District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Earl Isaac III, a previously convicted felon, pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with possessing a Glock “ghost gun” with a machine gun conversion device, narcotics trafficking, and related counts.

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

            Isaac, 20, aka “Frontline,” of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty on January 9, 2024, to a four-count information in U.S. District Court for possessing a firearm in connection with drug trafficking; unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year; unlawful possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

            U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly set a sentencing date for May 8, 2024.

            Isaac styled himself as a rapper and was known to the YouTube community as “Frontline.” On the video sharing website, he posted veiled threats, to a specific group, with automatic firearms pointed directly at the viewer. Under the Frontline alias he uploaded several rap tracks glorifying violence with guns.  Isaac posted “Frontline – PTSD” while he was on probation in 2021 and pointed firearms directly at the camera.

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

            Isaac previously was convicted and sentenced to a 14-month suspended prison term under the Youth Rehabilitation Act with a one-year probationary term in D.C. Superior Court for carrying a pistol without a license on October 28, 2022.

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

            The case is being handled by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Leiter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sitara Witanachchi of Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  The investigation was handled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with valuable assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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WASHINGTON – Shawn Wooden, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 92 months in prison in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy called the “MLK Crew” based in Southeast Washington, announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Geist, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Wooden, aka “Black,” pleaded guilty on September 12, 2023, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Wooden to serve three years of supervised release.

            Wooden was indicted with 16 co-defendants (listed below) associated with the “MLK Crew.” All 17 defendants have pleaded guilty and only one defendant remains to be sentenced. All 16 defendants who have been sentenced received prison terms ranging from 24 months to 114 months based on their criminal conduct and criminal histories.  

            The case stems from an investigation by the MPD Narcotics and Special Investigations Division and the FBI into the group that operated an open-air drug market around the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE, Washington D.C.

            The investigation began in response to numerous citizen complaints about rampant drug trafficking and accompanying incidents of violence in the area. In addition to numerous citizen complaints, MPD targeted this area as one of the most notorious in the city in terms of recent shootings and shots fired, as well as for the area’s high numbers of arrests—particularly offenses involving drugs and firearms.

            As part of its investigation, MPD and FBI began conducting surveillance, obtaining search warrants, and making controlled buys of narcotics from suspected members of the conspiracy.

            The investigation revealed that MLK Crew members openly engaged in the sale of various drugs (including PCP, crack, fentanyl, and marijuana) and took over the area and, effectively, some of the neighborhood’s businesses. MLK Crew members would often go into the neighborhood businesses to complete sales and constantly loitered outside of these businesses to engage in sales.

            As part of its investigation, MPD and FBI obtained video of defendants openly conducting narcotics transactions in these businesses and even displaying firearms. Throughout the case, law enforcement seized at least 10 firearms (many of which were privately manufactured firearms or “ghost guns”) from MLK crew members and/or stash houses and a sizeable quantity of various narcotics.

            As discussed at sentencing, Wooden maintained a stash house at an apartment within MLK Crew territory, leased under the name of a different individual, where Wooden stored both firearms and distribution quantities of narcotics. Photographic and video evidence showed Wooden in the apartment, along with several of his co-conspirators, both cooking crack cocaine and separately packaging narcotics for redistribution. Wooden’s stash house was searched on July 19, 2021, where two firearms were recovered, along with 19 grams of fentanyl and 6 grams of crack cocaine. A DNA analysis revealed “very strong support” for the conclusion that Wooden’s DNA was on one of the firearms seized from the crew’s stash-house apartment, specifically, a privately manufactured firearm (a ghost gun) containing a Glock 27 .40 caliber slide, and .40 caliber ammunition in an extended 22- round capacity magazine. Wooden, who has prior felony convictions and was on supervised release at the time of his arrest, is prohibited from legally possessing firearms.

            The MLK Crew’s trafficking contributed to numerous incidents of drug-related violence in and around the 2900 Block of MLK Avenue, including multiple assaults, shootings, robberies, and murders—most notably, the murder of a six-year-old girl who was the daughter of one of the co-defendants in this case. 

            In July of 2021, a few months after opening the investigation, MPD and FBI arrested 11 initial defendants and seized 10 firearms, along with PCP, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, heroin, pills, and more than $2,500 in cash. The additional six defendants, including Wooden, were charged in September 2021, and were arrested shortly thereafter.

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

            The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force in partnership with MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations (NSID) Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). This partnership targets the most egregious and violent street crews operating in the District of Columbia.

            Assistance was provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Park Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and David T. Henek of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy T. Wang also provided valuable assistance.

DEFENDANT

STATUS

Ricky Lyles, Accokeek, MD

Sentenced to 114 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm

Nico Griffin, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 37 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Dandre Shorter, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 37 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Wesley Leake, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 40 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Leon Lindsay, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 57 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Dezmond Cunningham, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 48 months conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Divine Chappell, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 76 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Shawn Wooden, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 92 months for illegal possession of a firearm by a felon

Barry Tyson, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 73 months for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine

Delonta Chappell, Washington, DC 

Sentenced to 48 months for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine

Anthony GravesWashington, DC

Sentenced to 27 months for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine

Deshawn Loggins, Temple Hills, MD 

Sentenced to 42 months for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine

Kevonte Randall, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 46 months for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and possessing a firearm

Corenzo Mobery, Washington, DC 

Scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 26, 2024, for possession with intent to deliver cocaine, carrying a firearm in furtherance of a drug offense, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon

Rico Griffin, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 66 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Shahborne Scales, Washington, DC 

Sentenced to 66 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

Luther McDuffie, 35, Washington, DC

Sentenced to 24 months for conspiracy to distribute cocaine

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WASHINGTON – Jordan Johnson, 26, a previously convicted felon, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for unlawfully possessing several hundred rounds of ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Graves, U.S. Marshal Ronald Carter of the U.S. Marshals Service, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg ordered Johnson to serve two years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment.

            Johnson pleaded guilty October 10, 2023, to unlawful possession of ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 20, 2023, U.S. Marshals attempted to serve an eviction notice at a Johnson’s I Street apartment in Southeast Washington D.C, where Johnson was the sole tenant. During an initial security sweep of the dwelling, Marshals observed a pistol, multiple “Polymer80” branded boxes, firearm ammunition boxes, loose ammunition, and a firearm slide scattered throughout Johnson’s home.

            Law enforcement obtained a search warrant. They found evidence of a small arsenal that included a privately made firearm (a “ghost gun”) with one round in the chamber and 14 rounds the magazine; four Polymer80 rifle lower receivers with jigs (the principal components for making multiple illegal ghost guns); one handgun slide; an empty handgun “jig;” a firearm flashlight attachment; six firearm magazines; two empty Glock boxes; two empty Polymer80 boxes; spent shell casings; one firearm sight; a speed loader; and 214 rounds of ammunition of various calibers. Johnson was previously sentenced to a period of home confinement and probation for a prior firearm conviction only weeks before these items were recovered. He had been previously convicted of possessing a loaded Glock 27 pistol while attempting to pick up a UPS package containing suspected marijuana.

            Johnson was indicted on July 6, 2023, and arrested on July 18, 2023, in Washington D.C.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves, U.S. Marshal Carter, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, and MPD.

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin F. Song and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Pattison.

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WASHINGTON – Matthew Walker, 25, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill while armed, as well as several other related assault and gun possession charges, by Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo on January 8, 2024, following trial for a February 2019 shooting of two men, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the evidence presented at trial, on February 14, 2019, at approximately 5:45 am, a masked gunman walked into Trojan Labor, a temporary labor agency in Northeast Washington D.C.  Once inside, the gunman ran directly to the agency’s dispatch office, where he repeatedly shot Mike Hardy, the manager of the agency, and David Remen, one of the agency’s workers. The gunman then ran out of the building.  Remen died on scene.  Hardy died in 2022.  The government presented DNA, ballistic, video, and other evidence that linked the Defendant to the shooting.  A sentencing is scheduled for April 5, 2024. 

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

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Seidel and Alec Levy.

WASHINGTON – Michael Humphrey, 41, a registered sex offender from Southeast Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to uploading to the internet graphic videos of himself sexually abusing a five-year-old girl.

            The plea agreement was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Humphrey pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual exploitation of a child. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 15 years of imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and supervised release of at least five years. Humphrey previously was convicted on a charge relating to the sexual abuse of a child. On March 10, 2020, he was convicted of third-degree sex offense in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Maryland. Since May 2022, Humphrey has been registered as a sex offender in the District of Columbia as required by law. 

            According to the government’s evidence, in July 2023, Google LLC reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that two Google accounts, later identified as Humphrey’s, had uploaded material depicting child sexual abuse to Google servers. NCMEC turned that information over to the investigators from the FBI Washington Field Office and the MPD.

            Investigators obtained a warrant authorizing the search of Humphrey’s Google accounts and discovered three videos that show Humphrey sexually abusing a five-year-old girl in Washington, D.C. during June 2023.

            Humphrey was arrested on August 11, 2023, and has been held since. After he was taken into custody, investigators obtained Humphrey’s electronic devices and discovered thousands of images and hundreds of videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.

            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. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Forman and Amy Larson, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Alexander Hamilton, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight months in prison for illegally recording and publishing secret grand jury proceedings while he served on the Grand Jury in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ordered Hamilton to serve 12 months of probation following his release.

            Hamilton pleaded guilty on August 29, 2023, to contempt and obstruction of justice under federal and District of Columbia law. 

            Hamilton, a former special police officer who worked as an armed guard at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, was sworn in as a grand juror in D.C. Superior Court on September 9, 2022. His grand jury service ended on October 13, 2022, after an MPD officer monitoring public Instagram accounts saw an account called “moefromthezzz,” posting video from the Grand Jury room.

            Hamilton, whose account had nearly 10,400 followers, posted videos of at least 14 different grand jury investigations and at least 18 different witnesses within the Superior Court of the District of Columbia Grand Jury room. He indicated he knew what he was doing was illegal, boasting that his actions could land him in prison for three years.

            When he was sworn in, Hamilton had been instructed to keep the proceedings secret from family, friends, or any other members of the public. Hamilton took an oath stating that he would keep the proceedings secret. However, as Hamilton raised one hand to take the oath, he filmed himself—using his cell phone in the other hand —and stated, “I’m about to lie.” Hamilton then sent that video to various people via text message. While the swearing in took place at Superior Court, the grand jury sits in a suite at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Hamilton was both verbally instructed and given written materials explaining that cell phones were not permitted in the grand jury room.

            Despite these warnings, Hamilton posted portions of grand jury testimony on Instagram Stories and broadcasted significant periods of testimony on Instagram Live. Hamilton often overlaid his Instagram stories with rat emojis and terms such as “hot” or “snitches.” He continuously showed contempt and disdain for any individual who would testify before a grand jury.

            On multiple occasions, Hamilton filmed portions of testimony where the witness stated their name—revealing the identity of the witness to his followers.

            At different times in the videos, he zoomed in on evidence that was presented on the screen. During the broadcast, Hamilton had a conversation with followers where he said the witness was the one who should be considered “guilty.”

            On October 11, 2022, Hamilton sent messages stating, “They can lock you up for this . . . Having your phone back here.” On at least three occasions, Hamilton referenced receiving three years in prison for bringing his phone into the grand jury room and recording testimony.

