of our community members.”

“This violent, brutal beating of a citizen by someone cloaked in police powers deserves significant punishment and condemnation,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The vast majority of officers in the District execute their duties in an exemplary manner. Their jobs only get harder when officers like this one betray their position and damage the trust the community should have in these public servants.”

“MTPD strongly condemns the actions of any officer who abuses their authority in the use of excessive force. This case is an aberration against the good MTPD officers who keep the system safe for our customers and employees every day,” said MTPD Chief Michael Anzallo. “What happened is disgraceful, which is why we immediately relieved the former officer of his duties and investigated. We appreciate the U.S. Attorney in the District and investigators with the Office of Professional Responsibility and Inspections for their part in bringing justice for this criminal act. No law enforcement officer is above the law.”

During Vance’s trial in November 2022, evidence showed that the victim, identified as D.C., attempted to use an invalid Metro card to board a train at the Anacostia Metro station. When the card was confiscated by Metro Transit personnel, D.C. became angry. D.C. complained to Vance and briefly walked away from the fare gate. When D.C. returned to the fare gate, Vance used his metal baton to hit D.C. in the head without legal justification. When D.C. fled from the fare gate, Vance chased him and continued to swing the baton at D.C.’s head and neck.

A fellow officer who witnessed the assault and who helped handcuff D.C. testified that D.C. was not a threat to Vance or anyone else at the Anacostia Metro Station at the time that Vance struck D.C. in the head. D.C. was taken to Howard University Hospital where he was treated for injuries to his head.

The Metro Transit Authority investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Maura White of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gauri Gopal for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.

Four Chinese nationals are charged in an indictment in the District of Columbia with various federal crimes related to a years-long conspiracy to unlawfully export and smuggle U.S.-origin electronic components from the United States to Iran.

According to court documents, Baoxia Liu, aka Emily Liu; Yiu Wa Yung, aka Stephen Yung; Yongxin Li, aka Emma Lee; and Yanlai Zhong, aka Sydney Chung, unlawfully exported and smuggled U.S. export controlled items through China and Hong Kong ultimately for the benefit of entities affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises Iran’s development and production of missiles, weapons, and military aerial equipment to include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

“For more than a decade, the defendants allegedly orchestrated a scheme to smuggle U.S. manufactured parts to the IRGC and the Iranian agency charged with developing ballistic missiles and UAVs,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. “Such efforts to unlawfully obtain U.S. technology directly threaten our national security, and we will use every tool at our disposal to sever the illicit supply chains that fuel the Iranian regime’s malign activity.”

“Aggressively combating illicit procurement networks that support Iranian military systems like radars and UAVs is essential to U.S. national security,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce. “Today’s indictment, tied to the work of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, reaffirms that proliferators cannot hide behind front companies in third countries to funnel technology to our adversaries.”

“Our indictment alleges a years-long, complex conspiracy to violate U.S. laws by procuring U.S. technology with military uses for entities in Iran who would do us harm – a serious offense that endangers our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Our office, along with our federal law enforcement partners, will continue to turn over every stone to find those who break our laws and put us at risk. We are committed to making sure that U.S. technology is kept out of the hands of those taking aim at the United States and its citizens through robust enforcement of U.S. sanctions.”

“Our foreign adversaries use many tactics to gain access to critical U.S. technologies and innovation,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “In this instance, it is alleged that U.S.-origin equipment was smuggled by front companies to the benefit of end users in Iran. Any circumvention of U.S. export control law is simply unacceptable – the FBI will work diligently with its partners across the globe to hold all accountable who jeopardize our national security.”

According to the indictment, beginning as early as May 2007 and continuing until at least July 2020, the defendants utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to funnel dual-use U.S.-origin items, including electronics and components that could be utilized in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses, to sanctioned Iranian entities with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) such as Shiraz Electronics Industries (SEI), Rayan Roshd Afzar, and their affiliates. 

Throughout the course of the conspiracy, the defendants concealed the fact that the goods were destined for Iran and Iranian entities and made material misrepresentations to U.S. companies regarding the end destination and end users. These deceptive practices caused the U.S. companies to export goods to the defendants’ PRC-based front companies under false pretenses and under the guise that the ultimate destination of these products was China as opposed to Iran. As a result, a vast amount of dual-use U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities were exported from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations.

The defendants are charged with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), violating IEEPA, smuggling goods from the United States, and one count of submitting false or misleading export information. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for violating the IEEPA; up to 10 years in prison for smuggling goods from the United States; and up to five years in prison for each count of conspiracy and submitting false or misleading export information. Arrest warrants have been issued for Liu, Yung, Li and Zhong who all remain fugitives.

The FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Commerce Department’s Office of Export Enforcement Chicago Field Office are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack F. Korba for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Heather Schmidt and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

In June 2023, the Department of Justice joined with the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury to issue an advisory to share information about the threat posed by Iran’s procurement, development, and proliferation of UAVs. Four months later, in October 2023, the department joined with the same interagency partners to issue an advisory describing the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile procurement activities. The advisories gave an overview of the key components sought by Iran, the regime’s use of deceptive practices to acquire certain types of technologies, and recommendations for implementing effective compliance controls to minimize sanctions and export control risk.

Today’s action was coordinated through the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states. Under the leadership of the Assistant Attorney General for National Security and the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement, the Strike Force leverages tools and authorities across the U.S. government to enhance the criminal and administrative enforcement of export control laws.

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

WASHINGTON – Edward Steven Monge, 22, of Beltsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to participating in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Monge pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to an information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

             U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes set a sentencing date for May 29. Monge faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, but the plea agreement calls for a sentence of 87 to 108 months. The prison term will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

             According to the government’s evidence, between February and August 2023 Monge sold more than 4,500 pills containing fentanyl to Jennifer Echeverria Flores, 26, of Silver Spring, MD. Echeverria Flores then sold the pills to a DEA undercover agent on five separate occasions between February 17 and July 19, 2023, in the District and Maryland and the District of Columbia. The pills were blue, marked “M” on one side, and “30” on the other. The total approximate weight of the pills was 479 grams.  These pills are designed to look like authentic oxycodone “M30” pills, but instead contain fentanyl.

            Echeverria Flores was arrested on July 31, 2023. On August 3, 2023, law enforcement arrested Monge in Hyattsville, MD, and found him carrying about 1,102 pills, which field tested positive for the presence of fentanyl. As part of the Plea Agreement, Monge also admitted that he possessed a firearm in connection with his unlawful distribution of fentanyl.

             Echeverria Flores pleaded guilty in December to the drug conspiracy charge. She is scheduled to be sentenced March 19.

            This case was investigated by the DEA – Washington Division.

            The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Javier Urbina and Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Leiter.

WASHINGTON – Gianni Saunders, 21, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today of the May 24, 2023, armed carjacking of a handyman as the victim exited his car in the 2800 block of Denver Street SE, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.  

            Following a week-long trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, the jury found Saunders guilty of armed carjacking, armed robbery, and two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The Honorable Errol Arthur scheduled sentencing for April 10, 2024.  At sentencing, Saunders faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 1:24 pm on May 24, 2023, the victim pulled up to the 2800 block of Denver Street SE to make repairs inside a residential building. Saunders, armed with a handgun with an extended magazine, demanded the victim’s car keys.  Saunders then drove off in the victim’s black Honda Civic. Police apprehended Saunders two days later when Forest Heights, Maryland, police officers attempted a traffic stop of the stolen car. Saunders led police on a high-speed chase before causing a multi-car crash. Police pulled Saunders from the driver’s seat after the crash and recovered a handgun with an extended magazine from the car, along with the victim’s identification documents. The police investigation uncovered surveillance video that showed Saunders parking the stolen car at his residence hours after the carjacking; Saunders’ appearance and clothing were consistent with the victim’s description of the carjacker. The government also introduced DNA evidence, which linked Saunders to the handgun.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. Invaluable assistance was provided by the Forest Heights Police Department from the inception of the case through trial. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Gimenez and Iris McCranie of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – An indictment, filed in the District of Columbia, charges Chinese nationals Baoxia Liu a/k/a Emily Liu, 42, Yiu Wa Yung a/k/a Stephen Yung, 63, Yongxin Li a/k/a Emma Lee, 36, and Yanlai Zhong a/k/a Sydney Chung, 40, with various federal crimes related to a years-long conspiracy to unlawfully export and smuggle U.S.-origin electronic components from the United States to Iran. According to court documents, Baoxia Liu aka Emily Liu; Yiu Wa Yung aka Stephen Yung; Yongxin Li aka Emma Lee; and Yanlai Zhong aka Sydney Chung unlawfully exported and smuggled U.S. export controlled items through China and Hong Kong ultimately for the benefit of entities affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises Iran’s development and production of missiles, weapons, and military aerial equipment to include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

            The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, FBI Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the Detroit Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tambrini of the Department of Commerce’s Chicago Field Office, Office of Export Enforcement.

            According to the indictment, beginning as early as May 2007 and continuing until at least July 2020, the defendants utilized an array of front companies in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to funnel dual-use U.S.-origin items, including electronics and components that could be utilized in the production of UAVs, ballistic missile systems, and other military end uses, to sanctioned Iranian entities with ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) such as Shiraz Electronics Industries (SEI), Rayan Roshd Afzar, and their affiliates. 

            Throughout the course of the conspiracy, the defendants concealed the fact that the goods were destined for Iran and Iranian entities and made material misrepresentations to U.S. companies regarding the end destination and end users. These deceptive practices caused the U.S. companies to export goods to the defendants’ PRC-based front companies under false pretenses and under the guise that the ultimate destination of these products was China as opposed to Iran. As a result, a vast amount of dual-use U.S.-origin commodities with military capabilities were exported from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws and regulations.

            “Our indictment alleges a years-long, complex conspiracy to violate U.S. laws by procuring U.S. technology with military uses for entities in Iran who would do us harm – a serious offense that endangers our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.  “Our office, along with our federal law enforcement partners, will continue to turn over every stone to find those who break our laws and put us at risk. We are committed to making sure that U.S. technology is kept out of the hands of those taking aim at the U.S. and its citizens through robust enforcement of U.S. sanctions.”

            “For more than a decade, the defendants allegedly orchestrated a scheme to smuggle U.S. manufactured parts to the IRGC and the Iranian agency charged with developing ballistic missiles and UAVs,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department's National Security Division. “Such efforts to unlawfully obtain U.S. technology directly threaten our national security, and we will use every tool at our disposal to sever the illicit supply chains that fuel the Iranian regime's malign activity.”

