District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Indictment Charges Alleged Members of Drug Trafficking Organization in Drug, Gun and Money Laundering ChargesRead the Press Release
Kennedy Street Crew (KDY) Operated Open-Air Drug Markets in Kennedy Street Neighborhood, Scene of Increasing Violence, in Northwest Washington D.C.
WASHINGTON – This morning, law enforcement agents from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) arrested 12 alleged members of a violent drug trafficking organization (“DTO”), known as the “Kennedy Street Crew,” or “KDY,” on charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of firearms by persons convicted of a crime, assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. In addition to the arrests, law enforcement seized multiple firearms and drugs.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Interim Chief Ashan Benedict of the Metropolitan Police Department, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division, ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai, of the Washington Division, FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and IRS-Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, of the Washington, D.C. Office.
According to the indictment, KDY members operated open-air drug markets in and around the 100-1200 blocks of Kennedy Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., as well as the surrounding streets. The named defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute several controlled substances, including fentanyl, cocaine base and marijuana, and utilizing firearms, including fully automatic weapons, to enforce and protect the crew’s territory, including through intimidation and acts of violence. The indictment further alleges that KDY crew members conspired to establish shell companies through which they launder the proceeds of their drug trafficking. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized more than 40 firearms (including eight suspected machineguns).
“As alleged in the Indictment, the Kennedy Street Crew (KDY) operated over an 11-block stretch, trafficking in large amounts of drugs and firearms and possessing numerous firearms in furtherance of its operations,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Criminal organizations like this are a magnet for violence. My office, MPD, and our federal law enforcement partners are focused on identifying and rooting out these types of operations: whether it be Fentanyl poisonings or the violence that typically accompanies large-scale drug operations, these distribution networks present a substantial threat to our community.”
“These individuals were a part of a criminal enterprise that existed to disrupt the community through violence and illegal activity, and today’s operation is evidence that intelligence-led policing and effective criminal justice partnerships can lead to positive outcomes in the District of Columbia,” said MPD Interim Chief Benedict. “The residents and businesses along our Kennedy Street corridor are safer because of the meticulous investigative efforts by law enforcement who relentlessly protect every city neighborhood.”
“Our strong partnership with state and local law enforcement agencies allows us to hold violent gang members like these accountable for their actions,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Forget. “Ultimately, our goal is to ensure the safety of the families in our local area. As part of our initiative Operation Overdrive, we are making a difference in our communities, reducing drug poisonings, cutting violent crime, and stopping violent drug traffickers in their tracks.”
In addition to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base, the indictment also charges various alleged members of the conspiracy with, among other charges, assault with a dangerous weapon; using, carrying, and possessing a firearm and/or machinegun during a drug trafficking offense; engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime; possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds of the alleged crimes. A full list of defendants, along with their corresponding charges, is contained below.
“This investigation is the result of multiple law enforcement entities working cohesively towards one common goal. That goal is disrupting criminal organizations and protecting our communities from firearms related violence, and the illegal distribution of narcotics,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kailimai. “As seen by our combined efforts with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, this collaboration has led to the arrest of many individuals that continuously and carelessly disrupt the peace that we should all enjoy. ATF will continue to partner with our local, state, and federal partners to ensure that people who violate conditions of firearm ownership be prosecuted and held accountable for their actions.”
“IRS-CI is proud to stand with our law enforcement partners to announce this indictment. The dismantling of the Kennedy Street Crew exemplifies our commitment to improve the quality of life in our community and our relentless fight against drug trafficking organizations,” said Acting IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Carter. “IRS-CI is specially equipped to follow the complex financial trail left by criminals, and we are dedicated to holding those accountable for crimes committed.”
The investigation of this case had the sponsorship and support of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the DEA’s Washington Division, ATF’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Washington, D.C. Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Sitara Witanachchi, of the of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by former Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Lynch.
DEFENDANTS
NAME
AGE
CHARGES
Kenneth Ademola Olugbenga
27
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base;
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana;
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Offense;
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment Exceeding One Year;
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
Khali Ahmed Brown, also known as “Migo Lee”
22
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute 100 Kilograms or More of Marijuana, and 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl;
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Aiding and Abetting;
Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl;
Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana;
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun During a Drug Trafficking Offense;
Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun; Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number
Miasiah Jamal Brown, also known as “Michael Jamal Crawford”
21
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base;
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense
Tristan Miles Ware, also known as “Greedy”
23
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana;
Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana;
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment Exceeding One Year;
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking
Offense
Herman Eric-Bibmin Signou, also known as “Herman Signour”
23
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute One Hundred Kilograms of More of Marijuana
Cameron Xavier Reid
26
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute One Hundred Kilograms of More of Marijuana
Aaron Deandre Mercer, also known as “Curby,”
27
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine
Base;
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl
David Penn, also known as “Turtle”
30
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, 40 Grams or Fentanyl, and a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine
Base;
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl;
Unlawful Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana;
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Machinegun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense;
Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense;
Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License;
Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Person Convicted of a Crime Punishable by Imprisonment for a Term Exceeding One Year
Ronald Lynn Dorsey, also known as “Ron G”
29
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and a Mixture and Substance
Containing a Detectable Amount of Cocaine Base;
Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering
Antonio Reginald Bailey, also known as “Boy Boy,” also known as “Fellow King”
22
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana
Anthony Trayon Bailey, also known as “Fat Ant,” also known as “Bizzle”
27
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana
Angel Enrique Suncar, also known as “Coqui”
29
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and a Mixture and Substance Containing Fentanyl
Defendant Cameron Reid is from Falmouth, VA; all remaining defendants are from Washington, D.C.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District of Columbia Woman Found Guilty in Scheme to Steal Money from Non-Profit She Was Entrusted to RunRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rowena Joyce Scott, 70, of the District of Columbia, was convicted today of wire fraud, credit card fraud, filing false tax returns, and failing to file tax returns, in connection with a scheme to steal and embezzle money from the non-profit corporation she was entrusted to run for the benefit of some of the District’s economically disadvantaged residents.
The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Kareem Carter, of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Washington D.C. Office and Chief John Fowler of the DC Office of Tax and Revenue Criminal Investigation Division. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18, 2023.
The offense of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. The offense of filing a false income tax return carries a statutory maximum of 3 years in prison. The offense of credit card fraud carries a statutory maximum of 10 years. The offense of willful failure to file tax returns carries a statutory maximum of one year. All the offenses also carry financial penalties.
According to evidence presented in court, from approximately January 2010 through May 2014, Scott served as the president of the board of directors and manager of Park Southern Neighborhood Corporation (“PSNC”), a non-profit, non-member corporation that owned and operated the Park Southern apartment complex in Southeast Washington, D.C. Instead of serving PSNC’s charitable mission – of providing adequate, safe, affordable housing for the District’s underhoused and underprivileged residents – Scott engaged in a scheme through which she embezzled at least $125,000 from the organization’s coffers and used nearly $30,000 in additional funds to make purely personal, unauthorized purchases from third-party vendors. All the while, Scott collected $260,000 in “salary” (about $60,000 per year), lived in the building rent-free, and used the property’s common rooms, free of charge, to operate her own ministry. Scott failed to report all of the income she received from PSNC – legitimate or otherwise – for tax purposes. Meanwhile, under her watch, the PSNC failed to finish renovations for Americans-with- Disabilities-Act compliant units and failed to make loan payments to the District.
This case was investigated by IRS-CID, the DC Office of Tax and Revenue. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Rakoczy, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Kelly and Diane Lucas, and Paralegal Specialist Sona Chaturvedi.
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Narcotics and Use FirearmsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Trevon Fairfax, 28, of Rockville, Maryland, was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics and a related conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Fairfax is one of more than a dozen individuals arrested as part of a joint FBI/ATF investigation which resulted in the seizure of more than 34 pounds of marijuana, 16 firearms, and more than $270,000 in cash.
Fairfax, who utilized the street nickname “Trizz,” pleaded guilty on October 21, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, as well as oxycodone and codeine, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. As part of his plea agreement, Fairfax admitted to participating in a separate conspiracy to use, carry, and possess firearms, and further admitted to discharging a firearm in defense of the co-conspirators’ drug dealing territory. Fairfax was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Following completion of his prison term, Fairfax will be placed on four years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, beginning in approximately June 2018, and continuing through April 2021, Fairfax and his co-conspirators maintained drug dealing territory on Trenton Place SE in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. – a territory they defended by carrying, and discharging, firearms at perceived rivals. As part of his role in the conspiracy, Fairfax distributed marijuana in bulk quantities and served as an armed defender of the co-conspirators’ drug dealing territory. Fairfax admitted that, on April 12, 2020, he fired a 9mm handgun at an SUV driving through the co-conspirators’ territory while another co-conspirator also fired at that vehicle. The driver of that vehicle sustained a gunshot wound and crashed his vehicle, but was able to escape on foot. Fairfax was arrested on April 22, 2021, and has been detained ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Linden, Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI, ATF, and MPD. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Distribution of Marijuana and OxycodoneRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kiyon Boyd, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Boyd, who utilized the street nickname “Workey,” pleaded guilty on April 7, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to marijuana and oxycodone, and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. As part of his plea agreement, Boyd admitted that he distributed, or conspired to distribute, between 80 and 100 kilograms of marijuana. Boyd also admitted that firearms were used or possessed as part of the drug dealing conspiracy. Boyd was sentenced by the Honorable Beryl A. Howell. Following completion of his prison term, Boyd will be placed on three years of supervised release.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Linden, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI, ATF, and MPD. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District of Columbia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jimmy Martez Ellis, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on June 26, 2023, to 60 months in federal prison for the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Division.
Ellis, who utilized the street nicknames “Big Oso” and “Jim Bob” pleaded guilty on March 8, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. As part of his plea agreement, Ellis admitted that he was arrested on April 19, 2020, in possession of a loaded .40 caliber handgun and that he was arrested again on August 6, 2021, in possession of a loaded .38 caliber handgun. Ellis admitted that, as a convicted felon, he was not legally permitted to possess either handgun, and further admitted that he possessed the firearms in connection to another felony crime – namely the distribution and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
Ellis was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan. Following completion of his prison term, Ellis will be placed on three years of supervised release.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Acting Special Agent in Charge Linden, and Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and ATF. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Washington, D.C. Man Sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Road Rage ConfrontationRead the Press Release
Defendant Pointed Firearm at Mother and Daughter
WASHINGTON – Jacobi Williams, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 72 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for felony assault, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Williams was found guilty by a jury on December 9, 2022, of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (firearm) following a two-week trial in D.C. Superior Court.
On April 26, 2018, Williams began honking his horn at a mother and daughter sitting in the vehicle ahead of him in traffic at the intersection of 4th and I Street NW. Mr. Williams tried to drive around them but was unable to do so. He reversed his vehicle and threatened the mother and daughter at gunpoint before driving away when the traffic cleared. Williams was identified from surveillance footage in the immediate moments before and after the assault.