            The MPD discovered the Instagram videos. Personnel from the U.S. Attorney’s office recognized the individual as Hamilton. During a consensual interview with law enforcement, Hamilton admitted to recording grand jury proceedings and posting them to his Instagram account. Hamilton indicated that he filmed the proceedings using one of two phones that he owns. Hamilton also sent dozens of messages via text message and Instagram discussing his grand jury service.

            Hamilton was arrested on November 17, 2022.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Unit (CIIU).

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold. Valuable assistance was provided by former U.S. Attorney CIIU Special Agent Geoff Guska, U.S. Attorney CIIU Special Agent Sean Ricardi and CIIU Supervisory Special Agent Tina Lukens. Notable assistance was provided by Investigative Analyst Chris Fagioli and Special Agent Durand Odom of the CIIU.

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WASHINGTON – Raekwon Malik Harrod, 24, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to fraudulently using the UPS accounts of two American companies to create shipping labels, which he and another conspirator sold online. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Harrod pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which has a statutory maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. As part of his plea agreement, Harrod must pay restitution to the two companies. He also will be liable for a forfeiture money judgment for proceeds he received as a result of the scheme. U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes, who accepted Harrod’s guilty plea in the District of Columbia, scheduled sentencing for June 18, 2024.

            In his plea agreement, Harrod admitted that no later than 2020, a California co-conspirator gained access to one company’s UPS account and provided Harrod with the account’s log-in credentials. Harrod provided the credentials to a Maryland co-conspirator. Initially, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator, who both re-sold shoes online, used the account to create UPS shipping labels to mail the shoes that they sold, which reduced their shipping costs to zero. The California co-conspirator intended that they use the account in this manner. However, in late 2020, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator decided to use the account to sell UPS shipping labels to third parties. They advertised the service online and each created thousands of UPS labels using the compromised account. Harrod acknowledged that the fraudulent use of the company’s account caused the company to lose more than $900,000.

            In late July 2021, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator lost access to the account, prompting them to tell the California co-conspirator that they had been selling labels using the account. The California co-conspirator requested that they pay him $120,000, which Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator understood would be used to compensate the person who gave the California man access to the account. Thus, in August 2021, Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator withdrew nearly $70,000 in cash and flew with the money to Los Angeles, where they gave the proceeds to the California co-conspirator. When they were in California, they withdrew another $50,000 in cash and provided it to the California co-conspirator as well.

            Eventually, the California co-conspirator secured access to a second American company’s UPS account, which he provided to Harrod and the Maryland co-conspirator. The two men then resumed selling UPS shipping labels online, this time with direct involvement and knowledge of the California co-conspirator. 

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman with the assistance of paralegal specialist Sonalika Chaturvedi. Former paralegal specialist Michon Tart and former Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar also assisted with the investigation.

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A Virginia lobbyist and a New Jersey political consultant have entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) to resolve the government’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and related offenses.

Barry P. Bennett, 60, of Alexandria, Virginia, owned and operated Avenue Strategies Global LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Douglas Watts, 73, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is a former presidential campaign consultant who founded and ran a public relations company.

The charges arise from a scheme to wage a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to benefit one of Avenue Strategies’ clients—the government of a foreign country (Country A)—while concealing the foreign government’s connection to the effort. In 2017, Bennett signed a contract for Avenue Strategies to perform lobbying services for the embassy of  Country A. As part of his lobbying strategy on behalf of Country A and for and in the interest of Country A, Bennett covertly operated Company A, a limited liability company founded by Watts at Bennett’s direction. As directed by Bennett and managed by Watts, Company A ran a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to cast one of Country A’s rivals in a negative light for its conduct, and thereby to improve Country A’s standing with the U.S. government and public relative to this rival.

Through the DPA, Bennett consented to the filing of a two-count criminal information charging him with a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Justice Department’s FARA Unit and with making false statements and material omissions in FARA filings. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Bennett complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $100,000 fine, for 18 months.

Through the DPA Watts signed, he consented to the filing of a three-count criminal information charging him with acting as an agent of a foreign principal without registering under FARA and with making false statements to the FBI. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Watts complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $25,000 fine, for 12 months.

Country A paid Bennett’s Avenue Strategies $2.1 million between September 2017 and December 2017 for lobbying services, and approximately 27% of those funds (i.e., approximately $773,000) financed the operations of Company A. In return, Company A conducted a social media campaign, published opinion articles in major newspapers, produced a documentary that was distributed through a national television network, sent direct mailings to American citizens, and lobbied Congress and the former president.

Company A took credit for directing 3,000 phone calls to members of the U.S. House of Representatives encouraging them to discontinue U.S. involvement in a coalition of Country A’s rivals. The House of Representatives eventually voted overwhelmingly to “deauthorize” U.S. involvement with the coalition.

Neither Watts nor Company A was registered under FARA.

FARA was enacted in 1938 to counter propaganda and promote transparency and disclosure. The Department of Justice recently described the purpose of the law to Congress as means of ensuring “that the American public and our lawmakers know the source of information that is provided at the behest of a foreign principal, where that information may be intended to influence U.S. public opinion, policy, and laws.”

Bennett’s consulting company, Avenue Strategies, failed to disclose in its FARA filings its creation of Company A. In addition, Avenue Strategies failed to disclose Bennett’s and Avenue Strategies’ affiliation with Company A, Avenue Strategies’ disbursements to Company A, and Watts’ work on behalf of Company A and Country A. These omissions thwarted FARA’s disclosure requirements.

During two separate interviews in February 2020, Watts made false and materially misleading statements to the FBI about his knowledge of Company A’s formation, its purpose and activities, and its connection to Country A.

If the case had gone to trial, the government would have sought to prove that Bennett engaged in a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Department of Justice’s FARA Unit. The government also would have sought to prove that Bennett made false statements and material omissions in filings under FARA.

In addition, the government would have sought to prove that Watts acted as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal and made false statements or representations to a department or agency of the United States.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman for the District of Columbia and Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – A Virginia lobbyist and a New Jersey political consultant have entered into Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs) to resolve the government’s investigation into violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and related offenses.

            Barry P. Bennett, 60, of Alexandria, Virginia, owned and operated Avenue Strategies Global LLC, a lobbying and consulting firm in Washington, D.C. Douglas Watts, 73, of Jersey City, New Jersey, is a former presidential campaign consultant who founded and ran a public relations company.

            The charges arise from a scheme to wage a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to benefit one of Avenue Strategies’ clients—the government of a foreign country (Country A)—while concealing the foreign government’s connection to the effort. In 2017, Bennett signed a contract for Avenue Strategies to perform lobbying services for the embassy of  Country A. As part of his lobbying strategy on behalf of Country A and for and in the interest of Country A, Bennett covertly operated Company A, a limited liability company founded by Watts at Bennett’s direction. As directed by Bennett and managed by Watts, Company A ran a lobbying and public relations campaign designed to cast one of Country A’s rivals in a negative light for its conduct, and thereby to improve Country A’s standing with the U.S. government and public relative to this rival.

            Through the DPA, Bennett consented to the filing of a two-count criminal information charging him with a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Justice Department’s FARA Unit and with making false statements and material omissions in FARA filings. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Bennett complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $100,000 fine, for 18 months.

            Through the DPA Watts signed, he consented to the filing of a three-count criminal information charging him with acting as an agent of a foreign principal without registering under FARA and with making false statements to the FBI. The information will be dismissed with prejudice after Watts complies with the DPA’s terms, which include payment of a $25,000 fine, for 12 months.

            Country A paid Bennett’s Avenue Strategies $2.1 million between September 2017 and December 2017 for lobbying services, and approximately 27% of those funds (i.e., approximately $773,000) financed the operations of Company A. In return, Company A conducted a social media campaign, published opinion articles in major newspapers, produced a documentary that was distributed through a national television network, sent direct mailings to American citizens, and lobbied Congress and the former president.

            Company A took credit for directing 3,000 phone calls to members of the U.S. House of Representatives encouraging them to discontinue U.S. involvement in a coalition of Country A’s rivals. The House of Representatives eventually voted overwhelmingly to “deauthorize” U.S. involvement with the coalition.

            Neither Watts nor Company A was registered under FARA.

            FARA was enacted in 1938 to counter propaganda and promote transparency and disclosure. The Department of Justice recently described the purpose of the law to Congress as means of ensuring “that the American public and our lawmakers know the source of information that is provided at the behest of a foreign principal, where that information may be intended to influence U.S. public opinion, policy, and laws.”

            Bennett’s consulting company, Avenue Strategies, failed to disclose in its FARA filings its creation of Company A. In addition, Avenue Strategies failed to disclose Bennett’s and Avenue Strategies’ affiliation with Company A, Avenue Strategies’ disbursements to Company A, and Watts’ work on behalf of Company A and Country A. These omissions thwarted FARA’s disclosure requirements.

            During two separate interviews in February 2020, Watts made false and materially misleading statements to the FBI about his knowledge of Company A’s formation, its purpose and activities, and its connection to Country A.

            If the case had gone to trial, the government would have sought to prove that Bennett engaged in a scheme to falsify, conceal, and cover up material facts from the Department of Justice’s FARA Unit. The government also would have sought to prove that Bennett made false statements and material omissions in filings under FARA.

            In addition, the government would have sought to prove that Watts acted as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal and made false statements or representations to a department or agency of the United States.

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie F. Zimmerman for the District of Columbia and Deputy Chief Evan N. Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough for the District of Columbia.

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WASHINGTON – Charles Edwards, 48, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty on Jan. 2, 2024, after a trial by a Superior Court jury of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and other firearm-related charges arising from threatening another man and a cashier with a loaded gun inside the Wawa at Thomas Circle NW in the early morning hours of January 22, 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The Honorable Errol Arthur scheduled sentencing for February 23, 2024.

            According to the trial evidence, Edwards got into an argument with another man near the Wawa. That man ran into the store to escape Edwards, but Edwards followed him and again confronted him. A Special Police Officer (SPO) working at Wawa escorted Edwards out of the store. Minutes later, Edwards went back to the store and again chased the man around the store, and then pulled out a loaded handgun and pointed it at both that man and the Wawa’s cashier who was standing in front of him. Edwards eventually left the store, and threatened the SPO, who was on the phone with 911.

            Police arrived within minutes, and subsequently apprehended Edwards nearby, and recovered the loaded weapon in his tent.

            Edwards was later arrested on August 17, 2022.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Romero Cabral Da Costa Neto (Costa), 33, of Rio de Janeiro, was sentenced today to two months in prison for unlawfully trading on material, nonpublic information, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols ordered Costa to forfeit $42,649.13 and a $100 fine. Costa pleaded guilty November 1 in U.S. District Court to a charge of insider trading.

            Costa had been residing and working as a visiting attorney in Washington D.C., on a one-year J-1 Visa, at a global U.S. law firm (the Law Firm).

            According to court documents, Costa began working at the Law Firm in September 2022. Until the FBI arrested him in August 2023, Costa used his position at the firm to access privileged and confidential client files on the Law Firm’s internal file management system and systematically perform keyword searches on this Law Firm database to explore client files in search of valuable material non-public information that he could exploit for financial gain.

            Costa traded on material non-public information from law firm clients in advance of an $1.7 billion international BioPharma merger, a $5.7 billion oilfield merger, and a major drug trial announcement. In one of his trades, Costa pocketed a quick financial gain of $8,500; in another he reaped $42,649.13.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In particular, valuable assistance was provided by the Philadelphia Regional Enforcement office of the SEC, which promptly identified the offense conduct, enabling swift enforcement action.

