District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Arian Taherzadeh was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for pretending to be a federal law enforcement officer to curry favor with members of the U.S. Secret Service, and to lease several luxury apartments for which he then failed to pay rent.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division; Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, of the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

            On Aug. 1, 2022, Taherzadeh, 41, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to conspiracy, a federal offense, and unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device and voyeurism, both District of Columbia offenses, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $706,218.

            According to court documents, Taherzadeh and a co-conspirator, Haider Ali, 36, of Springfield, Va., operated a business called United States Special Police LLC (USSP), which was described as a private law enforcement, investigative, and protective service based in Washington, D.C. The two men represented themselves to law enforcement as investigators and/or special agents and claimed that their unit was part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The company was not associated in any way with the U.S. government or the District of Columbia and had never done business with the federal or D.C. governments.

            As the scheme unfolded, Taherzadeh falsely claimed at various times to be, among other things, a Special Agent with the DHS, a member of a multi-jurisdictional federal task force, a former U.S. Air Marshal, and a former U.S. Army Ranger. He used these false claims to recruit others to USSP, under the guise that it was part of a covert federal law enforcement task force, to defraud owners of three apartment complexes into providing him with multiple apartments and parking spaces for his supposed law enforcement operations, and to ingratiate himself with members of federal law enforcement and the defense community. Both Taherzadeh and Ali used these false claims to recruit others to join their “task force” or “unit,” which these individuals believed to be part of DHS and federal law enforcement.

            In furtherance of the scheme, Taherzadeh and Ali ingratiated themselves with employees of the U.S. Secret Service because it provided them with cover and aided in their scheme. Beginning as early as the spring of 2020, Taherzadeh began falsely identifying himself as a Special Agent to employees of the United States Secret Service. In one instance, he falsely claimed to two Secret Service employees that he was in a gang unit.  He told another that he was part of a covert task force. Taherzadeh also provided these Secret Service employees with tangible and intangible gifts. For instance, Taherzadeh provided one employee and his wife with a generator and a doomsday/survival backpack. He provided another employee with a rent-free penthouse apartment for approximately one year, worth approximately $40,200. He provided a third employee with a rent-free apartment for approximately one year, worth an estimated $48,240, as well as a drone, a gun locker, and a Pelican case.

            Taherzadeh and others used assumed law enforcement personas and the business to maintain leases for multiple apartments and parking spaces for supposed law enforcement operation at three luxury apartment complexes in the District of Columbia. At one luxury apartment complex in Southeast D.C., Taherzadeh and Ali maintained several units including a penthouse where Taherzadeh and Ali possessed, among other things, a Glock handgun registered to Ali that was loaded with a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, surveillance equipment, law enforcement tactical gear and a machine capable of programming Personal Identification Verification (PIV) cards used to create false credentials. Within his own apartment, Taherzadeh possessed a Sig Sauer P229 handgun with five, fully loaded large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, containing 61 rounds of ammunition. They also used their false identification with law enforcement to obtain security footage in the building as well as a list of the building’s residents as well as their apartment numbers and contact information.

            Throughout their tenancies at the three luxury apartment complexes, no rent was paid on the leased apartments or parking garage spaces. This resulted in a loss to the buildings of $698,363 and to the garage of $7,854.

            Finally, Taherzadeh installed surveillance cameras outside and inside his apartment in one of the complexes. Among other places, he installed, maintained, and utilized cameras in his bedroom. He used these cameras to record women engaged in sexual activity. Taherzadeh then showed these explicit videos to third parties.

            Taherzadeh and Ali, were arrested on Apr. 6, 2022.  Ali pleaded guilty on Oct. 5, 2022, to a conspiracy and bank fraud, both federal offenses, and unlawful possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, a District of Columbia Offense. On Aug. 8, 2023, Ali was sentenced to 68 months of incarceration followed by 36 months of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Joshua S. Rothstein of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section.

            Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice and Paralegal Specialists Quiana Dunn-Gordon, and Lisa Abbe and former Paralegal Specialist Chad Byron of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Kathleen Campbell and Evan Turgeon of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division.

WASHINGTON – The owner, president, and chief executive officer of an automotive parts distributor pleaded guilty today in Washington, D.C., to conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act.

Aaron Rudolf, 36, of Burlington, North Carolina, pleaded guilty, November 29, 2023, and agreed to pay a fine of $600,000 for conspiring to violate the Clean Air Act by tampering with a monitoring device on diesel trucks. According to court documents, Rudolf founded Rudy’s Performance Parts Inc. in 2009. Rudy’s is a distributor and seller of aftermarket automotive and truck parts.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance made the announcement.

According to court documents, Rudolf and others agreed to have Rudy’s employees disable or remove emissions control components and tamper with on-board diagnostic systems (OBDs) on approximately 300 diesel trucks between 2015 and 2017. As part of the process, Rudy’s sold, and its employees installed, “defeat devices” known as “tuners.” The tuners plugged into the vehicle’s OBD port to reprogram the electronic control unit and tamper with the OBDs, impairing its ability to monitor the operation of the vehicle’s emission control system. Rudolf and certain Rudy’s employees knew that using the tuners in this manner would tamper with the OBDs on vehicles that were not used exclusively for competition purposes. The removal of emission control components resulted in additional diesel exhaust emissions, which include multiple hazardous compounds that negatively impact human health and the environment.

U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden scheduled sentencing for on April 12, 2024.

EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division is investigating the case.

Attorneys from ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Marcus Hawkins, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 42-month prison term for burglarizing a home located in the 400 block of Florida Avenue, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Hawkins pleaded guilty in June 2023 to one count of second-degree burglary in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Erik Christian. Following his prison term, Hawkins will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Hawkins broke into the Florida Avenue residence around midnight on June 15, 2023. He stole several items from the home, including Sony over-ear headphones, a debit card, and a computer backpack. He used the debit card in a nearby convenience store then returned to the same residence, entered a bedroom where a resident was sleeping, and fled from the home only after the victim woke up and shouted at Hawkins. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department used footage from the convenience store to identify the suspect, and a patrol officer spotted Hawkins two days later wearing the stolen backpack.

            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 – Alonzo Lewis, 38, of Washington, D.C. has been sentenced to a 30-year prison term for two counts of second-degree murder while armed stemming from the brutal shooting of a local married couple, Venius Badgett – a school bus aide and Jaquan Helm – a youth football coach, which took place over Memorial Day weekend in 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Lewis pleaded guilty in October 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s, approval calls for an agreed upon 30-year prison term. Today, the Honorable Rainey Brandt approved the agreement and sentenced Lewis accordingly. Following his prison term, Lewis will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, May 26, 2018, at approximately 10:10 p.m., Ms. Badgett and her husband, Mr. Helm, encountered Lewis’s young son riding his bike in a dark parking lot. Fearful that the child might get hit, Ms. Badgett told Lewis’s son not to ride his bike in the parking lot at night. Lewis’s son then told his mother, Lewis’s wife, about the incident, and Lewis’s wife engaged Ms. Badgett in a physical altercation. Mr. Helm was able to break up the altercation, and as he and Ms. Badgett returned home on foot, Lewis’s son called Lewis to the scene. Lewis arrived on scene and fatally shot the couple in front of a number of children who were outside playing over the holiday weekend. The couple leaves behind a number of children, some of whom were on scene that day and who witnessed the murders.

            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. Attorneys Alicia Long and Emma McArthur.

WASHINGTON – Darquise Montgomery, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for the September 2020 shooting death of Anthony Lee, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  He was sentenced by the Honorable Rainey Brandt of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            Montgomery is the second of three defendants in this case. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed on October 3, 2023. Co-defendant Kyrie Wells, 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to the same charge on January 3, 2023, and was sentenced, on April 13, 2023, to 14 years in prison. A third and final defendant in the case, Niko Hall, pleaded guilty on October 3, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, just before 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, Anthony Lee, 25, of Washington, D.C., was walking south on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. with a companion. The three defendants lined up across the sidewalk behind him. As Mr. Lee crossed Malcolm X Avenue, Hall, Wells, and Montgomery drew their handguns and opened fire, hitting Mr. Lee once in the back, and killing him.

            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 commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter V. Roman and Jessica Keefer and Deputy Chief Laura Bach, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

A Utah man was arrested on Friday and charged for threatening a Palestinian rights organization.

According to publicly filed court documents, between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, Kevin Brent Buchanan, of Tooele, called the organization and left at least five voice messages stating, in part, “You’re the enemy,” “You’re being catalogued,” “You’re gonna die” and “You’re dead people walking.”

Buchanan is charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another. If convicted, Buchanan faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine not to exceed $250,000.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with significant assistance from the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower for the District of Columbia’s Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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

WASHINGTON – Kevin Brent Buchanan, 62, of Tooele, Utah, was charged by complaint, unsealed today, with threatening a Palestinian rights organization. According to publicly filed court documents, between Oct. 31 and Nov. 2, Buchanan called the organization and left at least five voice messages stating, in part, “You’re the enemy,” “You’re being catalogued,” “You’re gonna die,” and “You’re dead people walking.”

            Buchanan is charged with transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to injure the person of another. If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine not to exceed $250,000.

            U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

            The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with significant assistance from the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah. Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower, of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case, with assistance from James Donnelly of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

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

WASHINGTON – Maurice Devonte Beckham, 22, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms offense stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on Jan. 30, 2023, while driving a stolen vehicle in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Beckham pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The Honorable Reggie B. Walton scheduled sentencing for Feb. 26, 2024.

