District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – On January 26, 2023, a 60-year-old Washington, D.C. man was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for sexually abusing his seven-year-old great niece, U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of second-degree child sexual abuse. On January 26, 2023, pursuant to the limitations contemplated in the negotiated plea agreement, the Honorable Robert Okun sentenced the defendant to prison, followed by supervised release. The defendant must also register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            According to the government’s evidence, in November 2018, the defendant was staying at the apartment of his niece who is the mother of the victim. One evening, while on the couch, the defendant pulled the victim onto the couch with him and covered her with a blanket. The defendant then proceeded to touch the victim’s genitalia with his hand. At the time of the offense the defendant was a convicted sex offender and was on supervised release in a previous child sexual abuse case. 

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the D.C. Children’s Advocacy Center. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Tracey Owusu and Maria Garcia, Paralegal Specialist Cynthia Muhammad, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marco Crocetti and Bonnie Thompson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Defendant Falsified Documents

            WASHINGTON –Ted Blair Williams, Jr., 30, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, was ordered to pay more than $46,000 in restitution and was sentenced to five years of probation for falsifying the accounting records of a Washington, D.C. property management company, in order to conceal his fraudulent scheme to steal funds from the company. The sentence was announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Williams pleaded guilty in November 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to second degree felony fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Sean C. Staples who also ordered 12 months of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Williams made approximately 20 fraudulent transfers from the company to his personal bank account between April and November 2019, totaling more than $65,000. Williams, who was employed by the company as an accountant and responsible for reviewing its accounting information, hid the fraudulent transactions in the company’s ledger by falsely coding the transactions in the records and concealing any accounting discrepancies from the company. The company had been able to recover approximately $19,000 after discovering the fraud but suffered a net financial loss of more than $46,000 because of the scheme.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Financial and Cyber Crimes Unit. They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Kelly and Benjamin D. Bleiberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Defendant Broadcast Live on Facebook While Holding Alleged Explosive Device

            WASHINGTON – Floyd Ray Roseberry, 52, of Grover, North Carolina, pleaded guilty today to one charge of threats to use explosives during a standoff with police that lasted four hours near the Library of Congress, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael H. Glasheen of the FBI Washington Field Office's Counterterrorism Division, and U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger.

            Roseberry pleaded guilty before the Honorable Rudolph Contreras in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Judge Contreras scheduled sentencing for June 15, 2023.  

            According to court documents, at approximately 9:45 a.m. on August 19, 2021, U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI responded to a bomb threat made by Roseberry who was sitting inside of a black Chevrolet pick-up truck with no license plates, adjacent to the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, at First Street and Independence Avenue, in Southeast Washington, D.C. Roseberry was seen holding a cell phone and was claiming he had a detonator.

            While inside the truck, Roseberry broadcast live video and audio through Facebook.

            He stated that he was upset about the 2020 election results and demanded that President Biden resign from office. Roseberry demanded to speak to President Biden about several grievances. He claimed to have an ammonium nitrate and/or a Tannerite bomb in the toolbox of this truck. Roseberry stated that the explosive device was engineered such that any loud sound would cause it to detonate and destroy two and a half blocks, which would encompass the Library of Congress as well as other buildings owned or leased by the United States. Roseberry further claimed that he was one of five individuals in Washington, D.C. with bombs. Roseberry could be seen on the Facebook videos holding a small metal keg with a puddy like substance on top and holding what appeared to be a trigger. The metal keg was later analyzed by the FBI and determined to have a small quantity of smokeless black powder at the bottom, but was incapable of detonating with the trigger Roseberry was holding, or by an acoustic mechanism as Roseberry described in the Facebook Live videos.

            Roseberry was also throwing U.S. dollar bills out of the truck and onto the street and stating, among other things:

                        “Hey, call the police and tell them to come out here and clear the Capitol. Tell them to clear the Capitol. Tell them to clear it. … They need to clear that ‘cause I got a bomb in here. I don’t want nobody hurt. Yes sir, I don’t want nobody hurt. I’m not coming here to hurt nobody. I’m not lying, tell them there’s some more.”

                        “…I’m telling you, my windows pop, this bomb is gonna’ go, it’s made for decimals. …there’s gun powder in there this is some of the strongest shit you can get. I got two and a half pound of Tannerite.”

                        “If you want to shoot me and take the chance of blowing up two-and-a-half city blocks, ‘cause that toolbox is full,  ammonium nitrate is full.”

            At approximately 10:21 a.m., Roseberry began communicating with law enforcement by writing messages on a small white dry erase board and placing it in the driver’s side window of the target vehicle while intermittently holding an unidentified device. The messages stated in part, “please don’t shoot the windows the vibe will explode the bomb,” “I have no control of it,” “decimals is what sets off not me,” and at approximately 11:21 a.m., “my name is Ray Roseberry.”  In video from the morning of August 19, 2021, Roseberry was observed holding an old metal can that appeared to have been fashioned into an explosive device.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Chief Manger, and Special Agent in Charge Glasheen commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Capitol Police. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Latina Sanders, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Tortorice, and National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorney John Cella, who prosecuted the case.

A dual citizen of Canada and France pleaded guilty today to sending a threatening letter containing homemade ricin to then-President Donald J. Trump at the White House in September 2020, and eight similar letters, each containing ricin, to Texas State law enforcement officials.

According to court documents, Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, 55, admitted in the plea agreements that she made ricin at her residence in Quebec, Canada, in September 2020. Ricin is a deadly poison made from castor beans. Ferrier placed the ricin in envelopes containing letters she wrote to then-President Trump at the White House and to eight Texas State law enforcement officials.

Ferrier was detained in the State of Texas for around 10 weeks in the spring of 2019, and she believed that the law enforcement officials were connected to her period of detention. In early September 2020, Ferrier used the Twitter social media service to propose that someone should “please shoot [T]rump in the face.” The letters in the envelopes contained threatening language, and the letter addressed to then-President Trump instructed him to “[g]ive up and remove [his] application for this election.” Ferrier mailed each of the threatening ricin letters from Canada to the United States. Ferrier then drove a car from Canada to the Peace Bridge Border Crossing in Buffalo, New York, on Sept. 20, 2020, where border patrol officials found her in possession of a loaded firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and other weapons.

Ferrier pleaded guilty to prohibitions with respect to biological weapons before the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ferrier also pleaded guilty to eight additional violations of prohibitions with respect to biological weapons in a case brought against her in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and consented to the transfer of that case to the District of Columbia for plea and sentencing.

The Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled the sentencing hearing for April 26. Ferrier will be sentenced to 262 months of imprisonment if the court accepts the plea agreements. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, and Acting Assistant Director John Morales of the FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate made the announcement.

The FBI Washington and San Antonio Field Offices investigated the case with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Friedman for the District of Columbia; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rob Jones, David Coronado, and David Lindenmuth for the Southern District of Texas; and Trial Attorney David Smith of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.

Defendant Also Mailed Threatening Ricin Letters to Texas Law Enforcement Officials

            WASHINGTON – Pascale Cecile Veronique Ferrier, 55, a dual citizen of Canada and France, pleaded guilty today to sending threatening letters containing homemade ricin (a toxin) in September 2020 to then-President Donald J. Trump at the White House and to eight Texas State law enforcement officials.

            The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani, Assistant Attorney General of the National Security Division Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office David Sundberg, and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office Oliver E. Rich, Jr.

            According to court documents, Ferrier admitted that she made ricin at her residence in Quebec, Canada, in September 2020. Ricin toxin is a deadly poison made from the waste material left over from processing castor beans.  Ferrier placed the ricin in envelopes containing letters she wrote to then-President Trump at the White House and to eight Texas State law enforcement officials. 

            “There is no place for political violence in our country, and no excuse for threatening public officials or endangering our public servants,” said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves. “We hope this resolution will serve as a warning that using our mail system to send a toxic substance and other threats of this type will cost you your freedom for many years.”

            “This woman did not succeed in her efforts to poison numerous public officials in our district, but her actions still created fear and stress for many of these dedicated public servants,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. “We are grateful for the hard work of the FBI and our other law enforcement partners in identifying and apprehending her.”

            “In addition to her intended targets, Pascale Ferrier's reckless actions could have harmed postal employees, first responders, or innocent bystanders,” said David Sundberg, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today's plea agreement demonstrates the FBI's and our partners' determination to investigate and bring to justice those who seek to harm or intimidate government officials or law enforcement officers.”

            “Threats against public officials and law enforcement are unconscionable and will not be tolerated,” said Special Agent in Charge Oliver E. Rich, Jr., of the FBI San Antonio Division. “The FBI remains committed to working with our partner investigative agencies to protect all Americans from threats of violence and harm.”

            Ferrier had been detained in the State of Texas for around ten weeks in the spring of 2019, and she believed that the law enforcement officials were connected to her period of detention. In early September 2020, Ferrier used the Twitter social media service to propose that someone should “please shoot [T]rump in the face.” The letters in the envelopes contained threatening language, and the letter addressed to then-President Trump instructed him to “[g]ive up and remove [his] application for this election.” Ferrier mailed each of the threatening ricin letters from Canada to the United States. Ferrier then drove a car from Canada to the Peace Bridge Border Crossing in Buffalo, New York, on Sept. 20, 2020, where border patrol officials found her in possession of a loaded firearm, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and other weapons, and arrested her. Ferrier has remained in custody.

            Ferrier pleaded guilty to prohibitions with respect to biological weapons in two separate criminal cases before the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. One case was brought in the District of Columbia, and the other was brought in the Southern District of Texas and transferred to the District of Columbia for purposes of plea and sentencing.

            The Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich scheduled the sentencing hearing for April 26, 2023, when Ferrier will be sentenced to 262 months in prison if the Court accepts the plea agreements.