Mr. Williams is awaiting trial on an unrelated 2021 homicide offense, which is set for trial in September 2023. Mr. Williams is facing another homicide offense in Charles County, Maryland.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Omeed Assefi and Anna Forgie, who tried the case.
District Man Sentenced for Distributing Fentanyl, Which Resulted in Death of Virginia ConsumerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andrew Cooper, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for distribution of Fentanyl. Cooper pleaded guilty on September 16, 2022, admitting that he distributed the drug to customers from his residence in Northeast Washington, including to a male who subsequently died from consuming the Fentanyl that Cooper provided.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Chief Kevin Davis, of the Fairfax County, Va. Police Department, Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden of the FBI Washington Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Cooper had also admitted that he distributed approximately 30 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of Fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement officer over five separate transactions. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered 36 months of supervised release.
“This sentence reflects the serious consequences awaiting anyone who callously litters our communities with Fentanyl,” said US Attorney Graves. “Anyone considering peddling this poison needs to understand that they are likely to cause someone’s death, and that they will be held accountable for that death.”
“Mr. Cooper profited by selling dangerous and deadly drugs such as fentanyl into our neighborhoods and disregarding the value of human life,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Forget. “Today’s sentence emphasizes our commitment to the tireless work of investigating and prosecuting those responsible for fueling addiction and the deadly poisonings in our area.”
According to court documents, Cooper acknowledged distributing Fentanyl from his residence in the 1900 block of Capitol Avenue NE, in the Ivy City neighborhood, from February to November of 2021. On multiple occasions, from Feb. 11 to Feb. 16, 2021, he distributed Fentanyl to the female and her male friend, who then traveled to Virginia to consume the drug. On Feb. 16, 2021, the woman came to Cooper’s residence alone. Upon her return to Virginia, she discovered her male friend dead from an apparent overdose. He was in a bathroom, with a syringe containing Fentanyl nearby. The cause of death was determined to be acute fentanyl intoxication.
Cooper was initially indicted in November 2021, after law enforcement completed five separate undercover purchases from August to October 2021. When Cooper was arrested on Nov. 10, 2021, law enforcement also executed a search warrant on his residence and recovered $74,430, which were proceeds from Cooper’s narcotics sales, a firearm, and additional narcotics, including Fentanyl. After gathering additional evidence, law enforcement was able to determine that Cooper’s Fentanyl distribution dated back until at least February 2021 and that his distribution resulted in the death of a male victim on Feb. 16, 2021.
As part of its investigation, law enforcement also determined that Cooper maintained a bank account where he kept additional proceeds from his drug trafficking activities and obtained a seizure warrant, resulting in the seizure of an additional $32,650. As part of his plea agreement, Cooper acknowledged that the $74,430 seized from his home and the $32,650 seized from his bank account were drug proceeds and agreed to forfeit the money to the government.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
The case was investigated by the DEA Washington Division, the Fairfax County, Virginia Police Department, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek and Solomon Eppel, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Convicted of Murdering Woman Who Went Missing in 2010 and Has Never Been FoundRead the Press Release
GPS and Other Evidence Led to Defendant’s Arrest
WASHINGTON – Isaac Moye, 46, of Washington D.C., was convicted today of second-degree murder in connection with the October 2010 disappearance of Unique Harris, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from her home and whose body has never been found. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
“More than a decade ago, two children lost their mother to a killer who had no regard for anyone’s needs but his own,” said US Attorney Graves. “Thanks to dogged police work by the Metropolitan Police Department detectives who worked this case, and the dedicated, tireless efforts of the prosecution team, a jury held this defendant accountable for this heinous murder.”
“I want to offer my deepest condolences to the family of Unique Harris. I commend the hard work of everyone involved in this case, especially our homicide detectives who never give up fighting for our victims and ensuring offenders are held accountable,” Interim Chief Benedict said. “This case is a prime example of our detectives’ dedication and tireless work.”
According to the evidence presented at trial, on October 9, 2010, Unique Harris hosted a sleepover for her young children and their nine-year-old cousin at her home in Southeast Washington, D.C. At approximately 9:30 p.m. that night, Harris put the children to bed. At 10:39 p.m., Isaac Moye, a man she had known for only two months, arrived at her home, calling her on her cell phone just moments before entering her building. The next morning, the three children awoke to find their mother gone. Her cell phone and keys were also missing. Her purse and all its contents, including her identification and credit cards were left behind. The eyeglasses she never left home without were also there in the home. Her sofa had been mutilated, a hole cut in the fabric, a section of foam removed. There was no blood, no sign of struggle. And she was never seen or heard from again.
Over the course of the next few years, Isaac Moye was interviewed multiple times by members of the Metropolitan Police Department. He changed his story between interviews – denying, then admitting, then denying that he and Unique Harris had ever been intimate, denying that he had ever been in her home overnight, and denying that had seen her the day that she went missing. Moye’s semen was identified on the mutilated sofa cushion and his GPS records placed him at the decedent’s home for the entire night. Moye also made statements to another person, who testified that Moye said there was a missing girl, but that police were “never going to find her” because he “did it, but did it the right way.” Ms. Harris was reported missing on Oct. 10, 2010. Moye was arrested and charged with the murder on Dec. 19, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.
Moye faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of supervised release.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Vinét Bryant and Erin DeRiso.
Citizen of Croatia and Serbia Charged with Running Monopoly Drug Market on the DarknetRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Milomir Desnica has been extradited from Austria to face charges of running a criminal darknet narcotics marketplace. The charges, unsealed on May 25, 2023, were announced today by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Desnica, 33, of Smederevska Palanka, Serbia, was indicted on July 26, 2022, by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on charges of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds of the alleged crimes. Desnica will be arraigned on the charges on a date to be determined by the Court.
According to the indictment, in late 2019, Desnica launched and operated a darknet marketplace, known as Monopoly Market (“Monopoly”), for the purpose of selling illicit narcotics including opioids, stimulants, psychedelics, and prescription medications, among other drugs. Vendors had to complete an application to sell their products on Monopoly, which included providing descriptions of the drugs they wanted to sell, photographic proof of their inventory, and an agreement to pay a commission for sales completed through Monopoly. As the operator of Monopoly, Desnica reviewed and approved these applications and was aware that vendors were selling narcotics on his website.
In 2021, law enforcement within the United States placed and received numerous orders for narcotics on Monopoly from various vendors. Authorities were able to order more than 100 grams of methamphetamine on Monopoly.
In December 2021, in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners in Germany and Finland, the computer server hosting Monopoly was seized and taken offline. Through analysis of the seized server, law enforcement identified records of the narcotics sales facilitated by Monopoly, 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 the operator of Monopoly.
It is further alleged that between at least April 2020 and July 2022, Desnica used at least two cryptocurrency exchange services to exchange his illicit cryptocurrency, moving between blockchains used to document all cryptocurrency transactions to “clean” his illicit proceeds. Desnica then sold the illicit cryptocurrency to Serbia-based peer-to-peer traders in exchange for fiat currency — all in an effort to launder the proceeds of the illicit narcotics sales.
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.
The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. The charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments carries a maximum term of 20 years in prison. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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 fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other opioids.
Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs; 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 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.
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.
Seven Members of Multi-State Violent Robbery Crew Indicted on Conspiracy and Hobbs Act Robbery ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging seven members of an armed robbery crew with conspiracy, Hobbs Act robbery, and other charges related to a multi-state robbery spree that targeted pharmacy and cell phone retail stores. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Sarah Linden, of the Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Divisions.
Ashley Gause, 30, was arrested on June 8, 2023. She and her co-defendants – D’Marrell Mitchell, 33, Terrance Barnham, 33, Floyd Neal, 30, Ashawntea Henderson, 31, Deaundre Blount, 30, and Glenn Dolford, 29, all of Washington, D.C., are charged with conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act robbery), a crime that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, for allegedly robbing at least 18 pharmaceutical and cell phone stores in D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey, between May 2020 and May 2021. Gause is charged in 20 of the 21 counts. She is charged, with various members, in all 15 counts of Hobbs Act robbery.
According to the indictment, Gause, a/k/a “Cray,” worked with different members of the crew to rob businesses that they had surveilled. Gause and her co-conspirators also allegedly traveled to other states - including North Carolina and Virginia - likely searching for other possible targets for robberies. In some of the robberies, the defendants assaulted the victims, zip tied their hands, and/or held them at gunpoint in order to demand currency, prescription drugs, and/or cellular telephones from the victim businesses. The defendants would then sell the narcotics and cell phones. The victim businesses were located as far away as Neptune, New Jersey, and as close as neighborhoods in the District of Columbia.
“This indictment alleges that these defendants conspired to commit armed robberies, at targeted businesses, using firearms and the threat of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “They chose victim establishments – throughout DC, Maryland, Virginia, and New Jersey - based on location, opportunity, and the profitability of the goods they planned to steal. Through the great work of the FBI and partner agencies, this ring has been dismantled.”
“Ashley Gause and her co-conspirators allegedly committed a series of armed robberies in Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., over the course of at least two years, in part to steal prescription drugs and cell phones that they could then resell,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacobs. “During some of the armed robberies, the defendants assaulted victims, tied their hands, and held them at gunpoint. The people who live and work in these communities deserve to feel safe. Today's indictment demonstrates the FBI's commitment to leveraging partnerships to bring to justice these boundless violent criminals.”
All of the defendants, except Glenn Dolford, are charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, amphetamine, morphine, tapentadol, hydrocodone, and promethazine with codeine. Branham and Neal are charged with carrying and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense. Gause and Mitchell are charged with two counts of using, carrying, possessing and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Gause is charged, alone, in a third count.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, each count of Hobbs Act robbery carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; conspiracy to distribute oxycodone carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison; using, carrying, possessing and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence carries a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison. A U.S. District court judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with valuable assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department, Alexandria Police Department (Virginia), Anne Arundel County Police Department (Maryland), Baltimore County Police Department (Maryland), Henrico County Police Division (Virginia), Laurel Police Department (Maryland), Montgomery County Police Department (Maryland), Neptune Township Police Department (New Jersey), and Prince George’s County Police Department (Maryland). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold.
District Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Two Shootings in Northeast D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Braxton Johnson, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 126 months for two separate shootings that occurred in Northeast D.C., in November and December of 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department. Mr. Johnson pleaded guilty, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of assault with intent to kill in April 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 28, 2022, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Mr. Johnson used a firearm to shoot multiple rounds at three individuals, one of which was Mr. Johnson’s ex-romantic partner, who were walking southbound on 21st Street NE between Maryland Ave NE and I Street NE. As a result of the shooting, one victim suffered a single gunshot wound to the lower left back, and another victim suffered from a single gunshot wound to his left bicep, which shattered his humerus. Mr. Johnson then fled the scene.