According to plea documents, shortly after 2 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2023, MPD officers were on patrol in the 1100 block of Raum St. Northeast when they observed Beckham walk quickly toward a running Honda CR-V and enter its driver’s seat. The officers recognized Beckham from prior interactions and knew him to have outstanding arrest warrants. 

An officer approached the Honda—which was later determined to have been stolen—and Beckham accelerated, nearly striking the officer, and crashing into an occupied, marked police cruiser and a citizen’s parked vehicle. Officers opened the driver’s door and removed Beckham. Beckham attempted to flee on foot. Officers apprehended Beckham and detained him in handcuffs. They then observed in plain view on the driver’s seat floorboard—the same area from which they had just removed Beckham—a semi-automatic firearm. The recovered weapon was a Micro Draco 7.62x39mm caliber firearm, with one round in the chamber and 20 rounds in its 30-round capacity magazine.

Beckham was arrested on Jan. 30, 2023, and has remained in custody since.

Federal law prohibits Beckham from possessing a firearm because he has a prior conviction in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for unauthorized use of a vehicle, which is a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

Beckham faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the court after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office.

The case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul V. Courtney.

WASHINGTON – Reginald Johnson, 31, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced today to 12 years to serve with four years suspended and three years of supervised probation on charges of involuntary manslaughter (criminal negligence) of Carlos Christian and assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a vehicle involved homicide. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            According to the government’s evidence, on January 15, 2023 around 6:10 p.m., Reginald Johnson drove his Jeep eastbound into the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Northwest and 15th Street, N.W crashing into a Toyota Corolla as it was turning left across eastbound traffic lanes onto 15th Street, NW.  Johnson reached a speed of 61 miles per hour shortly before the crash, more than twice the 25 miles per hour speed limit. Johnson told an officer that he saw the car turning but thought it was stopping, sped up, and struck the car towards its tail end.

            Reginald Johnson had been drinking alcoholic beverages at Mission Bar from approximately 1:24 p.m. to 5:46 p.m. before choosing to get behind the wheel. His breath alcohol content at 9:20 p.m. was 0.10 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath. D.C. Code § 50–2206.01 defines intoxicated as “An alcohol concentration at the time of testing of 0.08 grams or more … per 210 liters of the person’s breath…”

            This case was investigated by the MPD’s Major Crash Unit. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter.

WASHINGTON – Derrick Jones, 54, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 months imprisonment for his criminal conduct in two separate cases for masturbating in public, near Bancroft Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant, and then threatening neighbors who asked him to stop. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Jones pleaded guilty on August 7, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to eight separate counts in two cases: two counts of attempted threats, one count of threats, two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child with aggravating circumstances, and three counts of lewd, indecent, or obscene acts before U.S. Superior Court Judge Sean Staples.

            According to court documents, in the afternoon of April 3, 2023, Jones was observed by a neighbor masturbating outside of the neighbor’s apartment building, which is located less than a block away from Bancroft Elementary School. The neighbor, who was with her 11-year-old son, was trying to record Jones’s behavior since, according to the neighbor, this was a routine occurrence during the hours when children were walking to and from school. When Jones observed his neighbor trying to record him on that day, Jones crossed the street in an aggressive manner and made threats to kill the neighbor’s family and their dog.

            On April 6, 2023, a woman was returning home after dropping her nephew off at Bancroft Elementary when she observed Jones outside an apartment masturbating.  Jones made eye contact with the woman and continued his behavior. Additional incidents took place on the morning of April 12, 2023, when Jones again masturbated outside of the apartment building as children were being dropped off at the Bancroft Elementary School, and on April 13, 2023, when Jones exposed himself and masturbated outside of his building as children were walking to school. During that incident, a Bancroft Elementary school crossing guard observed Jones’s behavior, and while another colleague ushered kids to the opposite side of the street out of view, the crossing guard approached Jones and asked him to stop. Jones responded by loudly threatening to “blow y’all up” before going inside an apartment building and returning with a black duffel bag. Not knowing what was in the bag, the crossing guard became even more alarmed and flagged down law enforcement.

            In addition to these incidents, after the defendant’s arrest on April 13, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department further investigated and located additional victims. In pleading guilty, Jones also admitted that between April 1 and April 13, 2023, he exposed himself and masturbated in front of an 11-year-old girl who lived in a neighboring apartment.  He has been detained since his arrest on April 13, 2023. Jones will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, who assisted in the defendant’s apprehension. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Jae Friedman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Wash.

WASHINGTON – Timothy Farrow, 65, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to twelve years in prison for a brutal stabbing which took place on May 6, 2023 by Superior Court Judge Michael O'Keefe. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Farrow pled guilty to assault with the intent to kill while armed on September 15, 2023 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term Judge O’Keefe sentenced him to five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence and Farrow’s plea, Farrow approached the victim in the 3000 block of Minnesota Ave. in Washington, DC on May 6, 2023, at approximately 9:14 PM. Farrow then pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim on his inner thigh, left shoulder, and across his face. The victim suffered extensive life-threatening injuries as a result of that assault. 

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

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Kubo.

WASHINGTON – Tramayne Moore, 26, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for the brazen mid-afternoon robbery of a District man in Southeast Washington DC by Superior Court Judge Jason Park.  The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Moore pleaded guilty, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, in August of 2023, to one count of armed robbery. During that plea hearing, Moore admitted that he approached the victim in the 800 block of Ridge Road Southeast at approximately 3:00 p.m. on May 25, 2023, armed with what appeared to be a handgun. Moore pointed the weapon at the victim and ordered him out of the car. The victim obeyed that command, leaving his wallet and cell phone as well. Moore then took the car and drove off. Within two hours, however, with the aid of information supplied by eyewitnesses to the offense, police were able to locate and apprehend Moore. Police recovered the victim’s car, which had sustained minor damage, and property, but were unable to locate a weapon.

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

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randle Wilson.

WASHINGTON – David Geddie, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Thursday, November 16, 2023, to 19 years in prison, lifetime supervised release, and will be required to register as a sex offender for life for his repeated sexual abuse of multiple children in Washington DC. He was sentenced by the Honorable Anthony C. Epstein of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Geddie pled guilty to one count of First Degree Child Sexual Abuse, one count of Second Degree Child Sexual Abuse, and one count of Misdemeanor Sexual Abuse in March 2023  

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Pamela Smith, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the government’s evidence, over the course of several months in 2021, the defendant acted as a babysitter for three child victims, ages 11, 6 and 6. During that time, the defendant forced the child victims to perform sexual acts on him and forced the child victims to perform sexual acts on each other. Following his arrest, the defendant admitted to sexually abusing the child victims, and admitted that he filmed the abuse.

            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 and the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the cases at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson and Tiffany Jones, and Victim Assistance Specialist Maria Sanchez Garcia.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Crocetti and Janani Iyengar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

A Massachusetts woman was found guilty today of federal civil rights conspiracy and violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).

Paula “Paulette” Harlow, 75, of Kingston, was convicted following a bench trial. All nine defendants have been convicted of federal conspiracy against rights and FACE Act offenses following three separate trials in connection with an Oct. 22, 2020, blockade of a Washington, D.C., area reproductive health clinic. On Aug. 29, a jury convicted defendants Lauren Handy, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman and Herb Geraghty. On Sept. 15, a separate jury convicted defendants Jonathan Darnel, Jean Marshall and Joan Bell. On March 1, a tenth defendant, Jay Smith, pleaded guilty to a felony FACE Act offense.

“Violence and physical obstructions that interfere with access to reproductive health clinics violate the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The convictions in this case send a strong message that such criminal conduct against reproductive health care providers and patients will not be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be held accountable. The Justice Department stands ready to protect both those who provide and those who seek access to safe and legal reproductive health care.”   

“Our Constitution and laws protect many rights – to protest, to debate, to advocate for different laws. But no one is entitled to deprive other people of their civil rights. That’s a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “With locks, with chains, with violence, these defendants conspired to prevent fellow citizens from exercising their rights to receive and to provide reproductive health care. As these verdicts show, our city will not tolerate that, and our department will ensure justice is done.”

“FACE Act violations such as this one are not taken lightly – these are serious crimes that endanger people’s physical safety and can be traumatizing for patients and staff,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners will always work to protect every American’s access to reproductive health care services.” 

“The First Amendment protects Americans’ right to peacefully express their opinions — not intimidate, threaten or interfere with those who are exercising their civil rights,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to investigate FACE Act violations to ensure that patients and providers can receive or provide lawful reproductive health care without the threat of violence or intimidation.”

Evidence presented at trial established that the defendants executed a clinic blockade planned by the group’s leaders, Handy and Darnel. The defendants used social media, text messages and telephone calls to organize the blockade, and several defendants traveled from northeast and midwestern states to participate in the clinic invasion. Prior to the blockade, the defendants met with other co-conspirators to formulate their tactics, which included making a fake patient appointment to ensure the group’s entry into the clinic, using chains and locks to barricade the facility and passively resisting arrest to prolong the obstruction. The clinic invasion was advertised on social media as an “historic” event and was livestreamed on Facebook.