            The investigation was handled by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and San Antonio Field Office. Assistance was provided by the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Assistant United States Attorneys Rob Jones, David Coronado, and David Lindenmuth of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, and Trial Attorney David Smith of the DOJ’s National Security Division Counterterrorism Section.

Victim Shot in Broad Daylight in the Presence of Minors

            WASHINGTON – Jarell Harris, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 13-year prison term for confronting and killing a man in broad daylight in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Harris waived a preliminary hearing, and pleaded guilty in September 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a 10 ½ to 13-year prison term, consistent with the Court’s voluntary sentencing guidelines. The Honorable Rainey R. Brandt accepted the plea and sentenced Harris accordingly. Following this conviction, Harris will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 4, 2022, at approximately 8:30 in the morning, Sedrick Miller was walking with two minor children and an adult in the 2300 block of 18th Street NE when Harris confronted Mr. Miller and shot at him 13 times. Mr. Miller, 42, suffered multiple gunshot wounds, including four gunshot wounds to the face and neck. He died a short time later.

            Harris fled the scene after the shooting. He was arrested on May 6, 2022 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee 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 Advocates Jennifer Clark and Latrice Washington-Williams, and Forensic Interview Specialist Tracy Owusu. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Prava Palacharla, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

Charles F. McGonigal, 54, a former FBI Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, has been arrested on charges relating to his receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual who had business interests in Europe and who had been an employee of a foreign intelligence service, while McGonigal was serving as Special Agent in Charge of FBI counterintelligence efforts in the New York Office. McGonigal retired from the FBI in September of 2018.

According to the nine-count indictment, unsealed today, from August 2017 and continuing through and beyond his retirement from the FBI in September 2018, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessperson who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and before foreign governments.  Specifically, McGonigal requested and received at least $225,000 in cash from the individual and traveled abroad with the individual and met with foreign nationals.  The individual later served as an FBI source in a criminal investigation involving foreign political lobbying over which McGonigal had official supervisory responsibility.  McGonigal is accused of engaging in other conduct in his official capacity as an FBI Special Agent in Charge that he believed would benefit the businessperson financially.

McGonigal’s initial appearance in the District of Columbia has not yet been scheduled.

McGonigal is charged with concealing material facts and with six counts of making false statements, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years of imprisonment. McGonigal is also charged with two counts of falsification of records and documents, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years of imprisonment.

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

The FBI Los Angeles Field Office is investigating the case, with significant assistance provided by the FBI Washington Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Michael Friedman for the District of Columbia and Acting Deputy Chief Evan Turgeon of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

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

Charles F. McGonigal Arrested in New York

            WASHINGTON - Charles F. McGonigal, 54, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field office, has been arrested on charges relating to his receipt of $225,000 in cash from an individual who had business interests in Europe and who had been an employee of a foreign intelligence service, while McGonigal was serving as Special Agent in Charge of FBI counterintelligence efforts in the New York Office. McGonigal retired from the FBI in September of 2018.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew M. Graves, Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office Donald Alway, and Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office David Sundberg.

            According to the nine-count indictment, unsealed today, from August 2017, and continuing through and beyond his retirement from the FBI in September 2018, McGonigal concealed from the FBI the nature of his relationship with a former foreign security officer and businessperson who had ongoing business interests in foreign countries and before foreign governments.  Specifically, McGonigal requested and received at least $225,000 in cash from the individual and traveled abroad with the individual and met with foreign nationals.  The individual later served as an FBI source in a criminal investigation involving foreign political lobbying over which McGonigal had official supervisory responsibility.  McGonigal is accused of engaging in other conduct in his official capacity as an FBI Special Agent in Charge that he believed would benefit the businessperson financially.  

            McGonigal’s initial appearance in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia has not yet been scheduled.

            “Covering up your contacts with foreign nationals and hiding your personal financial relationships is a gateway to corruption,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The FBI should be commended for handling the delicate and difficult task of investigating a former executive. This investigation demonstrates their commitment to act as an impartial enforcer of the law.  The FBI and the Department will guard the best interests of the United States and hold to account those who make false statements and try to deceive the Bureau.”

            “Mr. McGonigal betrayed his solemn oath to the United States in exchange for personal gain and at the expense of our national security,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Alway. “A senior FBI executive at the time, McGonigal is alleged to have committed the very violations he swore to investigate while he purported to lead a workforce of FBI employees who spend their careers protecting secrets and holding foreign adversaries accountable.  Agents in my office, with the support of agents in Washington, D.C. and New York, vigorously pursued a former colleague without bias.”

            “As an FBI agent, Charles McGonigal took an oath to support and defend the Constitution,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Sundberg. “In betrayal of that oath, McGonigal is alleged to have received money from a businessman with foreign business interests, to have concealed these payments, and to have lied about related foreign contacts and travel. Integrity is one of the FBI’s core values and we hold our own to the highest standards.”

            The charge of falsification of records and documents carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The charge of making false statements carries a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison for each count. 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 Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Aloi and Michael Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Acting Deputy Chief Evan Turgeon of the DOJ’s National Security Division Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs

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

DPRK Businessman Accessed the U.S. Financial System and Deceived U.S. Banks to Circumvent Sanctions Against North Korea

            WASHINGTON – Mun Chol Myong (“Mun”), 55, a national of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), was sentenced today to time served of 45 months in prison for multiple money laundering offenses in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Mun laundered funds through the U.S. financial system as part of a scheme to raise capital and acquire goods for North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions. Mun is the first ever DPRK national to be extradited to the United States. He now faces deportation proceedings.

            The sentence was announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston, Sr., of the Minneapolis Field Office.

            The indictment alleged that between April 2013 and November 2018, Mun and others conspired to transmit funds through the United States for the purpose of promoting bank fraud. Specifically, the indictment alleged that Mun and his co-conspirators used a network of front companies and falsified transaction records to conceal that the payments benefitted sanctioned North Korean entities and thereby deceived U.S. correspondent banks into executing correspondent banking transactions that they would otherwise have rejected. The indictment identifies more than $1.2 million in illicit transactions. The indictment further alleged that Mun was affiliated with the DPRK’s primary intelligence organization, the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), which is the subject of U.S. and U.N. sanctions.

            Mun pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment, including one count of money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering, pursuant to an “Alford” plea, over the objection of the United States. Under the Alford plea, Mun pleaded guilty and avoided a trial but did not admit to the facts and conduct alleged in the indictment. 

            “This case is significant because the defendant was not merely securing alcohol, tobacco, and other commodities for North Korea, but also providing income streams needed to prop up the regime and finance its nefarious activities,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Those seeking to access the U.S. financial system cannot use front companies, fake invoices, third party payments, and other means to deceive U.S. financial institutions and hide the involvement of sanctioned individuals and entities.  With our law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is determined to disrupt North Korea’s use of the U.S. financial system in its attempts to undermine our national security.”

            “The FBI prioritizes investigations involving the illegal export of controlled U.S. technology and the use of the U.S. financial system to purchase prohibited luxury goods like liquor and tobacco,” said Special Agent in Charge Winston. “We appreciate the assistance of our international partners who helped dismantle this North Korean revenue-generation scheme and bring the defendant to justice.”

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office and coordinated by the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The Department of Justice would also like to thank the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Investigative Operations Division (IOD) for providing analytical support during the investigation.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Grady for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case, with support from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Mun’s arrest and extradition. The FBI’s Washington Field Office also provided substantial support during the extradition and investigation. 

Mun Chol Myong (Mun), 55, a national of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to time served of 45 months’ imprisonment for multiple money laundering offenses. Mun laundered funds through the U.S. financial system as part of a scheme to raise capital and acquire goods for North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions. Mun is the first ever North Korean national to be extradited to the United States and is subject to deportation following the successful completion of his sentence.

The indictment alleged that between April 2013 and November 2018, Mun and others conspired to transmit funds through the United States for the purpose of promoting bank fraud. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Mun and his co-conspirators used a network of front companies and falsified transaction records to conceal that the payments benefitted sanctioned North Korean entities and thereby deceived U.S. correspondent banks into executing correspondent banking transactions that they would otherwise have rejected. The indictment identifies more than $1.2 million in illicit transactions.

The indictment further alleged that Mun was affiliated with the DPRK’s primary intelligence organization, the Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is the subject of U.S. and U.N. sanctions. Mun pleaded guilty to all counts of the indictment, including one count of money laundering conspiracy, and four counts of money laundering, pursuant to an “Alford” plea, over the objection of the United States. Under the Alford plea, Mun pleaded guilty and avoided a trial but did not admit to the facts and conduct alleged in the indictment. 

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office and coordinated by the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The Department of Justice would also like to thank the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the U.S. Marshals Service Investigative Operations Division for providing analytical support during the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Grady for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David C. Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case, with support from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance in securing Mun’s arrest and extradition. The FBI’s Washington Field Office also provided substantial support during the extradition and investigation. 

Two businessmen, Vladislav Osipov, 51, a Russian national, and Richard Masters, 52, a United Kingdom national, are charged in separate indictments unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, with facilitating a sanctions evasion and money laundering scheme in relation to the ownership and operation of the Motor Yacht (M/Y) Tango (International Maritime Organization number 1010703), a $90 million, 255-foot luxury yacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit offenses against the United States, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and money laundering. The United States requested that the Kingdom of Spain provisionally arrest Masters for purposes of extradition. The arrest was executed by the Spanish Guardia Civil today. An arrest warrant against Osipov is outstanding.

“Today’s indictments and the arrest executed by Spanish law enforcement demonstrate the FBI’s continued focus on tracking down and holding accountable those who assist sanctioned Russian oligarchs,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “The FBI, along with our international partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and pursue anyone who facilitates the corrupt practices of others, placing our institutions at risk.” 