            “Aggressively combatting illicit procurement networks that support Iranian miliary systems like radars and UAVs is essential to U.S. national security,” said Matthew S. Axelrod, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement.  “Today’s indictment, tied to the work of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, reaffirms that proliferators cannot hide behind front companies in third countries to funnel technology to our adversaries.”

            “The theft of technology from the U.S. to Iran and Iranian military affiliates is a threat to our economic and national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI remains committed to combating the illegal transfer of technology and export fraud. We will continue to work with our national security partners to investigate anyone who seeks to weaponize U.S. technology or commodities.”

            “This multi-year investigation is the product of vigorous, cooperative law enforcement focused on denying the diversion and export of sensitive U.S.-origin items to Iran that endanger our national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tambrini, of the Office of Export Enforcement’s Chicago Field Office. “The Office of Export Enforcement, working with our interagency law enforcement partners, is committed to investigating violations of BIS export control rules and prosecuting the individuals involved, as appropriate, whether in the U.S. or abroad.”

            The defendants are charged with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), violating IEEPA, smuggling goods from the United States, and one count of submitting false or misleading export information. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for violating the IEEPA; up to 10 years in prison for smuggling goods from the United States; and up to five years in prison for each count of conspiracy and submitting false or misleading export information. Arrest warrants have been issued for Liu, Yung, Li and Zhong who all remain fugitives.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and the Chicago Field Office of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack F. Korba for the United States Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Heather Schmidt and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

            In June 2023, the Department of Justice joined with the Departments of Commerce, State, and Treasury to issue an advisory to share information about the threat posed by Iran’s procurement, development, and proliferation of UAVs.  Four months later, in October 2023, the Department joined with the same interagency partners to issue an advisory describing the threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile procurement activities.  The advisories gave an overview of the key components sought by Iran, the regime’s use of deceptive practices to acquire certain types of technologies, and recommendations for implementing effective compliance controls to minimize sanctions and export control risk.

            Charges in an indictment are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

WASHINGTON – Roberto McBean, 30, a Maryland resident, has been arrested on felony charges after robbing the same business in Georgetown multiple times while using a firearm. McBean is charged in an indictment, filed in the District of Columbia, with four felony counts of violating the Hobbs Act, which prohibits individuals from actual or attempted robbery which affects interstate commerce.

            As detailed in the indictment, from November 23, 2023 to January 8, 2024, McBean robbed the Glover Park Market located at 2411 37th Street NW. During this timeframe, McBean robbed the market of over $1000, often using a handgun and ordering the store employee to give him the money from the register.

            Agents with the FBI’s Washington Field Office arrested McBean on Friday, January 26, 2024, following his indictment. He made his initial appearance in the District of Columbia on Monday, January 29, 2024, before the Honorable Judge G. Michael Harvey. A detention hearing is currently set for Thursday, February 1, 2024.

            This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Lipes and Assistant United States Attorney Omeed A. Assefi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI.

WASHINGTON – John Michael Wilcox, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for illegally possessing a Ruger Archangel rifle and a .32 caliber pistol when his SUV was stopped by police near Nationals Park, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Jessica M.E. Taylor of the United States Park Police.

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Wilcox to serve three years of supervised release.

            Wilcox pleaded guilty September 26, 2023, 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.

            According to the government’s evidence, when Wilcox was stopped by U.S. Park Police officers on July 12, 2022, he was operating a black SUV with an illegally covered Florida dealer tag. As officers approached the vehicle, he held a military identification card out of the driver’s side window that did not belong to him. While interacting with Wilcox, an officer observed a clear plastic bag containing multiple-colored zip lock bags partially bulging from the defendant’s front shorts pocket. The officer directed Wilcox out of the vehicle and toward the rear of the car. Wilcox was forcibly placed in handcuffs following his initial refusal to comply.

            Officers recovered 19 small plastic bags which each contained fentanyl. Officers also recovered a clear plastic bag containing cocaine base. Officers then removed a female passenger and child from the vehicle. Police searched the SUV and discovered a .32 caliber pistol in the glove compartment with three rounds. They found a Ruger Archangel, 5.56 caliber rifle with the serial number obliterated, located in the trunk.

            During the search, Wilcox stated multiple times that everything in the car belonged to him. Federal law prohibits Wilcox from possessing a firearm because he has multiple convictions from the Commonwealth of Virginia for which he was sentenced to terms of imprisonment exceeding one year.

            On May 17, 2023, following his indictment by a federal grand jury, Wilcox was arrested pursuant to a warrant issued by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He has remained in custody ever since.

           This case was investigated by the United States Park Police. Valuable assistance was provided by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

           This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Kelley and Alexander Schneider and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney.

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WASHINGTON – Saeve Edward Evans, 37, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty today to firing 14 rounds at a Metropolitan Police Department officer. The shooting, in the early morning of August 1, 2023, occurred on the 1700 block of Benning Road, Northeast. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The officer was not injured. Evans pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to assault on a police officer while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of over one year.

             U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton set a sentencing date for May 22, 2024.

            “Every day, our officers risk their own well-being to fight crime in our city,” said Chief Smith. “In firing those 14 rounds, Mr. Evans displayed a reprehensible disregard for the safety of both our officer and our community. I’m relieved that no one was hurt, and I’m pleased that Mr. Evans has taken some accountability for his actions by pleading guilty.”

            According to court documents, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at about 5:25 a.m., Evans was walking a dog outside on the 1700 block of Benning Road, Northeast. When an unknown individual walked in front of the building, Evans pulled out a gun, pointed the gun towards the sky, and fired three times in the air. The unknown individual ran away.

           At 5:28 a.m., an MPD officer was dispatched to the location to investigate the gunfire. The officer, who was wearing a full police uniform and driving a marked MPD cruiser, spotted Evans on the sidewalk adjacent to a three-story apartment building. Evans aimed at the officer, fired the gun three times, then moved towards the apartment entrance. Moving up a ramp, Evans pointed his gun at the officer again and fired nine more live rounds. The officer returned fire before taking cover behind his police cruiser. Inside the building, Evans climbed the stairs to the third-floor landing and fired two more shots at the officer through large windows. In total, Evans fired 14 rounds at the officer.          

              Additional MPD officers from the Fifth District responded to assist and entered the building on Benning Road. Officers located Evans on the third-floor landing of the apartment building. Before officers placed Evans under arrest, Evans said, “Ain’t no gun, I took it off me.” Officers recovered the firearm on the third floor landing. DNA evidence further linked the firearm -- a black Springfield XD 9x19 pistol with an empty 16 round magazine -- to Evans. DNA evidence linked Evans to the gun, which was stolen on March 9, 2023, from the state of Texas.

            Evans faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison on the charge of assault on a police officer while armed. 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 detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Cloherty and Justin Song, the Records Department of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and MPD Detectives.

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WASHINGTON – Three former federal employees were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to steal proprietary software and sensitive law-enforcement databases from the U.S. government for use in a commercial venture.

            The sentencings were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG); and Inspector General Tammy Hull of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG).

            Murali Y. Venkata, 58, of Aldie, Va., is a former Acting Branch Chief of the Information Technology Division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS-OIG). Venkata was convicted on Apr. 11, 2023, for conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, theft of government property, wire fraud, and obstruction. Venkata was sentenced to four months in prison today by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss, who also ordered Venkata to serve two years of supervised release with eight months of home incarceration, and to serve 60 hours of community service.

            Charles K. Edwards, 63, of Sandy Spring, Md, was the Acting Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG). In January 2022, Edwards pleaded guilty to theft of government property, and conspiracy to commit theft of government property and to defraud the United States. Edwards was sentenced by Judge Moss today to 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release.

            Sonal Patel, 49, of Sterling, Va., had been employed in DHS-OIG’s information technology department. Patel was sentenced by Judge Moss today to two years probation with one year of home incarceration, and a fine of $40,000. In April 2019, Patel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of government property.

            According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Venkata, Edwards, and Patel were all previously employed at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG). The trio conspired to steal proprietary U.S. software and databases containing sensitive law-enforcement information and the personally identifying information (PII) of over 200,000 federal employees from DHS-OIG and USPS OIG. They planned to use the stolen software and databases to create a commercial software product to be offered for sale to government agencies. As part of the scheme, the co-conspirators disclosed the stolen software and databases containing PII to software developers located in India. After Venkata learned of the investigation, he deleted incriminating text messages and other communications in an effort to obstruct the investigation.

            DHS-OIG and USPS OIG investigated the case.

            The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Celia Choy of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey for the District of Columbia. Significant assistance was provided by former PIN Senior Litigation Counsel Victor Salgado, former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kent, and Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart.

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

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

            Echavarria pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce, also known as a Hobbs Act robbery; conspiracy to commit carjacking; and armed robbery.

            According to the plea paperwork, Echavarria admitted to personally participating in the armed robberies of six individuals, five businesses and/or their employees, and two armed carjackings.

            The Honorable Beryl A. Howell scheduled Echavarria’s sentencing for May 10, 2024.

            One of Echavarria’s co-conspirators, Tyrell Jordan Stewart, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 15 years in prison on January 12, 2024, after pleading guilty in the same spree of carjackings and violent armed robberies.

            Had the case gone to trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Echavarria conspired his two charged co-defendants to commit a spree of robberies and carjackings of individuals and businesses in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Specifically, Echavarria and his two co-defendants committed five commercial robberies, two armed carjackings, and at least 12 armed robberies over the course of their conspiracy.

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

            The trio’s violent spree occurred during the first three months of 2022. The men typically planned their robberies the night before and executed early in the morning. To avoid detection from law enforcement, the trio typically began a day’s robberies by stealing a vehicle to use in their subsequent robberies. If the vehicle was occupied or if the owner was close by, the men used firearms, force, and intimidation to carjack it. After the sprees, the men sold the vehicles for added profit. A hallmark of the defendants’ robberies was the use of force and/or violence against their victims.

            On February 8, 2022, for instance, Echavarria and his co-defendants traveled from Northeast Washington to Chevy Chase, Md., to steal a Toyota Rav4. After stealing the SUV, the trio traveled to a convenience store on the 8100 block of Fenton St., in Silver Spring.