At the outset of the invasion, the defendants forced their way into the clinic, injuring a clinic nurse. The blockade forced one patient to climb through a receptionist window to access the clinic, while another was denied entry as she lay in physical distress in the hallway outside the clinic.

On Aug. 7, Smith was sentenced to 10 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release following his guilty plea. The remaining defendants, including Harlow, who were convicted following the three trials face up to 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000 each. Those sentencing dates are yet to be determined.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case.

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

WASHINGTON – A Massachusetts woman was found guilty today of federal civil rights conspiracy and violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).

            Paula “Paulette” Harlow, 75, of Kingston, was convicted following a bench trial. All nine defendants have been convicted of federal conspiracy against rights and FACE Act offenses following three separate trials in connection with an Oct. 22, 2020, blockade of a Washington, D.C., area reproductive health clinic. On Aug. 29, a jury convicted defendants Lauren Handy, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, William Goodman and Herb Geraghty. On Sept. 15, a separate jury convicted defendants Jonathan Darnel, Jean Marshall and Joan Bell. On March 1, a tenth defendant, Jay Smith, pleaded guilty to a felony FACE Act offense.

            “Violence and physical obstructions that interfere with access to reproductive health clinics violate the law,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The convictions in this case send a strong message that such criminal conduct against reproductive health care providers and patients will not be tolerated, and the perpetrators will be held accountable. The Justice Department stands ready to protect both those who provide and those who seek access to safe and legal reproductive health care.”  

            “Our Constitution and laws protect many rights – to protest, to debate, to advocate for different laws. But no one is entitled to deprive other people of their civil rights. That’s a crime,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “With locks, with chains, with violence, these defendants conspired to prevent fellow citizens from exercising their rights to receive and to provide reproductive health care. As these verdicts show, our city will not tolerate that, and our department will ensure justice is done.”

            “FACE Act violations such as this one are not taken lightly – these are serious crimes that endanger people’s physical safety and can be traumatizing for patients and staff,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners will always work to protect every American’s access to reproductive health care services.”

            “The First Amendment protects Americans’ right to peacefully express their opinions — not intimidate, threaten or interfere with those who are exercising their civil rights,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “The FBI will continue to investigate FACE Act violations to ensure that patients and providers can receive or provide lawful reproductive health care without the threat of violence or intimidation.”

            Evidence presented at trial established that the defendants executed a clinic blockade planned by the group’s leaders, Handy and Darnel. The defendants used social media, text messages and telephone calls to organize the blockade, and several defendants traveled from northeast and midwestern states to participate in the clinic invasion. Prior to the blockade, the defendants met with other co-conspirators to formulate their tactics, which included making a fake patient appointment to ensure the group’s entry into the clinic, using chains and locks to barricade the facility and passively resisting arrest to prolong the obstruction. The clinic invasion was advertised on social media as an “historic” event and was livestreamed on Facebook.

            At the outset of the invasion, the defendants forced their way into the clinic, injuring a clinic nurse. The blockade forced one patient to climb through a receptionist window to access the clinic, while another was denied entry as she lay in physical distress in the hallway outside the clinic.

            On Aug. 7, Smith was sentenced to 10 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release following his guilty plea. The remaining defendants, including Harlow, who were convicted following the three trials face up to 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine up to $250,000 each. Those sentencing dates are yet to be determined.

            The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Attorneys from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of New York; and FBI Field Offices in Pittsburgh, Newark, New York City, Boston, and Detroit provided valuable assistance.

WASHINGTON – Atawan Mundu John, a.k.a., John Mundu Atawan, 46, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced today to nine months in prison for attempting to tamper with a witness more than nine years ago during a federal healthcare fraud investigation.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon, of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General for the region that includes Washington, D.C., and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            In February 2014, a federal grand jury charged Florence Bikundi, who owned and operated a home health care agency, with various offenses related to a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud the D.C. Medicaid program. The defendant was employed by Bikundi’s agency as a personal care aide. After Bikundi was arrested, the investigation into her and others continued. As part of its investigation, law enforcement agents interviewed the defendant multiple times.

            On June 12, 2014, a Medicaid beneficiary who received kickbacks from the defendant to help facilitate Medicaid fraud placed a recorded call to the defendant that lasted approximately 18 minutes. During that call, the defendant – fully aware of the active federal investigation – instructed the beneficiary to lie to the FBI about ever receiving money or kickbacks. The defendant admitted on the call that paying money to beneficiaries was fraud.  Law enforcement agents confronted the defendant with the recorded call five days later. Before formal charges were brought against him, the defendant fled the area.

            In December 2014, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Florence Bikundi, her husband Michael Bikundi, Christian Asongcha, five other individuals, and the defendant with various offenses related to the scheme to defraud Medicaid. The defendant was charged with one count of attempted witness tampering. Five of the individuals pleaded guilty to health care fraud, and in November 2015, a jury convicted Florence and Michael Bikundi of multiple offenses after a trial. By June 2016, the Bikundis and five other individuals all had been sentenced while Asongcha, who has never been apprehended, and the defendant remained fugitives. Florence Bikundi was sentenced to ten years in prison; her husband Michael Bikundi received a seven-year sentence. The co-defendants received sentences ranging from probation with home confinement to three months in prison.

            The defendant remained a fugitive until July 13, 2023, when he was arrested in Maryland. He has been held without bond since his arrest.

            On August 4, 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty to attempted tampering with a witness before U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell.

            Today, Judge Howell sentenced him to nine months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She also ordered that he pay $80,493 in restitution to the D.C. Medicaid program, an amount equal to what Medicaid paid home health agencies for false claims associated with three Medicaid beneficiaries to whom the defendant paid kickbacks.

            The government urges the public to provide tips and assistance to stop health care fraud. If you have information about individuals committing health care fraud, including the whereabouts of Christian Asongcha, please call the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General hotline at 800-HHS‑TIPS (800 447-8477) or the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at 202-724-TIPS (202 724-8477).

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Multiple people from the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked on the case, including former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel A. André, Anthony Saler, and Michelle Bradford, who tried Florence and Michael Bikundi. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman prosecuted Atawan Mundu John from the time of his arrest through today’s sentencing.

WASHINGTON – Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to 27 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release for an assault on a member of Congress and two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer stemming from a series of incidents on Feb. 9, 2023, in the District of Columbia.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves, Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the United States Capitol Police.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 7:10 a.m., on Feb. 9, a United States Congressperson was in the lobby of an apartment complex in Washington, D.C., when they were assaulted by an individual, later identified as Hamlin. As a result of the assault, the Congressperson sustained personal injuries.

            Authorities later located Hamlin, and as they attempted an arrest, Hamlin also assaulted the officers. Hamlin has remained in custody since the arrest.

            This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Schneider.

            WASHINGTON –Thomas Kennedy McCormick, aka “fubar,” of Cambridge, Mass., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for his role in the racketeering conspiracy to develop and distribute malicious software (malware) through an international computer hacking forum known as Darkode.

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

            In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge John D. Bates ordered 36 months of supervised release.

            According to court documents, McCormick, 30, was an administrator of Darkode, a criminal organization centered around an online, password-protected criminal forum where high-level international hackers and other cyber-criminals convened to develop, buy, sell, trade, and share hacking tools, information, and ideas. Before becoming a member of Darkode, prospective members were vetted through a process in which an existing member invited a prospective member to the forum to present the skills or products that he or she could bring to the group.  Darkode members allegedly used each other’s skills and products to infect computers and electronic devices of victims around the world with malware and, thereby gain access to, and control over, those devices. 

            McCormick was a long-term member of Darkode, eventually rising to the level of administrator. McCormick made and sold malicious software that stole users’ personal identifying information, banking account login in information, and credit card information. He also sold and brokered the sale of stolen credit cards and other financial account information.  When his residence was searched, he had the stolen credit card information of almost 30,000 people in his possession along with numerous copies of malware. As part of McCormick’s guilty plea, he admitted his involvement in causing about $679,000 in financial losses through these offenses.

            McCormick was indicted on racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud charges.  The racketeering conspiracy charge included conspiracy to commit bank, wire, and access device fraud, identity theft, hacking, and extortion. McCormick was also charged with five counts of aggravated identity theft. 

            He was arrested on Dec. 10, 2018, at the FBI’s Washington Field Office in Washington, D.C.  On March 3, 2020, McCormick pled guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering influenced corrupt organization and aggravated identity theft. Today, he was sentenced to 12 months for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering influenced corrupt organization followed by 6 months for aggravated identity theft.

            McCormick’s sentencing is the latest in this wide-ranging investigation. In July 2015, the Department of Justice originally announced the dismantling of Darkode, with charges filed against 12 individuals associated with the forum. The charges were part of a coordinated effort by a coalition of law enforcement authorities from 20 nations to charge, arrest, or search 70 Darkode members and associates around the world.

            The investigation was conducted by the FBI with assistance from Europol and their European Cyber Crime Center (EC3) and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotland Yard). 

            Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Dominguez and Corbin A. Weiss and current Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Roman, working with the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, prosecuted the case.  The Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance. 

            WASHINGTON –Marvin Lopez, 44, of El Salvador, was found guilty by a jury on November 14, 2023, of first-degree murder while armed for the 2014 Christmas Eve slaying of his ex-girlfriend, Evelyn Yamileth Arroyo Guerra, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The slaying took place in front of the El Sabor Latino Restaurant on the 3900 block of 14th St., NW, where Yamileth worked as a waitress.