“Facilitators of sanctions evasion enable the oligarchs supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime to flout U.S. law. The United States will not allow its financial institutions and persons to be manipulated or defrauded for the purposes of benefitting those supporting an illegal war,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia.

“The Department of Justice has been clear. Corporations and executives have a choice: they can participate in the global effort to uproot corruption, sanctions violations, and money laundering, and enjoy the benefits of prompt and fulsome cooperation; or they can, as Osipov and Masters are alleged to have done, attempt to shield themselves and their clients behind a veil of fraud,” said Director Andrew Adams of Task Force KleptoCapture. “These men made their decisions, and now face the consequences of a failed attempt to profit through, rather than standing against, a sophisticated, transnational criminal enterprise.”

“Russian oligarchs are the product of an ecosystem of corruption that abuses rule-of-law-based monetary structures to enrich themselves with the luxury trappings and lifestyles that everyday people only dream of – all the while as thousands of Ukrainians are homeless due to Russia’s unlawful invasion,” said Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office. “As stewards of the American financial system, HSI will not stand idly by as U.S. dollars are used by oligarch criminal networks to operate and maintain these high value symbols of corruption. Last year, working with our partners at the Justice Department and FBI, we removed the yacht Tango from an oligarch’s portfolio and with today’s actions we have followed through on our promise of accountability to those that conduct illicit financial transactions on behalf of the oligarchs. The message is clear: Putin’s cronies will find no succor in their riches and those that illegally enable such lifestyles will be called to justice.”

“The indictment alleges that both defendants used a variety of techniques to mask ownership of the Motor Yacht Tango in violation of U.S. law,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. “Together with the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture Task Force, the FBI will hold accountable those who assist Russian Oligarchs in their efforts to hide assets and violate sanctions. We thank our international partners who helped facilitate the arrest of Richard Masters in Spain earlier today."

According to the indictment, despite U.S. sanctions issued against Vekselberg in April 2018, Osipov and Masters facilitated the operation of Tango through the use of U.S. companies and the U.S. financial system, attempting to obfuscate Vekselberg’s involvement in the vessel. Osipov, an employee of Vekselberg who functioned as a property manager for Tango, designed a complicated ownership structure of shell companies to hide Vekselberg’s ownership of the yacht, despite that Vekselberg designed the yacht, was the sole user, and was the ultimate beneficial owner.

As alleged, Masters ran a yacht management company in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. After Vekselberg was sanctioned in April 2018, Masters’s company took over the management of Tango, and conspired with others to evade the U.S. sanctions. According to the indictment, among other things, Masters devised a scheme to use a false name for the yacht, “the Fanta,” in order to hide from financial institutions that payments in U.S. dollars were ultimately for the benefit of Tango and Vekselberg. As a result of this obfuscation, U.S. financial institutions processed hundreds of thousands of dollars of transactions for Tango that they otherwise would not have permitted had they known of Vekselberg’s involvement in the financial transaction. Further, these payments and Vekselberg’s involvement therein were not reported to the Department of the Treasury.

Additionally, according to the indictment, Osipov and Masters advised and enabled Tango employees to continue to do business with numerous U.S. companies, using various workarounds to avoid sanctions, such as payments in other currencies and through third parties. As a result of these schemes, the working mechanisms of Tango, to include its internet, technology, weather forecasting and computing systems, as well as the trappings of Tango, including its satellite television, luxury goods, and teleconferencing software, were all U.S.-origin products and services supplied by U.S. companies, for the benefit of Vekselberg. The efforts of these facilitators permitted Tango to continue to operate as a luxury yacht with the full array of services and luxury goods available to it, supported by hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegally-obtained U.S. services and U.S. financial transactions, and all for the benefit of Vekselberg.

On April 4, 2022, Spanish law enforcement executed a Spanish court order freezing Tango. The Spanish acted following a request from the Department of Justice that it assist with the execution of a seizure warrant, issued in March 2022 by the  U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which alleged that Tango was subject to forfeiture based on violations of U.S. bank fraud, money laundering, and sanctions statutes.

The FBI Minneapolis Field Office is investigating the case. Valuable assistance has been provided by the HSI New York Field Office and the Spanish Guardia Civil - Jefatura de Informacion – Unidad Central Especial Numero III (UCE-III).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert, with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajbir Datta and Maeghan Mikorski, Paralegals Brian Rickers and Jorge Casillas, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in working with the Spanish authorities throughout this matter.

The case has been coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

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

Yacht Previously Seized and One Arrest Today by Spain at Request of United States

            WASHINGTON – Two businessmen - Vladislav Osipov, 51, a dual Russian and Swiss national, and Richard Masters, 52, a United Kingdom national, are charged in separate indictments, unsealed today in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, with facilitating a sanctions evasion and money laundering scheme in relation to the ownership and operation of the Motor Yacht (M/Y) Tango (International Maritime Organization number 1010703), a $90 million, 255-foot luxury yacht owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit offenses against the United States, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and money laundering. The United States requested that the Kingdom of Spain provisionally arrest Masters for purposes of extradition. The arrest was executed by the Spanish Guardia Civil today. An arrest warrant against Osipov is outstanding.

            The charges were announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Director Andrew Adams of Task Force KleptoCapture, FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the Minneapolis Field Office, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of HSI’s New York Field Office.

            According to the indictment, despite U.S. sanctions issued against Vekselberg in April 2018, Osipov and Masters facilitated the operation of Tango through the use of U.S. companies and the U.S. financial system, attempting to obfuscate Vekselberg’s involvement in the vessel. Osipov, an employee of Vekselberg who functioned as a property manager for Tango, designed a complicated ownership structure of shell companies to hide Vekselberg’s ownership of the yacht, despite that Vekselberg designed the yacht, was the sole user, and was the ultimate beneficial owner.

            Masters ran a yacht management company in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. After Vekselberg was sanctioned in April 2018, Masters’s company allegedly took over the management of Tango and conspired with others to evade the U.S. sanctions. According to the indictment, among other things, Masters devised a scheme to use a false name for the yacht, “the Fanta,” in order to hide from financial institutions that payments in U.S. dollars were ultimately for the benefit of Tango and Vekselberg. As a result of this obfuscation, U.S. financial institutions processed hundreds of thousands of dollars of transactions for Tango that they otherwise would not have permitted had they known of Vekselberg’s involvement in the financial transaction. Further, these payments and Vekselberg’s involvement therein were not reported to the Department of the Treasury.

            Additionally, according to the indictment, Osipov and Masters advised and enabled Tango employees to continue to do business with numerous U.S. companies, using various workarounds to avoid sanctions, such as payments in other currencies and through third parties. As a result of these schemes, the working mechanisms of Tango, to include its internet, technology, weather forecasting, and computing systems, as well as the trappings of Tango, including its satellite television, luxury goods, and teleconferencing software, were all U.S.-origin products and services supplied by U.S. companies, for the benefit of Vekselberg. The efforts of these facilitators permitted Tango to continue to operate as a luxury yacht with the full array of services and luxury goods available to it, supported by hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegally-obtained U.S. services and U.S. financial transactions, and all for the benefit of Vekselberg.

            “Facilitators of sanctions evasion enable the oligarchs supporting Vladimir Putin’s regime to flout U.S. law,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “The United States will not allow its financial institutions and persons to be manipulated or defrauded for the purposes of benefitting those supporting an illegal war.” 

            “The Department of Justice has been clear. Corporations and executives have a choice: they can participate in the global effort to uproot corruption, sanctions violations, and money laundering, and enjoy the benefits of prompt and fulsome cooperation; or they can, as Osipov and Masters are alleged to have done, attempt to shield themselves and their clients behind a veil of fraud,” said Director Adams of Task Force KleptoCapture. “These men made their decisions, and now face the consequences of a failed attempt to profit through, rather than standing against, a sophisticated, transnational criminal enterprise.”

            “The indictment alleges that both defendants used a variety of techniques to mask ownership of the Motor Yacht Tango in violation of U.S. law,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Winston. “Together with the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture Task Force, the FBI will hold accountable those who assist Russian Oligarchs in their efforts to hide assets and violate sanctions. We thank our international partners who helped facilitate the arrest of Richard Masters in Spain earlier today."

            “Russian oligarchs are the product of an ecosystem of corruption that abuses rule-of-law- based monetary structures to enrich themselves with luxury trappings and lifestyles.” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Arvelo. “Today’s actions have demonstrated our commitment to hold those that conduct illicit transactions on behalf of the oligarchs accountable.”

            On April 4, 2022, Spanish law enforcement executed a Spanish court order freezing Tango. The Spanish acted following a request from the Department of Justice that it assist with the execution of a seizure warrant, issued in March 2022 by the  U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which alleged that Tango was subject to forfeiture based on violations of U.S. bank fraud, money laundering, and sanctions statutes.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office. Valuable assistance has been provided by the Homeland Security Investigation’s New York Field Office and the Spanish Guardia Civil - Jefatura de Informacion - Unidad Central Especial Numero III (UCE-III).  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen P. Seifert, with valuable assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajbir Datta and Maeghan Mikorski, Paralegals Brian Rickers and Jorge Casillas, and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, all of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in working with the Spanish authorities throughout this matter.

            The case has been coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions, and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2 and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will leverage all the Department’s tools and authorities against efforts to evade or undermine the economic actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression.