            At the store, Echavarria approached a delivery man making a scheduled drop off while armed with a handgun. As a co-defendant waited in the Rav4 as the getaway driver, Echavarria and his other co-defendant punched the delivery man and then pistol whipped them with his weapon. A co-defendant then took the delivery man’s wallet and cases of product from the delivery truck. After completing the robbery, the trio fled the scene.

            On February 20, 2022, Echavarria and his co-defendants stole a Honda Ridgeline truck in Silver Spring, Md., shortly before 6 a.m. Less than an hour later, police received multiple reports of suspects in a black Ridgeline truck who were attempting to break into other vehicles. That same morning, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) officers responded to a convenience store on the 3500 block of University Boulevard West, in Kensington, Md. Victims reported that three armed men had entered the store and robbed the cashier of currency and a cell phone. While a co-defendant robbed the register, Echavarria placed a customer in a chokehold. When the customer resisted, the co-defendant fired a round to intimidate the customer into complying with their demands. 

            On the way out, Echavarria stopped another customer, held a pistol to the customer’s right temple, then grabbed the customer’s car keys from his left pants pocket. The three armed men fled in the customer’s Lexus SUV.

            That same morning, MCPD officers separately responded to an armed robbery of a mini market on the 4800 block of Boiling Brook Parkway, in Rockville, Md. Again, a co-defendant discharged his firearm to intimidate the cashier into complying with his demands. All three armed men fled the store in what appeared to be the same stolen Ridgeline used earlier.

            At 7:25 a.m., an MCPD officer spotted the stolen Ridgeline and stolen Lexus SUV and pursued the vehicles southbound on 16th Street towards the District at speeds topping 100 m.p.h. The MCPD officer ultimately lost sight of both vehicles. That same morning, Echavarria and his co-defendants committed an armed robbery of someone waiting at a bus stop in the 7700 block of Georgia Avenue NW, one block from the D.C./Maryland line. One of the armed men placed the victim in a chokehold. The other pistol-whipped the victim in the face. The two stole the victim’s wallet and fled.

            Additional carjackings and violent robberies followed. Early on the morning of March 2, Echavarria and his co-conspirators drove a black Dodge Charger with stolen plates from Northeast Washington to Maryland. On the 6000 block of 64th Ave., Riverdale, the conspirators spotted a driver inside of a black Audi A6 sedan in a commercial parking lot and boxed the Audi in with the Charger. Two of the gunmen exited the Charger with firearms pointed at the driver. The driver handed over their keys and their wallet. The gunmen fled in the stolen Audi back towards the District.

            Soon thereafter, Echavarria and his co-defendants entered a convenience store on the 11000 block of Georgia Ave., in Silver Spring, and robbed the counter clerk at gunpoint of $500 and lottery tickets.

            Echavarria was arrested February 6, 2023, in Washington D.C.

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

            The above efforts are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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

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

The Justice Department announced today that it will surge additional law enforcement tools and resources to target those most responsible for violent crime and carjackings in Washington, D.C.

“Last year, we saw an encouraging decline in violent crime in many parts of the country, but there is much more work to do — including here in the District of Columbia,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “This surge in law enforcement resources will build on the Department’s efforts to target the individuals and organizations that are driving violent crime in the nation’s capital. The Justice Department will not rest until every community in our country is safe from the scourge of violent crime.”

“We have been surgically targeting and prosecuting those driving violence within our community,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The surge of resources to these efforts will allow us to continue to expand on these efforts and to take even more drivers of violence off our streets.”

The additional resources include a multi-component Gun Violence Analytic Cell (GVAC), which is led by the FBI with partners from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Using data analytics, GVAC will identify additional federal investigations that should be opened to combat violent crime and carjackings.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has already charged hundreds of such cases in recent years, including a case announced this week against five alleged fentanyl traffickers, three of whom were charged with firearms violations in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The case was a result of a year-long multiagency investigation into narcotics distribution points in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C.

To increase the capacity to prosecute the additional investigations generated from GVAC and other efforts, the initiative will also detail federal prosecutors from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division to work violent crime cases in D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is moving additional prosecutors within the Superior Court docket to focus on carjacking and both lethal and non-lethal firearms cases.

This announcement builds on similar prosecutorial and investigative resource surges throughout the country as part of the Department’s strategy to combat violent crime in targeted communities. In November 2023, the Justice Department announced a significant increase in prosecutorial resources in Memphis, Tennessee, and in September 2022, the Justice Department similarly announced additional prosecutors detailed to fight target gangs in Houston.

These efforts are all part of a Department-wide Violent Crime Reduction Strategy announced by Attorney General Garland in May 2021, aimed at addressing the spike in violent crime during the pandemic. Since then, every U.S. Attorney’s Office across the country has worked alongside its federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to implement district-specific violent crime reduction strategies. In addition, the Department has also focused on strengthening its national Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, as well as the National Public Safety Partnership, which makes Department tools and expertise available to more than 50 specific local law enforcement agencies.

All of these efforts are emblematic of the Department’s recognition that the best anti-violent crime strategies are tailored to the needs of, and are developed with, individual communities.

Three former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees were sentenced today in the District of Columbia for a conspiracy to steal proprietary software and sensitive law-enforcement databases from the U.S. government for use in a commercial venture.

Charles K. Edwards, 63, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison. In January 2022, Edwards pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of government property and to defraud the United States and theft of government property. 

Sonal Patel, 49, of Sterling, Virginia, was sentenced to two years of probation. In April 2019, Patel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft of government property.

Murali Y. Venkata, 58, of Aldie, Virginia, was sentenced to four months in prison. In April 2022, a jury convicted Venkata of conspiracy to commit theft of government property and to defraud the United States, theft of government property, wire fraud, and destruction of records.  

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Edwards was the former Acting Inspector General of the DHS Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG). Patel and Venkata were employed in DHS-OIG’s information technology department. Edwards, Patel, and Venkata were all previously employed at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). Edwards, Patel, and Venkata conspired to steal proprietary U.S. software and databases containing sensitive law-enforcement information and the personally identifiable information (PII) of over 200,000 federal employees from DHS-OIG and USPS-OIG. They planned to use the stolen software and databases to create a commercial software product to be offered for sale to government agencies. As part of the scheme, the co-conspirators disclosed the stolen software and databases containing PII to software developers located in India. After Venkata learned of the investigation, he deleted incriminating text messages and other communications in an effort to obstruct the investigation.

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 General Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS-OIG, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Michael Ray of USPS-OIG made the announcement.

DHS-OIG and USPS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Celia Choy of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case, with significant assistance from former PIN Senior Litigation Counsel Victor Salgado and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kent.

WASHINGTON – Alexander Adams, 35, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to two counts of aggravated assault of a senior citizen, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.

            Adams was sentenced to 96 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. Adams pled guilty on December 4, 2023. He has been in custody since February 24, 2022.

            According to the government’s evidence, around 11:10 p.m. on February 23, 2022, two senior citizens, then 78-year-old victim #1 and then 79-year-old victim #2, were randomly approached by Adams outside of the Giant located in the 3700 block of Newark Street in Northwest D.C., who asked them for five dollars. When victim #1 gave the defendant one dollar, the defendant declared, “That is not enough!” and began attacking victim #1 and victim #2. Adams first struck victim #1 with his fist, causing victim #1 to fall and then began beating victim #2 with victim #1’s wooden cane about her head and body. His attack caused her to fall backward and hit her head on the concrete. District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel, who were nearby saw the attack and were able to act immediately and transport victim #2 to the hospital. As a result of the attack, victim #2 suffered numerous injuries including a concussion, a brain bleed, swelling on the brain, altered mental state and cognitive deficits. Victim #2 suffers from severe cognitive decline to this day and will likely never recover.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Simmons, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark and Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammad, ReShawn Johnson, Tiffany Jones, and Richard Cheatham.

            Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Michael Caldwell, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 12 years of incarceration today for the June 4, 2023, stabbing of a man on the sidewalk in Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Caldwell pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed on August 14, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Today, the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan sentenced Caldwell to 144 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 4, 2023, Caldwell was in the 4300 block of Halley Terrace SE, around 11:30 p.m. The victim, Damien Thompson, 44, and Caldwell got into a verbal dispute on the street. Mr. Thompson threw a bottle at Caldwell, and the two continued to argue. At one point, Mr. Thompson grabbed a plastic chair to throw at Caldwell, but before he could do so, Caldwell lunged at Mr. Thompson, and stabbed him in the face. Mr. Thompson fell to the ground unconscious. Caldwell then proceeded to stab Mr. Thompson eight more times in the chest as he laid helpless and defenseless on the ground. Mr. Thompson died from his injuries a short time later.

In announcing today’s 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 Joshua Hall, who prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance by Paralegal Specialist Lisa Minott and Victim Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez.

WASHINGTON – David Kenner, 82, of Encino, California, pleaded guilty today to misdemeanor criminal contempt and was sentenced to one year of probation and a $5,000 fine in connection with his failure to abide by the terms of a protective order in case for which he was counsel of record. 

        Kenner was counsel of record for the defendant in United States v. Prakazrel Michel, Case No. 19-cr-148, a criminal case pending before the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. On March 3, 2023, the attorneys representing the Government in that matter filed a motion for order to show cause, asking the Court to bring contempt charges. The motion was referred to the Honorable Amit P. Mehta for consideration and granted following an investigation.  Kenner pleaded guilty to one count of contempt before Judge Mehta after entering into a plea agreement with the United States.

        According to Court documents, as counsel of record, Kenner was provided discovery materials by the United States subject to a Protective Order which the limited disclosure and use of the discovery material.  The Order required that, “[b]efore first disclosing discovery material or its contents [to any individual] … the defendant or his attorneys of record must give to the individual… a copy of this Order, and maintain a copy signed and dated by the individual … until such time as all appeals in this matter (if any) are concluded.”  

        In late November 2022, the Defendant was introduced to two members of the news media from Bloomberg Media. In early December 2022, the Defendant agreed to share discovery materials with the two members of the news media and asked them to sign a copy of the Protective Order, which they did.  Shortly thereafter, the members of the news media ripped Protective Order, in the presence of the Defendant, and expressed concerns with having signed it. 

        Contemporaneous with this conversation an individual acting with the Defendant’s authorization arranged for the members of the news media to be given access to the database procured by the defense team to hold the discovery materials.  The Defendant did not take any proactive steps to prevent them from obtaining access or to withdraw his authorization.