            Lopez was also found guilty of a related gun offense. The verdict followed an eight-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for January 26, 2024. Lopez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for the crimes.

            According to the government’s evidence, a pair of MPD Lieutenants were driving south on 14th Street on Dec. 24, 2014, when they heard two gunshots. Citizens on the 3900 block of 14th Street pointed in the direction the gunman had run. One of the Lieutenants gave chase on foot but lost the shooter in a wooded area at the end of Shepherd St, NW. The other Lieutenant found Yamileth on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant at 3910 14th Street NW, suffering from a gunshot wound to her chest and a graze wound to her head. Yamileth had been shot as she was arriving for work at El Sabor Latino, where she was a waitress.

            Two witnesses who knew Yamileth told police that they had seen Lopez—the victim’s recent ex—approaching her outside of the restaurant moments before the killing. One of the witnesses showed police Facebook messages between Lopez and Yamileth from days before the murder in which he threatened to kill her. Although an arrest warrant was obtained the next day, Christmas Day, Lopez was not located by police before he fled to El Salvador. He was extradited back to the United States and arrested in March of 2023.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was investigated and indicted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Natiello and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristian Hinson and Sarah Prins.

WASHINGTON – Tyrone Norman Dais, 54, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in Superior Court to one count of First-Degree Theft for using a federal government fuel credit card to make more than $33,000 worth of unauthorized private gasoline purchases. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia and Acting Inspector General Robert C. Erickson Jr. for the General Services Administration made the announcement.

            According to court documents, Dais, who was employed by the United States Army as a civilian maintenance worker at the Fort Lesley J. McNair Department of Public Works, repeatedly purchased gasoline for private vehicles using a General Services Administration fuel credit card meant solely for a designated maintenance van on the Fort McNair grounds. Investigators found that from April to October of 2023, Dais frequently arranged to meet private vehicles at area gas stations and used his General Services Administration credit card to purchase their gas. In total, Dais made more than 400 unauthorized purchases totaling at least $33,868.21. As part of the plea agreement, Dais agreed to pay full restitution.

            The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted Dais’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2024.

            This case was investigated by the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Micah Bluming.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who were present for the February 2023 death of S.P., a 40-year-old District resident who died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the MPD Internal Affairs Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian eyewitness accounts, security camera footage, BWC footage, physical evidence, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, the autopsy report, and reports from MPD.

            According to the evidence, at about 12:18 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2023, officers with the MPD were called to the 1400 block of Park Road, N.W. for a report of sounds of gunshots. As the police were conducting their initial investigation, including a review of security camera footage depicting an altercation between S.P. and another person, S.P. returned to the scene. Because S.P. matched the image in the footage, officers attempted to make contact with S.P.  S.P. initially ran from the police. At one point, S.P. turned around, brandished a handgun and fired multiple shots at the police. The police returned fire. However, all of the shots by S.P. and the police missed their intended targets. S.P. then ran into an alley located in the 1400 block of Meridian Place, N.W.  As two officers waited for assistance at the entrance to the alley, S.P. committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any officer on the scene used excessive force under the circumstances or otherwise willfully violated S.P.’s rights.

Use-of-force investigations generally

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Ranjith Keerikkattil, 35, formerly of Catonsville, Md., was found guilty by a jury for committing two felony violations of the Bail Reform Act by failing to appear in court on two occasions following a 2018 guilty jury verdict for stalking a co-worker, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

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

            The Honorable Heidi Pasichow continued to hold Keerikkattil without bail pending his sentencing hearing on January 3, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, the criminal conduct began in May 2015, while Keerikkattil was a senior consultant at a consulting firm in Rosslyn, Va. The victim, who resided at the time in the District of Columbia, had begun her first job out of college in 2015, as a business technology analyst for the firm. Keerikkattil was her first mentor on her first project. After the victim performed countless evening and weekend hours on the project, Keerikkattil told her that he only brought her onto the project to get close to her and that he was merely giving her busy work. He ignored her wishes to keep their relationship strictly professional and continued to pursue her. After she repeatedly tried to resolve the matter herself, she reported Keerikkattil on June 1, 2015, to her human resources counselor.

            Keerikkattil was fired on June 19, 2015, for not being forthcoming about his conduct, which was captured on texts between the two, during the firm’s internal investigation of the matter. He blamed the victim for his termination and then began a stalking campaign in retaliation. His stalking acts included publishing false allegations about the victim on the internet and through mass e-mails to the victim and former company employees in order to seriously frighten and defame her. When ignored, he escalated his actions. Almost two months after being fired, he sat in a café that was frequented by company employees, including the victim. He was able to obtain eye contact with the victim on one occasion inside this café, frightening her even more. The victim’s attorney notified Keerikkattil, instructing him not to have any further contact with her, but he continued to text her statements like, “Every morning I wake up thinking about you and go to bed thinking about you.”

            With the victim continuing to ignore him, Keerikkattil decided to take a plane almost 3,000 miles to Seattle and then rent a car and travel an additional three hours to pay an unannounced visit to the victim’s parents in a remote suburb of Portland, Ore. On Oct. 24, 2015, he knocked on the door to the victim’s childhood home, which was at the bottom of a long driveway, and asked her father for directions to the nearby parks. It took a moment for the father to piece things together. Once he was able to figure out whom the defendant was, he slammed and locked the door and called 911. Keerikkattil texted the victim shortly thereafter, “Was nice meeting your dad today.” An arrest warrant was obtained shortly thereafter, and Keerikkattil was arrested on Dec. 19, 2015, and charged with stalking.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John G. Giovannelli and Rashmika Nedungadi.

WASHINGTON – Nicholas Batts, 33, of Georgetown, Texas, was sentenced on November 9, 2023 to a ten-year prison term for beating his ex-girlfriend in the face and head with a 15-pound dumbbell, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Batts pleaded guilty in September 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of Aggravated Assault While Armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence between 7.5 years and 10 years of incarceration. The Honorable Rainey Brandt accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant to 10 years of incarceration, followed by five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on December 9, 2022, at approximately 5:00 AM, Batts bludgeoned his ex-girlfriend in the face with a 15-pound metal dumbbell. When officers arrived on scene, the defendant stated that he “snapped” and hit her with the weight. The victim was found in the defendant’s bedroom, lying unconscious on the floor suffering from multiple blunt force trauma wounds.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yasmin Emrani and Brian Yang, of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

            Collin Edwards, 29, of Largo, Maryland, pleaded guilty for his role in a fentanyl distribution ring and a separate charge of identity theft in a scheme involving false unemployment insurance claims that illegally netted more than $250,000, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division; and Special Agent in Charge of the National Capital Region, Troy W. Springer, of the U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General.

            Edwards, also known as “Chills,” pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to a felony charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 or more grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

            In today’s plea agreement, Edwards admitted that he was accountable for producing at least 1.2 kilograms of a mixture containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. Edwards also pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft.

            Edwards faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years in prison when he is sentenced on March 5, 2024 by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. Edwards also has agreed to forfeit $100,000.

            According to court documents, in August 2021, law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking group running a fentanyl pill pressing operation in and around Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Law enforcement learned that the group was in possession of at least three pill presses and used them to press fentanyl into counterfeit prescription pills. The group then distributed the pills throughout Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Edwards and six others were identified as participants in the drug trafficking operation.

            As part of the conspiracy, Edwards distributed the counterfeit pills in a coordinated manner with co-conspirators, including to other co-conspirators and to other distributors and/or users. On Mar. 29, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at an apartment in Southeast Washington, D.C., a stash house used by the conspiracy to run the pill press operation. During the search on the 1300 block of 4th Street, 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. 

            During the search of the apartment, authorities seized Edwards’ cellphone. A review of its contents revealed evidence of a conspiracy to defraud multiple states of unemployment insurance. Edwards admitted that he and other co-conspirators illegally netted at least $250,000 through the scheme.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General.. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, prosecuted the case.

            Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Wasserman and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marnee Rand.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will testify today at a committee hearing before the Council of the District of Columbia on proposed legislation, Bill 25-0479, the “Addressing Crime through Targeted Interventions and Violence Enforcement (“ACTIVE”) Amendment Act of 2023.”

            USAO-DC strongly supports Bill 25-0479, the “Addressing Crime through Targeted Interventions and Violence Enforcement (“ACTIVE”) Amendment Act of 2023.” Our Office is using every available tool to combat the violent crime crisis we are experiencing in the District. This bill provides critical additional tools to hold violent offenders and gun offenders accountable and enable our Office to prosecute cases that are harming our communities, filling legal gaps that will make our residents safer.

            In addition to appearing before the Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, Elana Suttenberg, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, provided written remarks, available in the accompanying attachment.

            The testimony is available in the attachment below.

 

            WASHINGTON –Milomir Desnica, 33, a national of Serbia and Croatia, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division. U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols scheduled sentencing for February 15, 2024.

            According to the government’s evidence, Desnica, of Smederevska Palanka, Serbia, entered into a conspiracy in 2019 to develop and operate a website to sell narcotics that became Monopoly Market. According to the indictment, Monopoly grew into a vast marketplace for the sale of illicit narcotics including opioids, stimulants, psychedelics, and prescription medications, among other drugs.