WASHINGTON – Michael Hilliard, 64, pleaded guilty on December 19, 2023, to two misdemeanor charges for sexually abusing a woman and physically assaulting another, both of whom were strangers to him. He was sentenced by the Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to 180 days on the misdemeanor sexual abuse charge—the maximum sentence available by statute—and 30 days on the misdemeanor assault charge, with the sentences to run consecutively to each other.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the first offense, on June 28, 2023, Mr. Hilliard was observed by the victim walking in and out of traffic at 326 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001. Mr. Hilliard approached the victim asking for water and, after she obliged, he proceeded to rummage through her vehicle. After the victim told Mr. Hillard to stop, he struck her left arm then fled the area. He was apprehended shortly thereafter.

            In the second offense, on August 16, 2023, Mr. Hilliard approached the driver’s side of the victim’s vehicle at 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, demanding money. After the victim stated she did not have any cash, Mr. Hilliard reached into the open window and grabbed her breast. The terrified victim inquired what he was doing, and Mr. Hilliard responded that he was grabbing her “titty.” Mr. Hilliard was apprehended shortly thereafter.

            Following these guilty pleas, Mr. Hilliard now has 26 misdemeanor sexual abuse convictions since 1999. His most recent sentencing for misdemeanor sexual abuse took place on January 4, 2023, where he also received the statutory maximum of 180 days. Additionally, he was convicted of a 4th degree sexual offense in Montgomery County, Maryland, on October 3, 2022, for which he is on supervision until 2025.

            Mr. Hilliard has remained detained since his August 2023 arrest.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis Dunlap and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Betty Jean McNeil, who prosecuted the case through the guilty plea and sentencing.

WASHINGTON – Marquette Jordan, 32, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury on December 19, 2023 of second-degree murder while armed and other charges in the April 2018 fatal stabbing of 48-year-old Ivan Lynch in Southeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Rainey Brandt will sentence Jordan on Friday March 1, 2024. 

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 30, 2018, the victim, Ivan Lynch, who had just attended a birthday celebration for himself, left the party and was going to meet up with a friend at his apartment. On the way to the friend’s apartment, Mr. Lynch picked up the defendant Marquette Jordan, the defendant’s girlfriend, the girlfriend’s two young children, and a childhood friend of the defendant.

            Once inside the apartment, a verbal altercation occurred between Jordan and his girlfriend in front of her two young children. Mr. Lynch intervened and reportedly told the defendant that that is not how we treat women. Jordan and Mr. Lynch then engaged in a verbal dispute resulting in a physical fight between the two men inside the apartment. During the fight, Jordan grabbed a butcher knife from the kitchen and stabbed Mr. Lynch once in the shoulder, twice in the heart, and three times in the back. After stabbing Mr. Lynch, Jordan then continued to beat on his girlfriend, threatened to kill her, too, and charged at her with a knife. The girlfriend grabbed a pillow and fled the apartment without her shoes, and leaving behind her minor children until she returned later that day.

            The defendant went through the victim’s pockets before leaving the apartment. School surveillance captured Jordan on walking with the two children after the homicide.  He was stopped outside by MPD officers shortly after leaving the apartment and law enforcement officers found Mr. Lynch’s keys and his blood on Jordan’s pants and shirt. The murder weapon, the butcher knife, was never recovered.  Officers also found Mr. Lynch’s cell phone discarded in an area where the defendant was observed walking, according to surveillance footage in the area. Mr. Lynch’s wallet was mailed from a nearby school to the address on his driver’s license.  

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. This case was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natalie M. Hynum and Omeed A. Assefi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            WASHINGTON – Jajuan Gripper, 21, of Washington, D.C., was charged by indictment on December 20, 2023, for the December 20, 2022 murder of 34-year-old Rynell Bradford, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The indictment charges Gripper with conspiracy, first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the evening on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, Gripper and two unindicted co-conspirators followed Bradford out of an apartment building in Northeast Washington, D.C.  The three suspects then opened fire on Bradford as he ran away from them down a public street in a residential neighborhood.  Gripper and his co-conspirators fired a total of at least 19 shots, striking Bradford once in the back of the head.  Bradford was pronounced dead at the scene.

            Gripper was arrested in March 2023 and has been detained pending trial since his arrest.

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

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

WASHINGTON – George L. Sydnor, Jr., 44 of Washington, D.C., was indicted earlier today by a D.C. Superior Court Grand Jury on several felony charges stemming from the stabbing murder of 31-year-old Christy Bautista on March 31, 2023, inside her room in the Ivy City Hotel, in Northeast D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            A five-count indictment charges Sydnor with premeditated first degree murder while armed; burglary while armed; first degree felony murder while armed burglary); kidnapping while armed; first degree felony murder while armed (kidnapping). The indictment also charges an aggravating circumstance enhancement as to all five counts, finding that the offenses committed were “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.”  Sydnor is also charged with committing these crimes while he was on release in another criminal case.

             An arraignment on the indictment is scheduled for January 4, 2024, at 9:30 am, in Courtroom 301 before the Honorable Judge Robert Okun.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Santiago.  

            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 D.C. – Juwuan Edward Francis Champion, 24, of Bowie, Md., pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in the felony armed robbery of a pharmaceutical van driver and a firearms charge, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Washington Field Division.

            Champion, aka “Big Money,” pleaded guilty on December 19, 2023, to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (known as conspiracy to commit a Hobbs Act robbery) and unlawful possession of a machine gun. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for March 15, 2024.

            Champion was part of a four-member crew participating in a drug trafficking operation in the Potomac Gardens neighborhood of Southeast Washington. The three other members included Fitzgerald Hunt, 24, of Washington, D.C., also known as “GMoney;” Joshua Johnson, 18, of Capitol Heights, Md., also known as “Lil Josh,” and Keyshawn Lavender, 20, of Washington, D.C., also known as “Key.” From January to October 2021, the crew members allegedly trafficked in Oxycodone, Alprazolam, and other illegal narcotics.

            In pleading guilty, Champion, Hunt, and Johnson admitted that on March 30, 2021, they conspired to rob a pharmaceutical delivery van driver outside a pharmacy in Waldorf, Md.  The driver was placed in handcuffs, hit on the head with a firearm, and then the defendants drove the van back to Washington, D.C., with its pharmaceutical contents.

            Law enforcement arrested the four men on October 7, 2021.

            Hunt, Johnson, and Lavender previously pleaded guilty.  Hunt was sentenced on September 29, 2023, to 108 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. Johnson, who was 17 years old at the time of the robbery, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and separately pled guilty to related local charges in Charles County, Maryland in a global resolution. 

            Lavender was not charged with the robbery and pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and received a sentence of 30 months in prison.

            This case was investigated by the ATF Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  Critical support was provided by the Charles County Md. Sheriff’s Office and Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office, and additional assistance was provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and Anne Arundel County, Md. Police Department.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Candice Wong and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison McGuire.

WASHINGTON – A District man pleaded guilty today to federal felony charges in a pair of armed robberies that targeted commercial establishments during one night in December 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves; FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division; and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Damion Byrd, 21, of Washington D.C., pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery (also known as a Hobbs Act robbery) in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia.

            On December 13, 2022, at 11:41 p.m. Byrd entered a convenience store on the 2300 block of Rhode Island Ave., NW, and asked an employee for juice. The employee told Byrd that the juice was in the refrigerator. Byrd retrieved a bottle of water and walked towards the counter where he tossed a $1 bill. Byrd then pointed a firearm at the employee and stated, “I need the money all the money you have.” The employee emptied the register and handed over the cash.

            On December 14, 2022, at 12:43 a.m., Byrd drove a silver-colored sedan to the drive-thru window of a fast-food restaurant on the 3900 block of Minnesota Ave., NE. Byrd exited the vehicle, pointed a firearm at a cashier, and said, “Open the register and I won’t shoot.” The cashier ran away. Byrd reached in the window, grabbed the cash register, and fled in the vehicle.

           Byrd was arrested on January 11, 2023, in Washington, D.C. and has been detained ever since.

            U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan set a sentencing date for March 26, 2024. Byrd faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, SAC Geist, and Chief Smith commended the MPD officers and FBI agents who collaborated on the investigation as members of MPD's Violent Crime Suppression Unit and FBI's Washington Field Office's Violent Crimes Task Force.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  Paralegal Karla Nunez provided valuable assistance.  

WASHINGTON – Thaniyyah Veney, 33, pleaded guilty today to driving a car into a five-year-old  girl who was standing on the sidewalk waiting for a bus with her father in July 2023, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.

            Veney pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault while armed with a vehicle. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2024, before the Honorable Jason Park. Veney is being held pending sentencing.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the afternoon of Saturday, July 8, 2023, the five-year-old was with her father waiting for a bus in the 3200 block of Fourth Street, SE. At around 1 p.m., a car driven by Veney, drove into the child and her father as they stood on the sidewalk. Veney’s car drove over the child and continued traveling until it struck the front steps of a home. When the vehicle stopped, Veney got out and walked to a nearby alley. She left the child trapped beneath her car.

            Using a makeshift lever fashioned from a ladder, firefighters were able to raise the car enough to extract the child, who was then airlifted to the hospital where she was diagnosed with life-threatening injuries. Hours after the incident, the defendant’s breath was tested and found to contain an alcohol concentration above the per se threshold for intoxication.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Today, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging Iranian national Hossein Hatefi Ardakani and co-defendant Gary Lam, who worked for a Chinese company, with crimes related to the procurement of U.S.-manufactured dual-use microelectronics for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization’s (ASF SSJO) one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program.

Concurrent with this unsealing, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Ardakani, as well as multiple other individuals and entities involved in the procurement network used by Ardakani in support of Iran’s production of UAVs. Ardakani’s codefendant, Lam, whom OFAC identified as Lin Jinghe, was designated by OFAC in October.

“Today’s coordinated action with the Treasury Department demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of the Iranian regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “We will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminal networks that supply sensitive technology to hostile and repressive governments in contravention of U.S. sanctions.”

“Today’s announcements show that we remain focused on disrupting the efforts of Iran and its agents to circumvent U.S. sanctions in support of Iran’s weapons programs, including its drone program, which have been used to support and supply terrorist organizations and other foreign adversaries – such as Russia – around the globe,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “This whole-of-government approach is one more step in stopping the acquisition of drones for nefarious purposes such as attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

“U.S. technology has zero place in Iranian UAVs,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the Department of Commerce. “As these allegations demonstrate, those who procure dual-use microelectronics for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be held accountable.”

“Ardakani and his co-conspirators crafted a sophisticated web of front companies to obscure the illicit acquisition of U.S. and foreign technology to procure components for deadly UAVs,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New England. “These very components have been found in use by Iran’s allies in current conflicts, including in Ukraine. The disruption of these criminal networks by Homeland Security Investigations means that hundreds of thousands of critical UAV components will never again be used for malign purposes.”

According to the indictment, between at least in or around September 2014 and September 2015, Ardakani and Lam, who was based in China and Hong Kong, as well as other associates, conspired to illegally purchase and export from the United States to Iran dual-use microelectronics that are commonly used in UAV production, including high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers, and analog-to-digital converters. Each of these components are subject to U.S. export controls for anti-terrorism, national security and regional stability reasons.