            On March 2, 2023, the members of the news media published multiple articles containing information derived from the discovery materials and reflecting the discovery materials’ content.  The next day, the Defendant admitted to the Court in United States v. Prakazrel Michel, 19-cr-148, that information had been shared with the members of the news media, but did not disclose to the Court that the members of the news media had destroyed their copies of the Protective Order before being given access to the discovery materials, in contravention of the Protective Order’s requirements.

        This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan Hooks and Elizabeth Aloi of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section. This case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Unit. 

WASHINGTON – Jayvon Thomas, 20, and Lavar Hunter, 19, were arraigned today, in Superior Court for the District of Columbia, on one count of first degree felony murder while armed, for the November 2023 murder 24-year-old Anwar “The Silent Assassin” Wingate, a professional boxer from Maryland, during an armed robbery, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            The murder, on November 19, 2023, happened inside a parking garage located at 2112 8th Street NW.  Wingate was shot in the neck after he tried to fight off the two men who were able to get the jump on him by catching him off guard. The defendants were arrested yesterday morning in Maryland. Both defendants entered not guilty pleas today. The Honorable Magistrate Judge Eric Glover found probable cause that the defendants committed the murder and held them without bond pending a preliminary hearing on February 2, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., before Judge Raffinan in Courtroom 203.  

            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.

            In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorneys Kathleen Gibbons and Alec Levy for their continued efforts in prosecuting this case.  

WASHINGTON — A North Carolina man was arrested yesterday for allegedly stealing sensitive data from his prior employer, a D.C.-based company, and threatening to publish this data unless the company paid him $2.5 million. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Cameron Curry, 25, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony extortion for making an interstate threat to injure the property or reputation of another in order to extort money. Curry was arrested yesterday by the FBI in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. He made his initial appearance in the Western District of North Carolina earlier today.

            According to court documents, Curry had been working as a contract employee with the victim company but was told on December 5, 2023, that his last day of employment would be December 15, 2023. On December 11, 2023, posing under the pseudonym of “Loot,” Curry allegedly began sending a series of emails to the victim company and its employees threatening to publish certain sensitive financial records and personally identifiable information of the victim company’s employees. In one email, Curry allegedly wrote, “If you wish to reclaim your data, we recommend doing so promptly at 2.5 million USD in order to save your company and stocks, as each subsequent month will incur a $100,000 USD increase.” Between December 11 and January 23, Curry allegedly sent over 60 similarly threatening emails to the company.

            As alleged in the complaint, law enforcement identified Curry as the individual posing as “Loot” by metadata in the communications he sent to the company, user information for the email address he used to send these communications, and account details for the cryptocurrency wallet to which he directed the victim to send him the ransom he demanded, among other evidence.

            On January 24, 2024, when the FBI sought to execute a search warrant at Curry’s residence, Curry allegedly refused to leave the residence and then sent a series of messages to the victim company threatening to publish its data if he were to be arrested.

            In court earlier today in the Western District of North Carolina, Curry made his initial appearance on the charges against him and waived his right to a preliminary hearing. The Honorable David C. Keesler scheduled a detention hearing for next Monday, January 29, on the government’s request to detain Curry. Curry remains in custody pending that hearing.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina.

This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Field Office in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Miles Davis, Jr., 45, of Maryland, was found guilty by a jury late yesterday of multiple charges arising from the May 19, 2021 road rage shooting directed at a woman and her two children, ages 11 and 5, as well as a bystander, in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith.  The Honorable Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for March 29, 2024. 

            The jury returned its verdict after a three-week trial in the Superior Court, finding Davis guilty of one count of assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and four counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 5:00 pm on May 19, 2021, the defendant was driving his Maserati GranTurismo in heavy rush-hour traffic at the intersection of Kenilworth Avenue NE and Eastern Avenue NE when he suddenly got out of his car with a handgun. Davis fired seven times into the car in front of him, which was occupied by a woman and her two children, then turned and fired six more shots at bystanders. The woman suffered a gunshot wound to her upper arm and the 5-year-old child was cut by broken automobile glass.  Fortunately, the 11-year-old child and the bystanders were not injured. Metropolitan Police Department investigators uncovered video evidence that was disseminated to local news outlets, the broadcast of which generated a tip that led to the identification of Davis as the owner of the Maserati, and ultimately, as the shooter.

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

WASHINGTON – Five alleged fentanyl traffickers have been charged as additional members of two related narcotics conspiracies charged in U.S. District Court, the result of a yearlong multiagency investigation into narcotics distribution points in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Southeast Washington, D.C.  Three of the individuals are coconspirators newly charged in a superseding indictment alleging a conspiracy to distribute or possess with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and money laundering, among other counts.  Two other men are charged by complaint as additional coconspirators of four previously-indicted defendants in a related fentanyl trafficking conspiracy case.  All five newly-arrested defendants are being held pending detention hearings.

            The charges and arrests were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, Acting United States Marshal Ronald Carter of the United States Marshalls Service and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The alleged fentanyl operations were based in the Washington Highlands neighborhood in Southeast Washington, centering on Oxon Run Park and the 100 block of Yuma Street, respectively.

            Kahlil Felder, 39, of Washington D.C., was indicted Dec. 14, 2023, on fentanyl distribution charges, using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Felder allegedly sold fentanyl in packaging branded with a female figure and the words “Heavy D.”

            In executing a search warrant on Felder’s residence on December 13, 2023, agents discovered over five kilograms of fentanyl powder, various tools for distribution including cutting agents, nitrile gloves, masks, and thousands of single serve baggies, and 3,300 pre-packaged baggies or “zips” of fentanyl in various sizes, indicating that the defendant used his residence as a stash house.  The search of Felder’s residence also uncovered two loaded semiautomatic pistols – a Glock 36, 45mm, and a Springfield Hellcat 9mm – one of which had been reported stolen in Maryland.

            Today, three of Felder’s alleged lieutenants were arraigned on their charges in the superseding indictment against Felder.  They include Cyrus Wheeler, 52, of Oxon Hill, Md; Carrol Edelen, 56, of Washington, D.C.; and Calvin Wright, 47, of Washington, D.C. The superseding indictment also adds 33 counts of money laundering and 19 counts of spending money laundering to the charges against Felder, reflecting a high volume of financial transactions that Felder allegedly made with illegal drug trafficking proceeds.

            Two additional defendants, Leonard Darnell Short, 40, and James Martin, 58, all of Washington D.C., were also charged by complaint in a related fentanyl trafficking conspiracy.  Each had initial appearances today in U.S. District Court.  According to charging documents, law enforcement identified Short and Martin as additional members of the narcotics conspiracy previously charged in November 2023 when a grand jury returned a 10-count indictment against defendants Alphonso Lorenzo Murray, 50, Kevin Antaun Penn, 51, Marquette Alonzo Murray, 31, and Christian Raul Simms, 27, of Washington D.C. The coconspirators allegedly openly sold fentanyl on a cul-de-sac by the 100 block of Yuma Street, SE, within 1,000 feet from the Paramount Child Development Prep School.

            “Fentanyl trafficking destroys lives and fuels violence, especially when it involves firearms and obscene profit,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “The Metropolitan Police Department has identified the Washington Highlands neighborhood where this network allegedly operated as a neighborhood that will be a focus of its homicide reduction plan.   We will continue to leverage our resources to take aim at those who are brazenly peddling deadly poison and engaging in crimes that attract violence.”  

            “Kahlil Felder and his alleged co conspirators are facing some very serious charges; They will get their day in court, but they stand accused of attempting to distribute a significant amount of poison throughout the Washington, D.C. area,” said Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of HSI Washington, D.C.  “Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. One kilogram of fentanyl can produce 1 million to 1.5 million pill dosage units and has the potential to kill 500,000 people. The fact that they were allegedly in unlawful possession of firearms amplifies the gravity of the alleged crimes. HSI Washington, D.C. will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to keep our residents safe from the tragic repercussions of fentanyl and illegal firearms.”

            “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service remains steadfast in its collaboration with law enforcement partners, standing side by side to relentlessly pursue individuals infiltrating our communities with this deadly drug,” said Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the USPIS Washington Division. “We remain committed in eradicating these illicit substances from the U.S. mail and consequently safeguarding our community.”

            “We are focused on removing violent offenders, illegal firearms, and deadly drugs from our District streets. MPD along with our local and federal partners are narrowing in on these offenders through our initiative, homicide reduction plan / Operation THRIVE,” said Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department. “Collectively, we are leveraging our resources and focusing in on areas that are experiencing elevated levels of violent crime. These arrests today show how this focused operation has successfully removed Fentanyl, illegal guns, and violent offenders from the Washington Highlands neighborhood.”

            These matters follow the charging and conviction of Ahmad Robertson, 33, of Washington, D.C., who was indicted in June 2023 and, in November 2023, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  According to the government’s pleadings, Robertson was an established fentanyl trafficker in the 100 block of Yuma Street, SE, in the Washington Highlands area.  Robertson is scheduled for sentencing on his guilty plea on March 22. 

            The above efforts are part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

            The charges of possession with intent to distribute over 400 grams or more of fentanyl and possession of firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carry a statutory maximum of life in prison.  The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.

            This case is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, and MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division.

            It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Hart and Andrea Duvall and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Javier Urbina and Jordan Leiter from the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON – Former White House advisor Peter K. Navarro, 74, was sentenced today to four months in prison for refusing to appear before the U.S. Congress to give testimony and produce documents as required by a subpoena he received from the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves of the District of Columbia and FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Navarro, of Washington D.C., was found guilty by a jury on September 7, 2023, of one contempt count related to his refusal to appear for a deposition and another count related to his refusal to produce documents in response to the Congressional subpoena. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            In addition to the prison sentence, the Honorable Amit P. Mehta, who presided over the trial and sentencing, ordered Navarro to pay a fine of $9,500.