Defendant’s Brothers, Father and Mother Already Have Been Sentenced

            WASHINGTON –Corry Blue Evans, 30, of New York, N.Y., pleaded guilty today to one count of bank fraud, stemming from a $4 million fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme that involved multiple members of the defendant’s family.  The guilty plea was announced 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

            The Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan accepted Corry Evans’ guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for June 9, 2023. As part of the plea agreement, the parties estimated that federal sentencing guidelines will recommend that Corry Evans be sentenced to between 33 and 41 months in prison. He also faces financial penalties.

            Corry Evans is the last Evans/Kaslov family member to plead guilty. Gina Russell, Tony John Evans, and Robert Evans all pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by extortion. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, who presided over this case before it was transferred to Judge Chutkan, sentenced Tony John Evans, 34, and Robert Evans, 35, to five years in prison. Russell, 34, has not yet been sentenced.

            Archie Kaslov, 56, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Sullivan sentenced him to 30 months in prison. 

            Candy Evans, 53, pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness by corrupt persuasion or misleading conduct. Judge Sullivan sentenced her to one year and a day in prison.

            In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division. They expressed appreciation for assistance provided by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Arvind Lal, who assisted with forfeiture issues, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oliver McDaniel and Melissa Goforth Koenig, who assisted with restraining funds that Candy Evans attempted to dissipate between the date of her guilty plea and sentencing, Forensic Accountant Bryan Snitselaar, and former Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi, Brittany Phillips, Stephanie Frijas, Kristy Penny, and Joshua Fein.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kent for investigating and prosecuting the case.

Defendant Cut Victim’s Throat with a Box Cutter

            WASHINGTON – Keith Green, 31, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to Assault with Intent to Kill for an incident in which he confronted Mr. Abdiel Velasquez Diaz, a Virginia resident, at Banneker Circle SW, and slit his throat with a box cutter. The plea was announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Green pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with intent to kill. He will be sentenced by the Honorable Robert Okun on March 31, 2023.

            According to court documents, on September 4, 2022, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Green approached the victim who was waiting for a taxi at Benjamin Banneker Circle SW. Green took out a box cutter and slit the victim’s throat with a box cutter. Green then attempted to cut the victim’s throat one more time, but the victim put his arm up in defense resulting in Green cutting the victim’s shoulder with the box cutter. Green attempted to strike the victim a third time, before the victim fended him off and sought the assistance of nearby witnesses. The victim was provided with emergency assistance and was rushed to the hospital where he received life saving treatment.

            Green fled the area and was spotted crossing southbound on I-395. Metropolitan Police Department officers pursued Green through oncoming traffic before eventually arresting him on a grass field on the 900 block of Ohio Drive SW. In Green’s flight path, officers recovered Green’s passport, a box cutter with blood on it, and a putty knife.  

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Allison Daniels. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Omeed A. Assefi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Victim Shot in Upper Chest Outside Nightclub

            WASHINGTON – Emanuel Leyton, 22, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of the July 2021 shooting of a man outside of a Northwest Washington nightclub, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. The verdict was returned late yesterday. The Honorable Robert Okun scheduled sentencing for March 31, 2023.

            Leyton, 22, was found guilty at trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license, and lesser included firearms offenses.

            According to the government’s evidence, shortly after midnight on July 30, 2021, Leyton got into a verbal argument with the victim, the victim’s cousin, and another anonymous acquaintance, inside Johana’s nightclub, in the 4700 block of 14th Street NW.  Leyton left the club but returned a short time later. He left, again, around the same time as the victim and the victim’s cousin, who walked in the direction of 14th and Decatur where their vehicle was parked. Leyton was ahead of the victim walking in the same area. At the cross street, the defendant retrieved a gun from his waistband and shot the victim in the chest. The victim took shelter back inside the club, where he was found by officers who arrived minutes later. He was rushed to the hospital by DC FEMS personel. When officers arrived, Leyton was still on the sidewalk. Bystanders pointed him out as a potential suspect and he was stopped. The defendant agreed to a noncustodial interview at the 4th District station, where he put himself on the scene but claimed someone else fired the shot from a car. 

            Hours later, while the defendant was still voluntarily with police, the victim’s cousin, identified Leyton as the shooter. The next day, an employee of a business in that area found a gun in a flowerpot outside and called 911. DNA evidence linked Leyton to the recovered firearm, and ballistics evidence linked the gun to the shooting. 

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alec Levy and Randle Wilson 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. Attorney Kathleen Kern, Paralegal Specialists Antoinette Sakamsa and Renee Prather, and Litigation Technology Specialist Charlie Bruce.

Shooting Took Place in 300 block of Allison Street, N.W.

            WASHINGTON – Brandon Nguyen, 24, of Laurel, Maryland pleaded guilty to one count of Voluntary Manslaughter in the September 29, 2020 killing of 17-year old Brian Ward, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. 

            The plea was entered before the Honorable Rainey R. Brandt in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia subject to an agreement between the parties pursuant to Superior Court Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C) that a sentence of seven and a half to eleven years of incarceration, followed by supervised release, was the appropriate sentence.  Sentencing is scheduled for April 26, 2023.

            According to the government’s evidence, on September 29, 2020, at approximately 3:59 p.m., officers of the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the report of the sound of gunshots in the 300 block of Allison Street, N.W.  Witnesses described a dark blue sedan driving off at high speed following the shooting.  Further police investigation revealed that the defendant, Brandon Nguyen, was driving the car and that he had met with the decedent for a purported marijuana transaction.  The decedent was never seen alive again after entering  Nguyen’s vehicle, and the investigation revealed a likely struggle over a firearm within the vehicle by the defendant and the decedent.  The investigation also showed that after shooting the decedent, Nguyen drove him 15 miles to the 6900 block of Contee Road, in Laurel, Maryland, where he dumped the decedent’s body in the woods.  The defendant later used bleach to clean his vehicle, and subsequently sold the vehicle.

            In December 2021, police confronted the defendant concerning this offense, and the defendant admitted that he shot the decedent following a struggle over a firearm.  The defendant then led detectives to the location of the decedent’s skeletonized remains.  Further forensic examination and testing by the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives revealed that the defendant fired at least six shots and the decedent was shot in the neck and front and rear of his head.

            Nguyen was arrested on November 21, 2022, and has been in custody since that time.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. They acknowledged the efforts of those who provided assistance in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Spence, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Clifton Browne, 57, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of voluntary manslaughter for the beating death of 75-year-old Luther Brooks, in September of 2021, on Kalmia Road, Northwest. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2023.

            According to evidence presented at trial, on September 28, 2021, Browne went over to the scene of the attack to do some handiwork for the homeowner, whom he knew through a relative. Mr. Brooks, the decedent, was a tenant in a basement apartment in the home.  The homeowner was planning to sell the home, and the work was being done in preparation for the sale.  During the course of his work, Browne was outside the door to the decedent’s apartment door. He and Mr. Brooks started arguing through the door until Mr. Brooks opened the door with a stick in his hand and struck Browne in the chest with the stick, knocking him down. Browne then charged at the elderly victim and beat him inside the apartment until the victim was babbling incoherently. Browne then dragged Mr. Brooks outside where he dumped him in a concrete stairwell. Unable to sit up on his own, Mr. Brooks fell back and struck his head on the concrete. He was taken to GW Hospital where he was nonresponsive within hours. He had suffered fractures of his skull, ribs, and other injuries. He never regained consciousness. The family of Mr. Brooks took him off life support 10 days later, and he died.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert and Rachel Leriche, Victim/Witness Advocate Jenn Allen, Victim/Witness Service Coordinator Maenylie Watson, and Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis Clark and Lisa Lindhorst, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Two Virginia women and an Arizona woman, who verbally interrupted oral arguments inside the United States Supreme Court, each pleaded guilty January 13, 2023, to a single count of Speeches and Objectionable Language in the Supreme Court Building. The defendants were sentenced to one-year terms of probation with stay-away orders from the U.S. Supreme Court.

            According to court documents, on November 2, 2022, the Supreme Court held oral arguments the matter of Bittner v. United States. Emily Archer Paterson, 45, of McLean, VA, Nicole Elizabeth Enfield, 44, of Alexandria, VA, and Rolande Baker, 71, of Tucson, AZ, attended the argument. The women spread out in the courtroom, each sitting in a different area. Once arguments began, defendant Paterson stood up and loudly spoke out against the Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Ms. Paterson’s conduct caused the attorney arguing before the Court to stop speaking so that Ms. Paterson could be escorted out of the room. After arguments resumed, Ms. Baker stood up and interrupted the Court in a similar manner. Following her removal, arguments resumed. Finally, Ms. Enfield stood up, causing a third interruption in the case at bar. Each defendant’s conduct required the attorney before the Court to stop his argument so the defendant speaking could be removed from the courtroom.

            “The government must be able to conduct its business.” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “Interrupting Supreme Court proceedings, even non-violently and briefly, is not First-Amendment protected activity: it is a crime and must be treated as such.”

            Each defendant was charged with one count of the federal misdemeanor offense of Speeches and Objectionable Language in the Supreme Court Building. Each defendant promptly accepted responsibility for her conduct and entered a guilty plea.

            Ms. Paterson, Ms. Enfield, and Ms. Baker were sentenced by the Honorable Judge Amit P. Mehta to one year of probation, with an order to stay away from the U.S. Supreme Court building and grounds.

WASHINGTON – Nimrod Shalom, 41, a dual citizen of Israel and the United States, was sentenced, on January 13, 2023, to seven years in prison for transmission of a sexual performance by a minor.  

            He was sentenced today by the Honorable Beryl A. Howell, who also ordered 10 years of supervised release.