            In 2021, law enforcement within the United States placed and received numerous orders for narcotics on Monopoly from various vendors. Authorities ordered more than 100 grams of methamphetamine on Monopoly. Through its investigation, the FBI determined that Monopoly facilitated over $18 million in narcotics sales around the world, including the sale of over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine to customers in the United States.

            In December 2021, in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners in Germany and Finland, law enforcement seized the computer server hosting Monopoly and took it offline. Through analysis of the seized server, law enforcement identified records of the narcotics sales, financial records documenting cryptocurrency payments on Monopoly, an online forum associated with Monopoly, communications from the Monopoly operator to vendors, commission payment invoices, and more. Through extensive analysis of these records, Desnica was identified as an operator of Monopoly.

            In November 2022, in coordination with the Austrian Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) and the Public Prosecutors Office Vienna, Desnica was located and arrested in Austria. Law enforcement conducted a search of his residence and vehicle, seizing electronics and cash.

            On June 23, 2023, Desnica was extradited from Austria to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force and Germany’s Zentrale Kriminalinspektion (ZKI) Oldenburg Cybercrime Unit. The Hi-Tech Opioid Task Force is composed of FBI agents, analysts, and task force partners, including special agents and officers of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and detectives from local assisting police agencies. The task force is charged with identifying and investigating the most egregious darknet marketplaces and the vendors operating on the marketplaces who are engaged in the illegal acquisition and distribution of controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other opioids.

            The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked to secure the arrest and extradition from Austria of Desnica and also provided significant assistance. Valuable assistance was also provided by Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation; Europol; Germany’s Bundeskriminalamt; Austria’s Bundeskriminalamt Cybercrime Competency Center, FAST team, and Public Prosecutors Office Vienna; and the Republic of Serbia High-Tech Crimes Special Prosecutor. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andy Wang and Nihar Mohanty of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – A jury today found Jann Jousten Aponte-Rivera, 27, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, guilty of participating in the drug-related murder of Shantay Myisha Butler, 42, of Frederick, MD. Specifically, Aponte-Rivers was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, one count of continuing criminal enterprise – causing the intentional death of Shantay Butler – and one count of causing the death of Shantay Butler through the use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug-trafficking offense.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended investigators at the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector Service (USPIS), the Montgomery Co. Police Department (MCPD), Frederick City Police Department, San Juan USPIS OIG, the Puerto Rico Police Department (Bayamon Homicide Division), and the Institute of Forensic Sciences of Puerto Rico.

            According to the government’s evidence, Aponte-Rivera was part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization based in San Juan that was sending kilogram quantities of cocaine to the mainland United States, including the Washington D.C. region, via the U.S. Postal Service. Law enforcement identified over 50 parcels of cocaine shipped by the organization from Puerto Rico to the Washington, D.C. area with a wholesale street value of at least $2 million. Once the drugs arrived in the metropolitan area, a local drug trafficking organization distributed the cocaine to mainland dealers.

            Additionally, the Puerto Rico organization’s members allegedly traveled from San Juan to the Washington, D.C. area to collect drug proceeds, and then surreptitiously traveled on commercial airliners to return the proceeds to the conspiracy’s leader, Rey “Gordo” Rivera Ruiz, 40, and others. 

            According to the government’s evidence, during the life of the drug conspiracy Rivera Ruiz and his associates shipped between 50 kilograms and 150 kilograms of cocaine to the local drug trafficking organization. The charged drug trafficking conspiracy began around October 2019 and ended in April 2021, when Aponte-Rivera was indicted with co-defendants Rivera Ruiz, Nomar Medina Diaz and Michael Gabriel Rivera Hernandez . The four men have remained in custody since their April 2021 arrests.

            The leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization owed several thousand dollars to the Puerto Rico drug trafficking organization and had been ordered to pay for several kilograms of cocaine which did not arrive in the Washington, D.C. area.

            On Oct. 14, 2020, Aponte-Rivera and Rivera Hernandez lured the leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization and Shantay Butler to a desolate part of Toa Baja in Puerto Rico. When the leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization arrived with Ms. Butler in a car, Aponte-Rivera and Rivera Hernandez ambushed them. They both pulled out firearms and opened fire on the vehicle. The leader of the Washington, D.C.-area drug trafficking organization was shot five times, remained in a coma for several weeks, but survived. His girlfriend, Ms. Butler, died of her wounds.

            The FBI arrested Aponte-Rivera on Apr. 15, 2021, in Allentown, Pa.

            Rivera Ruiz pleaded guilty on May 26, 2022, before U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. Judge Boasberg scheduled sentencing for Dec. 20, 2023. In total, 10 individuals have been convicted for their roles in this drug trafficking conspiracy, and murder.   

            Aponte-Rivera remains held pending his sentencing by Judge Boasberg, who scheduled sentencing for February 8, 2024. The charges require a mandatory 30-year prison term with a potential sentence of life imprisonment.   

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and the FBI’s Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended investigators at the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector Service (USPIS), the Montgomery Co. Police Department (MCPD), Frederick City Police Department, San Juan USPIS OIG and the Puerto Rico Police Department Homicide.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and David T. Henek, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Fletcher and Dineen Baker assisted in the investigation and charging of this case.

WASHINGTON – Sherman Holley, 46, of Washington, D.C., was charged by indictment today for the January 2023 murder of James Brooks, Jr. and subsequent arson of a residence following a barricade and standoff, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The indictment charges Holley with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, arson, resisting arrest, and related offenses, all committed while Holley was on pretrial release.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the evening on January 15, 2023, Holley stabbed Brooks, Jr. multiple times in the torso while the men were walking together through an alleyway near the Southeast, Washington, D.C. home where Holley had been residing.  Brooks, Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene.  Holley fled the scene but returned to the residence the next day. When law enforcement responded, Holley barricaded himself inside the home and, after a multiple-hour standoff with police, set the residence on fire before surrendering. 

            Holley was arrested for the murder on January 16, 2023, and has been detained pending trial since his arrest. At the time of these events, Holley was on release pending trial in another felony case in Washington, D.C.

            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 – James P. Jones, 42, of Washington, D.C., was charged by indictment today, for the February 2023 murders of David Wright and Nathaniel Howard, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The indictment charges Jones with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed committed with aggravating circumstances, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early afternoon on February 26, 2023, Jones shot Howard three times and Wright at least six times inside Howard’s home in Southeast, Washington, D.C., where Jones had been residing.  Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.  Jones, who at the time was on supervised release and GPS monitoring related to previous felony convictions in Washington, D.C., was located and arrested within approximately one hour of the murders. A firearm was recovered from his person and has been ballistically linked to the murders. Jones 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 – Ahmad Robertson, 32, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty on November 7, 2023 to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Robertson entered the guilty plea in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 16, 2024.  Robertson has been in custody since June 1, 2023.

            According to court documents, on June 1, 2023, officers from the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF), HSI, MPD and other law enforcement agencies executed a search warrant on Robertson’s home and vehicle located in Washington, D.C. Law enforcement officers identified themselves and ordered the occupants to come out of the residence. After fifteen minutes, Robertson exited the premises and was taken into custody. Officers searched the defendant and discovered two baggies of white powder in his pants pockets, which was later determined to be  cocaine. Officers then searched Robertson’s vehicle and discovered a digital scale and a privately manufactured AR-style pistol with no serial number, loaded with one 5.56 caliber rounds in the chamber and 28 such rounds in the magazine.  The entire magazine of the pistol had a total capacity of 30 rounds.

            When officers searched Robertson’s home, they recovered two additional firearms, extended magazines, assorted rounds of ammunition of various calibers, drug paraphernalia including additional digital scales, a blender with fentanyl residue, and fentanyl.

            This case was investigated by HSI and MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Hart and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Leiter. 

WASHINGTON – Federal law enforcement has successfully prosecuted eight members of a marijuana distribution conspiracy, responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to the DMV area and possessing nineteen firearms, including machineguns, as part of their distribution scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs.

            Abubakr Banire, Christopher Akinduro, Kavon Duncan, Joe Blyther, Isaac Akinduro, Avery Bost, Omar Butler, and Randall Lance, all members of the “LA Dank DMV” crew, have entered guilty pleas in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

            The guilty pleas follow a lengthy investigation led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. According to court documents, between May of 2021 and December of 2021, crew members operated a sophisticated conspiracy to traffic large amounts of high-grade marijuana from California to the DMV area for distribution to customers. As part of their distribution scheme, members of the crew relied heavily on mass marketing through three dedicated LA Dank websites, as well as social media platforms like Instagram where individual crew members would advertise the LA Dank brand and LA Dank branded marijuana for sale. Crew members also used rental properties to set up stash houses or points of sale that were used to conduct drug distribution operations for a short period of time before moving on to different locations. 

            The crew is known - and was found to possess - numerous firearms, including semi-automatic and fully automatic machineguns, and devices used to convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. Certain members of the crew also pleaded guilty to the possession of firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking operations. In total, approximately 122 pounds of marijuana, 19 firearms, and 10 machinegun conversion devices were recovered.  Three of these 19 firearms were discovered to be operational machineguns that had been modified with machinegun conversion devices. Seven of these machinegun conversion devices were found in an “LA Dank” branded bag. Two of these firearms were privately made AR-pistol style machineguns, sometimes referred to as “ghost guns.”

            Ledgers and receipts show that the crew trafficked well over 100 kilograms of marijuana into the DMV area for distribution. 