            According to evidence presented at trial, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to Navarro on Feb. 9, 2022. The subpoena required him to appear and produce documents to the Select Committee on Feb. 23, 2022, and to appear for a deposition before the Select Committee on March 2, 2022. Navarro refused to either produce documents or appear for his deposition.  The Select Committee issued the subpoena to Navarro because, inpart based on his own public statements, the Committee understood he had information relevant to its investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

            Navarro, formerly an advisor to the former President on various trade and manufacturing policies, has been a private citizen since departing the White House in 2021. He was indicted on June 2, 2022.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and John Crabb Jr., supported by Paralegal Specialist Sonalika Chaturvedi, from the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

WASHINGTON - Michael Stewart, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today 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 (felony) and one count of possession with intent to distribute N, N-Dimethylpentylone (felony), announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

            Stewart was sentenced to 46 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release, by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan. Stewart pled guilty to the offense on October 25, 2023. He has been detained since January 8, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, on November 6, 2022 at approximately 4:30 p.m. officers responded to the Beacon Hotel located at 1615 Rhode Island Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. After placing Stewart under arrest, officers searched his hotel room and found a privately manufactured firearm (also known as a ghost gun) that did not have a serial number, underneath the bed. The firearm had one 9-millimeter round in the chamber and an additional 24 rounds in an extended magazine capable of holding 31 rounds. DNA testing on this firearm tied Stewart to the firearm. Officers also recovered Stewart’s book bag, which contained a scale, $2,232 in small denomination bills, and 105.13 grams of N-Ethylpentylone. (N- Ethylpentylone is a Schedule 1 controlled substance and is a synthetic cathinone.) N-Ethylpentylone is often referred to as “boot” or   “molly.”  During a search of Stewart at the courthouse by the U.S. Marshals, law enforcement recovered a yellow package from his person that contained 66.52 grams of N, N- Dimethylpentylone. (N, N-Dimethylpentylone is an isomer of N-Ethylpentylone. It is also a synthetic cathinone. It is also often referred to as “boot” or “molly.”).

            On December 7, 2022, officers were on routine patrol in the area of 5th Street and I Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. Officers arrested Stewart for publicly consuming marijuana. Officers recovered the following items from Stewart: a sandwich-sized bag containing 70.15 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone, a black digital scale, $191 in U.S. currency, a folded dollar bill with a white powdery substance inside, approximately.5 grams of fentanyl (including two light blue round tablets with an M-30 imprint on it and a small zip lock baggie of a light blue powder substance), and another clear plastic bag that contained 87.99 grams of N, N- Dimethylpentylone.

            On January 8, 2023, at approximately 2:35 a.m. officers observed Stewart in the area of 7th Street and T Street, Northwest. After officers approached him, Stewart ran diagonally through an intersection with oncoming traffic from at least one direction. Stewart was subsequently apprehended and officers recovered a black in color Ruger SR9C firearm from his person. The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and fifteen rounds in the magazine. The extended magazine in the firearm had a total capacity of 17 rounds. A records check revealed that the firearm was stolen from Atlanta, Georgia. Officers also recovered two folded $1 bills with white power inside, a scale, $435 in small denomination bills, and 61.8 grams of N, N-Dimethylpentylone.

            In announcing today’s sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from Project Safe Neighborhoods from both the Metropolitan Police Department  and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including paralegal Specialist Karla Nunez.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shehzad Akhtar and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Renaud.  Chief of Federal Major Crimes Melissa Jackson provided valuable assistance.

WASHINGTON – Andre De Moya, 51, of Temple Hills, Maryland, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison, and Davoud Jafari, 72, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, for their respective roles in separate but concurrent multiyear conspiracies focused on evading their business tax obligations through bribes to a former employee of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR).

            The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and the D.C. Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee.

            In both schemes, the bribe payments and communications were facilitated by middleman Anthony Merritt. Merritt, a former employee of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs who held himself out as a permit and licensing expediter, was also primarily responsible for introducing the business owners to the scheme. 

            In June 2023, a federal jury found De Moya and Merritt guilty of bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud offenses arising from the multiyear schemes. According to the government’s evidence, 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 by Merritt and Slater involving restaurants Café Asia and Umaya and nightclub Muse Lounge.

            In September 2023, Merritt pleaded guilty to bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud for his role in passing bribes to OTR's Vincent Slater on behalf of Jafari, who owned and operated Zeba Bar in Columbia Heights through a company called Gevani, Inc. Jafari was found guilty at trial of bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud offenses.

            Prior to both trials, Slater pleaded guilty to erasing or helping a number of D.C. business owners, including but not limited to De Moya and Jafari, evade over $3 million of dollars of tax obligations, in exchange for the bribe payments he split with Merritt. Slater is currently scheduled for sentencing on February 22, 2024.

            According to court documents, De Moya and Jafari were responsible for combined losses to the District of over $925,000. The majority of the taxes they evaded through the schemes comprised a 10% sales and use tax on food and beverages that was charged to customers and held in trust by the business owners pending transfer to the District.

            In addition to prison terms, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered De Moya to serve three years of supervised release and provide 200 hours of community service. Judge Walton ordered Jafari to serve 3 years of supervised release and pay fines of $1,000.

            In announcing the 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.

WASHINGTON – Sheldon Marbley, 44, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on five felony counts for running a drug trafficking operation in the Southwest section of the District that caused the deaths of two people and caused serious bodily injury to another two people.

            In his plea agreement, Marbley acknowledged to the Court that he caused at least 13 opioid overdoses, two of which resulted in deaths, in January 2022, near the area of First and O Streets near Nationals Park in Southwest Washington D.C.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

          “Fentanyl trafficking kills,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “This defendant sold a dangerous poison that caused the deaths of two victims and the near-fatal overdoses of more than 10 others. He then knowingly continued to sell this poison to others. This 20-year sentence not only sends a message to other drug peddlers, it puts a full stop to this trafficker’s career.”     

            “The DEA and the Metropolitan Police Department will continue to work side by side with the United States Attorney’s Office to hold criminals like Mr. Marbley accountable for pushing dangerous poisons like fentanyl throughout our area,” said SAC Forget of the DEA.  “Today’s sentence sends a clear message to criminals who have no regard for human lives in our communities.”

            According to evidence presented in court, Marbley sold narcotics to L.L., 69, and G.H., 72, both of whom subsequently died from consuming the fentanyl and cocaine that Marbley provided. Marbley also admitted that he distributed narcotics to another male and female, and that they suffered serious bodily injury as a result of consuming the fentanyl and cocaine that Marbley provided.

            Marbley pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on May 23, 2023, to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, two counts of unlawful distribution of fentanyl and cocaine resulting in serious bodily injury, and two counts of unlawful distribution of fentanyl and cocaine resulting in death.

            As part of his plea agreement, Marbley acknowledged that on the morning of January 28, 2022, and in the days thereafter, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and MPD officers responded to at least 13 fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses located near the area of First and O Streets, SW. Marbley admitted that, on that morning, he had distributed fentanyl and cocaine from the driver’s seat of a Mazda sedan in Southwest. Closed-circuit video footage captured that morning depicts numerous individuals approaching the front driver’s side of the Mazda and appearing to engage in narcotics purchases. 

            Despite being aware of the mass overdose event on January 28, 2022, Marbley then went to stay at the residence of another drug user and customer, where he continued to sell narcotics until he was arrested on March 23, 2022.

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered Marbley to serve three years of supervised release.

            This case was investigated by the DEA Washington Division and the MPD. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam and Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Henek of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Wang.

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WASHINGTON – Luis Quevedo, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison term for sexually abusing four middle school aged girls over an eight month period, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.

            On August 21, 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of first degree child sexual abuse and three counts of second degree child sexual abuse – one count related to each of the defendant’s four victims. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison term of seven and half to 15 years in prison. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant to a 12-year prison term. The court also ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and to complete five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, between August 2022 and April 2023, the defendant engaged in a pattern of behavior wherein he contacted middle school aged girls—strangers to him—via social media with the intention of luring them to his house to engage in sexual intercourse. During that period of time, the defendant, who was 18 to 19 years old, had sexual intercourse with at least four such girls, each between 12 and 13 years of age.

            The defendant was arrested on April 6, 2023, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Maria Garcia-Sanchez, Forensic Interviewer Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialist Brenda Williams, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Platt and Sarah Roessler, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against four U.S. Park Police (USPP) officers, in connection with the June 2022 fatal police pursuit of James Herndon. 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office, the USPP, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included a review of witness accounts; physical evidence; body-worn camera, surveillance footage, traffic camera footage, and aerial video footage; police radio recordings; and MPD and USPP reports.

            According to the evidence, on June 27, 2022, MPD attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Herndon, who was riding a three-wheeled vehicle, based upon inaccurate information that he was a wanted homicide suspect.  When Herndon fled from the officers, MPD initiated a police pursuit of him.  During the pursuit, MPD requested assistance from USPP.  After USPP officers joined the pursuit, MPD learned that Herndon was wanted for questioning only, and MPD terminated its pursuit.  USPP was not notified of this corrected information and continued to pursue Herndon, who lost control of his vehicle and crashed in a single-vehicle accident a short time later.  Herndon was pronounced deceased at the scene.

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the USPP officers who were pursuing Herndon at the time of the crash are criminally liable for his death.

Use-of-force investigations generally  

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to charge officers with violations of either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.  To prove civil rights violations, prosecutors must be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary under the circumstances.  This requires evidence that the force used was excessive under the circumstances, and that the officer acted with the specific intent to do something the law forbids.  Similarly, for District of Columbia offenses such as second-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter, where a person reasonably believes that he is or others are in danger of serious bodily injury, force may be used to defend against that danger. 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely.

WASHINGTON – An Ohio man was found guilty in the District of Columbia today of felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions in inciting the mob with a bullhorn during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

            William Dunfee, 58, of Frazeysburg, Ohio, was found guilty of two felony charges of obstruction of an official proceeding or aiding and abetting and civil disorder. Dunfee was also convicted of a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Dunfee was convicted following a bench trial before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24, 2024.

            According to court documents, Dunfee, a pastor of the New Beginnings Ministry Warsaw, in Warsaw, Ohio, posted a video to social media on Dec. 27, 2020, via the Ministry’s Facebook page, telling his congregation that “The Government, the tyrants, the socialists, the Marxists, the progressives, the RINOs, they fear you. And they should. Our problem is we haven’t given them reason to fear us.” Later he stated, “As I said earlier in another previous sermon is this, they used to tell us, you know what, you settle your differences at the ballot. How did that work out for us? It’s not over.” He added, “January 4th through 6th … Are you ready?”