            Shalom was arrested on July 23, 2021, after traveling on a plane from Israel to Los Angeles, California. Shalom pleaded guilty on Sept. 29, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            According to plea documents, on August 1, 2016, the defendant contacted an undercover law enforcement officer (UC) over an online messaging application. The defendant asked the UC whether the UC had a child, the child’s age, and whether the UC “played” sexually with the child. In response, the UC stated that he had a daughter. The defendant stated that he was sexually active with his own four-year-old daughter and sent the UC an image of a child who appeared to be approximately four years old. The defendant informed the UC that he was “not in the US” and that where he lived, “no one cares what you do.” The defendant sent the UC sexually explicit photos of a child he claimed was his four-year-old daughter.

            On August 2, 2016, the defendant was detained by the Israeli National Police (INP) in relation to this offense. INP determined that the defendant did not have a four-year-old daughter and that the images that he had transmitted to the UC were believed to have been commercially produced. During an interview with INP, the defendant admitted to using the online application and pretending to be a father with access to a child, in order to persuade individuals to send him child sexual abuse material. INP performed a forensic analysis on the defendant’s iPhone and discovered 23 images depicting the sexual abuse of children, including the images that the defendant had sent to the UC.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division commended the work of those who worked the case from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes members of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigations Division, and members of the Israeli National Police. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell and Lindsay Suttenberg, and Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson.

Man Apprehended After Trading Child Sex Abuse Material in Internet Chat Rooms

            WASHINGTON – Ian Fried, 57, formerly of D.C., has been sentenced to seven years in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute and Receive Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office. 

            Fried was arrested in Arizona on November 23, 2021, and he has remained in custody ever since.  He pled guilty on July 28, 2022, and was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper.  Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.  He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison.  Fried was ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his criminal offense. 

            According to the government’s evidence, in May of 2017, Homeland Security

            Investigations began investigating a group of individuals who were trading child pornography on an Internet-based client-server chatting protocol. Numerous individuals located across the country were using the targeted networks to discuss, view and trade child pornography and child exploitation files. Fried frequently used these chat networks between November 2018 through at least March 2020.  During these chat conversations, Fried shared links containing files depicting the sexual abuse of young children.  He also discussed with other offenders where to view and locate child pornography on the Internet.  On October 21, 2021, law enforcement obtained a warrant, authorizing the search of Fried’s residence.  Numerous electronic devices, including laptops, a tablet, and hard drives were recovered.  A forensic review of these devices revealed that they contained hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual assault and exploitation of very young children.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Gordon, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Larson, who prosecuted the case.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

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Defendants Arrested for Allegedly Peddling Cocaine, Heroin, Fentanyl , and PCP

            WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging eight individuals in a drug conspiracy.  Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and officers with the Metropolitan Police and Prince George’s County Police Departments arrested seven of the defendants yesterday. 

            Melvin Grayson, 49, of District Heights, MD, Christopher Wells, 44, of Oxon Hill, MD, Jimmy Davis a/k/a “Fatz,” 41, of Bowie, MD, Terrell Washington a/k/a “Turk,” 43, of Hyattsville, MD, Kenneth Watts, 55, of Upper Marlboro, MD, James Kinard a/k/a/ “Fat Rat,” 45, of Temple Hills, MD, Charles Cunningham, 56, of the District of Columbia, made an initial appearance today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The defendants are each charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, 100 grams of more of heroin, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and one kilogram or more of phencyclidine. Tyrone Ragland a/k/a “Tech,” 54, of the District of Columbia, is also charged.

            During the arrests and related search warrants on multiple residences, law enforcement recovered at least 8 firearms (including a ghost gun and shotgun), ammunition, drugs (including fake pills containing fentanyl, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and PCP), drug paraphernalia, and more than $60,000 cash.

            “The organizations peddling poison on our streets and in our communities need to know that they are on the radar of law enforcement and we intend to put them out of business,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “Neither the drugs these groups spread nor the violence their operations attract will be tolerated.”

            “This investigation demonstrates the collective commitment of the FBI, DEA, and MPD’s Violent Crime Impact Team (VCIT) to dismantling street crews who are the purveyors of the illicit drugs that drive the violent crime in our communities,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal and Cyber Division. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI will continue to hold those accountable who traffic in the violence and narcotics responsible for causing the irreparable damage to the neighborhoods we all live and work in.”

            “DEA’s top priority is combatting the current fentanyl crisis and the drug-related violence that is devastating the very foundation of our community and family structures,” said Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division. “Enforcement actions like this, along with our federal, state, and local partners, make a huge impact in our area and we will not stop working until we have rid our neighborhoods of these harms.”

            “Each and every day, the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department and our federal law enforcement partners continue to hold people accountable for committing crimes in the District of Columbia,” said Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia. “This investigation is yet another example of how local, regional, and federal law enforcement partners are making the region safer.”

            The arrests followed a joint investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office Cross Border Task Force and the DEA Washington Field Office, with assistance from MPD’s Violent Crime Suppression Division and the Prince George’s County Police Department. The Cross Border Task Force is a part of the FBI’S Safe Streets Initiative and targets the most egregious and violent street crews operating in the District of Columbia.

            This case is being investigated by the Washington Field Office of the FBI and DEA, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Baltimore/Washington High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program.

            This investigation is 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.

            It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and George P. Eliopoulos of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for first-degree child sexual abuse of a minor, with aggravating circumstances, and accessing child pornography. 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.

            Sean Cortez Moses, 31, of Suitland, Maryland, pleaded guilty in July 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered Moses to pay $100,000 in restitution to the victim, complete 10 years of supervised release, and register as a sex offender for life. 

            According to the government's evidence, Moses was identified during a law enforcement investigation into the sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl. Moses entered a relationship with a woman who resided in the District of Columbia, and who had access to the little girl. Between June of 2017 and June of 2018, he traveled from Maryland into the District of Columbia, where he took advantage of this relationship to sexually abuse the child and to view child pornography.

            Moses was arrested on March 4, 2021. He has remained in custody.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Prince George’s County, Maryland Police Department.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) Youth Investigations Division. They also commended the work of  Yvonne Bryant, of the Victim and Witness Assistance Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Bond and Amy E. Larson, who prosecuted the case.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

Man Apprehended After Using the Dark Web

            WASHINGTON – John Green, 81, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 54 months in prison for accessing and downloading child pornography.  The sentence was announced 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. 

            Green pleaded guilty on October 25, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, before the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.  Green must also pay $18,000 in restitution to his victims. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years. 

            According to the government’s evidence, in May of 2019, Green used his computer to access a website on the Dark Web that offered individuals the opportunity to access and download child sexual abuse material, featuring children as young as infants. At the time of this criminal offense, Green was 78 years old.  In July of 2021, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Green’s home.  A laptop computer was seized which, when forensically examined, was found to contain over nine hundred images and videos of child pornography.  Additionally, numerous DVDs and books were discovered which featured children in various states of undress, and in sexually explicit situations.

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking 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.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD’s Youth Investigations Division. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Larson, who prosecuted the case.

Defendant’s Brother Convicted of Running the Money Laundering Service Helix

            WASHINGTON – Gary James Harmon, 31, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to perpetrating a scheme to steal cryptocurrency that was pending criminal forfeiture from Harmon’s brother, now-convicted money launderer and proprietor of Grams-Helix, Larry Dean Harmon.  Specifically, Harmon pleaded guilty to wire fraud and obstruction of justice for unlawfully taking more than 712 bitcoin that had been seized by law enforcement and was subject to forfeiture in the pending criminal prosecution of Larry Harmon.

            The plea was announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Darrell J. Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Divisions.

            The wire fraud charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison; the obstruction of justice charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  U.S. District Court Chief Judge Howell scheduled a sentencing hearing for March 17, 2023. 

            According to court documents, in February 2020, the defendant’s brother, Larry Harmon, was arrested for his operation of Helix, a darknet-based cryptocurrency money laundering service, known as a “mixer” or “tumbler.” As Harmon later admitted, Helix laundered over 350,000 bitcoin – valued at over $300 million at the time of the transactions – on behalf of customers, with the largest volume coming from Darknet markets.  As part of the arrest, law enforcement seized various assets, including a cryptocurrency storage device containing Larry Harmon’s illegal proceeds generated through the operation of Helix, which were subject to forfeiture in the criminal case.  However, law enforcement was initially unable to recover bitcoin stored on the device due to the device’s additional security features. 

            Knowing that the government was seeking to recover the bitcoin stored on the seized device for forfeiture in Larry Harmon’s criminal case, Gary Harmon used his brother’s credentials to recreate the bitcoin wallets stored on the device and covertly transfer more than 712 bitcoin, valued at approximately $4.8 million at the time, to his own wallets – stealing those funds and obstructing the pending criminal forfeiture proceeding.  Gary Harmon further laundered the proceeds through two online bitcoin mixer services before using the laundered bitcoins to finance large purchases and other expenditures. 

            In August 2021, Larry Harmon pled guilty to money laundering conspiracy in connection with his case.

            As part of his plea today, Gary Harmon also agreed to the forfeiture of cryptocurrencies and other properties derived from the fraudulently taken proceeds, including more than 647.41 Bitcoin (BTC), 2.14 Ethereum (ETH), and 17,404,400.64 Dogecoin (DOGE).  Due to the increase in market prices, the total value of these forfeitable properties exceeds $12 million. 

-            This matter was investigated by the IRS-CI District of Columbia Cyber Crime Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Waldon, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the IRS Criminal Investigation – Cyber Crime Unit and the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker, of the Department of Justice Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS), with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart and former Paralegal Specialist Chad Byron.  Additional assistance has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Segev Phillips and Daniel Riedl of the Northern District of Ohio and CCIPS Trial Attorney S. Riane Harper.   