            A list of the named defendants, date of their pleas and charges are below.

DEFENDANT NAME

DATE OF PLEA

CHARGES PLEAD TO

DATE OF SENTENCING

Abubakr Banire

9/29/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana

Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun

Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

Possessing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Offense

 

 

 

 

4/16/2024

Christopher Akinduro

10/3/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Over 100 Kilograms of Marijuana

 

1/17/2024

Kavon Duncan

10/5/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Over 100 Kilograms of Marijuana

Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana

 

 

1/26/2024

Joe Blyther

11/8/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana

Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun

Unlawful Possession of a Firearm

Possessing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Offense

4/22/2024

Isaac Akinduro

10/11/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana

 

3/15/2024

Avery Bost

10/27/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana

 

3/6/2024

Omar Butler

11/3/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana

 

3/1/2024

Randall Lance

5/23/2023

Conspiracy to Distribute Over 100 Kilograms of Marijuana

Sentenced on 10/10/2023 to 63 months of incarceration.

            The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin F. Song, Meredith E. Mayer-Dempsey, and Thomas Strong.

WASHINGTON – Justin Lee Snowden, 33, of Pasadena, Md., was sentenced today to 97 months in prison on one count of distribution of child pornography for sending videos, over the internet, of children being sexually abused.

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

            Snowden pleaded guilty to the charge on July 7, 2023, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced today by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras, who also ordered Snowden to serve 15 years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, in August and September of 2022, Snowden joined and participated in an online chat platform devoted to the sexual exploitation of children. Beginning on Aug. 19, 2022, Snowden communicated with an undercover officer, based in San Francisco, and offered a female child – whom he claimed was his daughter – to someone he believed had a sexual interest in children. On Sept. 17, Snowden had a similar conversation with an undercover agent in Tampa, Fla., regarding the abuse of girls who Snowden purported to be his daughters. The next day, he began an online chat with an undercover officer in Washington D.C., who was a member of the joint Metropolitan Police Department - FBI Child Exploitation Task Force.

            During the chat, Snowden offered his purported 5- and 7-year-old daughters for sex with members of the group. In actuality, Snowden did not have any children. He also sent others non-explicit pictures of two minor females. During the chat, Snowden claimed that he had sexually abused the girls. Later, Snowden sent an image to the undercover agent of a nude toddler lying on her back with her legs spread, and a video depicting an adult man sexually abusing a prepubescent child. Snowden asked the undercover agent for sexually explicit images of the agent’s purported daughter.

            On each occasion, Snowden had every reason to believe that he was chatting with someone who intended to sexually abuse a child or who was actively abusing one. Because law enforcement intervened, Snowden’s actions did not lead to the hands-on sexual abuse of an actual child.

            Snowden was arrested on Sept. 26, 2022, in Washington D.C. He has been detained ever since.

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

            It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Bond and Trial Attorney Angelica Carrasco of the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson.

WASHINGTON – Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 47, a former U.S. Government employee, pleaded guilty today to drugging and sexually abusing numerous women in multiple countries, including photographing and video recording dozens of nude and partially nude women without their consent while they were unconscious and incapable of consenting.   

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Director Carlos F. Matus, of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), and FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            According to court documents, Raymond, of La Mesa, California, was most recently employed by the U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. Raymond admitted to drugging and sexually assaulting several women in his embassy-leased housing and elsewhere between 2006 and 2020. Additionally, Raymond admitted other offenses that occurred over this 14-year period and involved a total of 28 women he photographed or video recorded nude or partially nude. Many of the recordings show Raymond touching the women’s bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent. Raymond attempted to delete the explicit photographs and videos depicting the victims after learning about the criminal investigation. 

            Raymond will be sentenced on Sept. 19, 2024. Under the plea agreement, Raymond will face between 24 and 30 years in prison, supervised release for life, and mandatory restitution to the victims of his criminal offenses. A federal district court judge will determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

            This case is being investigated by the DSS Office of Special Investigations and the FBI Washington Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division provided valuable assistance, along with the FBI’s Legal Attache office in Mexico City.    

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys Angela Buckner and Katharine Wagner, of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

            The Department of Justice gratefully acknowledges the Government of Mexico, to include the Fiscalía General de la República and the Fiscalía General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México, for their extraordinary efforts, support and cooperation during the investigation.

A former U.S. government employee pleaded guilty today to drugging and sexually abusing numerous women in multiple countries, including photographing and video recording more than two dozen nude and partially nude women without their consent while they were unconscious or incapable of consenting.   

According to court documents, Brian Jeffrey Raymond, 47, of La Mesa, California, was employed by the U.S. government at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Raymond admitted to drugging and sexually assaulting several women in his embassy-leased housing and elsewhere between 2006 and 2020. Additionally, Raymond admitted that, over 14 years, he photographed or video recorded 28 victims while they were nude or partially nude. Many of the recordings show Raymond touching and manipulating the victim’s bodies while they were unconscious and incapable of consent. Raymond attempted to delete the explicit photographs and videos depicting the victims after learning about the criminal investigation. 

Under the plea agreement, Raymond will face between 24 and 30 years in prison and supervised release for life. He will also have to pay mandatory restitution to the victims of his criminal offenses. Sentencing hearings are scheduled for Sept. 18 and 19, 2024. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia; Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Office of Special Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge James A. Dawson of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

The DSS Office of Special Investigations and FBI Washington Field Office are investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division provided valuable assistance. The FBI’s Legal Attaché office in Mexico City also provided especially valuable assistance.    

Trial Attorneys Angela Buckner and Katharine Wagner of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith Mayer-Dempsey for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. 

The Justice Department gratefully acknowledges the government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República, Fiscalía General de Justicia de la Ciudad de México, and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, for their extraordinary efforts, support, and cooperation during the investigation.

WASHINGTON – Following a four-day trial, on November 6, 2023, a Superior Court jury found Tiaquana Chandler, 42, of Washington, D.C., guilty of conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon, aggravated assault while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On or about March 28, 2023, the victim was in an apartment on 13th Place SE, Washington, D.C., when he got into a disagreement with Chandler. Chandler left the apartment, but returned a short time later with her son, Donnell E. Tucker, who was armed with a firearm. Together, they assaulted the victim, causing severe lacerations that required 14 staples and stiches to close. After Tucker allegedly pistol whipped the victim, he shot him in the leg, causing a fracture that required surgery. Tucker’s trial is scheduled for January 2024.

            The Honorable Sean Staples ordered the defendant be released pending sentencing scheduled for January 12, 2024.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Saman Danai and Nathaniel Brower.

WASHINGTON – Dawne Dorsey, 40, a former employee of the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development, was sentenced today for accepting bribes in return for giving out confidential information held by the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Dorsey pleaded guilty to bribery in June 2019 and agreed to cooperate with the Government’s investigation. She was sentenced to 36 months’ probation by United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.

            According to court documents, Dorsey, former a program specialist with DHCD, accepted bribes in exchange for giving real estate developers Frederick Silvers and Brian Bailey confidential, un-redacted Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) offer of sale notices, which included the names of tenants holding TOPA rights.

            TOPA provides tenants living in the District of Columbia with the right to purchase their residence should the owner decide to sell the property. Under TOPA, tenants can re-assign their right to purchase to a third party. TOPA requires the owner (seller) to provide the DHCD with offer of sale notices before the proposed real estate transaction. The offer of sale notices include -  among other things - information not released to the public, such as the names of tenants residing at the property. Bailey and Silvers paid bribes to obtain the tenant names so they could attempt to buy the tenants’ TOPA rights, and in turn, put the property up for sale, at an advantageous price.

            In a related part of the scheme, former FBI Agent David Paitsel and Bailey were both found guilty of one count of bribery and one count of conspiracy because Bailey paid Paitsel bribes to look up the contact information of the tenants holding TOPA rights, which he did using a database he had special access to as an FBI Agent.

            This is the fourth and final sentencing relating to Dorsey’s corrupt conduct. Last month, Paitsel, 42, a resident of North Carolina, was sentenced to 24 months in prison; and Bailey, 53, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was sentenced to 48 months in prison. A jury convicted both defendants of bribery, and conspiracy charges on October 7, 2022. In a related case, Frederick Silvers, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to bribery and was sentenced to five months in prison for bribes paid to Dorsey.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General.

            If you have information about fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in District government programs and operations, please call the D.C. OIG at 202-724-TIPS [202-724-8477].

            The trial of the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and John Borchert, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Lisa Abbe and Quiana Dunn-Gordon of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON  –  Nwabueze Igwe, 32, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to four years in prison for robbing a man at knifepoint on the Metro, in February of 2023, in Northwest Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metropolitan Transit Police Department (MTPD).

            Igwe was found guilty on June 7, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a dangerous weapon.

            In addition to the prison sentence, the Honorable Jason Park ordered Igwe to serve five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Feb. 13, 2023, Igwe approached a stranger on the Metro, and yelled at him multiple times as the pair were travelling in the same car on the Green Line. As the train stopped at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Station, Igwe entered the stranger’s personal space and took his North Face backpack. When the victim asked Igwe to return the backpack, Igwe opened a switchblade and warned the victim to back away.