On December 19, 2022, at approximately 11:18 a.m., Mr. Johnson drove a scooter to one of the victim’s residences. At around 11:21 a.m., one of the victims exited the residence and was spotted by Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson, using the same firearm that was used on November 28, 2022, fired ten rounds at this victim while chasing the victim down the street. While this victim was not injured in the shooting, multiple innocent bystanders were endangered by the shooting.
On January 2, 2023, Mr. Johnson was arrested and admitted to the shootings in a custodial interview.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Michelle Wicker and Cynthia Muhammad. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin F. Song, Shakinah Douglas, and Monisha Rao, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to More Than 20 years in Prison for Deadly Shooting That Left One Dead and Two InjuredRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Glenn Dolford, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 270 months in prison for 2nd degree murder while armed, aggravated assault while armed, and assault with a deadly weapon, for killing one man and shooting two others in February of 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Judge Maribeth Raffinan ordered five years of supervised release.
On February 2, 2020, Dolford fatally shot Raheem Murray and wounded two other people in the 4000 block of 3rd Street, SE. Dolford pleaded guilty on February 17, 2023.
On February 2, 2020, at approximately 4:00 PM, a dark colored sedan pulled into the 4000 block of 3rd Street, SE, where the three victims were standing on the sidewalk discussing where they were going to watch the Super Bowl. The dark colored sedan slowed to a stop in the middle of the street at which time the defendant and another individual got out of the passenger side of the car and began shooting rifle styled firearms at the three victims. Police found 57 rifle cartridge casings at the scene. Victim Marco Harper ran from the scene after sustaining two gunshot wounds; victim Corvell Hayden was able to get himself to the end of the block where he collapsed having suffered 10 gunshot wounds. Raheem Murray fell to the ground. The defendant ran to Mr. Murray and, from inches away, shot Mr. Murray in the head with his rifle style weapon.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the officers and detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department, under the direction of Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Marybeth Manfreda, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced for Perpetrating Multiple Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Suzgo Phiri, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 41 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered restitution of $108,000. Phiri pleaded guilty February 21, 2023.
According to court documents, between 2018 and his arrest in March of 2022, Phiri - who used multiple false identities including: “Malcolm Tucker,” “David Campbell,” “Eric Brooks,” “Aaron Brooks,” “John Sanders,” “Jaamal Brooks,” “Brady Jones,” and “Payton Deel” – committed multiple fraud schemes. In one fraud, he generated approximately $10,000 per week through a scheme that exploited weaknesses in the payment processing systems used by Square and American Express. The defendant moved fraudulent “tip” amounts that were instantly credited by Square to bank accounts that he had opened using one of many false identities and then quickly withdrew those funds before the fraud could be detected. The government has identified at least $300,000 in gross proceeds from that scheme.
In addition to the fraudulent identity scheme, the government has identified numerous other instances in which the defendant has possessed false identification documents, bank records, and bank cards for individuals other than himself.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service Washington Field Office, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.
District Man Sentenced for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donnell Rojas, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 168 months in prison for possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division. He was also ordered to pay $117,000 in restitution to the identified victims and serve a lifetime of supervised release.
After receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NCMEC”), law enforcement executed a search warrant on a Yahoo account later revealed to belong to the defendant. The search warrant revealed that on April 29, 2020, the defendant sent three emails attaching numerous files constituting child sexual abuse materials (“CSAM”) to and from the Yahoo account—apparently sending the attachments to himself. Several of the files depicted the violent sexual abuse of prepubescent girls and boys, including at least two “GIF” files identified as part of the widely known “Daisy’s Destruction” series. A subsequent search warrant on a Facebook account tied to the defendant revealed that he distributed three images containing CSAM to other Facebook users, asking if one user had “[a]ny kid videos?”
On March 8, 2021, law enforcement executed a warrant at Rojas’s residence. During the search, Rojas admitted that the recovery email accounts linked to the Yahoo account belonged to him. Law enforcement also seized nine devices during the search warrant, including a white Apple iPhone 8 on his person bearing a phone number tied to the Yahoo account. A subsequent forensic review confirmed that five of the seized devices contained voluminous CSAM, including an encrypted hard drive containing CSAM in folders labeled “Taboo” and “Very Taboo.”
Rojas was arrested on Nov. 5, 2019, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which is composed of FBI agents and local, state, and federal partners. He has been detained ever since. He pleaded guilty on June 16, 2022.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and MPD. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim Witness Service Coordinator Tonya Jones. Finally, they commended the work of Trial Attorney-Detailee Jessica Arco, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
D.C. Man Sentenced for Financial Exploitation of a Family MemberRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Tyronne Gregory Taylor, 53, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, suspended, and five years of supervised probation, on one felony count of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult or elderly person. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Inspector General for the District of Columbia Daniel W. Lucas.
According to information presented in court documents, Taylor admitted that from on or about July 2020, to December 2020, he gained unauthorized access to a family member’s debit card, who suffered from cognitive impairments and was hospitalized at a District of Columbia skilled nursing facility. Taylor used his family member’s ATM card for cash withdrawals and purchases at auto parts stores, hardware stores, restaurants, gas stations, liquor stores, hotels, and the purchase of a new car. Taylor also used his family member’s ATM card to make fraudulent payments to his company, TNTGreenConstruction, LLC. In total, Taylor was able to obtain more than $51,000 for his personal use, from his hospitalized family member, who was unable to make decisions for himself or to communicate meaningfully.
Taylor entered his guilty plea in the U.S. Superior Court for the District of Columbia on February 23, 2023. In addition to his sentencing, the Honorable Errol Arthur ordered Taylor to pay $51,886.31 in restitution and pay $100 to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund.
This matter was originally reported to the District of Columbia’s Office of Aging and Community Living’s Adult Protective Services Division and initially investigated by the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who prosecuted the case from the Office of Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged the efforts of Special Assistant United States Attorney Jason Facci, on detail from the Office of the Inspector General, who prosecuted the case.
District Physician’s Assistant Arraigned on Two Counts of Second Degree Sexual Abuse of a Patient or ClientRead the Press Release
Defendant Accused of Sexually Assaulting Two Patients During Physical Exams
WASHINGTON – Haileleoul Erbello (Desta), 47, of Laurel, Maryland, was arraigned today on six counts of second degree sexual abuse of a patient or client arising from events that occurred in August of 2019 and April of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict of the Metropolitan Police Department.
On May 17, 2023, Erbello was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on six counts of second degree sexual abuse of a patient or client. He faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count if convicted.
According to the government’s evidence, between August of 2019 and April of 2021, the defendant was working at Metro Lab clinic in Washington, D.C. On or about August 20, 2019, he was performing a physical exam on a patient to certify her eligibility for employment when he groped her breasts, pressed his chest up against her breasts, and pressed his genitalia up against her arm. The indictment also charges that Erbello sexually abused a second patient on or about April 10, 2021. He was, again, performing a physical exam to certify a patient’s employment eligibility when he pressed his groin up against the patient’s buttocks, groped her breasts, and touched her buttocks with his hand.
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.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Benedict commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit. They acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Durand Odom; Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson; and Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammad and ReShawn Johnson. Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela Buckner, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Bonnie Thompson, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.
District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Drug and Gun OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Demetrius Green, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months in prison for gun and drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge is Craig B. Kailimai, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Green was convicted, on December 14, 2022, after a one-week jury trial, of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person (previous conviction for a term of imprisonment exceeding one year) and three counts of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance (including crack cocaine, hydromorphone, and oxycodone).
According to the evidence, on January 20, 2020, at approximately 4:45 a.m., Green, a twice convicted felon, stepped onto the back porch of 917 Wahler Place, Southeast, in Washington, D.C., and fired a machinegun into the air. The Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) quickly responded and knocked on both the back and front door, but the individual inside refused to come out. MPD officers gathered the spent shell casings from the back porch and obtained pole camera footage from a camera that had been installed days earlier to monitor suspected drug trafficking and violence in the area. The pole camera captured Green stepping onto the back porch and firing off a weapon at 4:45 a.m, and then stepping onto the same back porch on at least two occasions later that morning. After reviewing this footage, law enforcement returned that evening with a search warrant.
As the warrant was executed, Green attempted to run out the back door, but was stopped and arrested. From inside the residence, MPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) recovered approximately $30,000 of drugs (including 33 zips of crack cocaine, 288 hydromorphone pills, and 700 oxycodone pills), drug paraphernalia, and a machinegun that forensically matched the five spent shell casings that MPD had recovered from the back porch. Green was the only individual inside the residence. Several of Green’s ID cards were found merely feet away from the crack and the machinegun, and Green appeared to be the only person living in what the Government’s expert witness testified was a quintessential “stash house,” where controlled substances were stored in order to be sold to the public.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Kailimai, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District, and agents and experts from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). They also expressed appreciation to those who prosecuted the case Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek from the office’s Violence Reduction and Trafficking offenses section and Gilead Light from the Federal Major Crimes section.
District Man Indicted on Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed Arising from the August 31, 2022 Shooting of a JuvenileRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Delmar Whitley, also known as Damar Whitley, 46, of Washington, D.C., is charged by indictment, filed today, with assault with intent to kill while armed and other charges stemming from the Aug. 31, 2022, shooting of one 17-year old, and the threat to shoot another 17-year old. The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Interim Chief Ashan M. Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Whitley was indicted by a Superior Court grand jury and charged with assault with intent to kill while armed with a firearm committed against a minor; aggravated assault while armed with a firearm committed against a minor; and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon committed against a minor. Whitley also was indicted on charges of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence or dangerous offense, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Whitley is to be arraigned on June 23, 2023, at a hearing before the Honorable Marisa Demeo. He faces a maximum of 45 years in prison if convicted of the lead charge, and an additional 15 years if convicted of the assault on the second teenager.
According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 31, 2022, at about 9:27 a.m., Whitley returned home to the apartment building where he resided in the 4700 block of Alabama Avenue SE. As he passed through the common area of the building, Whitley exchanged words with the first victim, a 17-year-old who was visiting the building before he and his classmates were to go to school. According to the evidence, after that exchange, Whitley briefly went inside his apartment before coming back with a firearm and shooting the teenager in the face, and then chasing him outside and shooting him again in the back. Whitley is also accused of pointing the firearm at another teen who was also trying to get away.
Following the assaults, Whitley fled the scene. Whitley was arrested on Sept. 22, 2022, and has remained in custody since his arrest.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth and Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Prins and Michael Roberts, who are investigating and prosecuting the case.
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.
Brother and Sister Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy Involving Fentanyl SalesRead the Press Release
Defendants Sold Fake Oxycodone (M-30) Pills Containing Fentanyl Causing Overdose and Death of a 20-year old Woman
WASHINGTON – Larry Jerome Eastman, 23, of Temple Hills, Maryland, and his sister, Justice Michelle Eastman, 26, of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The pair pleaded guilty February 8, 2023, in U.S. District Court. Larry Eastman was sentenced to 140 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release; Justice Eastman was sentenced to 37 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division Office, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The defendants were arrested on January 26, 2022, following an investigation into the April 6, 2021 fentanyl overdose death of a woman in Southeast Washington, D.C. According to the government’s evidence, the 20-year-old victim had survived an earlier overdose in November of 2020, and was revived after paramedics administered Narcan. At the time of her fatal overdose in April 2021, white powder was discovered on a coffee table at the victim’s apartment. The DEA analyzed the powder and determined it to be fentanyl. An autopsy determined the victim’s cause of death was acute fentanyl intoxication.