The indictment further alleges that on four separate occasions Ardakani and his co-conspirators used a web of foreign companies to accomplish their obfuscation and evasion efforts. For example, between June and September 2015, Ardakani and Lam caused an unwitting French company to purchase from a U.S. company several pieces of analog-to-digital converters with applications in wireless and broadband communications, radar and satellite subsystems, multicarrier, multimodal cellular receivers, antenna array positioning and infrared imaging. Lam then caused a division of the French company to ship the analog-to-digital converters to Hong Kong, where they were reexported to Iran. A variation of this tactic – involving witting and unwitting companies in Canada, Hong Kong, and China – was used on the other three occasions.

In addition to the indictment, separate, related seizure actions targeting Nava Hobbies SDN BHD (Nava Hobbies) and Arta Wave (Arta Wave) SBN BHD and their property were unsealed today. Nava Hobbies and Arta Wave are two of the entities designated by OFAC in its action announced today. The funds are subject to seizure based on violations of U.S. law, including U.S. economic sanctions targeting Iran and money laundering violations. The seizures, totaling more than $800,000, aim to further degrade this network’s ability to procure UAV components. Proceedings involving this property remain ongoing.

Ardakani and Lam are charged with conspiracy to export U.S. goods to Iran and to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; unlawfully exporting and attempting to export goods to Iran, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to engage in international money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Ardakani and Lam remain at large and are believed to reside abroad.

HSI, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Heiden for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Heather Schmidt and Brendan Geary of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

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

            WASHINGTON –Kahlil Felder, 39, of Southeast Washington D.C., was arraigned on a four-count indictment yesterday in U.S. District Court charging him with possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, among other charges. Felder was ordered detained pending trial.

            The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations Washington Field Office, Inspector Damon Wood, with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service "Washington Division", and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the indictment, Felder, aka, Kahlil Gibron Hewitt, unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally, distributed a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl on October 22, 2022, and possessed with intent to distribute over 400 grams of fentanyl on December 13, 2023. The indictment further charges that, on December 13, 2023, Felder possessed two firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possessed two firearms as a prohibited person—that is, a person convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

            During a search of Felder’s residence on December 13, law enforcement officers discovered two loaded semiautomatic pistols – a Glock 36, 45mm, and a Springfield Hellcat 9 mm– and more than five kilograms of suspected fentanyl. The fentanyl included thousands of pre-packaged baggies or “zips” filled with suspected fentanyl. Investigators also found tools and materials for packaging fentanyl, including a scale, test kits, gloves, a respirator, a sifter, and a money counter.

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

            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 possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.

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

            It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart and Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Leiter and Javier Urbina of 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 – Antonio Christian Payne, 30, of Northeast Washington D.C. was found guilty by a federal jury today on 10 felony charges related to drug trafficking and firearms offenses in the District of Columbia.

            The jury verdict, which followed a five-day trial in U.S. District Court, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent-in-Charge Craig Kailimai of the Washington Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Payne remains held pending his sentencing before the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan scheduled for Apr. 17, 2024.  

            According to the government’s evidence, MPD launched an investigation into Payne’s activities on Apr. 18, 2022, following a daylight drive-by shooting near Payne’s stash house at 2430 Baldwin Cres, NE.

            The shooter apparently had targeted Payne’s cousin, who had escaped without injury. Officers responded to the scene within minutes and were let into the home where Payne and his cousin were staying, where they attempted to investigate the shooting and determine if Payne’s cousin needed medical aid. At the same time, officers and detectives canvassed the area for witnesses and ultimately reviewed surveillance footage which revealed that minutes prior to the drive-by, Payne had brandished a firearm at the suspect who later did the shooting after that suspect had attempted to access Payne’s car and garage, both of which were later found to have narcotics and ammunition in them. 

            On discovering this information, officers seized the residence and applied for an emergency search warrant, which they obtained that evening. During their search, officers recovered six firearms (one ghost rifle, one .22 caliber rifle, and four semi-automatic 9mm pistols), sundry rounds of ammunition of various calibers, magazines, firearms-accessories (including a ballistic vest designed to withstand rifle-rounds), almost 750 grams of fentanyl, 240 grams of cocaine powder, 175 grams of cocaine base, 130 grams of methamphetamine, 12 kilograms of marijuana, and dozens upon dozens of oxycodone pills, along with nearly $30,000 in U.S. currency.   

            The jury today found Payne guilty of unlawful possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; unlawful possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine; unlawful possession with intent to distribute marijuana; unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine hydrochloride; unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine base; unlawful possession with intent to distribute Oxycodone; unlawful opening and maintenance of a premises to manufacture and distribute a controlled substance; using, carrying, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense; using carrying, and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense; and carrying a pistol without a license.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves, SAC Kailimai, and Chief Smith, applauded the work of MPD officers and detectives and commended the ATF Special Agents who subsequently investigated the case.

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Hart and Solomon Eppel of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section. Valuable assistance was provided by paralegal Peter Gaboton, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Engallena who assisted in the investigation and charging of this case. Graves, Kailimai, and Smith also praised Leif Hickling and Charlie Bruce of LitTech, and VRTO supervisory paralegal Mary Downing for their assistance on this case. 

WASHINGTON - Today, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment charging two men - Iranian National Hossein Hatefi Ardakani (“Ardakani”) and Chinese National Gary Lam - with crimes related to the procurement of U.S.-manufactured dual-use microelectronics for Iran. Concurrent with this unsealing, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) designated Ardakani and Lam, also identified by OFAC as Lin Jinghe, as well as two other individuals and 10 entities involved in the procurement network used by Ardakani in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Self Sufficiency Jihad Organization’s one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV” or drone) program.

            The indictment alleges that between at least September 2014 and September 2015, Ardakani and Lam, who was based in China and Hong Kong, as well as other associates, conspired to illegally purchase and export from the United States to Iran dual-use microelectronics that are commonly used in UAV production, including high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers, and analog-to-digital converters. Each of these components is subject to U.S. export controls for anti-terrorism, national security, and regional stability reasons.

            “Today’s announcements show that we remain focused on disrupting the efforts of Iran and its agents to circumvent U.S. sanctions in support of Iran’s weapons programs, including its drone program, which have been used to support and supply terrorist organizations and other foreign adversaries – such as Russia – around the globe,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “This whole-of-government approach is one more step in stopping the acquisition of drones for nefarious purposes such as attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

            “Today’s coordinated action with the Treasury Department demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to keeping military-grade equipment out of the hands of the Iranian regime,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “We will aggressively investigate, disrupt, and hold accountable criminal networks that supply sensitive technology to hostile and repressive governments in contravention of U.S. sanctions.”

            “U.S. technology has zero place in Iranian UAVs,” said Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod for the Department of Commerce. “As these allegations demonstrate, those who procure dual-use microelectronics for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will be held accountable.”

            “Ardakani and his co-conspirators crafted a sophisticated web of front companies to obscure the illicit acquisition of U.S. and foreign technology to procure components for deadly UAVs,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol, of Homeland Security Investigations’ New England Office. “These very components have been found in use by Iran’s allies in current conflicts, including in Ukraine. The disruption of these criminal networks by Homeland Security Investigations means that hundreds of thousands of critical UAV components will never again be used for malign purposes.”

            The indictment further alleges that on four separate occasions Ardakani and his co-conspirators used a web of foreign companies to accomplish their obfuscation and evasion efforts. For example, between June and September 2015, Ardakani and Lam caused an unwitting French company to purchase from a U.S. company several pieces of analog-to-digital converters with applications in wireless and broadband communications, radar and satellite subsystems, multicarrier, multimodal cellular receivers, antenna array positioning, and infrared imaging. Lam then caused a division of the French company to ship the analog-to-digital converters to Hong Kong, where they were reexported to Iran. A variation of this tactic – involving witting and unwitting companies in Canada, Hong Kong, and China – was used on the other three occasions.

            In addition to the indictment, a separate seizure action targeting Nava Hobbies SDN BHD (“Nava Hobbies”) and its property was unsealed today. Nava Hobbies is one of the 10 entities designated by OFAC in its action announced today. The funds are subject to seizure based on violations of U.S. law, including U.S. economic sanctions targeting Iran and money laundering violations. The seizures, totaling nearly $600,000, aim to further degrade this network’s ability to procure UAV components. Proceedings involving this property remain ongoing.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Detroit Field Division, led by Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jolie Zimmerman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with valuable assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Heiden of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Heather Schmidt and Brendan Geary of the Counterespionage and Export Control Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

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

WASHINGTON – Ronzoni Allen Jackson Jr., 24, of the Washington, D.C. area, was arrested yesterday on charges of first degree murder while armed stemming from the shooting homicides of two brothers - 28-year-old Octavio and 35-year-old Osmine Quintano - just after midnight, on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, near The Pollo Company at 2314 4th Street NE,

            U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced. 

            Defendant Jackson was arraigned on two counts of premeditated first degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court, Courtroom C-10, where he entered a plea of not guilty.  The Honorable Magistrate Judge Judith Pipe found probable cause that the defendant committed the two murders and held him without bond pending his preliminary hearing on January 2, 2024 at 9:30 a.m., before Judge Epstein in Courtroom 233.  

            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 arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Santiago for her efforts in prosecuting this case.  

WASHINGTON – Gholam “Tony” Kowkabi, 63, and Karen Kowkabi, 64, of Vienna, Va., were sentenced in federal court today to 57 months in prison and 24 months of probation, respectively, for tax offenses relating to their failure to pay more than $1.35 million of taxes arising from their operation of several restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area. Gholam Kowkabi was also sentenced for stealing more than $738,000 from the emergency small business relief funds his Georgetown restaurant—Ristorante Piccolo—received during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of his guilty plea, Mr. Kowkabi acknowledged having spent money intended to help his business on a waterfront condo in Ocean City, Md., as well as personal investments, vacations for his family, and college tuition for his adult children.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office.        

            Gholam Kowkabi pleaded guilty on Aug. 14, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to wire fraud and tax evasion. He was sentenced by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. Following his prison term, Gholam Kowkabi will be placed on three years of supervised release. Gholam Kowkabi must pay $1,351,038.51 in restitution to the IRS and $738,657.18 in restitution to the Small Business Administration. In addition, the judge ordered the forfeiture of the Ocean City condominium, interest in multiple joint ventures, and a money judgment in the amount of $738,657.18.

            Karen Kowkabi pleaded guilty on Aug.14, 2023, in the U.S. District Court to five counts of willfully failing to pay taxes. She also was sentenced by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton who ordered her to pay $1,351,038.51 in restitution to the IRS, owed jointly with Gholam Kowkabi.

The Tax Evasion Scheme

            According to the statements of offense submitted to the Court and admitted by Gholam Kowkabi and Karen Kowkabi, the Kowkabis have owned and operated Ristorante Piccolo in Georgetown since 1986. The Kowkabis also owned and operated restaurants Catch 15 and Tuscana West in Washington, D.C. From 1998 to 2018, the Kowkabis amassed an unpaid tax balance of $1,351,038.51, including federal income and employment taxes and Trust Fund Recovery Penalties. Gholam Kowkabi admitted to willfully attempting to evade payment of those taxes by concealing assets and obscuring the large sums of money he took from the businesses by, among other means, purchasing property in the name of a nominee entity and causing false entries in the businesses’ books and records to hide personal purchases using business bank accounts. Karen Kowkabi also admitted that she willfully failed to pay these taxes owed to the IRS.

The Scheme to Steal COVID-19 Relief Funds

            Further, from May 13, 2020, to July 27, 2021, Gholam Kowkabi obtained more than $1.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds, including $474,000 from first draw and second draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for $499,900 and a Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) grant for $631,823.28.