            Igwe and the victim both exited at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station. The victim ran for help and found nearby MTPD officers. Igwe looked in both directions before jumping back on the train as the doors were closing. After reboarding the train, Igwe hid the backpack in a translucent trash bag. An hour later, Igwe returned to the Gallery Place-Chinatown Station, still carrying the victim’s pack. Metro surveillance footage captured Igwe in the immediate moments after the robbery and confirmed his flight path. MTPD officers apprehended Igwe at Gallery Place-Chinatown that night and charged him with armed robbery.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Transit Police Department. It was investigated, prosecuted, and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Omeed A. Assefi and Sabena Auyeung, of the Major Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Nielsen and Kathleen Kern, Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson and Carolyn Carter-McKinley, and Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Anzallo commended the work of those who investigated the case from the MTPD.

WASHINGTON – Marlan Smith, Jr., 16, and Anthony Monroe, 17, of Washington, D.C., were presented in Superior Court and charged as adults today on the charge of first degree felony murder while armed, stemming from the homicide of 17-year-old A.C., on September 11, 2023, in front of Jersey Mike’s, in the 2300 Block of Washington Place, N.E. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Monroe and Smith were arraigned before Magistrate Judge Eric Glover, today, where they entered pleas of not guilty. The defendants are accused of committing five separate armed robberies beginning at approximately 5:49 a.m., prior to the sixth armed robbery that resulted in A.C.’s death by shooting him in the head. The court heard arguments and found probable cause to believe that the defendants committed first degree felony murder while armed. The court held the defendants without bond pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for December 4, 2023, before Judge Robert Okun.  

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

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin DeRiso.  

WASHINGTON – A U.S. businessman pleaded guilty today to evading his federal income taxes. Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia made the announcement. 

            According to court documents and statements made in court, since 2007, Robert N. Dooner has lived outside the United States, intermittently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ibiza, Spain.  Starting in approximately 2007, Dooner worked as a business associate of Individual-1, an American living abroad. Together with others, including Individual-1, Dooner formed a joint venture incorporated in the UAE to provide internet services to U.S. military personnel at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. Individual-1 helped fund the joint venture with proceeds from Company-1 – a business providing commodities to the U.S. Department of Defense in Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. 

            For 2015 through 2019, Dooner evaded taxes owed to the IRS by underreporting to his tax preparer the profits he earned from his ownership interest in the joint venture, as well as other compensation he received through his work for Individual-1. Dooner diverted his distributions to UAE bank accounts in the name of a Dubai-based shell company and then tried to conceal the foreign bank account records when they were specifically requested by U.S. authorities. In total, Dooner concealed approximately $2 million he earned from 2015 through 2019, causing a tax loss to the IRS of more than $744,977.

            Dooner is the fifth defendant associated with the defense contracting company to plead guilty. Charles Squires pleaded guilty to tax evasion in February 2022, James Robar pleaded guilty to tax evasion in March 2022, Ronald “Ron” Thomas pleaded guilty to tax evasion in April 2022, and Zachary “Zack” Friedman pleaded guilty to tax evasion in August 2022.

            Dooner faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are investigating the case. Assistance was provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  The Tax Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office thank His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs of the United Kingdom for their extensive assistance in this matter.

            Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorneys Sarah Ranney and Ezra Spiro of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Goemaat of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Quaysa Flumo, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 234 months in prison and Emmanuel Sumo, 29, of Takoma Park, Md., was sentenced to 214 months for a string of armed robberies that struck a series of gas stations, liquor stores, convenience stores, and restaurants in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, all within a four-week period in 2018.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Chief Marcus G. Jones, of the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department, and Chief Antonio DeVaul, of the Takoma Park, Md., Police Department.

            According to the government’s evidence, Flumo and Sumo were members of a trio - which included Enyinna “Reggie” Onyewu, 31, of Silver Spring, Md. – and were found guilty by a jury in U.S. District Court on March 28, 2022, of federal conspiracy, robbery, and (for Flumo and Sumo) related weapons charges. The government’s evidence showed that Onyewu took part in five of the robberies; Sumo in seven of the robberies; and Flumo in all 10 of the robberies.

            Throughout January 2018, the defendants, working together, robbed a series of gas stations, liquor stores, convenience stores, and restaurants in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. In each of the robberies, the defendants were armed with a .45 caliber handgun. They wore masks and gloves to avoid being identified. During several robberies, they physically assaulted store employees and put the gun directly to the heads of their victims. The robberies took place at various hours, including some in broad daylight. The victims were left shaken and shocked by the incidents. Fortunately, none of them sustained serious physical injuries.

            At trial, the government presented testimony from nearly 30 witnesses. The first robbery took place on Jan. 2, 2018, at a gas station in Silver Spring. Other targets were in Takoma Park, Md., Silver Spring, Md., Northwest Washington, and Arlington, Va. On Jan. 10, 2018, two robberies took place within a 45-minute period. The final robbery in the series took place on Jan. 29, 2018, at another gas station in Silver Spring.

            Onyewu was arrested on Oct. 22, 2020; Sumo on Nov. 23, 2020, and Flumo on Apr. 27, 2021. Onyewu was sentenced Aug. 18, 2023, to 166 months in federal prison and 36 months of supervised release by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg.

            Flumo and Sumo were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta who also ordered three years of supervised release for each defendant.

            In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, Chief Jones, and Chief DeVaul commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, the Montgomery Co. Police Department, the Takoma Park Police Department, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s Co. Police Department, and the Arlington County Police Department. 

            They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz, Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle, Mary Downing, and Kim Hall, Legal Assistant Latoya Wade, Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Litigation Technology Specialist William Henderson.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and Candice Wong of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section (VRTO), who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Shaquille Taylor, 27, of Washington D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of the May 2022 aggravated assault of a man at the intersection of 12th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Michael Buck of the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division and Acting Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.  The verdict was returned late today.  The Honorable Jason Park scheduled sentencing for January 16, 2024. 

            Taylor was found guilty at trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, fleeing a law enforcement officer, and malicious destruction of property.  The defendant was acquitted of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, and lesser firearms offenses. 

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 2:00 AM on May 6, 2022, a United States Secret Service police officer attempted a traffic stop on a black Nissan Altima driven by the defendant in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and 17th Street NW.  After partially exiting the vehicle, the defendant got back in the car and fled at a high rate of speed.  At the intersection of 12th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, the defendant ran the red light and crashed the Altima into a green Jaguar being operated by another motorist, causing near fatal injuries.  An analysis of computer equipment from the Altima showed that the vehicle was traveling just under 100 MPH in the seconds before the crash.  A firearm was recovered from the front passenger floorboard of the vehicle driven by the defendant.

            The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division and the Metropolitan Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by AUSAs Kathryn Bartz and Benjamin Helfand of the Major Crimes Unit of the USAO. 

WASHINGTON – Kelly Barry, 25, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was sentenced today in Superior Court for one count of criminal negligence of a vulnerable adult, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia, made the announcement.

            Superior Court Judge Heidi Pasichow accepted Barry’s guilty plea today and ordered 180 days in jail, with a portion of that time suspended, 14 months of supervised probation, 90 hours of community service, and ordered that Barry be prohibited from working with anyone who cannot care for themselves.

            According to court documents, Barry, was a former Direct Support Professional for Community Options, Inc., a residential facility for persons with disabilities, located in Rockville, Maryland. Barry’s job duties included taking individuals on outings in the local community, such as bowling, etc. for approximately three to four hours a day, five times per week. Between June and October 2022, Barry provided care to a vulnerable adult, who is non-verbal, autistic, and unable to care for himself.  Instead of going to various community outings, Barry used the Community Options van to make food deliveries with the vulnerable adult.

            On October 19, 2022, Barry utilized the Community Options van to pick up the vulnerable adult.  That day, Barry drove to Washington, D.C., and made a total of five food deliveries.  While making the final delivery, Barry exited the vehicle and left the vulnerable adult unattended.  After the delivery was completed, Barry observed a masked individual steal the vehicle while the vulnerable adult was still inside the van. During his initial call to 911, Barry failed to mention that the vulnerable adult was in the stolen vehicle and subsequently failed to notify the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer who arrived on scene of the same. After, Barry informed his employer that he did not notify police that the vulnerable adult was still in the vehicle, and the company advised him to provide that information to the authorities.  However, Barry did not provide this information during his subsequent notification.  Approximately three and a half hours after the theft of the van, the vulnerable adult was found by the Prince George’s County Police Department, barefoot and wandering in the middle of traffic on the I-495 Capital Beltway.  The Prince George’s County Police Department transported the vulnerable adult to a local hospital for treatment.

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

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

WASHINGTON – A Brazilian national, previously working in the U.S. as a visiting international attorney, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia to a charge of insider trading charges for trading based on material, nonpublic information, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.

            Romero Cabral Da Costa Neto (Costa), 33, of Rio de Janeiro, 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). Costa was arrested on Aug. 22, 2023, by agents with the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

             “This attorney stole material non-public information, betrayed his law firm, victimized its client companies, and monetized those insider secrets to gain an illegal advantage on other investors,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The FBI and the Department of Justice will move quickly to arrest and prosecute those who game the system to enrich themselves while, in the process, undermining the investing public’s confidence in the securities markets.”

            Costa pleaded before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, who scheduled sentencing for Dec. 20, 2023

            According to court documents, Costa began working in the U.S. for the Law Firm in September 2022. Until the FBI arrested him in August, Costa executed multiple stock trades in companies represented by the Law Firm. As confirmed by the Law Firm records, Costa accessed internal Law Firm files in advance of public market-moving announcement. 