A review of the victim’s phone revealed text messages from the previous evening with Larry Eastman in which the victim asked for “jammers” (a street term that often refers to counterfeit blue Oxycodone pills that contain fentanyl). Larry Eastman then directed the victim to his address in Washington D.C., and requested that she make payment to a Cash App account registered to Justice Eastman. Additional communications between Larry Eastman and the victim went as far back as September 2020, the start of the conspiracy, along with corresponding payments to Justice Eastman’s Cash App accounts. When the two defendants were arrested in January 2022, law enforcement seized additional fake Oxycodone (M30) pills, which contained fentanyl, and match the pills that the defendants were working together to sell.
“Many of the Fentanyl pills being peddled contain fatal doses of the drug,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Nevertheless, this brother and sister were willing to flood our streets with this poison. Larry Eastman’s actions directly led to the death of a young woman. These sentences establish that there are consequences to distributing this incredibly dangerous drug and where we can prove that someone delivered the fatal dose we will do all within our power to ensure the sentence reflects the tragic loss of life.”
“We are in the middle of a Fentanyl Poisoning Crisis,” said Special Agent in Charge Forget. “Drug traffickers like the Eastmans, are distributing fake pills laced with Fentanyl and misleading our citizens without regard for their wellbeing. We will continue the work with our federal, state and local partner to investigate and ultimately prosecute these ruthless criminals.”
As noted by the DEA, because of its potency and low cost, fentanyl is increasingly being mixed with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction. Particularly dangerous are fake prescription pills like the fake oxycodone M30 tablets seized in this case, which contain fentanyl. The DEA Laboratory has found that, of the fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills analyzed in 2022, six out of ten now contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl (see One Pill Can Kill).
The case was investigated by the Washington Division Office of the DEA and the Metropolitan Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andy T. Wang, David T. Henek, and Matthew W. Kinskey, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking CrimeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Terreance Robinson, 25, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty, yesterday, to assault with intent to kill while armed in connection with a retaliatory shooting, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the Government’s evidence, on October 20, 2022, around 6:08 p.m., surveillance captured the defendant in the Clay Terrace neighborhood with his juvenile co-conspirators. While there, the defendant pulled two firearms out of his waistband before providing one to a juvenile co-conspirator. At approximately 6:42 p.m., the defendant and his three juvenile co-conspirators drove a carjacked vehicle (“Suspect Vehicle”) from the Clay Terrace neighborhood to the 500 block of 51st Street Northeast, Washington, D.C. in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. The defendant and his co-conspirators targeted a group of people who were gathered by the 500 block of 51st Street NE.
While driving by the group, the defendant and his co-conspirators fired their firearms at the group, prompting everyone in the group to flee. During the shooting, the Suspect Vehicle that defendant and his co-conspirators occupied collided into a parked vehicle on the road by 519 51st Street NE. The defendant and his co-conspirators swiftly exited the vehicle and fled the scene as the defendant continued to shoot his firearm at the retreating group. At least one individual in the targeted group was shot multiple times and was hospitalized for his injuries. While fleeing the scene, the defendant and his co-conspirators ran through Marvin Gaye Park and back to the Clay Terrace neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The investigation revealed that the shooting was retaliatory in nature.
Less than a month later, on November 16, 2022, federal and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence. At the commencement of the search, the defendant ran upstairs and tossed out of a window a Glock 17, 9mm firearm. Police arrested the defendant and found, on his person, distribution-quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base that were packaged for sale. Ballistics analysis linked the Glock 17, 9mm firearm recovered from the defendant’s residence on November 16, 2022, to the October 20, 2022 shooting in Lincoln Heights. At the time of defendant’s conduct on October 20 and November 16, the defendant was on supervision in a case for which he had previously plead guilty for unlawful possession of a firearm.
On June 13, 2023, the defendant pleaded guilty, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 14, 2023, at which time the defendant faces a sentence of 15 years in prison.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force in Washington, D.C., and MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division. They also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sitara Witanachchi and Will Hart, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses section, who are prosecuting the case.
Six More Arrested in Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy Spanning from California to D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Federal law enforcement arrested six more members of a fentanyl drug distribution, responsible for bringing thousands of fake blue Oxycodone (M30) pills, containing fentanyl, from California to D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division, United States Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Damon Wood, of the Washington Division, and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Teron Deandre McNeil, Marvin Anthony Bussie, a/k/a “Money Marr,” Marcus Orlando Brown, Thomas Columbian, a/k/a “Cruddy Murda,” Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden, and Andre Malik Edmond are named in an indictment – along with previously apprehended co-defendants Hector David Valdez, Charles Jeffrey Taylor, Max Alexander Carias Torres, Raymond Nava, Jr., and Craig Eastman - with conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl.
According to the indictment, from on or about January 2021 to May 18, 2023, each of the defendants conspired together to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl.
DEFENDANT NAME
AGE
RESIDENT OF
DETENTION STATUS
Teron Deandre McNeil
a/k/a “Wild Boy”
33
Washington, DC
Arrested: 06/08/2023
Detained 06/13
Marvin Anthony Bussie, a/k/a “Money Marr”
20
Washington, DC
Arrested: 04/14/2023
Detained in unrelated case
Marcus Orlando Brown
27
Temple Hills, MD
Arrested: 05/30/2023
Detained: 06/02/2023
Thomas Columbian, a/k/a “Cruddy Murda”
25
Washington, DC
Arrested: 06/02/2023
Detained: 06/05/2023
Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden, a/k/a “Wayne Maiden”
28
Washington, DC
Arrested: 06/01/2023
Detained: 06/06/2023
Andre Malik Edmond, a/k/a “Draco”
22
Temple Hills, MD
Arrested: 06/12/2023
Initial Appearance: pending
The conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison up to life. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation of this case had the sponsorship and support of the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional support from the DEA Los Angeles and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek, Matthew W. Kinskey and Andy Wang of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Five Gang Members Found Guilty in the Murder of 10-year old Makiyah Wilson; One More Convicted of Related ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Superior Court jury, today, returned guilty verdicts against six men, from Washington, D.C., charged in the murder of 10-year old Makiyah Wilson. The verdicts were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
A jury found Isaiah Murchison, 23, Darrise Jeffers, 23, Gregory Taylor, 27, Qujuan Thomas, 24, and Quentin Michals, 25, guilty of first degree murder while armed, conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, participation in a criminal street gang, and multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Co-defendant Marquell Cobbs, 21, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence. All six are members of the “Wellington Park crew.” Sentencing hearings are scheduled for October 6, 2023 and October 20, 2023.
“On July 16, 2018, four men exited a vehicle in the courtyard of an apartment complex and indiscriminately fired over 50 shots at the residents because of a petty social media feud they had with individuals who associated with that community,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “Their rampage left multiple people shot and a 10-year old child dead. Today’s verdicts demonstrate that we will hold accountable both the shooters in these brazen attacks and the people who help them.”
“This investigation was the result of great detective work by our homicide detectives, who worked tirelessly to track down evidence, follow up on leads and tips from the community, along with our federal law enforcement partnerships,” said Chief Benedict. “It was because of hard work between the Metropolitan Police Department, our law enforcement partners and most importantly the community.”
On July 16, 2018, defendants Isaiah Murchison, Gregory Taylor, Qujuan Thomas, and two other individuals drove to the Clay Terrace neighborhood armed with guns. They opened fire on the Clay Terrace courtyard, firing more than 50 shots, indiscriminately. Makiyah Wilson, who was sitting on the front stoop of her home, was killed. Several other people were wounded. Defendants Quentin Michals and Darrise Jeffers assisted the shooters by obtaining the weapons and vehicle used in the shooting. Despite having witnessed the defendants preparing for the shooting, no witnesses were willing to provide information regarding the identity of the shooters. The government presented forensic evidence, statements the defendants made over social media, and motive evidence in presenting its case.
In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of the detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department who investigated the case as well as members of the prosecution team, including: Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman and Grazy Rivera and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Barker and Melissa Jackson, along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Timmer, who investigated the case. Finally, they thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Lindsey Merikas who prosecuted the case.
District Man Found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter and Related Charges for Killing Cousin in the Intersection of 29th and S Streets SoutheastRead the Press Release
Defendant Shot Victim Following a Series of Arguments Started by an Instagram Post
WASHINGTON – Lewkus Turner, 29, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury of voluntary manslaughter while armed and related charges stemming from a mid-afternoon shooting on December 11, 2020, at 29th and S Streets Southeast, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan M. Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Turner was found guilty by a jury, on June 9, 2023, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of voluntary manslaughter while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan scheduled sentencing for August 25, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, just before 4:00 p.m. on December 11, 2021, the victim—and Turner’s first cousin—Vincent Gyamfi, drove to the 1600 block of 29th Street SE to speak to Turner regarding an Instagram post Turner had made earlier in the week. Shortly after arriving in the area, an argument broke out and Turner left the area. Turner returned shortly thereafter armed with a gun and the two men argued again before leaving in separate directions, with Mr. Gyamfi stopping his vehicle near the intersection of 29th and S Streets SE. At 4:07 p.m., Turner drove to the intersection and confronted his cousin for a final time. Mr. Gyamfi ran at Turner’s car, and Turner shot Mr. Gyamfi three times with a large caliber weapon. Turner then dragged Mr. Gyamfi’s body into the street, got into his vehicle, and fled the scene without calling for aid.
Turner was arrested in the murder case on December 29, 2021. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI CAST team. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Dan Lenerz and Bryan Han of the Appellate Section; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez; Special Agents Mark Crawford and Durand Odom of the Criminal Investigations Unit; Supervisory Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Victim/Witness Service Coordinators Tonya Jones and Maenylie Watson; Supervisory Budget Analyst Nikiya Burnette and Accounting Technician Evelyn Miles; Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; and Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Kimak, Christopher Carson, and Gauri Gopal, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Assaulting 11-Year OldRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Dwayne L. Curtis, Sr., 61, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to sexually assaulting an 11-year old girl in January of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Curtis, Sr. pleaded guilty to one count of first degree child sexual abuse, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, before the Honorable Michael K. O’Keefe who scheduled sentencing for August 11, 2023.
Curtis admitted that between January 12 and January 14, 2021, he twice engaged the child in a sex act at his home in Northwest Washington, D.C. As part of his guilty plea, the parties agreed that Curtis should be sentenced to 180 months in prison, with half of that time suspended. They also agreed that, upon his release from prison, he will be on supervised probation for five years, and will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The sentence is pending the court’s approval.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; paralegal Garcia Clarke; former paralegal Brenda Williams; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who prosecuted the matter.