            First Draw PPP loans were to be used to help fund payroll costs, including benefits, and could also be used to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker protection costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused by looting or vandalism during 2020, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations. Second Draw PPP loans were to be used to help fund payroll costs, including benefits. Second Draw PPP loan funds could also be used to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, worker protection costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused by looting or vandalism during 2020, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations. EIDL loan proceeds could be used for working capital to make regular payments for operating expenses, including payroll, rent/mortgage, utilities, and other ordinary business expenses, and to pay business debt. Restaurant Revitalization Funds could be used for specific expenses including business payroll costs (including sick leave), payments on any business mortgage obligation, business rent payments (not including prepayment), business debt service (not including prepayment), both principal and interest, business utility payments, business maintenance expenses, construction of outdoor seating, business supplies, business food and beverage expenses, covered supplier costs, business operating expenses.

            In these applications and loan agreements, Gholam Kowkabi fraudulently and falsely promised that the PPP, EIDL, and RRF proceeds would be used solely for business-related and eligible purposes as specified in the applications. Instead, Gholam Kowkabi used a portion of the PPP funds, EIDL funds, and RRF funds for unauthorized purposes and for his own personal enrichment, including the purchase of a waterfront condo in Ocean City, Md., for more than $500,000, two joint venture investments totaling more than $250,000 for the construction of homes in Great Falls, Va., and more than $78,500 to open Divan Restaurant in McLean, Va. Gholam Kowkabi further spent more than $11,000 of COVID-19 relief funds on his home mortgage, more than $14,000 on vacations, more than $62,000 on personal legal expenses, more than $20,000 on home improvements, and more than $5,500 on college tuition payments.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg, and Special Agent in Charge Carter commended the work of those who investigated the case from IRS-CI. They expressed thanks for the assistance provided by the SBA Office of Inspector General during the investigation of this case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Goemaat of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Trial Attorney Sarah Ranney of the Department of Justice, Tax Division.

# #

            On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

            Anyone with information about allegations of fraud related to COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

WASHINGTON – Kevin Diaz, 19, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for the April 2023 robbery and assault of two men behind a Northwest Washington restaurant, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Diaz was found guilty at trial on October 5, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of robbery, assault with intent to commit robbery, and two counts of felony threats.  According to the government’s evidence at trial, on April 25, 2023, at approximately 8:00 a.m., a construction worker and a roofer arrived near the 1600 block of Lamont Street NW to begin remodeling and repair work on a local business.  As the construction worker waited in the alley near Lamont Street, Diaz approached him, brandishing an ice pick.  Diaz claimed to be a member of the 18th Street gang, demanded money, and threatened to kill the worker if he did not comply.  That worker did not give Diaz any money, so Diaz turned his attention to the roofer, who had arrived in his truck minutes after the construction worker. Diaz again brandished the ice pick, demanded money, claimed membership in a gang, and threatened to kill the roofer.  The roofer, who was scared for his life, went to his truck, pulled out $20, and gave it to Diaz; Diaz took the money and left.

            The workers called police. MPD officers investigated, uncovered surveillance footage that showed Diaz wearing the distinctive haircut and outfit as described by the two victims and witness, and located Diaz within the hour. Diaz was identified and taken into custody, and has remained held since these offenses.

            At the December 15, 2023, sentencing hearing, consistent with the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, the government asked that the Court impose a total sentence of 96 months’ incarceration — 48 months’ incarceration for robbery and for assault with intent to commit robbery, to be run consecutively to each other, given that each crime of violence was committed against a different victim. The government also sought 24 months’ incarceration for each count of felony threats, to run concurrently with those sentences. The Honorable Michael Ryan sentenced the defendant to a total of 30 months’ incarceration — 30 months for robbery, 18 months for assault with intent to commit robbery, and 14 months for each count of felony threats, all to run concurrently, despite the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines requirement that the Court impose consecutive sentences when there are multiple victims. The Court also ordered Diaz to serve three years’ supervised release following his sentence.    

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel White and Kraig Ahalt, Lead Paralegal Specialists Reather Prather and Tameka Garcia, and Victim/Witness Advocate Paola Molina. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline Yarbro and William Lawrence, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Tyronn Waters, 32, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced today to 70 months in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation in the metropolitan region, announced U.S. Attorney Graves; Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division; and Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General.

            Waters pleaded guilty on July 13, 2023, in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

            According to the government’s evidence, law enforcement launched an investigation in August 2021 into a suspected drug trafficking ring that was running a fentanyl pill pressing operation in the District and Maryland. According to court documents, Waters admitted he played a part in the ring, and conspired to possess with intent to distribute various narcotics. Those narcotics included counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, produced using the ring’s three pill presses that pressed fentanyl mixes into what appeared to be genuine prescription pills. Waters admitted he purchased wholesale quantities of the counterfeit prescription pills and redistributed them for profit. Waters also admitted to possessing a firearm in connection with the offense.

            On March 29, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at an apartment on the 1300 block of 4th St. SE, a stash house used by the conspiracy to house its pill pressing operation. During the search, law enforcement seized baggies of pills and loose powder, together amounting to more than 516 pills and more than 76 grams of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl.

            Waters also was sentenced in connection with a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Waters and his co-conspirators obtained stolen personal identifiable information (PII) from numerous unwitting victims and used this PII to apply for unemployment insurance benefits in victim names from Maryland, North Carolina, California, and elsewhere.  Waters and his co-conspirators used the unemployment insurance benefits to obtain pre-loaded debit cards used to make purchases throughout the District and Maryland.  At times they wore masks and wigs to make cash withdrawals from the accounts of victims at ATMs throughout the region. Waters admitted he is accountable for losses of more than $250,000 but less than $550,000,

            U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Waters to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence and to forfeit $100,000.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Geist, Special Agent in Charge Springer, and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Montgomery County Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General.

            They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg who investigated and prosecuted the case along with former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Rasalam and Marnee Rand.

WASHINGTON – Jamal Calloway, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to sixteen months incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release for felony second degree theft by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz of the Superior Court for the District of Columbia.

            According to the government’s evidence, on August 21, 2023, around 9:00 p.m., Jamal Calloway entered the CVS located at 2129 14th Street, NW, picked up store merchandise, and left the store without paying for the items. About an hour later, Calloway went back into that same CVS and was arrested while inside.

            On September 20, 2023, a grand jury indicted Jamal Calloway on one count of felony second degree theft pursuant to DC Code § 22–3212(c); Calloway had multiple prior theft convictions, not from the same occasion, and was therefore subject to enhanced penalties for his alleged theft, including a mandatory minimum sentence of one year of incarceration.

            On October 18, 2023, Calloway pleaded guilty to that offense. At sentencing on December 15, 2023, Judge Leibovitz heard a victim impact statement from a representative of CVS. The CVS representative explained that “Mr. Calloway’s theft has not only harmed the stores’ performance, but also created an atmosphere of insecurity and demotivation among the hardworking employees by affecting their morale and overall well-being.”

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Augustin Horner, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Antoine Nicholson, 34, of Washington, D.C., was convicted at trial of intimidating, impeding, interfering with and retaliating against a government official, among other charges, for a firearm-related assault against a parking enforcement officer that took place in the U Street corridor on Aug. 12, 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Nicholson was also found guilty of assault and threatening to injure or kidnap a person. The verdict was returned on Dec. 15, 2023, following a four-day jury trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 12, 2023, at approximately 1:30 a.m., Nicholson was illegally parked in a no-parking zone in the 2100 block of 10th Street N.W. His vehicle also had over $3,000 in unpaid parking tickets and had expired tags. The victim and his partner, both Department of Public Works parking enforcement officers, were patrolling the area. Due to the defendant’s parking violations, they began to impound the defendant’s vehicle, during which Nicholson approached the officers and cursed at them. In response, the victim explained to Nicholson why his car was being towed. Nicholson then went inside the driver’s side compartment of the vehicle, retrieved a handgun from the compartment, and threatened to “bust” the victim.

            Nicholson fled the scene and was apprehended by police approximately a half-mile from the location of the offense. Nicholson is scheduled to be sentenced by D.C. Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan on March 8, 2024. For being convicted of Intimidating, impeding, interfering with and retaliating against a government official, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $12,500 fine. For being convicted of threatening to injure or kidnap a person, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Pamela Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s office. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emmanuel Hampton and Kraig Ahalt, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Roy Tatum, 47, of Washington, DC, was convicted by a federal jury of unlawful possession of ammunition and unlawful possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, both felony offenses. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 22, 2024.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the evidence presented to the jury, on October 27, 2021, at approximately 6:04 a.m., members of the Metropolitan Police Department executed a D.C. Superior Court search warrant at 238 35th Street Northeast in Washington D.C. Officers banged loudly on the front door prior to making entry into the apartment. When there was no answer at the front door, officers forced entry. As they entered, they observed Tatum walk out of the bathroom, wearing only shorts and slippers. In that bathroom, officers found numerous packets of narcotics, including fentanyl on the floor and inside the toilet bowl and tank, which Tatum admitted at trial that he was trying to destroy to prevent recovery by police. Additional packets of Fentanyl were recovered from Tatum’s vehicle, which was parked outside the apartment. Moreover, during the search of the apartment, officers recovered from inside Tatum’s pant pocket a .45 caliber Glock magazine containing six rounds of ammunition.

            Tatum was previously released from incarceration under the D.C. Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA) after serving more than 25 years following  previous first-degree murder convictions. Less than two years after he was released, MPD was executing a warrant in an unrelated homicide case and arrested Tatum for possession of firearms, ammunition, and drugs.   

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emory V. Cole and Ariel L. Dean.

WASHINGTON – A New York woman pleaded guilty today to one count of causing injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit in the May 26, 2023, defacement of Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer, Age Fourteen.

            Joanna Smith, 54, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division. 

            According to the government’s evidence, Smith, along with other co-conspirators, traveled to Washington D.C., to smear red and black paint on the National Gallery of Art permanent exhibition of Little Dancer, Age Fourteen, a sculpture created by Degas in 1881. Smith and a co-conspirator previously had conducted research on the piece and specifically targeted it. Before entering the National Gallery, the duo recorded video statements explaining their intent. Smith and the co-conspirator passed through security undetected with paint secreted inside water bottles.

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

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

            Judge Berman Jackson scheduled sentencing for Apr. 3, 2024. The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

WASHINGTON - Deivy Jose Rodriguez Delgado, 29, a Venezuelan national, was found guilty on December 11 in the District of Columbia for the 2022 hostage-takings of three U.S. Citizens in the Dominican Republic at knifepoint.

            The conviction was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office.

            A jury in U.S. District Court convicted Delgado of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking and three counts of hostage-taking. Chief U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg scheduled sentencing for Apr. 12, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, Delgado, also known as “Sebastian,” kidnapped the men in separate instances between July 5 and July 30, 2022.  In all three instances, Delgado lured his victim online with the promise of a friendly “date,” and picked the victim up in his car. After driving a short distance, Delgado stopped suddenly to let an accomplice into the backseat, at which point Delgado and his accomplice held the victim at knifepoint and demanded ransom for their release. Delgado demanded ransom from each of the three men and asked for it to be paid to various online banking accounts, including the same CashApp account.