            According to the plea agreement, one of these trades involved Company B, a Seattle-based biotech company represented by the Law Firm. In or around April of 2023, Company C, a Swedish international biopharmaceutical company, began negotiations to acquire Company B. Both Company B and C were public companies. Company B’s Board of Directors held several meetings throughout April and into early May discussing transaction prices and terms of the sale. Representatives of the Law Firm attended these meetings and prepared documents relating to these meetings.

            In early May 2023, Company B, whose stock was trading at around $4.80, informed Company C that they would sell to Company C for a price above $9.00 per share. On May 9, 2023, Company C relayed an offer to buy all outstanding common stock in Company B for $9.10 per share. The stock was trading at $4.82 on May 9, 2023. The Board of Directors approved the sale at $9.10 and both Company B and C announced the $1.7 billion transaction in the early morning hours of May 10, 2023. Trading in Company B opened at $8.91 per share on May 10, 2023.

            According to public documents, Costa used two online trading firms to purchase 10,400 shares in Company B on May 9, 2023, for $49,976. Costa then sold his holdings in Company B on May 10, 2023, for $92,635.24, resulting in a one-day investment profit of $42,649.13.

            According to the complaint, Costa improperly accessed Law Firm files related to Company B in the lead up to this merger. Costa was not assigned to this transaction and had no legitimate reason to access and view these files related to this matter. Costa accessed files over 100 times in advance of the sale.

            The complaint further alleged that on June 2, 2023, Costa purchased stock in Company E – another company that was represented by the Law Firm – one day before Company E went public with information about drug treatment for patients with a specific cancer. The stock rose following the announcement. Costa sold his position on June 5, 2023.

            On June 6, 2023, the Law Firm issued an opinion related to a secondary stock offering on behalf of Company E. The opinion had the effect of driving down the value of the stock. Costa was able to purchase shares of Company E immediately before a positive market event and then quickly sell before the subsequent negative market event, profiting by approximately $1,000 from these transactions. According to the complaint, Costa improperly accessed Law Firm files related to this matter in the lead up to the announcements. Costa was not assigned to this matter and had no legitimate reason for accessing these files.

            In another instance, Costa allegedly improperly accessed Law Firm documents and files related to Company F, another firm client. On June 15, 2023, Company F and Company G announced a merger in an all-stock deal to create a $5.4 billion oilfield services firm. Between June 8, 2023, and June 12, 2023, Costa purchased approximately 7,000 shares of Company G in advance of this merger announcement. He subsequently sold the shares and profited approximately $8,500 from the transactions. Costa was not assigned to this matter and had no legitimate reason to access these files.

            Insider trading carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The charge also carries potential financial penalties. 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.

            Costa also faces additional charges of securities violations in a parallel civil complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Philadelphia Regional Office.

            The SEC's complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, charges Costa with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder and seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

            The SEC case originated from the SEC's Market Abuse Unit's Analysis and Detection Center, which uses data analysis tools to detect suspicious trading patterns. The SEC referred the matter to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

WASHINGTON – Isaiah Trotman, 32 of Washington, D.C., was indicted on October 25, 2023, on 52 charges, including first degree murder while armed, for a fatal shooting rampage on February 1, 2023, that claimed the life of 63-year old Robert Cunningham and left two other people injured, at and inside the Potomac Avenue Metro Station, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The indictment charges Trotman with multiple counts, each, of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping while armed, destroying property, and carrying a pistol without a license.

            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.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Branch and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jackson.

WASHINGTON – Mark Stubblefield, 66, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison in connection with two armed bank robberies, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The Honorable Jason Park of the D.C. Superior Court sentenced Stubblefield to 15 years in prison for each bank robbery and 22 months in prison for felony threats, with each of those sentences to run concurrently. As part of the sentence, Judge Park ordered five years of supervised release and a $300 payment to the fund established by the Victims of Violent Crime Compensation Act.

            According to the government’s evidence, Stubblefield threatened to blow up bank tellers at a Truist Bank branch located at Dupont Circle and escaped with $10,000. On August 3, 2023, a jury found Stubblefield guilty of robbery while armed and felony threats in connection with a bank robbery he committed on October 20, 2022. Following that conviction, Stubblefield pleaded guilty to robbery for a second bank robbery. In that offense, on November 15, 2022, Stubblefield robbed the Peoples Bank located north of Dupont Circle. He entered the Peoples Bank around noon disguised with a hat, mask, sunglasses, and dark clothing. He threatened to shoot the bank tellers, putting them in fear for their lives, and demanded money. He left mo­­ments later with $7,370 in cash.

            Stubblefield was arrested on November 15, 2022, and remains in custody.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of the officers and detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department who investigated the case, as well as members of the prosecution team. They thanked the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Laboratory for providing valuable assistance.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including: Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce, and Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson and Antoinette Sakamsa, with valuable assistance from AUSAs Paul Courtney and Jessica Ans.

            Finally, they thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. Valdivia and Alec Levy who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Demarcus Barnett, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on October 27, 2023, to eight and a half years in prison and five years of supervised release for voluntary manslaughter while armed. The charge stems from the shooting of 62-year-old Lasanta Qumar McGill, on June 8, 2023, in the Westminster neighborhood. 

            Barnett pleaded guilty to the offense on August 27, 2023, admitting that after being robbed by two individuals, he chased after them and fired wildly down the sidewalk. In doing so, he struck and killed Mr. McGill, an innocent bystander. The government requested a sentence of 15 years, the top of the range provided by the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, given Barnett’s criminal history.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Gibbons.  

            WASHINGTON –Andre Smith, 27, and Malachi McFarland, 25, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to second degree murder while armed in the April 2021 shooting death of Kerry Odoms, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 12, 2024, before the Honorable Robert Okun.

            According to the government’s evidence, just prior to the homicide, Kerry Odoms, 29, of Washington, D.C., was socializing on Apr. 15, 2021 with a group of people that included McFarland, in the parking lot of 3319 10th Place SE, in the Congress Heights neighborhood.

            Smith approached the group and moments later, at 9:54 p.m., lunged toward Odoms while firing multiple gunshots. As Smith began shooting at Odoms, McFarland ran a short distance away, returned, and fired a second round of gunshots directly at Odoms. The gunfire from both defendants killed Odoms, who suffered eight gunshot wounds. 

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

WASHINGTON – A jury, today, found Neal Pitt, 36, of Washington, D.C., guilty of assault with significant bodily injury in an attack that took place on the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station platform on March 9, 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD).

            The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Erik Christian scheduled sentencing for February 14, 2024. Holman faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison for the crimes.

             According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 7:45 a.m. on March 9, 2021, Daniel Olsen was traveling to work when, without provocation, the defendant followed Olsen on the Branch Avenue-bound platform, grabbed Olsen by the throat, and slammed Olsen to the ground. Mr. Olsen landed on his right shoulder, resulting in a broken humerus that required surgery and months of physical therapy to repair. Pitt fled the scene but was identified based on CCTV footage, SmarTrip records, and his own statements that placed him at the scene of the crime. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Anzallo commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit Police Department. They also thanked  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Coates Huether, Travis Wolf, Bonnie Lindemann, Sandra Braschi, and Benjamin Bleiberg, who initially investigated the case. Finally, they commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kraig Ahalt and Shaniqua Butler, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON – Tesfay Teshale, 51, of Springfield, Virginia, was sentenced on October 27, 2023 to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for aggravated assault while armed, malicious disfigurement while armed, and assault with a dangerous weapon for an assault that included pouring boiling liquid on the female victim, resulting in second-degree burns on her body, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Pamela Smith, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Teshale was found guilty on August 16, 2023, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Jason Park.

             The defendant and the victim had dated. According to the government’s evidence, when the victim decided to break off the relationship, the defendant stalked, harassed, and assaulted her because he could not handle the rejection. On June 14, 2019, the defendant cornered the victim, punched her multiple times in the face, knocked her down, and, while she was down, poured an urn of boiling liquid onto her. The defendant then left her there, bleeding, badly burned, and in extreme pain. The victim managed to call for help and District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported her to the hospital where she was treated for contusions, abrasions, and bruises to her face, as well as second-degree burns.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting 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 Brian Yang, Zachary Horton, Cara Gardner, Emma McArthur, Chimnomnso Kalu, Nick Coleman, and Dan Lenerz, Paralegal Specialists ReShawn Johnson, Arielle Okpara, and Veronica Yale, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Muhammad, Victim/Witness Advocate Rodgers Dickerson, Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Victim/Witness Services Coordinators Katina Adams-Washington, Tonya Jones, and Basizette Stribling, and interns Adam Russell, Izzy Metee, and Louis Villacci.

          Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shakinah Douglas and Richard Kelley, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Vincent James, 39, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury on felony assault charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            James was found guilty of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction) following a three-day trial in D.C. Superior Court. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe detained James pending sentencing scheduled for January 12, 2024.

            On July 30, 2020, at approximately 2:00 a.m., James shot the complaining witness multiple times in the torso while in the parking lot of Spar Liquors, located at 3916 South Capitol Street, SE. The victim collapsed at a nearby bus stop before being transported to Washington Hospital Center where he was treated for multiple gunshot wounds. James was identified from surveillance footage from a nearby AutoZone where he made a purchase using his loyalty account earlier in the day.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Forgie and Ron Chester.