District Man Arrested in Shooting Death of 62-year-old manRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Demarcus Barnett, 20, of Washington, D.C., was arrested yesterday for second degree murder while armed, stemming from the shooting death of 62-year-old Lasanta Qumar McGill, on June 8, 2023, in the Westminster neighborhood, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department announced.
Mr. Barnett was arraigned today in Superior Court in the District of Columbia, where he entered a not guilty plea. The court found probable cause that the defendant committed the murder and held him without bond pending a preliminary hearing on June 20, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Raffinan.
An arrest on a complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the arrest, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
District Man Arraigned on Two Counts of Second Degree Sexual Abuse of a Patient or ClientRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dyrell Muhammad, also known as Dyrell Gamble, 56, of Washington, D.C., was arraigned today on two counts of second degree sexual abuse arising from events that occurred in August 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
On May 25, 2023, Muhammad was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on two counts of second degree sexual abuse of a patient or client. He faces a maximum of five years on each count if convicted of the charges.
According to the government’s evidence, in August 2021, Muhammad was working at RAP, Inc., a residential substance use and mental health treatment program located in Washington, D.C. On or about August 4, 2021, Muhammad approached a program client in an elevator. He grasped the client’s hand and placed her hand on his penis through his clothing. Muhammad then exposed his penis and placed the client’s hand on his naked, exposed penis. The indictment also charges that Muhammad sexually abused a second client, on or about August 9, 2021. On August 25, 2022, Muhammad was arrested in connection with this case and was subsequently released pending trial.
In August 2001, Muhammad was convicted of first degree murder while armed and associated firearms charges for a murder he committed in October 1998. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment totaling 35 years to life. In October 2020, after serving 22 years of that sentence, Muhammad was released by a Superior Court judge, pursuant to the COVID-19 Response Supplemental Emergency Amendment Act of 2020, and placed on five years’ supervised probation.
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.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit. They acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins; Paralegal Specialists Garcia Clarke, ReShawn Johnson, Cynthia Muhammad, and Michelle Wicker; and Special Agent Sean Ricardi. Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Lee, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Sourbeer, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.
Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Assault with Intent to Kill While Armed and Related Charges in Shooting of a Pregnant Woman in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Joshua Hemphill, 32, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty yesterday of two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and other charges, in an early morning shooting that took place in Southeast Washington on September 21, 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The jury also found Hemphill guilty of aggravated assault while armed, first-degree burglary while armed, multiple counts of contempt, and other firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz, who scheduled sentencing for August 11, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on September 21, 2018, Hemphill went to the home where his former romantic partner was staying with her friend. In a fit of rage, he fired one round into the door and made his way inside the apartment. He then chased the two women into a small closet where he fired two rounds from approximately three feet away. The first round hit the friend in the left hand and the second hit her in the back of her head. The friend was 24 weeks pregnant at the time she was shot. The victim received emergency neurosurgery at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and both she and her child survived.
Hemphill was arrested weeks later in Pennsylvania. Upon his return to the District of Columbia, Hemphill was ordered by a District of Columbia Superior Court Judge on October 24, 2018, to stay away and have no contact with his former romantic partner. Evidence showed that Hemphill violated that order numerous times between October 24, 2018, and April 29, 2019.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb and Angela Buckner, current Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bonnie Thompson, Dana Joseph, Ryan Sellinger, and Jodi Lazarus, Appellate Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nick Coleman and Bryan Han, Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle, Garcia Clarke, Lynda Randolph, and Tijuana McPhail, Supervisory Paralegal Specialists Linda McDonald and RaeShawn Johnson, Supervisory Victim Services Advocate Roderick Johnson, Victim/Witness Advocates Lu Lan and Rogers Dickerson, Witness Security Specialists Orlando Teel and Lesley Slade, Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Maenylie Watson, Criminal Investigations Unit Special Agent in Charge Tina Lukens, and Criminal Investigations Unit Special Agents Matthew Fox-Moles, and Nelson Rhone.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys LaVater Massie-Banks and Brian Yang, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Found Guilty of Charges for Armed Robbery in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A jury found Nwabueze Igwe, 32, of Washington, DC guilty of robbing a man at knifepoint, 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. The verdict was returned on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The Honorable Jason Park scheduled sentencing for August 11, 2023.
Igwe was found guilty, following a three-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a dangerous weapon.
According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of February 13, 2023, the defendant yelled at the victim, a stranger, multiple times on the Metro as the pair were travelling in the same car on the Green Line. As the train stopped at the Gallery Place Station, the defendant approached the victim, entered his personal space, and took his North Face backpack. When the victim asked for his backpack, the defendant brandished and opened a switchblade as he warned the victim to back away.
The defendant and the victim both exited at Gallery Place. While the victim ran for help and found nearby officers, the defendant looked in both directions before jumping back on the train, with the victim’s backpack in his hand, as the doors were closing. Once he got back on the train, the defendant hid the backpack in a translucent trash bag. The defendant then exited at the next stop, Mount Vernon Station, where he walked throughout the station constantly looking over his shoulder before exiting the station on foot. Just over an hour later, the defendant returned to the Gallery Place Station, still carrying the victim’s belongings. Metro surveillance footage captures the defendant in the immediate moments after the robbery and confirms his flight path. He was apprehended at Gallery Place that night and charged 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.
Two D.C. Businessmen Found Guilty of Bribing D.C. Tax Official to Erase Millions in Tax LiabilityRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON — Today, a federal jury found Anthony Merritt, 48, of Washington D.C., and Andre De Moya, 54, of Temple Hills, Maryland, guilty of bribery, conspiracy, and wire-fraud offenses arising from their scheme to bribe former D.C. Tax Official Vincent Slater, so that Slater would erase millions of dollars of their District tax liabilities. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton scheduled a sentencing hearing for De Moya on October 17, 2023; and for Merritt on October 23, 2023.
According to the evidence at trial, De Moya paid Slater, a former employee of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR), to fraudulently eliminate tax liabilities of businesses owned by De Moya and others, including Arman Amirshahi and Charles Zhou. Anthony Merritt served as a middleman, whom De Moya and Slater relied upon to communicate with Slater and who facilitated the bribe payments. Merritt also took a cut of the bribe payments. Amirshahi, Zhou, and Slater all previously pleaded guilty for their roles in this and related bribery schemes, and are awaiting sentencing.
The verdicts were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and D.C. Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.
The statutory maximum sentence for conspiracy is five years in prison; for bribery, is 15 years in prison; and for wire fraud, is 20 years in prison. A federal court judge will determine the appropriate sentence based on the guideline range and other factors.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the agencies who investigated the case, including the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, with substantial assistance by the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Office of Integrity and Oversight. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Amanda Rhode, and Mariela Andrade, and former paralegal specialist Aisha Keys.
Finally, he acknowledged the work of Assistant United States Attorneys Christine Macey and Timothy Visser, who prosecuted the case at trial, and Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Miller and Molly Gaston, and former AUSA Amanda Vaughn, who investigated the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Fatally Shooting StrangerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Brandon Randall, 35, of Annapolis, Maryland, was sentenced on June 2, 2023, to 264 months in prison for shooting a stranger outside a Northwest Washington D.C. night club, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Randall pleaded guilty on November 22, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr. accepted the plea and sentenced Randall to 22 years’ incarceration. Following his prison term, Randall will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 24, 2019, at approximately 1:24 a.m., a fight broke out during a music event at the Safari DC Restaurant and Lounge, located in the 4300 block of Georgia Avenue Northwest. The patrons, including the victim, David Brandon, and Randall, were forced outside. Surveillance video shows that Randall and his associates were amidst a group of people who were walking away from the night club. As they were walking, Randall removed a firearm from his waistband, and one of his associates punched another individual. Randall then fired his gun towards the group of people and ran away with his associates. Randall continued to fire more rounds as he ran towards an SUV and ultimately fled the scene.
The victim, David Brandon, sustained five gunshot wounds and died a short time later. Randall was arrested on July 17, 2019. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Annapolis Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark and Lead Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman.
Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal and Colleen Kukowski, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
U.S. Attorney’s Office Concludes Investigation into Fatal Shooting Inside of Metro StationRead the Press Release
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 an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation who was involved in the fatal shooting, on December 7, 2022, of Troy N. Bullock.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included a review of law enforcement and civilian eyewitness accounts, surveillance footage from inside of the Metro station, physical evidence, recorded cell phone footage, recorded radio communications, forensic reports, and the autopsy report.
According to the evidence, on December 7, 2022, at approximately 6:11p.m., an FBI Special Agent was standing on the platform at the Metro Center station. The agent, who was off duty at the time, observed Mr. Bullock attempting to initiate a physical confrontation with an individual who was also standing on the platform by challenging him to a fight. To defuse the situation, the agent indicated to Mr. Bullock that he should leave the individual alone. Mr. Bullock then became physically aggressive toward the agent by grabbing the agent and pushing him over a utility wall. The wall is approximately three feet high. The agent fell backward over the utility wall, and Mr. Bullock fell over the wall with him – a fall of over eight feet. Below, Mr. Bullock resumed his attack on the agent, who sustained an injury in the fall, drew his service weapon, and shot Mr. Bullock. Despite life-saving efforts, Mr. Bullock was pronounced dead at the scene.
After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the agent used excessive force under the circumstances.
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. To prove civil rights violations, prosecutors must typically be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary. Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden. Prosecutors must not only prove that the force used was excessive, but must also prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids.
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.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Shooting a Man in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Richard Nduba, 39, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for firing multiple shots at a man in August 2022 in Northwest Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Nduba was convicted on March 22, 2023, following a three-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Erik Christian ordered 36 months of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on August 10, 2022, the defendant argued with with the victim, a friend, outside the Walmart on 99 H Street NW around 7:00pm. After the argument, the victim, who is wheelchair bound, went to the 800 block of 1st street NW next to the Walmart’s loading dock area to speak on the phone. The defendant circled the block in his rental SUV until he found the victim. Upon finding the victim, the defendant lowered his window, pointed a black handgun at the victim, and shot at the victim twice. The defendant stopped shooting only after the victim acted as if he had been hit and played dead in his wheelchair. Both shots, however, missed the victim. A bullet hole was later discovered in Walmart’s loading dock door, next to where the victim had been sitting at the time of the shooting.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It was investigated, prosecuted. and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Omeed Assefi and Colin Cloherty 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 Specialist Debra McPherson, and Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce.
D.C. Man Pleads Guilty Assaulting a Member of Congress and Law Enforcement OfficersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kendrid Khalil Hamlin, 26, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to assault on a member of Congress and two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer stemming from an incident on February 9, 2023, in the District of Columbia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 15, 2023.
According to Hamlin’s admissions in court, he willfully assaulted a member of the House of Representatives, causing personal injury. Hamlin also admitted that he assaulted a detective and a police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department that same day.