            On Jan. 6, 2021, Dunfee illegally entered the Capitol grounds and, using a bull horn, he repeatedly exhorted the crowd. In a video filmed at the Capitol, Dunfee tells the mob: “This election has been stolen right out from underneath of our noses and it is time for the American people to rise up. Rise up. Rise up. Today is the day in which it is that these elected officials realize that we are no longer playing games. That we are not sheeple that are just going to be corralled according to their whims and their wills.” Later in the video, Dunfee stated, “We will stand up for our country. We are standing up for our freedoms. We are standing up for our president. And today is the day these elected officials, these senators and these congressmen, understand that we are not going to allow this to continue any longer.”

            At 1:35 p.m., Dunfee announced: “Mister police officers, we want you to understand something. We want you to understand something. We want Donald Trump and if Donald Trump is not coming, we are taking our house. We are taking our house.”

            Minutes later, at 1:44 p.m., Dunfee pushed a metal barricade against officers with the U.S. Capitol Police, who were attempting to hold the line. He pushed against the barricade a second time at approximately 1:58 p.m. He moved to the front of a crowd of rioters at the East Front entrance to the Capitol. Dunfee walked away from the East Front doors as others moved into the building, but he remained in the area. As rioters exited the building, one stated, “We did it. We shut ‘em all down. We did our job.” Dunfee responded, “Hallelujah,” and later told the crowd, “Mission accomplished.”

            Surveillance cameras captured Dunfee’s actions that day. Three images showed Dunfee physically resisting U.S. Capitol Police by pushing against a metal barricade and entering the restricted areas of the U.S. Capitol grounds.

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

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 36 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,265 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 440 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

WASHINGTON – Quincy J. LaBauve, 37, an inmate serving 40 years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections for child sex crimes, was sentenced today to an additional 235 months in federal prison for using a contraband cell phone to send and to seek out images of child sexual abuse material from behind bars.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            On September 5, 2023, while serving a Mississippi state sentence related to the sexual abuse and exploitation of a child, LaBuave, formerly of Biloxi, entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. to one count of distribution of child pornography.

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered LaBauve to serve a lifetime term of supervised release. The federal prison sentence will run concurrently with his state prison sentence.

            The federal charges stemmed from a roughly week-long online chat in early February 2020, during which LaBauve asked a Washington, D.C.-based undercover law enforcement officer to help him find someone who would be willing to share child pornography with him.

            During the chat exchange, LaBauve sent approximately 10 images to the undercover officer depicting the sexual exploitation of children. In addition, he encouraged the undercover officer to rape his own daughter, described specific sexual acts that he wanted to see inflicted on the child, and set up a specific time where he was supposed watch the live-streamed rape of that child.

            On February 18, 2020, Department of Corrections officers in Mississippi conducted a search of LaBauve’s cell and recovered two phones. The forensic analysis of one of those phones revealed the chats exchanged between LaBauve and the undercover officer, as well as at least 78 additional images depicting the sexual abuse of very young of children. These images included multiple still images and at least one video.

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

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Bond and Amy Larson, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Hutson.

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WASHINGTON – Christopher Akinduro, 30, of Washington D.C, was sentenced today to 74 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated and broad conspiracy that was responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to the metropolitan area.

            The sentencing was announced 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.

            Akinduro, a member of the “LA Dank DMV Crew”, pleaded guilty on October 3, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Akinduro to serve 4 years of supervised release.

            Seven LA Dank co-defendants have all pleaded guilty to various drug trafficking and/or firearms counts. The co-defendants include Abubakr Banire, Kavon Duncan, Joe Blyther, Isaac Akinduro, Avery Bost, Omar Butler, and Randall Lance, entered their pleas in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lance was sentenced Oct. 10, 2023, to a 63 month prison term for conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilos of marijuana. The others are awaiting sentencing on similar counts.

            According to the government’s evidence, between May of 2021 and December of 2021, crew members operated a sophisticated conspiracy to traffic large amounts of high-grade marijuana from California to the DMV area for distribution to customers. As part of their distribution scheme, members of the crew relied heavily on mass marketing through three dedicated LA Dank websites, as well as social media platforms like Instagram where individual crew members advertised LA Dank branded clothing and LA Dank branded marijuana that could be bought directly online. Although the websites themselves appeared professional, LA Dank was not a licensed company to operate in the District of Columbia.

            Akindkuro and his fellow crew members also used short-term rental properties to set up stash houses or points of sale that were used to conduct drug distribution operations before moving on to different locations. 

            Law enforcement executed its first residential search warrant on June 15, 2021, at the 1900 block of Whistling Duck Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD, after law enforcement observed multiple LA Dank crew members and purchasers traveling to and from the premises. Akinduro arrived at the location as while the search was in process. An FBI search of Akinduro’s vehicle revealed a loaded pistol in the center console, a suitcase in the trunk that was consistent with those found within the Whistling Duck house, and seven pounds of marijuana.

            Even after the seizure of his vehicle, Akinduro continued to participate in the conspiracy and to possess additional firearms.

            Akinduro and his LA Dank co-conspirators operated numerous stash houses in the D.C. area. Two of these locations, used by Akinduro himself, were separate long-term rentals in a hotel on the 300 block of N Street, Northeast. On December 21, 2021, the FBI executed search warrants on both units. In the first, the FBI recovered a Glock 19 9mm caliber pistol with a machine gun conversion device installed, an AR-style pistol, an AR firearm magazine loaded with 25 5.56 caliber rounds, 68 grams of marijuana, a digital scale, and a laptop labeled “LA Dank Exotics.” In the second, the FBI recovered a Glock 26 9mm caliber pistol with a machine gun conversion device installed, a second Glock 26 9 mm caliber pistol, a 9 mm caliber ammunition box, 40 pounds of marijuana, a scale, a money counter, and approximately $18,000.00 in cash. Akinduro and defendant Duncan occupied the second unit at the time of the execution of the search warrant. Akinduro discussed a “switch on the glizzy” in an Instagram post, suggesting that he was aware of the fully automatic capabilities of firearms with machine gun conversion devices installed.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, and Anne Arundel County Police Department.

            The case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin F. Song and Meredith E. Mayer-Dempsey of the Federal Major Crimes Section and Thomas Strong of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            WASHINGTON – Ranjith Keerikkattil, 35, formerly of Catonsville, Md., was sentenced by the Honorable Heidi Pasichow to 12 months of incarceration, three years of supervised release and ordered to stay away from the stalking victim and her family following his jury verdict for felony violations of the Bail Reform Act, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced today.

            Keerikkattil was found guilty of stalking a former co-worker on July 9, 2018, following a jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert A. Salerno released Keerikkattil following the verdict, pending sentencing. The judge ordered him to appear the next morning to have a GPS monitoring device installed. However, he failed to appear, and fled the United States, instead, traveling through Iceland and ending up in Australia where he remained a fugitive for over four years. A grand jury subsequently indicted him on July 11, 2018, for a felony charge of violating the Bail Reform Act. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment on March 1, 2023, charging an additional violation of the Bail Reform Act for failing to return as ordered for his sentencing on September 14, 2018.

            On November 13, 2023, Keerikkattil was found guilty by a second jury for his failures to appear as ordered in 2018, resulting in felony convictions for violating the Bail Reform Act on July 10, 2018 and September 14, 2018. 

            In announcing this sentencing result and convictions, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph and Stephanie Siegerist, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames.

            Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ethan Carroll, Kristina Wolf, and John Parron who assisted in investigating and preparing the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John G. Giovannelli and Rashmika Nedungadi who prosecuted and tried the case through the jury’s verdict and the sentencing today.

WASHINGTON – Russell Campbell, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison in connection with his possession of a Glock firearm and possession of an AK-style pistol recovered during a traffic stop by the U.S. Secret Service.

            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, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Special Agent in Charge Michael Buck of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Campbell is an influential rapper who performs as “Gizwop.” He is affiliated with a violent group originating in 37th Place SE that refers to themselves as the Fox 5 Gang.

            In addition to the prison term, Campbell was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper to serve three years of supervised release.

            Campbell pleaded guilty September 21, 2023, to a two-count indictment, charging him with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm while under indictment and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a felony.

            According to the government’s evidence, on November 8, 2020, Campbell was charged in D.C. Superior Court for carrying a pistol without a license. While on release in that case, on June 20, 2021, Campbell was armed with a loaded firearm while in the vicinity of a gas station on the 2200 block Bladensburg Road NE. Specifically, from Campbell’s waistband, officers recovered a Glock 45 with 23 rounds of ammunition loaded in an extended magazine.

            Four months later, on October 20, 2021, while still under court-ordered supervision, Campbell was involved in a shootout in the 200 block of 37th Place SE. Campbell was charged in D.C. Superior Court and ultimately plead guilty to carrying a pistol without a license in connection with this shootout on May 25, 2022. On June 7, 2022, Campbell was sentenced to six months in prison, with all that time suspended under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), and with 18 months’ supervised probation.

            Despite being a felon, and after having been ordered by the Court to not possess any firearms, on November 11, 2022, Campbell occupied a vehicle containing five firearms, one of which was forensically linked to him. On the evening of November 10, 2022, surveillance from the 200 block of 37th Place SE recorded Campbell entering a vehicle at about 5:30 p.m. carrying a green and black backpack, later found to contain an AK-style pistol.

            About 3 a.m. on November 11, 2022, Campbell, four others left the club in the vehicle. U.S. Secret Service performed a traffic stop on the vehicle Campbell occupied in the 800 block of 7th Street, NW.  Therein, law enforcement found five different firearms and the green and black backpack. Inside the backpack was a Zastava AK-Style with an extended magazine holding thirty .556 caliber live rounds and one live round in the chamber. Campbell was included in the DNA profile from the AK-Style pistol and the attached magazine.

            This case was investigated by the MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with valuable assistance provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Wang.

WASHINGTON – Russell Campbell, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison in connection with his possession of a Glock firearm and possession of an AK-style pistol recovered during a traffic stop by the U.S. Secret Service.

            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, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Special Agent in Charge Michael Buck of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Campbell is an influential rapper who performs as “Gizwop.” He is affiliated with a violent group originating in 37th Place SE that refers to themselves as the Fox 5 Gang.

            In addition to the prison term, Campbell was ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper to serve three years of supervised release.

            Campbell pleaded guilty September 21, 2023, to a two-count indictment, charging him with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm while under indictment and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a felony.

            According to the government’s evidence, on November 8, 2020, Campbell was charged in D.C. Superior Court for carrying a pistol without a license. While on release in that case, on June 20, 2021, Campbell was armed with a loaded firearm while in the vicinity of a gas station on the 2200 block Bladensburg Road NE. Specifically, from Campbell’s waistband, officers recovered a Glock 45 with 23 rounds of ammunition loaded in an extended magazine.