            All three victims were forced at knifepoint to call their friends and family and ask for money to secure their release. The victims were held in captivity by Delgado and his accomplices for extended periods of time and were only released after Delgado believed a ransom payment had been made by their friends and family.  In all three hostage takings, the victims were also robbed of their personal belongings before being released on the streets of the Dominican Republic. 

            Following victim reports and a request from the FBI to act on the hostage takings, Dominican authorities began an investigation in August 2022. Local law enforcement in the Dominican Republic traced a vehicle used in one of the hostage takings to Delgado and arrested him on Sept. 10, 2022. During a search of the vehicle, Dominican authorities found two serrated knifes, similar to those used in the hostage takings. On Oct. 4, 2022, Dominican authorities transferred Delgado to U.S. custody.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Korba and Jolie Zimmerman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

            WASHINGTON – David Botchway, 20, of Gwynn Oak, MD, pleaded guilty, on December 13, 2023, to second degree murder while armed for the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Andre Baker, of Washington, D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 8, 2024. Botchway faces a sentencing range of 16 to 20 years in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, the night of August 5, 2023, Mr. Baker and two friends were hanging out in front of a bus stop in the 1200 block of U Street Northwest after enjoying a night out in the U Street neighborhood. At around 5:01 a.m., Botchway approached the group and without warning or any provocation, pointed the gun at Mr. Baker and shot him multiple times in the head and torso. Mr. Baker died a short time later. One of the bullets also grazed one of the victim’s friends. Botchway fled on foot until officers, who were on routine patrol and heard the gunshots, observed the defendant fleeing on foot. After a short foot chase, officers apprehended Botchway at the corner of 12th and T Streets, Northwest. A .40 caliber Glock 22 handgun with an extended magazine was found on the defendant at the time of his arrest. The murder was also captured on several surveillance cameras in the area.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nebiyu Feleke of the Homicide section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Steven Schwartz, 85, of Washington, D.C., was arrested earlier today on the charge of second-degree murder while armed in the stabbing death of his 81-year-old wife, Sharron Schwartz, on December 10, 2023, at their D.C. home, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced. 

            Defendant Schwartz was arraigned today in D.C. Superior Court, via video appearance, where he entered a plea of not guilty. The Honorable Magistrate Judge Sherry Trafford found probable cause that the defendant committed the murder and held him without bond pending his preliminary hearing on January 2, 2024, at 9:30 a.m., before Judge Demeo in Courtroom 303.  

            In announcing the arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Nebiyu Feleke for his efforts in prosecuting this case.  

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

WASHINGTON – A 19-count indictment charges eight men from the metropolitan Washington D.C. area with participating in an interstate fentanyl and cocaine conspiracy believed responsible for distributing multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics in the region.

            The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division, FBI Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Tremblay, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Charged are Samuel Braxton, 55, formerly of Washington, D.C., Ronnie Rogers, 68, of Washington D.C., Wayne Glymph, 57, of Port Tobacco, MD, Ricky Jackson, 65, of Washington, D.C., Kevin Quattlebaum, 57, of Upper Marlboro, MD, Michael Owens, 36, of St. Charles, MD, and Michael Stewart, 59, of Washington, D.C. As of November 29, 2023, seven of the eight defendants are in custody. The indictment alleges overlapping conspiracies to possess and distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine. DEA chemists determined that a portion of the fentanyl powder contained carfentanil, an animal tranquilizer 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

            “This group of defendants was allegedly supplying deadly fentanyl and carfentanil - a fentanyl analogue that is 100 times more potent than regular fentanyl - across multiple states in kilogram quantities,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “As I have said before, anyone selling this poison on our streets or funneling these drugs to our community will find themselves on the wrong end of a criminal investigation. With the dedicated legion of law enforcement partners, we will pursue those people regardless of where - in the United States or the world - they may be.”

            “Fatal drug poisonings caused by deadly drugs like fentanyl are the most significant threats throughout the United States and in our area, in particular,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Forget. “These poisonings are driven by drug traffickers and local gangs involved in violent crimes. Thanks to the investigation by DEA and local, state, and federal partners, the indictments mentioned today led to dismantling a multi-state drug trafficking organization that was involved in distributing unprecedented amounts of fentanyl within and beyond the Nation's Capital.”

            According to the indictment, the fentanyl distribution conspiracy and the cocaine distribution conspiracy ran from at least July 2021 and August 2022, respectively, until November 2023, when arrests were executed.

            Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized more than eight kilograms of high potency fentanyl, some of which was at least 65% pure; more than 6,000 fake pills containing fentanyl produced to resemble OxyContin; and more than six kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement also seized eight firearms, of which at least one had armor-piercing capabilities nicknamed “the cop killer;” and more than $70,000 in cash and money orders, including money intercepted that was intended for the purchase of kilogram quantities of fentanyl. 

            “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,” Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge – Washington Division. We remain committed in eradicating these illicit substances from the U.S. mail and consequently safeguarding our customers and employees.”

            “The amount of Fentanyl on our streets is disturbing. It is constantly ripping apart families and loved ones and having a profound impact on our communities,” Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said. “Our detectives investigate each overdose case to get to the root of where illegal drugs are entering our community and work with our federal partners to hold people responsible accountable.”

CHARGES

DEFENDANT

AGE

ADDRESS

CHARGES

Samuel Braxton

55

FCI Fort Dix, NJ (formerly D.C. Metro)

(1) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl and One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin

Ronnie Rogers (10 total charges)

  68

Washington, D.C.

(1) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl and One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin;

(2) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Cocaine, and a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base;

(10) (13) Unlawful Distribution of Forty Grams or More of Fentanyl (two charges);

(12) (16) (18) (19) Attempted Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl (four charges);

(15) Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl;

(17) Attempted Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin;

Wayne Glymph

57

Port Tobacco, MD

(1) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl and One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin

Ricky Jackson

65

Washington, D.C.

(1) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl and One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin

Kevin Quattlebaum

  57

Upper Marlboro, MD

(2) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Cocaine, and a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base

Michael Owens

36

St. Charles, MD

(1) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl and One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin;

(2) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Cocaine, and a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base

Michael Stewart (11 total charges)

59

Washington, D.C.

(1) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Four Hundred Grams or More of Fentanyl and One Hundred Grams or More of Heroin;

(2) Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Five Hundred Grams or More of Cocaine, and a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base;

(3) (4) (6) (8) (9) Unlawful Distribution of a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl (five charges);

(5) Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Forty Grams or More of Fentanyl;

(7) (11) (14) Unlawful Distribution of Forty Grams or More of Fentanyl (three charges)

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

           This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington Division, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Alexandria Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Washington Field Division, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, U.S. Bureau of Prisons, Montgomery County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Interdiction Unit, Charles County Sheriff’s Office, Arlington County Police, Virginia State Police, Loudoun County Sherriff’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland (Greenbelt), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Eliopoulos, William Hart, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Stempel, all of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON — Bridgette White-Chase, 61, of the District of Columbia, was arraigned today on a 20-count indictment with felony fraud and first-degree theft related to claims submitted to the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia. 

            The indictment was returned by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on December 6, 2023. According to court documents, White-Chase operated Chase Counseling and Consulting Services LLC, and was licensed by D.C. Department of Health to provide professional counseling services. Between September 2020 and continuing through January 2023, White-Chase submitted claims to the D.C. Medicaid program for psychiatric services allegedly provided to District Medicaid beneficiaries. The indictment alleges that through these schemes, White-Chase caused the D.C. Medicaid program to pay over $263,000 for services she did not render and overpayment for services she did allegedly provide.

            White-Chase was arrested and arraigned today, and subsequently released pending trial. She is scheduled to appear before the Honorable Erik P. Christian on January 9, 2024.

            In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Graves and Inspector General Lucas acknowledged the work of those who are investigating and prosecuting the case from the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the D.C. Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU). They commended the efforts of Special Assistant United States Attorney Emmanuela Charles, on detail from the D.C. OIG MFCU, who is prosecuting the case.

            An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

WASHINGTON – Darren West, 28, of Washington D.C., was sentenced to 60 months in prison and three years of supervised release for burglarizing a home in Northwest Washington, D.C., and for sexually assaulting two women in Northwest and Southeast Washington, D.C. respectively, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            West pleaded guilty in September 2023 to one count of second degree burglary and two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced on December 11, 2023 by the Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld.

            According to the Government’s evidence, on June 11, 2023, West entered the victims’ home through an unlocked rear door and cornered one of the victims in her bedroom.  When the victim called out to her roommate for help, the victim’s roommate confronted West with pepper spray and told West to leave the home. The defendant returned to the rear of the victims’ home and stole an iPhone before fleeing from the residence. 

            In a separate incident on March 9, 2023, West approached the victim at her workplace and propositioned the victim for oral sex. When the victim declined, West grabbed the victim’s buttocks. In another incident on June 8, 2023, West approached the victim, asked the victim how she was doing, and then grabbed her buttocks. When the victim pushed the defendant away from her, He threatened the victim with physical harm.

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

            The Case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Helfand of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Assistant United States Attorney Alexis Dunlap of the Misdemeanor Domestic Violence Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

WASHINGTON – A District man pleaded guilty today to a string of armed robberies occurring in early 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

            Michael Daniels, 36, of Washington D.C., pleaded to interference with interstate commerce by robbery (also known as a Hobbs Act robbery).

            Beginning in late January 2022, an armed robber held up a half-dozen small commercial establishments in the District of Columbia. At a dry cleaner on Capitol Hill on Jan. 28, 2022, a man wearing a distinctive sweatshirt with an image of the Pink Panther and Inspector Clouseau approached the cash register with a dollar bill and asked for change. The cashier opened the register. The man pulled out a weapon, demanded “all the money,” and then ordered the cashier to lie down on the floor and count down from 100.

            Five similar robberies followed. On Jan. 30, 2022, a man entered a liquor store shortly before 2:30 p.m. on the 1900 block of 9th St., NW. He asked for a bottle of cognac and a pack of rolling papers. Then he pulled out a black handgun. On Jan. 31, 2022, at a mobile phone store on the 1700 block of Columbia Rd., NW, a man wearing a mask asked an employee for change for a dollar. Flashing a black handgun, he demanded money from the register. He fled after ordering the employee to lie down on the floor and count down from 100. On the way out he dropped a mask. The ATF determined that the DNA recovered from the mask originated from Michael Daniels.

            On Feb. 7, 2022, a man wearing a mask walked into a mobile phone store on the 3100 block of Mt. Pleasant St. NW. He lingered for a few minutes, asked about various items for sale, and inquired about a job. He next handed a dollar bill the cashier and asked for change. When the cashier opened the register, the man flashed a handgun and began counting down from five. The cashier handed over cash. The man fled. The cashier noted that the robber had tattoos of numbers near his eyes that were visible despite the suspect’s mask. Michael Daniels has tattoos of numbers near his eyes.

            On Feb. 10, 2022, a man walked into a vape shop on the 600 block of Pennsylvania Ave., SE. He asked for a pack of rolling papers, flashed a handgun, and demanded money from the cashier. On Feb. 13, a man wearing a black mask entered a mobile phone store on the 3700 block of Georgia Ave, NW. He requested change for a $10 bill, asked about a job, then brandished a gun and demanded money. He fled with cash and a cell phone.

            Daniels was arrested on Apr. 12, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

            U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for Apr. 5, 2024. Daniels faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case was investigated by the ATF.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Ranjan Mohanty and Madhu Chugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Candace Battle and Kim Hall provided valuable assistance.

WASHINGTON – Kevin Brown, 39, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of bias enhanced simple assault stemming from the October 6, 2020, attack at the Fort Totten Metro Station, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.