The charge of assault on a member of Congress carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The charge of assault on a law enforcement officer carries a statutory maximum sentence of six months in prison. The court will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other factors. Because the defendant pleaded to all the counts charged in the indictment without the benefit of a plea agreement, both the defendant and the government retain the right to make legal arguments at the time of sentencing.
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.
WMATA Senior Program Manager Sentenced for Carrying Out Procurement SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former senior manager for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for carrying out a scheme in which he and others manipulated the agency’s procurement process in favor of a company that was paid more than $1.3 million for items and services over a period of more than nine years.
Scottie Borders, 61, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in September 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper ordered 24 months of supervised release and restitution of $430,177.
The sentenced was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) Inspector General Rene Febles, and Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division.
According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court and admitted by Borders, Borders worked full-time as a Senior Program Manager for WMATA. In this capacity, he was involved in the selection, award, and administration of WMATA contracts with various vendors, contractors, and suppliers.
The charge involves payments to a firm identified in the court documents as “Company 1.” This company, based in Millville, New Jersey, was a producer and supplier of traffic signs and safety products to various individuals, entities, and government agencies, including WMATA. As detailed in court documents, from approximately January 2011 through September 2020, in the District of Columbia, and elsewhere, Borders and others engaged in a scheme to unlawfully enrich themselves by securing the selection, award, and administration of contracts, bids, and purchase agreements between “Company 1” and WMATA for various traffic signs and safety products based on materially false representations made to WMATA, via wire, concerning the nature of the contracts, bids, and purchase agreements involving “Company 1” and others.
Borders was the primary point of contact for all business conducted between WMATA and “Company 1.” He abused his position at WMATA, and his understanding of the contracting and procurement process, to manipulate bids for items and services in favor of the company by using materially false and fraudulent representations made to WMATA via wire by Borders and his co-conspirators.
For example, Borders and his co-conspirators falsified price quotes and bids on behalf of companies that either did not submit bids to do business with WMATA or did not know that their information was being used in connection with specific WMATA bids. Borders also provided individuals at “Company 1” with information about potential competitors’ bids. The purported quotes and fraudulent bid proposals were made up to ensure that the company secured the lucrative WMATA purchase orders and contracts at issue. Additionally, Borders added unnecessary items to purchase orders that he submitted to WMATA on behalf of the company.
Ultimately, WMATA paid “Company 1” for such invoices and orders secured and submitted through Borders. Borders also procured purchase orders on behalf of WMATA, for equipment from the company that Borders knew was unnecessary, substandard, and/or never actually provided to WMATA.
During the relevant period, WMATA paid the company more than $1.3 million for various services and items, including poles, decals, bus stop signs, flags, and tools. In exchange for facilitating these fraudulent bids and orders on behalf of WMATA, Borders was provided with items of value, including NFL tickets, by individuals affiliated with the company.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Office of Inspector General. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Leslie A. Goemaat and Anne P. McNamara of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Former Operator of Payza.com Charged with Laundering 450 BitcoinRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Firoz Patel, 48, of Canada, was ordered detained today following indictment on charges of laundering 450 Bitcoin (BTC), valued at $24,020,699.83 at the time of the transaction, shortly before he reported to prison in another case in 2021. The two-count indictment, unsealed on May 17, 2023, charges Patel with money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ordered Patel be detained pending trial.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.
Previously, Patel, his brother, Ferhan, and their company, MH Pillars, Inc., d/b/a Payza, were prosecuted in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for operating an Internet-based unlicensed money service business that processed more than $250 million in transactions. Through Payza.com, the defendants ran a money transmitting business that operated without the necessary state licenses and knowingly transmitted funds that were derived from illegal activity. The brothers each pled guilty to conspiracy to commit crimes against the United States by operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and by laundering monetary instruments. As part of his plea agreement, Firoz Patel was required to disclose all known assets to the U.S. government. On November 10, 2020, Patel was sentenced to 36 months in prison and was given a reporting date. The court also entered a forfeiture judgment for “any property, real or personal, involved in” the offense to which Firoz Patel had pled guilty.
According to court documents, between his sentencing and reporting dates, Patel transferred 450 BTC, traceable to Payza.com, to an account at a virtual currency exchange in the United Kingdom. The 450 Bitcoin would have been subject to forfeiture in Patel’s previous criminal case. The virtual currency exchange account was opened using the name and date of birth of Patel’s father, but with an email address and phone number controlled by Firoz Patel. When the virtual currency exchange requested additional information about the account and the large deposit, it received a response in the name of an employee of a company in India affiliated with Payza. The account containing the 450 Bitcoin was ultimately frozen.
This matter is being investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arvind K. Lal and Christopher B. Brown.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
D.C. Man Held on Charges He Distributed Lethal Dose of Fentanyl to an 18-Year Old Army PrivateRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jaron Johnson, 22, of Washington, D.C., was ordered held today pending trial in a drug distribution case that resulted in death. Johnson is charged by indictment, filed May 9, 2023, with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Washington Division, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy Eckersley of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Washington Field Office.
According to documents filed in U.S. District Court, in May of 2022, Johnson purposefully distributed what he knew to contain fentanyl to a U.S. Army private (the “decedent”). The fentanyl the defendant sold to the decedent killed him within hours. His cause of death was determined to be a mixture of fentanyl, dextromethorphan (cough medicine), and chlorpheniramine (allergy medicine), with an enlarged heart as a contributing factor, and the manner ruled accidental. The examiner, however, indicated that had the decedent ingested only the fentanyl, he would have died.
When the decedent’s phone was searched, investigators found a text message conversation between the decedent and a specific phone number which was linked to Johnson. The messages show that the decedent discussed meeting with Johnson to purchase “blues” and “30s,” which is slang known to be used for pills containing fentanyl. On May 23, 2022, Johnson sent a message to the decedent which included a picture of a hand holding a bag of light blue pills, with the marking’s “M” and “30” on them. The decedent died on May 26, 2022.
On May 25, 2023, Johnson was arrested at an airport upon his return from California. A search of his checked luggage revealed he had been carrying approximately 33 pounds of suspected marijuana.
This case is being investigated by the DEA’s Washington Division and Army’s Criminal Investigation Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel and Will Hart, of the Violence Reduction and Traffic Offenses Section (VRTO) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
North Carolina Man and New York Woman Charged with Conspiracy and Damaging National Gallery of Art ExhibitRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Timothy Martin of North Carolina, and Joanna Smith of New York, both 53, were taken into custody today following an indictment charging conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and injury to a National Gallery of Art exhibit. Martin self-surrendered this morning in Raleigh, North Carolina; Smith self-surrendered this morning in Washington, D.C.
According to the indictment, unsealed today, Martin and Smith smeared paint on the case and base of Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer, Age Fourteen, a priceless work of art which has drawn visitors for years to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Following the attack, a group called Declare Emergency claimed credit. Over the last year, in addition to this offense, Declare Emergency has blocked roadways around the Washington, D.C. area.
The indictment further alleges that Martin and Smith agreed, along with other currently uncharged co-conspirators, to enter the National Gallery of Art for the purpose of injuring the exhibit. Martin and Smith entered the National Gallery of Art armed with plastic water bottles filled with paint. Martin and Smith handed their phones to other conspirators and waited until patrons cleared the area in front of the Little Dancer. Martin and Smith proceeded to smear paint on the case and base of the exhibit, at times smacking the case with force. Prior to the attack, members of the conspiracy had alerted the Washington Post, and two reporters from the Post recorded and photographed the offense. Additionally, other members of the conspiracy filmed and photographed the offense. Smith and Martin caused approximately $2,400 in damage and the exhibit was removed from public display for ten days so that it could be repaired.
Each charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, specifically the FBI’s Art Crime Team, with assistance from National Gallery of Art Police, and U.S. Park Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron A. Tepfer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
District Man Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Armed Sexual Abuse of a StrangerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Troy Ashley, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for the armed rape of a stranger in Southeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Interim Chief Ashan Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department. On March 17, 2023, Mr. Ashley pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree sexual abuse while armed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Ashley has been in custody since his arrest on March 26, 2018. His guilty plea called for an agreed-upon 18-year prison sentence. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan accepted the plea today and also ordered lifetime supervised release.
According to the proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on the evening of March 20, 2018, the victim was sitting in her car, which was parked in the 3200 block of Buena Vista Terrace Southeast, Washington, D.C. Ashley approached the victim’s car, displayed a black handgun, and demanded the victim let him into her car. Out of fear for her life, the victim complied. Ashley then ordered her to drive into a nearby alley. In the alley, Ashley ordered the victim to take off her shirt and move to the back seat of her car, where he was. Once the victim had done so, Ashley forced her to perform oral sex on him. He then forcibly raped her. Ashley then ordered the victim to get back into the driver’s seat and drive from the scene.
Before and after the assault, Ashley demanded money and credit cards from the victim. After the victim told Ashley for the second time that she did not have those things with her, Ashley ordered the victim to drive to the Anacostia River. Once they had arrived at the river, Ashley ordered the victim to strip naked and get into the water or he would shoot her. Again, out of fear for her life, the victim complied.
Ashley drove away in the victim’s car, leaving the victim in the river. The victim was able to call for help from the water using a cell phone she had managed to conceal on her person as she got into the river. Ashley was arrested while sitting in the victim’s car six days later.
In announcing the plea and sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Interim Chief Benedict commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Park Police and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan, Paralegal Specialists Garcia Clarke and Tiffany Jones, and former Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Creighton, Kathleen Kern, Robert Platt, and Kristin Sourbeer, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Metropolitan Police Officer Convicted of Federal Civil Rights ViolationsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mark Lamont Clark, 57, a former officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, was found guilty today of two counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to evidence presented in court, on July 13, 2018, while acting under color of law and fully dressed in his MPD uniform, Clark applied a prohibited chokehold to victim D.T., causing bodily injury and depriving D.T. of civil rights, outside a McDonald’s restaurant, following a confrontation Clark had with a friend of D.T. Just five days later, on July 18, 2018, while acting under color of law and fully dressed in his MPD uniform, Clark similarly escalated a verbal confrontation with a McDonald’s patron, victim K.C., and then applied a prohibited chokehold and a prohibited carotid artery hold to K.C., causing bodily injury and depriving K.C. of civil rights. Both offenses were captured on Clark’s MPD body-worn camera (BWC).
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols presided over Clark’s trial and scheduled Clark’s sentencing for August 30, 2023.
This case was investigated by the Internal Affairs Division of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Truscott and George Eliopoulos of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing the Fentanyl and Cocaine that Resulted in Two DeathsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sheldon Marbley, 44, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to federal charges of distribution of fentanyl and cocaine, admitting that he distributed the drugs to customers in Southwest Washington, D.C. The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod A. Forget, of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Interim Chief Ashan M. Benedict, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Marbley pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 7, 2023. Under the terms of the plea agreement, which is subject to the Court’s approval, Marbley is to be sentenced to 240 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
According to evidence presented in court, Marbley admitted that he distributed fentanyl and cocaine to a male and female, both of whom subsequently died from consuming the fentanyl and cocaine that Marbley provided. Marbley also admitted that he distributed fentanyl and cocaine to another male and female, and they suffered serious bodily injury as a result of consuming the fentanyl and cocaine that Marbley provided.