            Four months later, on October 20, 2021, while still under court-ordered supervision, Campbell was involved in a shootout in the 200 block of 37th Place SE. Campbell was charged in D.C. Superior Court and ultimately plead guilty to carrying a pistol without a license in connection with this shootout on May 25, 2022. On June 7, 2022, Campbell was sentenced to six months in prison, with all that time suspended under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), and with 18 months’ supervised probation.

            Despite being a felon, and after having been ordered by the Court to not possess any firearms, on November 11, 2022, Campbell occupied a vehicle containing five firearms, one of which was forensically linked to him. On the evening of November 10, 2022, surveillance from the 200 block of 37th Place SE recorded Campbell entering a vehicle at about 5:30 p.m. carrying a green and black backpack, later found to contain an AK-style pistol.

            About 3 a.m. on November 11, 2022, Campbell, four others left the club in the vehicle. U.S. Secret Service performed a traffic stop on the vehicle Campbell occupied in the 800 block of 7th Street, NW.  Therein, law enforcement found five different firearms and the green and black backpack. Inside the backpack was a Zastava AK-Style with an extended magazine holding thirty .556 caliber live rounds and one live round in the chamber. Campbell was included in the DNA profile from the AK-Style pistol and the attached magazine.

            This case was led by the FBI, with valuable support from the MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with valuable assistance provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Wang.

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WASHINGTON – Tyrell Jordan Stewart, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 15 years in prison today for a string of armed carjackings and sprees of violent armed robberies that he committed with two co-defendants in the District and Suburban Maryland during in 2022.

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

Stewart pleaded guilty on September 15, 2023, to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce, also known as a Hobbs Act robbery; conspiracy to commit carjacking; and armed robbery.

            According to the plea paperwork, Stewart admitted to personally participating in the armed robberies of six individuals, five businesses and/or their employees, and two armed carjackings. Stewart admitted to personally discharging his weapon during one of the commercial robberies.

            In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered Stewart to serve five years of supervised release and to pay $2,746.00 in restitution.

            “This defendant was a member of the Kennedy Street Crew, also known as KDY—a crew that has had numerous members who have been charged with crimes of violence and drug trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The people engaging in these carjacking and armed robbery sprees are among the most dangerous people in our community.  Anyone thinking this kind of conduct is not a big deal is wrong: violent sprees, end with sentences like this.”   

            Had the case gone to trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Stewart and his two charged co-defendants conspired to a string of robberies and carjackings of individuals and businesses in the Washington D.C. metro area. Specifically, Stewart and his two charged co-defendants committed five commercial robberies, two armed carjackings, and at least 12 armed robberies over the course of their conspiracy.

            “It is our hope that the results of today’s announcement sends a clear message to others that are committing similar acts of violence such as robberies and armed car jackings in the District; that they too may face similar consequences for their actions,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kailimai. “I am proud that our agents and partnering agencies worked tirelessly to bring justice to those responsible.”

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

            The defendant and his co-conspirators’ violent spree occurred over the first three months of 2022. The conspirators typically planned their robberies the night before and executed early in the morning. In order to avoid detection from law enforcement, the defendants typically began a day’s robberies by stealing a vehicle to then utilize in their subsequent robberies. If the vehicle was occupied or if the owner was close by, the men would use firearms, force, and intimidation to carjack it. After the sprees, the men sold the vehicles for added profit. A hallmark of the defendants’ robberies were the use of force and/or violence against their victims.

            On February 20, 2022, for instance, Stewart and his co-conspirators stole a Honda Ridgeline truck in Silver Spring, Md., shortly before 6 a.m. Less than an hour later, police received multiple reports of suspects in a black Ridgeline truck in attempting to break into other vehicles. That same morning, Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) officers responded to a convenience store on the 3500 block of University Boulevard West, in Kensington, Md. Victims reported that three armed men had entered the store and robbed the cashier of currency and a cell phone. One of the gunmen held a handgun to a customer’s right temple. As the robbery progressed, one of the gunmen fired a round into the store. One of the armed men grabbed the customer’s car keys from his left pants pocket, and all three suspects fled in the customer’s Lexus SUV.

            That same morning, MCPD officers separately responded to an armed robbery of a mini market on the 4800 block of Boiling Brook Parkway, in Rockville, Md. This time, Stewart discharged his firearm to intimidate the cashier into complying with his demands. All three armed men fled the store in what appeared to be the same stolen Ridgeline used earlier. At 7:25 a.m., an MCPD officer spotted the stolen Ridgeline and stolen Lexus SUV and pursued the vehicles southbound on 16th Street towards the District at speeds topping 100 m.p.h. The MCPD officer ultimately lost sight of both vehicles. That same morning, Stewart and his co-conspirators committed an armed robbery of someone waiting at a bus stop in the 7700 block of Georgia Avenue NW, one block from the D.C./Maryland line. The defendant and his co-conspirator placed the victim in a chokehold while the other pistol-whipped the victim in the face. The two then stole the victim’s wallet.

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

            The investigation of this case had the sponsorship and support of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

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

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

WASHINGTON – Mussay Rezene, 31, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed in a shooting that took place in an alley in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The verdict was returned on January 11, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert D. Okun scheduled sentencing for March 22, 2024. Rezene faces a maximum sentence of sixty years in prison for the crimes.

            According to the government’s evidence, on September 18, 2021, at approximately 9 p.m., the victim, Brayan Villatoro, was riding in a vehicle with a group of friends, heading to a family party. On the way, Mr. Villatoro, asked the driver of the minivan he was riding in, to make a stop so he could meet with someone at the 1300 block of Nicholson Street Northwest. Once they arrived at the location, Mr. Villatoro got out of the van and waited in front of an apartment building. The defendant arrived a short time later in a vehicle, which later proved to be stolen, and directed Mr. Villatoro to a nearby alley. Moments later shots rang out and Mr. Villatoro was hit with eight bullets. Rezene fled the area as did Mr. Villatoro’s friends in the minivan as Mr. Villatoro laid in the alley suffering from his gunshot wounds. Officers arrived and discovered him in the alley a short time after the shooting where he was declared dead.

            Rezene was identified in surveillance video as wearing distinct shoes and clothing. These same shoes were later seen in a photograph of Rezene along with two other individuals, which was posted on social media after Mr. Villatoro’s murder. Cell site data also showed Rezene was present both at the scene of the murder and along the path of the vehicle that Rezene owned.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives who assisted with evidence recovery and cell site data analysis and testimony.

            The case is being prosecuted by the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Dennis Clark and Colleen Kukowski. 

WASHINGTON – Anthony Johnson, 42, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree cruelty to children and assault of significant bodily injury of a minor for charges that took place in northwest Washington, D.C., on April 5, 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves.

           The verdict was returned on January 12, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Erik Christian scheduled sentencing for March 14, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the night of April 5, 2022, Johnson entered the home of the 12-year-old victim, who was at home with several of his minor siblings, his grandmom, and his uncle. Johnson knew the victim’s mother, and after entering the house, Johnson approached the minor victim and began physically fighting with him on the first floor of the home. When the minor victim tried to run away up a flight of stairs Johnson grabbed the victim’s leg, pulled him down the stairs, and punched him in the face, knocking three of the victim’s teeth out.

           Two of the victim’s minor sisters were also at home at that time, and bore witness to  Johnson’s attack on their older brother. One sister called 911, alerting the authorities who took the victim to the hospital.

           In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Paralegal Specialist Garcia Clarke, Victim/Witness Specialist Lezlie Richardson, Appellate Assistant United States Attorney Bryan Han, Investigative Analyst Lucas Jetson, Forensic Interviewers Tracy Owusu and Tamara Carey, Interns Brittany Madrid, Natalie Norton, and Michael Santos, and Victim/Witness Coordinator Maenylie Watson. 

           Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, LaVater Massie-Banks and Sarah Roessler, from the Domestic Violence Felonies Unit, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Tarik Laghrib, 44, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 150 months in prison for multiple violent crime offenses he committed in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in January and February of 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Laghrib pleaded guilty on October 26, 2023, to armed robbery, two counts of unarmed robbery, assault, and theft, arising from a series of armed and unarmed robberies of small businesses in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Jason Park ordered Laghrib to serve 11 years of supervised release, and stay away from the Adams Morgan neighborhood.

            According to court documents, MPD officers arrested Laghrib in the early hours of Feb. 19, 2023, hours after he assaulted and robbed a clerk at Metro Wine & Spirits in the 1700 block of Columbia Rd. Police tracked Laghrib to a nearby apartment building. Officers apprehended Laghrib when he later emerged with a bottle of stolen liquor. Police had been investigating several other burglaries and robberies in the community that had begun in January 2023. As a result of the investigation, police and prosecutors linked Laghrib to that crime spree. That crime spree ended when Laghrib was arrested and detained in this case.

            As part of his plea agreement, Laghrib admitted in D.C. Superior Court to the armed robbery of the liquor store and also admitted to an assault and second-degree theft at the Chocolate House on 18th Street on Feb. 2, 2023. In addition, he admitted that he returned to the Chocolate House the next day and robbed its owner. Minutes later, Laghrib proceeded to the Cosmo Nail Bar where he committed another robbery.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended those who investigated the case including the MPD’s Third District Detectives Unit. They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wes Faulkner, Jr. and Joshua Hall, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Vincent James, 39, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 132 months of incarceration for shooting a man multiple times in the chest, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  He was sentenced by the Honorable Michael O’Keefe of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            James was found guilty of all charges by a jury following a three-day trial in Superior Court in October 2023. Specifically, the jury found James guilty of aggravated assault while armed and related firearms offenses. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Michael O’Keefe ordered James to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning of July 30, 2020, James encountered the victim in the parking lot of Spar Liquors, located at 3916 South Capitol Street, SE. Without provocation or warning, James shot the victim multiple times in the torso. The victim was able to flee but collapsed at a nearby bus stop before being transported to Washington Hospital Center, where he was treated for multiple gunshot wounds. James was identified from surveillance footage at a nearby AutoZone where he made a purchase using his loyalty account earlier in the day.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of MPD’s Seventh District Detectives Unit who investigated the case. They also thanked Crystal Waddy, Debra McPherson (retired), Charlie Bruce, Tina Lukens, Hayley Kornbleuth, Carolyn Carter-Mckinley, Katina Adams-Washington, Maenylie Reed Watson, and Assistant United States Attorneys Ella Gladman, LaVater Massie-Banks, Carlos Valdivia of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service for their valuable assistance throughout the case. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Forgie and Ron Chester, who prosecuted and tried the case.