            Brown is to be sentenced on December 13, 2023, at a hearing before Superior Court Judge Jason Park. Brown faces a maximum of 270 days in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on October 6, 2020, Brown approached the victim, who was with his husband and twelve-year-old nephew, on the Fort Totten Metro Station. Brown, never having met the victim before, inquired if the victim was homosexual and followed the victim and his family for several minutes while making homophobic slurs. Brown accused the victim of being a pedophile and having sex with his twelve-year-old nephew before asking the victim’s nephew if “these gays were hurting him.” Brown called the victim and his husband fa****s multiple times before striking the victim about the face with a closed fist three times. The defendant then fled on a southbound red-line metro towards Brookland Station where he was apprehended by Metro Transit Police.

            Brown was convicted by a jury after a four-day trial. Brown is subject to enhanced penalties based on the bias related nature of the assault.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Transit Police Department (MTPD).  

            The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Dal Lago, Luke Albi, Samuel Ison.

            UPDATE: On December 13, 2023, Judge Park sentenced Brown to 270 days in prison after remarking that the government's evidence was overwhelming.

WASHINGTON – A 19-count indictment filed in Superior Court in the District of Columbia and a 33-count superseding indictment filed in U.S. District Court charge a total of 10 people as members of separate alleged carjacking rings that held victims, in Washington, D.C., and Maryland, at gunpoint, stole their vehicles and then sold them. The defendants are believed responsible for at least a dozen incidents involving carjacking or attempted carjacking in the District and parts of Maryland.

           The charges and arrests were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg, of the Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, of the Washington Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to documents filed in Superior Court, seven defendants, five of whom were juveniles at the time of the alleged crimes, conspired to steal cars at gunpoint and sell some of the stolen vehicles.

           Cedae Hardy, the lead defendant in the federal indictment, who was indicted in August 2023 on 18 counts, is charged in 11 additional counts, including an attempted carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury for allegedly shooting a rideshare driver multiple times. The superseding indictment also adds two defendants.

            “Carjackings are among the most violent crimes we prosecute,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The overwhelming majority arrested for carjacking are juveniles and many of the adults are themselves teenagers. To the teenagers fueling these crimes, know that there is no such thing as a “free ride.” Masks will not protect you. We will track you down and aggressively pursue the charges that fit the crime in our continuing effort to make the community safe - including charging juveniles as adults where appropriate - and bringing federal charges.”

            “The number of armed carjackings Cedae Hardy and his co-conspirators are alleged to have committed is truly astonishing,” said David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today’s indictment illustrates the ruthlessness with which these carjackers selected vulnerable targets of opportunity as their victims, including a dentist on her way to work; a mother buckling her young children into her vehicle in front of an elementary school; an elderly couple pulling into the driveway of their home; and a rideshare driver who was allegedly shot by Hardy. The FBI Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department, and our other law enforcement partners who jointly investigated these crimes will continue to use all of our authorities to bring these and other carjackers to justice so they can no longer terrorize our communities.”

            “These cases are an example of what we can accomplish through hard work by our detectives, community cooperation, and by bringing together our local, regional, and federal law enforcement partners,” said Chief Pamela A. Smith. 

U.S. v Jordan, et al

            Jaelen Jordan, 18, and Warren Montgomery, 19, both of Washington, D.C., along with Byron Gillum, also known as Bryon Gillum, 18, Isaiah Flowers, 18, Jahkai Goff, 19, Taj Giles, 18, and Irshaad Ellis-Bey, 18, all of Prince George’s County, MD, are charged in a 19-count indictment arising from a conspiracy to commit armed carjackings in an around the District of Columbia between February and May 2023.

            The conspiracy charges 90 overt acts, including multiple armed carjackings and robberies in the Maryland and Washington DC areas. Jordan, Montgomery, Gillum, Flowers, Goff, Giles, and Ellis-Bey were also charged with the armed carjackings committed in the District, and trafficking stolen property. Jordan was arrested on May 17, 2023, following an investigation. Montgomery and Gillum were arrested on warrants on October 10, 2023, and Goff, Giles, and Ellis-Bey were arrested on December 7, 2023. All defendants have been detained since their arrest. The seventh defendant, Isaiah Flowers, is detained in Prince George’s County on separate charges.

            The defendants will be arraigned on December 14, 2023, before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), United States Marshals Service (USMS), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Valuable assistance was provided by the Prince George’s County Police Department.  

            This case is being investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily R. Kubo and Gregory J. Evans.

U.S. v Cedae Hardy, et al           

            The superseding indictment charges two additional defendants - Landrell Jordan III and Malik Norman, both 19 of Washington, D.C. – for conspiring with Hardy and for their role in multiple carjackings in May and June 2023. The initial 18-count indictment charged Cedae Hardy, also 19, of Washington, D.C., in six separate carjackings throughout Washington, D.C., and Maryland, between April and June of 2023. The 33-count superseding indictment adds charges against Hardy in connection with five more carjackings between January and May of 2023, including an attempted carjacking in which he allegedly shot the victim multiple times. All of the defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking. Hardy is charged in 29 of the 33 counts, including four counts of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle and three counts of sale or receipt of a stolen vehicle. Norman is charged in 13 counts, including four counts of carjacking, four counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, and two counts of sale or receipt of a stolen vehicle. Jordan is charged in five counts, including two counts of carjacking and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

            According to the indictment, as part of the conspiracy, Hardy drove the carjacked vehicles to a garage adjoining an apartment complex located at 1326 Florida Avenue Northeast, Washington, D.C. (the “Florida Avenue Garage”). A co-conspirator would contact potential buyers, who in these instances were undercover officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The co-conspirator would arrange a time to meet the undercover officers at a predetermined location - usually the Florida Avenue Garage – and complete the sale of the carjacked vehicles. The co-conspirators and Hardy would then split the proceeds. For example, on April 8, 2023, Hardy arrived at the Florida Avenue Garage in a victim’s stolen Mercedes. Co‑Conspirator 1 and Co-Conspirator 2 opened the door to the Florida Avenue Garage for Hardy. The victim’s Mercedes was sold on April 10, 2023, by Co-Conspirator 1 to MPD undercover officers for $1,200.  

            It is further alleged that in May and June 2023, Norman contacted Hardy on multiple occasions to request that he obtain vehicles. In response to these requests, Hardy committed armed carjackings and transferred the carjacked vehicles to Norman in exchange for money. Landrell Jordan is charged for his direct participation, alongside Hardy, in two such armed carjackings committed in May 2023; following both offenses, the carjacked vehicle was then transferred to Norman. 

            It is also alleged that on June 13, 2023, Norman sent a text message to Hardy requesting two vehicles. A day later, Hardy carjacked a woman in Southeast Washington as she was putting her children into her car, picked up Norman in the carjacked vehicle and, after driving at a high rate of speed, crashed into another motorist.

All of the defendants are in custody. Following the execution of search warrants, law enforcement recovered multiple guns and proceeds from carjacking victims.

            In federal court, the statutory maximum sentence for carjacking is 15 years in prison, or up to 25 years in prison if serious bodily injury occurs; the mandatory minimum sentence for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence is seven years in prison. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The sentence imposed will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office Violent Crimes Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department Carjacking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the Prince George’s County, Hyattsville, and Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Departments. 

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, Paul V. Courtney, and Jared English, of the Federal Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON – Charles Johnson, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 years in prison on multiple counts of first degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, multiple counts of first degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, second degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, attempted first degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, and assault. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the sentence. Johnson was convicted in July 2023 after a five-day trial in Superior Court in the District of Columbia.

According to evidence and testimony presented at trial, on multiple occasions between November 2019 and September 2021, Johnson sexually abused a child who was nine-  and 10-years-old at the time of the assaults. Johnson subjected the child to sexual acts and repeatedly forced her to perform sexual acts on him. Johnson, who was an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, resided in the home with the victim and took advantage of occasions when he was left in a position of supervision and care over her.

The Honorable Michael O’Keefe sentenced Johnson to a total of 384 months across multiple counts, to be followed by a period of supervised release. Upon his release, Johnson will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Crocetti and Kathleen Houck, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Charles Edwards and Murali Venkata are charged in United States District Court for the District of Columbia case number 20-cr-66 and Sonal Patel is charged in case number 19-cr-81. Charles Edwards, Sonal Patel, and Murali Venkata, who were then employed at the Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General, engaged in an unlawful scheme to convert government property for private gain between October 2014 and April 2017. They stole valuable code and databases belonging to the government. Their plan was to use the stolen property to develop a commercial software product, which they intended to sell back to the government at a profit. They hired a software development company in India to build the purported commercial product. To facilitate the Indian developers’ work, they gave the developers access to vast amounts of sensitive information contained within the stolen databases, including law-enforcement records, information regarding witnesses and confidential informants, and the Personally Identifying Information (“PII”) of hundreds of thousands of government employees. Upon learning that he was under investigation, Venkata deleted incriminating text messages, call records, and emails in an effort to obstruct the investigation.

            Sonal Patel and Charles Edwards both pled guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government. On April 4, 2019, Sonal Patel pled guilty pre-indictment to one count of conspiracy to commit theft of government property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. On March 5, 2020, a grand jury returned Indictment charging defendants Charles Edwards and Murali Venkata with conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 (count one); theft of government property, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 641 & 2 (count two); wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 & 2 (counts three through eleven); and aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1028A & 2 (counts twelve through fifteen). The Indictment also charged Venkata with destruction of records, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1519 (count sixteen). On January 14, 2022, Charles Edwards pled guilty to count one and count two.  Murali Venkata decided to go to trial, which began on March 28, 2022. On April 11, 2022, the jury returned a verdict finding Venkata guilty of all counts on which they deliberated: Counts one, two, eleven, thirteen, and sixteen. The Court subsequently dismissed counts twelve through fifteen.

            Sentencing dates have now been scheduled for all three defendants. The sentencing for Murali Venkata is currently scheduled for January 4, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The sentencing for Charles Edwards is currently scheduled for January 12, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EST. The sentencing for Sonal Patel is currently scheduled for January 26, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. EST. All of the sentencings will be held before Judge Randolph D. Moss in Courtroom 8 of the U.S. District Courthouse.  The courthouse address is 333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20001. 

            If you believe you were a victim of Edwards, Patel, and Venkata’s unauthorized disclosure of PII, please find more information here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/us-v-edwardspatelvenkata.

WASHINGTON – Ashton Inabinet, 16, of Alexandria, Virginia, was arrested yesterday on Second Degree Murder While Armed charges stemming from the homicide of 24-year-old Diamonte Lewis on October 21, 2023, in front of Nellies Bar at 9th and U Streets NW, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced. 

            Inabinet, who was a student at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Virginia, was arraigned on a charge of second degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court, Courtroom C-10, earlier today, where he entered a plea of not guilty. Judge Nolan found probable cause that the defendant committed the murder and held him without bond pending a preliminary hearing on December 13, 2023 before Judge Robert Okun.  

            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 arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Assistant United States Attorney Erin DeRiso for her efforts in prosecuting this case.

WASHINGTON – Corry Blue Evans, 31, of New York, N.Y. was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his role in an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme, which involved one of his brothers pretending to be a New York mobster to get a Maryland man to embezzle more than $4 million from his Washington, D.C., employer. Evans is the fifth defendant to be sentenced in the case.