Defendant Assaulted Neighbors in an Apartment Building

            WASHINGTON – Corey Keelin Bridges, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 months in prison for assaulting his neighbors, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Bridges pleaded guilty on October 19, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz sentenced Bridges today to 16 months in prison for one count of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon, 180 days in prison for one count of simple assault, and 90 days in prison for one count of lewd, indecent, or obscene acts, all sentences to run concurrently. Bridges will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            Bridges assaulted his neighbors in an apartment building in Washington, D.C., on two separate occasions. On May 4, 2022, Bridges assaulted a minor in the hallway of the building. He tried to pull down the minor victim’s sweatpants and pulled down his own shorts, exposing himself. The minor escaped from Bridges and managed to get into their apartment. On June 4, 2022, Bridges knocked on a neighbor’s door and, when the resident opened the door, Bridges held a knife and a screwdriver to the victim’s stomach. The victim managed to avoid injury.

            Bridges was arrested on June 4, 2022 and remains in custody.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee 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 cases at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carlos A. Valdivia, Jared English, and Crystal Gaines, who investigated and prosecuted the matters.

WASHINGTON – Dennis Gamarra, 53, of Woodbridge, VA, was sentenced today to one year of probation, to include six months of home confinement, for stealing government property from the Department of Commerce and the Library of Congress, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            Gamarra pleaded guilty on September 26, 2022, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of theft of government property. In addition to the term of probation and home confinement, U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb ordered $56,960 in restitution to the affected agencies and a forfeiture order for the same amount.

            According to the government’s evidence and the defendant’s admissions when entering his guilty plea, Gamarra was employed as a contractor working at the United States Department of Commerce (“DOC”) within the International Trade Administration (“ITA”) beginning in October 2014, at an office in Washington, D.C. While there, Defendant Gamarra largely worked to provide information technology (“IT”) support to the ITA and through his employment had access to certain government-furnished equipment, including Microsoft Surface tablet devices belonging to DOC and issued to DOC employees. During his tenure, Defendant Gamarra stole at least one Microsoft Surface Tablet, worth USD $1,370, removing it from ITA’s offices, advertising it for sale online through his eBay account, and ultimately re-selling it to another individual through eBay.  Defendant did so knowingly, with the intent to deprive the owner, in this case, DOC, of the right to use that property. Starting in November 2019, Defendant Gamarra began working as a contractor for the Library of Congress (“LOC”), at an office in Washington, D.C. While at LOC, he similarly worked to provide IT support services. As in his role at DOC, Defendant Gamarra had access to government-furnished equipment, including Dell Laptops that were the property of LOC and that were issued to LOC employees. While at LOC, Defendant Gamarra removed at least 29 separate Dell laptops from LOC that he knew to belong to LOC, cumulatively worth a total of approximately USD $55,590, advertised them on eBay, and ultimately resold them to different customers through that account. Defendant took these laptops knowingly, with the intent to deprive the owner, in this case, LOC, of the right to use them.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of the relevant investigators from the Library of Congress Office of Inspector General and the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General.  They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Chad Byron and Michon Tart.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Will Hart, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, will mark 24 months since the attack on the U.S. Capitol that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of affirming the presidential election results.

Under the continued leadership of the Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made the following statement:

“Two years ago, the United States Capitol was attacked as lawmakers met to affirm the results of a presidential election. Perpetrators attacked police officers, targeted and assaulted members of the media, and interfered with a fundamental element of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.

“Since then, countless agents, investigators, prosecutors, analysts, and others across the Justice Department have participated in one of the largest, most complex, and most resource-intensive investigations in our history. I am extremely grateful for the dedication, professionalism, and integrity with which they have done this work. This investigation has resulted in the arrest of more than 950 defendants for their alleged roles in the attack. We have secured convictions for a wide range of criminal conduct on January 6 as well as in the days and weeks leading up to the attack. Our work is far from over.

“We will never forget the sacrifice of the law enforcement officers who defended the members of Congress and others inside the Capitol that day. And we will never forget the five officers who responded selflessly on January 6 and who have since lost their lives: Officer Brian Sicknick, Officer Howard Liebengood, Officer Jeffrey Smith, Officer Gunther Hashida, and Officer Kyle DeFreytag. 

“The Justice Department remains committed to honoring them. We remain committed to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for the January 6 assault on our democracy. And we remain committed to doing everything in our power to prevent this from ever happening again.”

***

Based on the public court documents, below is a snapshot of the investigation as of Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. Complete versions of most of the public court documents used to compile these statistics are available on the Capitol Breach Investigation Resource Page at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases.

Arrests made: More than 950 defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia. (This includes those charged in both District and Superior Court).

Criminal charges:

• More than 284 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including approximately 99 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
  • Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department.

• Approximately 11 individuals have been arrested on a series of charges that relate to assaulting a member of the media, or destroying their equipment, on January 6.
• Approximately 860 defendants have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds. Of those, 91 defendants have been charged with entering a restricted area with a dangerous or deadly weapon.
• Approximately 59 defendants have been charged with destruction of government property, and approximately 36 defendants have been charged with theft of government property.
• More than 295 defendants have been charged with corruptly obstructing, influencing, or impeding an official proceeding, or attempting to do so.
• Approximately 50 defendants have been charged with conspiracy, either: (a) conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, (b) conspiracy to obstruct law enforcement during a civil disorder, (c) conspiracy to injure an officer, (d) seditious conspiracy, or (e) some combination of the four.

Pleas:

• Approximately 484 individuals have pleaded guilty to a variety of federal charges, many of whom faced or will face incarceration at sentencing.
  • Approximately 119 have pleaded guilty to felonies. Another 364 have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
  • A total of 52 of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded to federal charges of assaulting law enforcement officers. An additional 22 individuals have pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Of these 74 defendants, 41 have now been sentenced to prison terms of up to 90 months.
  • Four of those who have pleaded guilty to felonies have pleaded guilty to the federal charge of seditious conspiracy.

Trials:

• 40 individuals have been found guilty at contested trials, including three who were found guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Another 10 individuals have been convicted following an agreed-upon set of facts. 16 of these 50 defendants were found guilty of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, a felony, including one who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Sentencings:

• Approximately 351 federal defendants have had their cases adjudicated and received sentences for their criminal activity on January 6. Approximately 192 have been sentenced to periods of incarceration. Approximately 87 defendants have been sentenced to a period of home detention, including approximately 14 who also were sentenced to a period of incarceration.

Public Assistance:

• Citizens from around the country have provided invaluable assistance in identifying individuals in connection with the January 6 attack. The FBI continues to seek the public’s help in identifying approximately 350 individuals believed to have committed violent acts on the Capitol grounds, including over 250 who assaulted police officers.
• Additionally, the FBI currently has 14 videos of suspects wanted for violent assaults on federal officers and one video of two suspects wanted for assaults on members of the media on Jan. 6 and is seeking the public’s help to identify them.
• Some of the violent offenders about whom the FBI is seeking public tips to identify and locate Evan Neumann, Jonathan Daniel Pollock, AFOs #91, #292, #371, and #383. AFO #91 uses what appears to be a stick to strike multiple officers numerous times while in the doorway of the Lower West Terrace, commonly referred to as the tunnel. AFOs #292, #371, and #383 are all shown on video charging at and assaulting officers, and they appear to grab and attempt to take possession of the officers’ batons.
• For images and video of the attackers, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Defendants Had Ties to Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)

            WASHINGTON – Mauricio Mazabel-Soto, 45, and Alfredo Molina-Cutiva, 53, both citizens of Colombia, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute large quantities of cocaine for importation into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Acting Regional Director Omar Arellano. Mazabel-Soto entered his plea on December 20, 2022. Molina-Cutiva entered his plea on November 28, 2022. U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta scheduled Molina-Cutiva’s sentencing hearing for March 31, 2023, and Mazabel-Soto’s for April 23, 2023.

            In 2018, DEA agents began investigating large-scale drug traffickers with ties to the terrorist group known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). During a long-term investigation, defendant Mazabel-Soto represented himself as someone authorized to enter into large cocaine production agreements on behalf of the FARC and portrayed co-defendant Molina-Cutiva as being responsible for FARC drug trafficking logistics in southwestern Colombia. Additionally, the defendants represented that defendant Molina-Cutiva was responsible for all FARC cocaine laboratories in Huila and Caqueta, Colombia as well as transferring cocaine across the border with Ecuador for exportation north by way of the Pacific Ocean.

            During a series of recorded meetings, defendants Mazabel-Soto and Molina-Cutiva offered to produce large quantities of cocaine for an individual they believed was representing a major Mexican drug cartel.   In one particular meeting, the defendants proposed a business agreement wherein the Mexican cartel would invest $2 milllion (USD) in their business and the FARC would construct a cocaine laboratory for the cartel, where they would have exclusive rights to the production. The defendants stated that the first 1,000 kilograms produced would be free and the FARC would then produce an additional 1,000 kilograms of cocaine for the cartel every few weeks, at a cost of $1,600 (USD) per kilogram. The defendants agreed to place designer stamps on each kilogram of cocaine, including the logo for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team.

            In April 2019, in Bogota, Colombia, defendant Mazabel-Soto provided another individual with a five-kilogram “sample” of cocaine to demonstrate the quality. Mazabel-Soto accepted $11,000 (USD) for this sample delivery. DEA lab results show that the cocaine was 96% pure.

            On June 25, 2019, defendant Mazabel-Soto was arrested in Colombia and, on April 16, 2021, was extradited to the United States; co-defendant Cutiva was arrested in Colombia on August 8, 2019 and, on January 25, 2021, was extradited to the United States. An additional co-defendant (Aldemar Soto-Charry) was arrested in Colombia on August 8, 2019, and is pending extradition.