As part of his plea agreement, Marbley acknowledged that on the morning of January 28, 2022, and in the days thereafter, Emergency Medical Service and MPD officers responded to at least 13 fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses located near the area of First and O Street, S.W. in Washington D.C. Marbley admitted that, on that morning, he had distributed fentanyl and cocaine from the driver’s seat of a vehicle in Southwest Washington. Closed-circuit television (“CCTV”) footage from that morning depicts numerous individuals approaching the front driver’s side of the vehicle and appearing to engage in narcotics purchases.
After the mass overdose event on January 28, 2022, Marbley went to stay at the residence of another drug user and customer, where he continued to possess with the intent to distribute narcotics until he was arrested in the customer’s apartment building on March 23, 2022. Marbley knew that his prior drug distributions resulted in several overdoses resulting in serious bodily injury and death.
This case was investigated by the DEA Washington Division and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek and Andy Wang and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management Employee Pleads Guilty to Conflict of Interest ViolationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Sheron Spann, 54, of Washington, D.C, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to steering government contracts to companies under her control and the control of her spouse. The plea was entered before United States District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who scheduled sentencing for September 21, 2023.
According to court documents, starting as early as 2011, Spann, a former employee, began to steer U.S. Office of Personnel Management information technology contracts to companies under control of Spann and her husband without disclosing the nature or extent of her relationship to the companies. In sum, between 2011 and 2023, companies associated with Spann or her husband received over $10 million from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Spann pleaded guilty to one felony count of taking acts affecting a personal financial interest. She faces up to five years in prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi, with assistance from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston.
Maryland Woman Sentenced to 108 Months in Prison for Distributing Child PornographyRead the Press Release
Defendant Distributed Child Sex Abuse Material in an Online Group
WASHINGTON – Shemara Shay Mack-Smith, 42, of Accokeek Maryland, was sentenced today to 108 months in prison, to be followed by 120 months of supervised release for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Crime Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. In addition to the prison term and supervised release, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Mack-Smith to pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the minor victims in the case.
According to court documents, in late April of 2020, a concerned citizen reported to law enforcement that he met Mack-Smith at a friend’s house in the District of Columbia. Mack-Smith showed him child pornography, and she told him that she was sexually attracted to children. This concerned citizen also informed law enforcement that, while exchanging messages with Mack-Smith, she sent him several videos depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as toddlers.
During the course of the ongoing investigation, in early May of 2023, Mack-Smith distributed several images of child pornography to a law enforcement officer, acting in an undercover capacity. A search warrant was executed at Mack-Smith’s residence on May 8, 2020. Numerous digital devices belonging to Mack-Smith, including an Apple iPhone 11, were recovered by law enforcement. The Apple iPhone 11 contained several videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of young children.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Larson and Jocelyn Bond.
MPD Lieutenant Charged with Obstruction of Justice and False StatementsRead the Press Release
Def Allegedly Leaked Law Enforcement Information to Proud Boys Leader Enrique Tarrio
WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Lieutenant was arrested today on an indictment charging that he obstructed an investigation into the December 12, 2020 destruction of a Black Lives Matter (BLM) Banner and made false and misleading statements to federal law enforcement about having done so, including that he leaked to Enrique Tarrio, the leader of “The Proud Boys,” the fact that law enforcement had an arrest warrant for him related to that offense.
Shane Lamond, 47, of Stafford, Va., was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on one count of obstruction of justice and three counts of making false statements. Lamond will be arraigned today before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
The announcement was made by 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.
According to the indictment, Lamond worked as the supervisor of the Intelligence Branch of MPD’s Homeland Security Bureau. Beginning in July 2019 and continuing to at least January 2021, Lamond and Tarrio were in regular contact regarding Proud Boys planned activities in the District of Columbia. The indictment alleges that, as early as at least July 2020, Lamond began using Telegram to provide information to Tarrio about law enforcement activity relating to Proud Boys’ activities in Washington, D.C.
For instance, the indictment alleges that beginning on December 18, 2020, Lamond gave Tarrio confidential law enforcement information into the investigation of the December 12, 2020 burning of a banner that read “#BLACKLIVESMATTER.” As set forth in the indictment, Tarrio would then pass this information along to other Proud Boys members and take action based on the sensitive information. On or about January 4, 2021, following the issuance of an arrest warrant for Tarrio in connection with the burning of the BLM banner, while Tarrio was on a flight from Miami, Florida to Arlington, Virginia, Lamond, using Telegram, sent Tarrio a notification that a warrant had been signed for his arrest in the District of Columbia. After arriving in Arlington, Virginia and driving in to the District of Columbia, Tarrio was arrested on the warrant and subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of destruction of property in connection with the burning of the banner.
As the indictment alleges, on June 2, 2021, during an interview with federal law enforcement, Lamond made false and misleading statements regarding his communications and contacts with Tarrio. These false and misleading statements related to: (1) the methods by which Lamond and Tarrio would communicate; (2) whether Lamond had provided Tarrio with sensitive law enforcement information; (3) whether Lamond had notified Tarrio about the status of the MPD investigation into the banner burning; (4) whether Lamond notified Tarrio about his pending arrest warrant; and (5) the content and extent of Lamond’s discussion with Tarrio prior to and after January 6.
The obstruction of justice charge carries a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison. Each charge for making a false statement carries a statutory maximum of 5 years in prison. 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.
This case is being jointly investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Attorney's Office Criminal Investigations Unit. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Felony Charges Filed Against District Youth Stemming from Multiple Armed CarjackingsRead the Press Release
17-Year-Old Defendant Charged as Adult Pursuant to Title 16 of D.C. Code
WASHINGTON – Jaelen Jordan, 17, of Washington, D.C. has been arrested and charged as an adult by complaint with two counts of armed carjacking and other related felony offenses, stemming from two carjackings that occurred on April 27, 2023 and May 16, 2023 in the District of Columbia. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to the complaint, the defendant was involved in carjackings on April 27, 2023, in the 800 block of K Street NE and on May 16, 2023, in the 600 block of Butternut Street NW. The defendant was arrested on May 17, 2023. On May 19, 2023, the defendant was charged with two armed carjackings and other related offenses.
This case is part of an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office into carjackings occurring in Washington, D.C.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves, Chief Contee, and SAC Jacobs commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Gold, Emily Kubo, and Gregory Evans, who are investigating and prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
California Man Admits to Fraud Scheme Involving Renewable Fuel CreditsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Ijomah Oputa, 54, of Los Angeles, California, pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden to 40 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud in connection with the generation and sale of fraudulent renewable fuel credits, from 2017 through 2021.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 created or extended several federally-funded programs to incentivize production of renewable fuels, including biodiesel, and to encourage the use of such fuels in the United States. Authorized biodiesel producers and importers could generate and attach credits – known as renewable identification numbers (RINS) – to biodiesel they produced or imported. Because certain companies need RINs to comply with regulatory obligations, RINs have significant market value.
Oputa created a fake renewable fuel importing company and fraudulently generated RINs on volumes of biofuel that he claimed to have imported from foreign biofuel producers. No such imports had actually occurred. Oputa generated false documentation of the alleged imports, including fake classified correspondence with a branch of the United States military. He then sold the fraudulent RINs to a RIN trading company for approximately $426,000, which he deposited in a bank account he opened using a stolen identity. Judge McFadden also ordered restitution in the amount of approximately $462,200 to ACT Fuels and $33,600 to RIN Alliance, two of the victims of the wire fraud scheme.
The case was investigated by the Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Blackwell, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Senior Trial Attorney Cassandra Barnum, of the United States Department of Justice Environmental Crimes Section.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms OffenseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Maurice West, 29, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on June 27, 2022, aboard a Metrorail train and in the 1700 block of 8th Street NW, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department, and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
West pleaded guilty in the United States 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. Judge Jia M. Cobb scheduled a sentencing hearing for September 8, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 27, 2022, West threatened another man with a gun while aboard a Metrorail train at the Gallery Place–Chinatown Metro Station. The victim disembarked at the next station and reported the offense. Surveillance footage revealed that West exited the Metro at the Shaw–Howard University station and ran into the 1700 block of 8th Street NW, in the District’s Shaw neighborhood. Surveillance footage also depicted West in and around the entryway of an apartment building in that block moments before his arrest. Police canvassed the area and found a loaded, semi-automatic handgun concealed in a drainage pipe. Subsequent DNA testing and analysis linked both the handgun and its magazine to West.
West was arrested on June 27, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.
Federal law prohibits West from possessing a firearm because, in 2014, he was convicted in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of possession with intent to distribute cocaine while armed with a firearm.
West 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 United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Chief Anzallo, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit and Metropolitan Police Departments. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Karla Nunez.
Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant United States Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Thomas G. Strong, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics and Firearms Offenses for Maintaining Stash House in DC Apartment BuildingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eder Luciano Pacheco, 36, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty today to maintaining a drug-involved premises and unlawful possession of a firearm by an alien illegally or unlawfully in the United States. The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, of the Washington Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Luciano Pacheco entered the plea in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Chief Judge James E. Boasberg scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 31, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 28, 2022, members of the Metropolitan Police Department responded to an apartment building in the District’s Southwest Waterfront neighborhood after receiving a report that a vacant apartment unit was being unlawfully occupied. Upon officers’ entry into the unit, the defendant exited a bedroom and made his presence known to police. Officers observed large bags of a leafy green substance consistent in appearance with marijuana. Officers also observed several large duffle bags containing suspected marijuana. The substance was later weighed, and a representative sample was field tested. The substance weighed approximately 618.75 pounds (approximately 280.66 kilograms) and field-tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. Officers recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun from the bedroom the defendant had been occupying when they first entered the unit. The defendant advised officers that there was another gun in a cabinet above the refrigerator. The few other items in the apartment, such as a FoodSaver vacuum sealer, indicated that the apartment was being used to repackage bulk marijuana for further distribution.
Luciano Pacheco was arrested on May 28, 2022, and has remained in custody ever since.
Maintaining a drug-involved premises carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000. Unlawful possession of a firearm by a person illegally or unlawfully in the United States carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentence imposed in this case will be determined by the Court after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Forget, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Karla Nunez.
Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant United States Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Samuel Frey, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former D.C. Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Stealing more than $350,000 from the District’s Project Empowerment ProgramRead the Press Release
Defendant Previously Served Prison Sentence for Different Theft Scheme
WASHINGTON – Rhayda Barnes Thomas, 52, of Washington, D.C., a former employee of the D.C. Department of Employment Services’ Project Empowerment Program, pleaded guilty today to stealing more than $350,000 from the Project Empowerment Program between May 2015 and April 2018.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, and Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood, Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
Barnes Thomas pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud before the Honorable Richard J. Leon, who scheduled sentencing for August 16, 2023. As part of her plea agreement, she agreed to pay restitution of at least $354,000, and to be liable for a forfeiture money judgment totaling $318,413.