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

            Evans pleaded guilty in January 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Evans to serve three years of supervised release. Consistent with his plea agreement, Evans also must pay $4,217,542.86 in restitution and $772,500 in a forfeiture money judgment.

          In April 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Evans and his older brothers Tony John Evans and Robert Evans, their parents Archie Kaslov and Candy Evans, and Robert Evans’ common-law ex-wife, Gina Rita Russell, on various charges.

         According to the government’s evidence, a New York woman conspired with the Evans brothers, Kaslov, and Russell to extort money and gold bars from a Maryland man. The scheme caused the Maryland man to embezzle funds from his employer between January and March 2017. The Maryland man converted embezzled funds to cash and gold bars which he delivered to New York drop-off locations, including a hotel room, believing the funds were going to mobsters to whom the New York woman owed money. At one point during the scheme, Tony John Evans spoke to the man on the phone and threatened him by asking if he needed to remind the man where his kids went to school and where the man lived.

            In reality, all of the funds the man embezzled and delivered to New York went to members of the Evans-Kaslov family. Among other things, in January 2017, Corry Evans helped facilitate the cashing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cashier’s checks obtained with stolen funds. He admitted that he called a check cashing store employee multiple times for the purpose of convincing him that the New York woman, who was attempting to cash the checks, wanted money for her own purposes even though Corry Evans knew that was false and that he and his family members would ultimately take the cash. Indeed, after the New York woman successfully cashed hundreds of thousands of dollars in checks at the check cashing store, she provided all of the money to the Evans brothers. Archie Kaslov then drove the brothers to the New York diamond district where Kaslov and others used criminal proceeds to purchase luxury watches.

            In late January 2017, the Maryland man traveled to New York to deliver approximately $500,000 in cash. In conjunction with that delivery, members of the Evans/Kaslov family briefly followed the Maryland man’s vehicle and took a photo of it, which was then shared with the Maryland man to terrify him into believing he was being actively surveilled by the mafia. After the Maryland man delivered the $500,000 in cash to a hotel room, some of the money ended up being transported to Corry Evans’ residence.

            Towards the end of March 2017, the Maryland man delivered well over $1 million in gold bars to a hotel room in New York. Corry Evans, his brothers, and father all discussed the need to sell the gold. Corry Evans subsequently went to a jewelry store in New York with a sample of the gold, trying to sell it. Later, his brothers, father, and he all sold gold to that jeweler.

            In May 2017, Corry Evans and his father traveled to Texas, where Kaslov used proceeds from the crime to pay $315,000 in cash for a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead.

            Corry Evans is the latest Evans/Kaslov family member to be sentenced. Gina Russell, Tony John Evans, and Robert Evans all pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by extortion. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, who presided over this case before it was transferred to Judge Chutkan, sentenced Tony John Evans, 35, and Robert Evans, 36, to five years in prison. Russell, 35, has not yet been sentenced.

            Archie Kaslov, 57, pleaded guilty in September 2020 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Sullivan sentenced him to 30 months in prison. 

            Candy Evans, 54, pleaded guilty in September 2020 to tampering with a witness by corrupt persuasion or misleading conduct. Judge Sullivan sentenced her to one year and a day in prison.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Arvind Lal and Paralegal Specialist Angela De Falco, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oliver McDaniel and Melissa Goforth Koenig, who assisted with restraining funds.

WASHINGTON – Jordan Jones, 23, of Silver Spring, Maryland,, pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the fatal shooting of Noel Nicol on October 11, 2021 in the 2000 block of Savannah Place Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The plea was entered before Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe who  scheduled sentencing for March 15, 2024.

            According to court documents, Jones arranged to meet Nicol on October 11, 2021, the day after he purchased a 9mm handgun (the same caliber as murder weapon). Detectives obtained surveillance video footage from the date and time when Mr. Nicol was last seen by family and friends until October 14, 2021, when his body was found by the police in the driver’s seat of his car which was parked on Savannah Place. Jones admitted to the police in his post-arrest interview that he was in the car during the shooting. The medical examiner’s findings  and the physical evidence recovered by the police were consistent with the shots being fired from the passenger side of the vehicle.

            This case was investigated by the Criminal Investigation Division / Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante.

WASHINGTON – Hakeem Remy, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 64 months in prison term on Nov. 30, 2023, for unlawfully possessing a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered Remy to serve three years of supervised release.

            On Mar. 6, 2023, Remy escaped from a halfway house while serving a sentence for gun possession and drug distribution convictions. There was a warrant out for his arrest. Remy previously had been convicted of a crime punishable by a term exceeding one year in Superior Court the District of Columbia.

            On Apr. 24, 2023, MPD officers were patrolling the 1900 block of 19th Place, SE. Remy spotted the police and fled on foot, eventually throwing a firearm into the woods before being arrested. Police recovered a Glock 9mm semi-automatic gun that was armed with one round in the chamber and 17 bullets in a high-capacity magazine. The firearm had been reported stolen in 2021 out of Fairfax Co., Va.

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

WASHINGTON – Alexander Adams, 35, of Washington, DC, pleaded guilty December 4, 2023, to aggravated assault of a senior citizen, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced. Sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2024, before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 23, 2022, around 11:10 p.m., the defendant randomly approached then 78-year-old John Hopkins and then 79-year-old Claudia Hopkins outside of the Giant located at 3700 Newark Street NW, Washington, D.C., and asked them for five dollars. When Mr. Hopkins gave the defendant one dollar, the defendant declared, “That is not enough!” and began attacking Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins. Defendant first struck Mr. Hopkins with his fist, causing Mr. Hopkins to fall. Then, the defendant took Mr. Hopkins’ wooden cane and began beating Mrs. Hopkins with it about her head and body, causing her to fall backward and hit her head on the concrete. Fortunately, two District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel were sitting at a red light near the Giant and saw the attack. They immediately took action and transported Mrs. Hopkins to the hospital. Metropolitan Police Department officers apprehended Adams around the corner from the Giant.

            As a result of the attack, Mrs. Hopkins suffered numerous injuries including a concussion, a brain bleed, swelling on the brain, altered mental state and cognitive deficits. In fact, to this day, Mrs. Hopkins suffers from severe cognitive decline and will likely never recover.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case.

            The case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakinah Douglas with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah Simmons.

WASHINGTON – James Trankle, 55, previously of Churchton, Maryland, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for conspiracy to commit mail and bank fraud, and five additional counts of bank fraud. The charges all stemmed from a scheme in which Trankle created fake charities, solicited donations, and then stole the identities of the donors he tricked into giving funds. Many of the victims were older adults.

            The sentence, in posted on December 1, 2023, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Inspector-in-Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service – Washington Division. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered five years of supervised release, restitution of $204,561, and forfeiture of $135,327.

            Trankle was found guilty on May 15, 2023, following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to evidence presented in court, from 2013 to 2018 Trankle and his co-defendant, Stephen Sibert, created fake charities, registered those entities with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), and then presented them as legitimate charities. Among the examples included the bogus “Disabled and Paralyzed Veterans Fund,” the “National Breast Cancer Awareness Fund,” and the “Children’s Leukemia of America Fund.”

            Trankle used a post office box address in Washington, D.C., as the official mailing address for the fake charities. He opened numerous bank accounts in the names of the fraudulent charities. And he sent solicitations via U.S. mail to thousands of potential donors—his targeted victims—nationwide, asking the recipients to send personal checks as donations. Through the scheme, Trankle obtained over 1,600 personal checks from victims who thought they were making charitable gifts. Trankle then deposited those checks into bank accounts that he and Sibert controlled. The government’s analysis of those accounts showed that the conspirators obtained more than $45,000 from their victims who falsely believed that they were giving money to legitimate organizations.

            In addition, using the bank account and routing information from the victims’ checks, the conspirators printed additional unauthorized counterfeit checks payable to their fraudulent charities that were then drawn against the victims’ personal checking accounts. The conspirators deposited those unauthorized counterfeit checks into the bank accounts they controlled, and then later withdrew the money and spent the funds on personal expenses. In total, Trankle and Sibert deposited more than 700 counterfeit checks with a total value of more than $150,000.

            The fraudulent charities did not perform any of the charitable work described in their solicitations, nor did the fraudulent charities provide any significant funds to other charities that did so. Trankle concealed his scheme under the guise of operating a church from his office in Maryland.

           This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Borchert and Brian Kelly, and Paralegal Specialist Gina Torres Trujillo.

WASHINGTON – Avon Burke, 52, of Washington D.C., was sentenced on December 1, 2023 to a 90 month prison term for shooting two men in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Burke pleaded guilty in August 2023 to two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz.

            According to the Government’s evidence, Burke was present in the alleyway in the rear of 1355 New York Avenue NE, when a fight broke out between a group of men.  Burke was not physically involved in this fight.  While this group of men were fighting, Burke walked towards the group of men, raised both arms and extended them forward while holding a silver in color revolver, and fired two rounds in the direction of the two victims.  One victim was struck in the chest and the other victim was struck in the leg.  The Defendant then left the alleyway.

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

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Helfand of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

WASHINGTON – Jonathan Robinson-Gripper, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 36-month prison term for burglarizing a home near Observatory Circle, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Robinson-Gripper pleaded guilty in August 2023 to one count of second-degree burglary in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and, today, the Honorable Jason Park sentenced Robinson-Gripper to 36 months in prison. Following his prison term, Robinson-Gripper will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on August 19, 2022, Robinson-Gripper was canvassing the Observatory Circle neighborhood on behalf of a non-profit organization. He broke into one of the homes he visited while the homeowner slept inside. Robinson-Gripper stole some money and left the house. His actions were recorded by the home’s surveillance system and the nonprofit organization cooperated with MPD’s investigation, providing evidence that led to Robinson-Gripper’s arrest.

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

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlos A. Valdivia.

WASHINGTON – Andrew Patrick, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years of incarceration for the September 2022 armed carjacking at a southeast gas station, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Patrick was found guilty at trial on September 27, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of armed carjacking, and related firearm offenses. According to that evidence, on September 22, 2022, the victim had driven her 2005 Chevy Suburban to the Good Hope Road gas station in Washington, DC when the defendant approached her and demanded her car keys at gunpoint. The victim begged Patrick not to hurt her. In response, Patrick pushed the victim into her vehicle, grabbed her keys, and drove off in her car.  The victim called 911 and immediately reported the crime. Police apprehended Patrick in the victim’s car later that day, after a license plate reader detected the victim’s tags when he drove it through Northeast DC. Police officers also found a black and grey Glock 37 inside the vehicle.

            At the sentencing hearing, the victim gave a powerful and moving statement to the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz in which she explained how the defendant’s crimes had impacted her life, hurt her deep “in her soul,” and made her fear for her life.  The victim specifically thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory J. Evans and Omeed A. Assefi and Victim/Witness Advocate Christie Bloodworth for their hard work and continued support throughout the investigation and trial process.

            At the conclusion of the hearing, Judge Leibovitz sentenced the defendant to 16 years’ incarceration for the armed carjacking offense, which carries a 15-year mandatory-minimum sentence.  Patrick was also sentenced to five years for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, three years for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, fourteen months for carrying a pistol without a license, one year for possession of an unregistered firearm, and one year for unlawful possession of ammunition. The judge also ordered that defendant serve five years of supervised release after he completes his sentence.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Assistant U.S. Attorney Noah N. Simmons, Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather, Victim/Witness Advocate Christie Bloodworth, and Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory J. Evans and Omeed A. Assefi, who investigated, prosecuted, and tried the case.