            As part of their plea agreements, defendants Mazabel-Soto and Molina-Cutiva agreed that they were accountable for conspiring to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, which quantity represented the total amount involved in their relevant criminal conduct

            Each defendant faces a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, with the possibility of fines. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and DEA Acting Regional Director Arellano commended the work of those who investigated the case, including the DEA’s Bogota Country office, the FBI LEGAT Bogota, and the FBI Miami Field Office. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Anthony Scarpelli, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Goddard, of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section, who prosecuted the case.

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Patrick Joseph McAloon (67, St. Augustine) to 7 years and 2 months in federal prison for distributing videos and images of children being sexually abused. The court also ordered McAloon serve a 10-year term of supervised release and pay $15,000 to victims of his offenses. McAloon had pleaded guilty on July 28, 2022.

According to court documents, in November 2021, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information from two individuals who had found a cellphone in a public restroom at a home improvement store in St. Augustine. The individuals turned the phone on in an attempt to determine the owner and return the phone. Upon viewing the phone’s photo gallery, they observed an image of a child who appeared to be 3 years old being sexually assaulted by an adult male. The individuals observed hundreds of additional files showing children being sexually abused. Soon after, the found phone rang and it was McAloon, requesting the return of his phone. When the individuals confronted McAloon about the abusive content, he claimed it was a wake-up call and offered the individuals $2,000 for the return of his phone. McAloon met with the individuals, paid them $2,000, and retrieved the phone. The individuals later contacted law enforcement to report the incident.

After a thorough investigation, HSI agents made contact with McAloon. He reported that he had since obtained a new phone and said that he is in touch with an individual in the Philippines to whom he sends money and who sends McAloon files showing the sexual abuse of children. McAloon acknowledged that there was probably child sexual abuse material on his new phone.

A forensic search of McAloon’s cellphone, which was seized by agents, yielded at least 194 files of child sexual abuse material and more than 450 files of child exploitation/age difficult material. Forensic analyses revealed that McAloon used a social media app to distribute child sexual abuse material, to include a video file he had sent to a certain app user on December 5, 2021, using username “Patrick,” depicting an adult male sexually abusing a young child.

“This predator fed his perversion through a steady stream of explicit imagery and videos of children being sexually abused,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Thanks to the dedication of our special agents and the concern of citizens who discovered the imagery, justice is served. Our communities are made safer for children when citizens recognize deviant behaviors and reach out to law enforcement.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly S. Karase.

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Jurors Found Evidence of a Conscious Disregard of the Extreme Risk of Harm

            A jury sitting in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia returned guilty verdicts against two former members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in connection with a fatal police pursuit, on Oct. 23, 2020, in Northwest Washington, that caused the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, announced Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.

            Terence Sutton, 38, an officer, was found guilty of second degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice.  Andrew Zabavsky, 54, a former lieutenant, was found guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice. The trial was heard before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

            The jury found that Sutton caused Mr. Hylton-Brown’s death by driving a police vehicle in conscious disregard for an extreme risk of death or serious bodily injury to Mr. Hylton-Brown. The jury further found that Sutton and Zabavsky conspired and combined to hide from MPD officials the circumstances of the traffic crash leading to Mr. Hylton-Brown’s death.

            At the time of the police pursuit, Sutton was assigned to the Crime Suppression Team in MPD’s Fourth Police District. Zabavsky supervised the Fourth Police District’s Crime Suppression Team officers, including Sutton. The pursuit began at approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, after officers observed Mr. Hylton-Brown, 20, driving a moped on a sidewalk in the Brightwood Park area of Northwest Washington. The pursuit continued on neighborhood streets for more than 10 blocks and into an alley off the 700 block of Kennedy Street NW. Immediately upon exiting the alley and entering Kennedy Street, Mr. Hylton-Brown was struck by an oncoming civilian vehicle. He suffered severe head trauma and died on Oct. 25, 2020.

            The charge of second-degree murder carries a statutory maximum of 40 years in prison. The conspiracy charge carries a statutory maximum of five years and the obstruction of justice charge carries a maximum of 20 years. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case was investigated by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Defendant Was Arrested With Paint Brush In-Hand

            WASHINGTON – Shaun Deaton, 44, of Bloomington, Indiana, was sentenced today to one year of probation and was ordered to pay $3034.99 in restitution to the National Park Service for vandalizing the Washington Monument.  On September 20, 2022, Deaton traveled to Washington, DC, and defaced the Washington Monument by painting it using red paint. He was arrested with the paint brush still in his hand and red paint on his clothes and body.

            On September 22, 2022, Deaton was charged with destruction of federal property. On October 17, 2022, Deaton pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor.      

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves commended the work of the United States Park Police and the National Park Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Gold.

WASHINGTON – Jason Stroman, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Friday, December 16, 2022, to two and a half years in prison for a burglary at an elementary school in Southeast Washington, D.C., and for assaulting the police officers who arrested him, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Stroman was convicted at a jury trial in August 2022 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, on one count of Second Degree Burglary and two counts of Assault on a Police Officer.

            According to the government’s evidence, Stroman entered C.W. Harris Elementary school early in the morning on Sunday, July 26, 2020, and disguised himself as a construction worker while walking through the school and compiling items - including various school supplies - into a large trash bin near an exit door. When he was discovered by DCPS and MPD officers, he fled on foot before being apprehended hiding nearby. After being placed under arrest, he spat directly onto MPD officers throughout the course of a 20 minute transport ride, telling the officers he hoped they took the coronavirus home to their families.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee 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 cases at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tonya Queen, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin DeRiso, Kristin Sourbeer, and Lisa Lindhorst who investigated and indicted the matter, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anna Forgie and Teddy Dunn, who tried the case.

Defendant Accused of Stealing from Labor Union while Serving as its Chairman

            WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia Department of Corrections Officer was arrested today after being charged in federal court with embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a D.C. Department of Corrections Labor Union.

            Andra Parker, 64, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, is charged with wire fraud in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was arrested this morning at the District’s Central Detention Facility and will make his initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy W. Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG)            .

            Charging documents allege that between June 2018 and May 2019, Parker served as chairman of the D.C. Department of Corrections Labor Committee, a labor organization that represents all members of the D.C. Department of Corrections. As chairman, Parker had full access to the Labor Committee’s bank accounts and was issued a debit card. He is accused of defrauding the Labor Committee by using Committee funds to pay for personal travel, lodging, and entertainment expenses. For example, charging documents allege that he spent more than $7,000 on a trip to New York city for his friends and him, including $4,000 on rooms and expenses at a Times Square hotel, more than $370 on tickets to a New York Knicks game, and an additional $616 on tickets to Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

            A criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, but it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.         

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the DOL-OIG. Assistance was also provided by the DOL - Office of Labor-Management Standards.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kondi Kleinman and Gauri Gopal of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - Rafael Rondon, age 25, of Watertown, New York pled guilty today in federal court in Syracuse to possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

As part of his guilty plea today, Rafael Rondon admitted that on June 29, 2021, he possessed an unregistered sawed-off shotgun hidden at a relative’s property in Lewis County, New York. The sawed-off shotgun was recovered after FBI Agents, U.S. Capitol Police, and New York State Police executed a federal search warrant at Rondon’s residence in Watertown, New York on June 29, 2021, for evidence related to criminal activity at the United States Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. During the search of the Rondon residence in Watertown, the cut barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun was discovered. While being questioned, Rondon admitted that he possessed a sawed-off shotgun, and later took Agents to a relative’s property in nearby Lewis County where the unregistered short-barreled 12-gauge firearm was recovered from an outbuilding.

Sentencing for his conviction for possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun is scheduled for April 21, 2023, in Syracuse, New York, at which time Rafael Rondon faces a maximum sentence of up to 10-years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

Rafael Rondon also pled guilty December 5, 2022, in United States District Court for the District of Columbia to Obstruction of an Official Proceeding (felony), for his activities inside the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.  Sentencing on that case is scheduled for March 13, 2023, in Washington, D.C., at which time he faces a maximum sentence of up to 20-years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years.

The Northern District of New York case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Capitol Police, and the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the New York State Police. The indictment charging Rafael Rondon in United States District Court for the Northern District of New York is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Green and Richard Southwick. The case involving the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach charge is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Edward Kelley, 33, of Maryville, TN, and Austin Carter, 26, of Knoxville, TN, with conspiracy, retaliating against a federal official, interstate communication of a threat, and solicitation to commit a crime of violence. Kelley and Austin made their initial appearance in federal court in Knoxville, TN, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill E. McCook. Both defendants have been detained. Carter has a detention hearing scheduled for December 21, 2022.

According to court documents, Kelley, who is facing charges in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia related to his assault on a law enforcement officer during the breach of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, obtained a list of law enforcement personnel who participated in that criminal investigation. In conversations with a cooperating witness, Kelley and Carter discussed plans to kill the individual law enforcement personnel on the list. Those plans included an attack on the FBI’s Knoxville, Tennessee Field Office.

“Federal law enforcement agents put their lives on the line every day to protect the public,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “Planning and threatening violence against them is among the most serious of crimes. It is absolutely unacceptable and will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III.

“The FBI continually assesses the full spectrum of potential threats that come to our attention and that includes those whose intent is to harm bureau employees. The arrests were a result of an amazing team effort across the division along with our local, state, and federal partners. The partnership with the FBI Counterterrorism Division, the Department of Justice’s Counterterrorism Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Eastern District of Tennessee and the District of Columbia were instrumental in the success of the operation. We remind the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity regardless of the intended target,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico.

The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Arrowood and Kyle Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, and Trial Attorneys David Smith and Jacob Warren from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

Members of the public are reminded that these are only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Defendant Shot the Victim as the Victim Ran Away

            WASHINGTON – John Philogene, 24, of Washington, DC, was sentenced to nine years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for shooting and killing a man in Southeast Washington following a fight, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Philogene pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo. 