WASHINGTON – Laura Garvin, 30, of Annapolis, Md., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison in connection with her role in a drug trafficking group running a fentanyl pill pressing operation in and around Washington, D.C. and Maryland.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Garvin pleaded guilty to a one count information on May 17, 2023, charging her with conspiracy with intent to distribute fentanyl. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Garvin to serve 24 months of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Garvin helped sell real and fake oxycodone pills. She also sold powder cocaine. In addition to this, she allowed members of the drug trafficking conspiracy to store one of the group’s industrial pill presses at her home along with a tub filled with fentanyl pill making mix after the group’s drug lab was discovered in Laurel, Maryland. The conspiracy started in May 2020 and lasted until September 2022. Garvin admitted that she was accountable for between 40 grams and 160 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

            In August 2021, the FBI began investigating a drug trafficking group running a fentanyl pill pressing operation in and around Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Law enforcement learned that the group possessed at least three pill presses – including one industrial rotary pill machine – used to press fentanyl into counterfeit prescription pills. The pills were made to appear as legitimate prescription oxycodone and other prescription drugs which the group then distributed throughout the District and Maryland.

            On March 29, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at an apartment stash house on the 1300 block of 4th Street in Southeast Washington, D.C. During the search, agents seized Zip-loc baggies of pills and loose powder, totaling more than 516 pills and more than 76 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl. Garvin had spent the evening at this location on multiple occasions.

            FBI agents arrested Garvin on September 20, 2022. After her arrest, she had been on home confinement while awaiting sentencing. However, she tested positive for cocaine and allegedly continued to sell oxycodone pills. Garvin was removed from pre-trial supervision and taken into custody on November 9, 2023.

            Garvin’s boyfriend, Co-defendant Collin Edwards, aka “Chills,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and a charge of identity theft. Edwards, 29, of Largo, Md., is scheduled for sentencing on March 5, 2024.

            The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating this case. 

            The case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistant United States Attorney Steven Wasserman and former Special Assistant United States Attorneys Marnee Rand and Sarah Rasalam assisted in the investigation.

WASHINGTON – Adrian Wade, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 60 months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession a semi- automatic pistol and ammunition inside a known stash house on the 200 block of K Street, Southwest, when the townhome was raided in November 2021.

            The announcement was made January 10 by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Wade to serve five years of supervised release.

            Wade pleaded guilty on September 29, 2023, to a charge of using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. The sentencing followed a lengthy investigation lead by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit (NEU), FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            The law enforcement partnership identified a crew of young men operating within on the 200 block of K Street, Southwest, with firearms, large amounts of U.S. currency, and illegal narcotics. The members of the group wore matching insignia on clothing printed with “NO RATS ALLOWED” or “N.R.A.” Wade, aka “AD”, and other members of the N.R.A. crew used several townhouses on the block as stash locations or “trap houses” for narcotics and firearms.

            Between May 1, 2021, and continuing until November 3, 2021, members of N.R.A. operated out of a townhome they took over at 215 K Street, Southwest, where they would sell counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl. Members of N.R.A. would refer to the townhome through text messages as the “Dope Hole.” 

            On November 3, 2021, members of NEU and agents from FBI executed a search warrant at 215 K Street Southwest. Inside the townhome, officers located Wade and multiple other N.R.A. members.

            Law enforcement recovered 37 grams of cocaine base, 457 counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, marijuana, multiple bottles of promethazine, and four pistols. One of those pistols was modified with a “giggle switch,” a device that converted the firearm to function as a fully automatic machinegun.  Law enforcement then recovered multiple cell phones belonging to each defendant, and search warrants into those phones revealed and ongoing distribution scheme starting around May of 2021. Subsequent DNA testing performed by FBI’s Laboratory in Quantico confirmed Wade’s DNA on one of the firearms, a Glock 23 pistol.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves, SAC Geist, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and MPD.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Gold, Justin F. Song, and Samuel Frey. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration also provided valuable assistance. 

WASHINGTON – Vincent Forrest, 35, a former patrol officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was found guilty today for his role in a bribery scheme in which he unlawfully provided information contained in non-public police documents in exchange for cash payments, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Forrest, of Washington, D.C., and Raquel DePaula, 43, of Beltsville, Maryland, were indicted by a grand jury in June 2021.

           A federal jury in U.S. District Court today found Forrest guilty of conspiracy, bribery, and making false statements. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss set sentencing for June 7, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in April 2019, Forrest accessed confidential information from MPD Traffic Accident Reports, or “PD Form 10s.” Forrest, in violation of his official duties, used his official access to MPD’s law enforcement sensitive database to review and record victim contact information from Traffic Accident Reports. The reports contained the names and contact information of individuals involved in traffic accidents. 

            Forrest sent the victim contact information to DePaula using WhatsApp Messenger, an encrypted communications application. DePaula, who owned RD Legal Solutions, LLC, acted as a “runner,” using victim contact information to solicit for local attorneys in exchange for referral fees. DePaula reached out to the accident victims within days of their traffic accidents in violation of 22 D.C. Code Section 3225.14. 

            Forrest met up with DePaula at various locations in the District and Maryland to receive cash bribes from her. Forrest and DePaula concealed their bribery scheme by, among other methods, communicating by encrypted application, meeting in person, and exchanging bribes in cash.

            DePaula pleaded guilty on October 6, 2021, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of bribery of a public official. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 15, 2024. DePaula has admitted paying Forrest between approximately $600 and $1,300 per week in exchange for the victim contact information. The evidence at trial showed that over the course of the scheme, she paid Forrest over $15,000 and receiving contact information for 2,316 traffic crash victims.

            DePaula and Forrest are the sixth and seventh defendants to be convicted in connection with the illegal sale of traffic crash reports by MPD officers.  Previously, MPD Officer Walter Lee, MPD employees Kendra Coles and Aaron Willis, runners Marvin Parker and Michelle Cage pleaded guilty to related charges.

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua S. Rothstein and Madhu Chugh of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Tanisha Sadulski, 41, was sentenced in federal court on January 9 to 20 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children and sentenced to five years for the sexual abuse of children. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

            U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates also sentenced Sadulski to a lifetime of supervised release plus an additional ten years, to run concurrently, for the child sexual abuse charges.

            According to the government’s evidence, between October 25, 2021, and April 28, 2022, Sadulski repeatedly uploaded graphic images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers to her Google account. Sadulski also took pictures of a child when the victim was undressed. Additionally, she filmed herself sexually assaulting a toddler. Sadulski communicated with other sex offenders via the internet with the intent to send and receive child pornography.

            She uploaded child sexual abuse material, including videos which documented the sexual abuse and exploitation of young children.

            Sadulski pleaded guilty on September 13, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Geist commended the work of those who investigated the case from FBI  Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Bond of the Federal Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

WASHINGTON – Cody Tarner, 26, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty on January 9, 2024, in federal court to Arson. U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 14, 2024.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael O’Callaghan of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 15, 2020, Tarner drove onto the United States Supreme Court’s property located on First Street Northeast, Washington D.C., and parked his vehicle in an employee only parking spot. The defendant got out of his car and walked around the Supreme Court property. Tarner then returned to his car and pulled out a red gas can. At approximately 1:48 p.m., Tarner was observed on security camera footage pouring gasoline onto three Supreme Court Police unmarked vehicles parked in Supreme Court employee only parking spaces. While pouring the gasoline on the vehicles, it was observed that some of the gasoline was splashing onto his person and clothing. The unmarked vehicles had emergency police lights visible from the outside of the vehicles, and one of the vehicles had emergency police lights on the roof of the vehicle. Tarner was then seen lighting one of the vehicles on fire resulting in a violent ignition of the gasoline. This action resulted in Tarner also being engulfed in the fire causing severe burns and injuries to himself. Tarner admitted to starting the fire with 87 octane unleaded gasoline he had purchased in Pennsylvania for that purpose.  The investigation revealed that Tarner had several prior encounters with law enforcement in which he expressed anti-government and militia extremist ideologies.  Tarner also claimed to be the leader of an identified militia group.

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

WASHINGTON – James Miller, 41, of Virginia, has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree burglary, simple assault, and destruction of property in a break-in that took place in Northwest Washington in the middle of the night, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The verdict was returned on January 10, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judge Robert A. Salerno scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2024.

             According to the government’s evidence, on September 19, 2023, at approximately 1:42 a.m., Miller broke into his pregnant ex-wife’s home by breaking through the front door. Immediately upon breaking into her home, the defendant charged at his ex-wife and assaulted her by grabbing her by the throat and throwing her to the ground. After she got back up, the defendant grabbed her by her bathrobe and threw her onto the couch. The victim and her 22-year-old-daughter (who witnessed Mr. Miller standing over her mother) called 911. Police arrived quickly at 1:49 a.m. and arrested Miller on scene. 

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Hyde and Matthew Covert.

WASHINGTON - Travis Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 42 years in prison for the July 5, 2019, shooting of three men and a woman in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  He was sentenced by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            Littlejohn was found guilty by a jury on March 10, 2023, of all charges in the 28-count indictment, following a two-week trial in the Superior Court. Specifically, the jury found Littlejohn guilty of four counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, one count of aggravated assault while armed, and three counts of assault with significant bodily injury, along with related firearms offenses.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the night of July 5, 2019, after getting into a verbal and physical altercation with a group of people gathered in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue NE, Washington, D.C., Littlejohn drove to a nearby apartment and returned to the block minutes later armed with a handgun. After exchanging words with the group again, Littlejohn fired at least seven rounds at them from a semiautomatic firearm from a short distance away. Four people in that group were struck before two members of the group returned gunfire. Three of the victims suffered significant injuries, but one victim was more seriously injured.

            This case was investigated by Metropolitan Police Department the Sixth District Detectives with valuable assistance from Sixth District Patrol Officers who initially responded to the scene. The case was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Toogun and Samuel White, and indicted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael McCarthy of the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialists Renee Prather, Debra McPherson & Crystal Waddy, SA Nelson Rhone of the Case Investigation Unit, and Litigation Technology Specialist Lief Hickling.