The D.C. government’s Project Empowerment Program provides employment services to D.C. residents who have multiple barriers to employment, such as a history of substance abuse, a history of job cycling (not maintaining steady employment), and either a felony conviction or previous incarceration. One phase of the program consists of subsidized employment, which involves the D.C. government paying the wages of participants while they work at worksites. During this phase, worksites were responsible for entering participants’ work hours into an electronic system used by Project Empowerment. In turn, the D.C. government would then have payments corresponding with those hours issued to accounts associated with participants, usually in the form of pre-paid bank debit cards.
In 2011, Barnes Thomas pleaded guilty in Maryland federal court to theft involving a federal government program in connection with a scheme to use federal funds received by her school employer to buy technology for herself, her family, and friends. She was sentenced to 27 months in prison for that offense.
In August 2013, following her release from prison, Barnes Thomas participated in the Project Empowerment Program. She ultimately was hired by the program as a Program Support Assistant in February 2014. From May 2015 through April 2018, she stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the program by reviving 16 former Project Empowerment participants’ profiles and modifying entries in a database to falsely show them as working for a non-profit organization, which was not true. She also used the name of a former employee from the non‑profit organization to enter and approve time in the database showing individuals as working when they were not. In addition, she ordered or caused to be ordered replacement and new prepaid debit cards on behalf of the former Project Empowerment participants whose profiles she fraudulently revived. As a result of her conduct, she caused the D.C. government to request that Wells Fargo Bank load funds onto those prepaid debit cards, which she controlled.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Inspector General Lucas, and Inspector in Charge Wood commended the work of those who investigated the case from the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Criminal Investigations Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged the efforts of individuals from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kondi Kleinman and David Gorman, Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar, Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Mariela Andrade, and Amanda Rohde, and former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Aisha Keys.
Russian National Charged with Ransomware Attacks Against Critical InfrastructureRead the Press Release
The Justice Department today unsealed two indictments charging a Russian national and resident with using three different ransomware variants to attack numerous victims throughout the United States, including law enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C. and New Jersey, as well as victims in healthcare and other sectors nationwide.
According to the indictment obtained in the District of New Jersey, from at least as early as 2020, Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, aka Wazawaka, aka m1x, aka Boriselcin, aka Uhodiransomwar, allegedly participated in conspiracies to deploy three ransomware variants. These variants are known as LockBit, Babuk, and Hive, and Matveev transmitted ransom demands in connection with each. The perpetrators behind each of these variants, including Matveev, have allegedly used these types of ransomware to attack thousands of victims in the United States and around the world. These victims include law enforcement and other government agencies, hospitals, and schools. Total ransom demands allegedly made by the members of these three global ransomware campaigns to their victims amount to as much as $400 million, while total victim ransom payments amount to as much as $200 million.
“From his home base in Russia, Matveev allegedly used multiple ransomware variants to attack critical infrastructure around the world, including hospitals, government agencies, and victims in other sectors,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “These international crimes demand a coordinated response. We will not relent in imposing consequences on the most egregious actors in the cybercrime ecosystem.”
On or about June 25, 2020, Matveev and his LockBit coconspirators allegedly deployed LockBit ransomware against a law enforcement agency in Passaic County, New Jersey. Additionally, on or about May 27, 2022, Matveev and his Hive coconspirators allegedly deployed Hive against a nonprofit behavioral healthcare organization headquartered in Mercer County, New Jersey. On April 26, 2021, Matveev and his Babuk coconspirators allegedly deployed Babuk against the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.
“From Russia and hiding behind multiple aliases, Matveev is alleged to have used these ransomware strains to encrypt and hold hostage for ransom the data of numerous victims, including hospitals, schools, nonprofits, and law enforcement agencies, like the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C.,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “Thanks to the extraordinary investigative work of prosecutors from my office and our FBI partners, Matveev no longer hides in the shadows – we have publicly identified his criminal acts and charged him with multiple federal crimes. Let today’s charges be a reminder to cybercriminals everywhere – my office is devoted to combatting cybercrime and will spare no resources in bringing to justice those who use ransomware attacks to target victims.”
According to the indictment obtained in the District of Columbia, between April 21, 2021, and May 9, 2021, Matveev allegedly participated in conspiracies to deploy Babuk and to transmit a ransom demand. Specifically, on April 26, 2021, Matveev and his Babuk co-conspirators allegedly deployed Babuk ransomware against the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., and then threatened to disclose sensitive information to the public unless a payment was made.
“Data theft and extortion attempts by ransomware groups are corrosive, cynical attacks on key institutions and the good people behind them as they go about their business and serve the public,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Whether these criminals target law enforcement, other government agencies, or private companies like health care providers, we will use every tool at our disposal to prosecute and punish such offenses. Thanks to exceptional work by our partners here, we identified and charged this culprit.”
“The FBI is steadfast in our commitment to disrupting cybercriminals like Matveev,” said Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The FBI will continue to impose costs on cyber adversaries through our joint collaboration with our private sector and international partners, and we will not tolerate these criminal acts against American citizens.”
The LockBit ransomware variant first appeared around January 2020. LockBit actors have executed over 1,400 attacks against victims in the United States and around the world, issuing over $100 million in ransom demands and receiving over $75 million in ransom payments.
The Babuk ransomware variant first appeared around December 2020. Babuk actors executed over 65 attacks against victims in the United States and around the world, issuing over $49 million in ransom demands and receiving as much as $13 million in ransom payments.
Since June 2021, the Hive ransomware group has targeted more than 1,400 victims around the world and received as much as $120 million in ransom payments.
The LockBit, Babuk, and Hive ransomware variants operated in the same general manner: first, the ransomware actors would identify and unlawfully access vulnerable computer systems, sometimes through their own hacking, or by purchasing stolen access credentials from others. Second, the actors would deploy the ransomware variant within the victim computer system, allowing the actors to encrypt and steal data thereon. Next, the actors would send a ransom note to the victim demanding a payment in exchange for decrypting the victim’s data or refraining from sharing it publicly. Finally, the ransomware actors would negotiate a ransom amount with each victim willing to pay. If a victim did not pay, ransomware actors would often post that victim’s data on a public website, often called a data leak site.
Matveev is charged with conspiring to transmit ransom demands, conspiring to damage protected computers, and intentionally damaging protected computers. If convicted, he faces over 20 years in prison.
The FBI Newark Field Office’s Cyber Crimes Task Force is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Jersey City Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Newark IRS Criminal Investigation, and international partners from European Cyber Crime Centre of Europol, National Police Agency of Japan, Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command of France, National Crime Agency and South West Regional Organized Crime Unit of the United Kingdom, Kantonspolizei Zürich of Switzerland, High-Tech Crime Unit of the Dutch Police Services Agency of the Netherlands, Bundeskriminalamt and Landeskriminalamt of Germany, Mossos d'Esquadra Police Department of Spain, Norwegian Police Service of Norway, and Swedish Police Authority of Sweden.
Trial Attorneys Jessica C. Peck, Benjamin Proctor, and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS); Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly and David E. Malagold for the District of New Jersey’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloi for the District of Columbia’s Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting the case.
The FBI Tampa Field Office and Orlando Resident Agency, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Chauncey Bratt for the Middle District of Florida and CCIPS Trial Attorneys Christen Gallagher and Alison Zitron, made critical contributions to the case. The FBI Washington Field Office and Metropolitan Police Department also provided valuable assistance.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and National Security Division also provided significant assistance.
Victims of LockBit, Babuk, or Hive ransomware should contact their local FBI field office for further information. For additional information on ransomware, including the LockBit, Babuk, and Hive variants, please visit StopRansomware.gov.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today announced that it is designating the defendant for his role in launching ransomware attacks against U.S. law enforcement, businesses, and critical infrastructure.
Finally, the Department of State has also announced an award of up to $10 million for information that leads to the arrest and/or conviction of this defendant. Information that may be eligible for this award can be submitted at tips.fbi.gov. Congress established the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program in 2013 to support law enforcement efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and bring their leaders and members to justice. The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs manages the program in coordination with other U.S. federal agencies.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Ransomware Charges Unsealed Against Russian NationalRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Russian national with participating in a global ransomware campaign which deployed ransomware variants against victims in the District of Columbia, the United States, and around the world. Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev, alleged to use the online monikers Wazawaka, m1x, Broriscelcin, and Uhodiransomwar, 30, of Kaliningrad, Russia, is charged with intentional damage to a protected computer and threats relating to a protected computer.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge James Dennehy, of the FBI’s Newark Field Office,
“Data theft and extortion attempts by ransomware groups are corrosive, cynical attacks on key institutions and the good people behind them as they go about their business and serve the public,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Whether these criminals target law enforcement, other government agencies, or private companies like health care providers, we will use every tool at our disposal to prosecute and punish such offenses. Thanks to exceptional work by our partners here, we identified and charged this culprit.”
“We want the indictment, sanctions and reward for Mikhail Matveev to sound an alarm in the ranks of cyber criminals all over the world,” said SAC Dennehy. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners, as well as our international partners, are coming after you. These malicious actors believe they can operate with impunity – and don’t fear getting caught because they sit in a country where they feel safe and protected. That may be the case now, but the safe harbor may not exist forever. When we have an opportunity, we will do everything in our power to bring Matveev and his ilk to justice.”
According to the indictment, from as early as 2020, Matveev was an active member of Babuk, a global ransomware campaign which ranked among the most active and destructive cybercriminal threats in the world. Specifically, on April 26, 2021, the Babuk conspirators deployed Babuk ransomware against the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. and then threatened to disclose sensitive information to the public unless a payment was made. As part of the ransomware conspiracy which attacked MPD, Matveev allegedly intentionally infected MPD’s computer systems with Babuk ransomware, stole data, and then attempted to extort MPD, threatening disclosure of sensitive information unless payment was made. The actions caused at least $5,000 in losses to MPD.
Matveev is also charged with a series of similar crimes in an indictment filed in the District of New Jersey.
Intentional damage to a protected computer carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. Threats relating to a protected computer carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. The charges also carry potential financial penalties. The maximum statutory sentence for federal offenses is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Newark Field Office with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Metropolitan Police Department. As part of a broader investigation involving charges in the District of New Jersey, assistance was provided by New Jersey State Police, Newark IRS Criminal Investigation, and the International partners from European Cyber Crime Centre of Europol, National Police Agency of Japan, Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command of France, National Crime Agency and South West Regional Organized Crime Unit of the United Kingdom, Kantonspolizei Zürich of Switzerland, High-Tech Crime Unit of the Dutch Police Services Agency of the Netherlands, Bundeskriminalamt and Landeskriminalamt of Germany, Mossos d'Esquadra Police Department of Spain, Norwegian Police Service of Norway and Swedish Police Authority of Sweden.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Ben Proctor of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.