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 27, 2021, the decedent, Evan Shawntez Wood, and a friend entered an apartment building in the Cascade Park Apartments at 4281 6th Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, and were immediately confronted by the defendant with a gun.  The victim, who friends said had been in the military, lunged at the defendant and they got into a fight that sprawled from the apartment building out into the courtyard.  There, the victim broke free and ran from the courtyard.  As the victim ran away, Philogene stood up, chambered a round in his handgun, and shot the victim in the back of the leg.  Mr. Wood kept running, making it a couple of blocks to a yard alongside a house on Forrester Street, Southeast, Washington, DC, where he sat down and died. 

            Philogene and another subject then warned the victim’s friend not to talk, both at the scene and again the next day by Facetime.  Philogene also went to the building where the victim’s friend usually bought drugs, kicked in an apartment door, and pointed a gun at the people inside while asking where the victim and his friend were.

            Philogene was arrested almost exactly a month later on April 27, 2021.  He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist and Victim/Witness Advocates Latrice Washington-Williams and Jenn Allen.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Roman and Deputy Chief Laura Bach, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Defendant’s Co-conspirator Shot Victim After They Stole $225

            WASHINGTON – Deandre Houston, 21, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for second-degree murder while armed for aiding and abetting the killing of a man in Southeast Washington as part of an online robbery scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Houston pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan. 

            According to the government’s evidence, Houston set up accounts on OfferUp, an online marketplace service similar to eBay, which targets local buyers and sellers and allows them to post items for sale and arrange for the sales transaction through the app.  Through the app, Houston offered a non-existent 2012 MacBook Pro for sale.  The decedent, Roderick Joseph Thomas, agreed to meet Houston and buy the laptop from him. 

            On October 11, 2018, Mr. Thomas waited in his car in the 3200 block of 12th St SE, Washington, DC to buy the laptop from Mr. Houston.  Houston and an unknown co-conspirator went to meet Mr. Thomas.  The co-conspirator brought a gun, which Houston knew about and had reason to believe would be used in the robbery.  At the scene, Houston walked around Mr. Thomas’ car and got in the passenger seat while his co-conspirator approached the driver’s side door.  They told Mr. Thomas to give them the cash, presumably intended for the laptop purchase.  Houston stole the $225 from Mr. Thomas and then his co-conspirator told Mr. Thomas to get out of the car so that he could steal that too.  Mr. Thomas got out of the car and fought back, but when he got back into the car, Houston’s co-conspirator shot Mr. Thomas and killed him.  Houston and his co-conspirator then fled the scene with the cash.

            Houston was arrested less than three weeks later, on October 31, 2018.  He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist and Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez.  Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Emile Thompson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Roman, and Deputy Chief Laura Bach, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Norman Wilson, 40, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today, mid-trial, to charges stemming from two assaults in which he targeted Hispanic individuals based on their race and/or national origin, announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves.  

            Wilson pleaded guilty to two counts of simple assault with a bias-related enhancement for each count. The guilty plea followed a day and half of trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The Honorable Peter Krauthamer immediately sentenced Wilson to 270 days of suspended time with time served for one charge, and 200 days of suspended time with time served for the second charge. The judge also imposed 1 year of supervised probation for each count.

            Mr. Wilson assaulted the first victim on May 15, 2022, at the Dupont Circle Metro Station.  During this assault, Mr. Wilson targeted the victim, hit the victim with a metal object, and then made derogatory statements directed at the victim being Hispanic.  The second assault took place on May 22, 2022, when Mr. Wilson targeted a Hispanic victim inside of the Friendship Heights Metro Station, kicked the victim in the back while descending the escalator, followed the victim throughout the station, and assaulted the victim a second time, all the while making derogatory comments directed at the victim’s race and/or national origin.  After Mr. Wilson was arrested, he was interviewed by detectives from the Metropolitan Transit Police Department. During this interview, Mr. Wilson stated his beliefs that there are too many foreigners in America, they are not humble enough, and other similar xenophobic statements.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Michael Anzallo, of the Metro Transit Police Department, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit Police Department.  He also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Christopher Lionette, Daphne Teresa Nelson, and Wanda Trice, as well as Victim/Witness Coordinator Maria Sanchez-Garcia.

            Finally, he commended the efforts of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Goldstein and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Derbish, who prosecuted the case, and AUSA Bonnie Lindemann, who investigated the case.

            WASHINGTON –Following a nine-week long trial, a D.C. Superior Court jury returned verdicts finding Derek B. Turner, 31, Ronnika M. Jennings, 44, and Duan M. Hill, 33, guilty of multiple felony offenses arising out of a violent gang feud between two neighborhoods in Southeast Washington, D.C. in 2016-2017.  The defendants were charged in a multiple-count conspiracy case that included two separate murders, multiple shooting offenses, and multiple obstruction of justice offenses. 

            Late Wednesday afternoon, the jury returned the following verdicts: against Turner for Conspiracy to Kill and Assault, Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, two counts of First Degree Premeditated Murder While Armed, three counts of Assault With Intent to Kill While Armed, four counts of Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, seven counts of Obstruction of Justice, and four counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (Prior Conviction); against Jennings for four counts of Accessory After the Fact and one count of Obstruction of Justice; and against Hill for Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice and two counts of Obstruction of Justice. 

            Sentencing is scheduled for March 10, 2023.

            In 2016-17, a dispute ensued between Wahler Place and Trenton Park crews, rival groups located in Southeast.   In less than a year, 16 serious violent crimes, including four homicides, arose directly from the dispute, and at least 12 other serious crimes of violence, including at least three homicides, were part of the investigation.  The government’s case showed that Wahler Place members engaged in a violent crime conspiracy targeting members of Trenton Park.  Turner, also known as Fats, was a member of Wahler Place and was charged with the January 7, 2017 murder of Devin Hall and the March 1, 2017 murder of Andrew McPhatter, as well as several non-fatal shootings.  The jury convicted Turner in both murders, as well as the February 17, 2017 attempted murders of rivals Raheem Osborne, Joseph Tyler, and Andrew McPhatter (before he was the victim of the later homicide).  In the course of committing the charged offenses, defendant Turner utilized defendant Jennings, a civilian clerk in MPD’s Seventh District, to provide him with confidential police information to assist him and others in their criminal activities.  Jennings was convicted of three counts of Accessory After the Fact in the February 17, 2017 attempted murder, as an Accessory After the Fact in McPhatter’s murder, and on one count of Obstruction of Justice.  Hill was convicted of multiple counts of obstruction of justice in connection with a conspiracy to recruit an associate of Turner to take criminal responsibility for the firearm that Turner used to commit the two charged murders as well as three charged attempted murders. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, specifically Det. Charles Fultz and Det. Jeffrey Weber, as well as Special Agent Samuel Ward from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including: Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney, LaShone Samuels and Stephanie Siegerist; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Victim/Witness Security Specialist Robert Cephas; Supervisory Victim/Witness Security Specialist Lesley Slade; Supervisory Victim Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Litigation Technology Specialist Maisha Treadwell; Litigation Technology Specialist Thomas Royal; Special Agents Durand Odom and Mark Crawford; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dineen Baker and Sara Vanore; Appellate Section Deputy Chief John Mannarino; Homicide Deputy Chief Laura Bach; and Assistant U.S. Attorney AUSA Erin DeRiso.

            Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Truscott and Kevin Flynn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Defendant Allegedly Trafficked Firearms to Family Member in the District of Columbia

            WASHINGTON – Two men were indicted today on federal charges stemming from a firearms trafficking investigation focused on the summer of 2021.  

            Demetrius Minor, 31, of Maryland and Donald Willis, 50, of Washington, D.C. were indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges related to the illegal transfer of firearms. Minor was indicted on a total of four charges including: engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license; illegal interstate transfer of firearms; sale of a firearm to a convicted felon; and conspiracy to commit an offense or defraud the United States. Willis was indicted on the charge of conspiracy.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Christopher Amon, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to traffic more than 30 firearms between April and October of 2021. Defendant Minor acted as the straw-purchaser of firearms from licensed gun stores (FFL’s) in the state of Maryland. After purchasing the firearms, Minor would transfer the guns to Willis in Washington, D.C., where Willis would pay Minor before reselling the guns.

            The investigation began when two firearms purchased by Minor were recovered in a ten-day span within the District of Columbia. One of those firearms was recovered in November 2021, when Willis was arrested in an unrelated domestic violence incident. In that incident a handgun recovered from Willis had been reported stolen the same day by Minor, which triggered ATF to investigate Minor’s firearms purchases. The investigation revealed that Minor and Willis are related, and that Minor would legally purchase firearms in bulk from multiple gun stores in Maryland before transferring them to Willis, a prohibited person due to previous convictions, in exchange for cash.

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

            The charge of sale of a firearm to a convicted felon carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Each of the other charges carries a statutory maximum sentence of five 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 investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Office.

            The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney’s Samuel Frey and Paul V. Courtney, of the Federal Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Defendant Distributed Multiple Images of Child Pornography and Possessed Over 25,000 Images of Child Pornography

            WASHINGTON –Shaun Marvin, 43, of Colorado, was sentenced today to an 8-year prison term on distribution of child pornography charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.

            Marvin pled guilty on Dec. 9, 2021, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia to one count of distribution of child pornography.

            He was sentenced today by the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly. Following completion of his prison term, he will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.

             According to the government’s evidence, the defendant joined a chat group dedicated to trading child pornography. Marvin distributed multiple images depicting the sexual abuse of children to members of that group. After law enforcement agents seized Marvin’s digital devices, they discovered over 25,000 images of child pornography on his devices, including images depicting the rape and torture of infants and toddlers.

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

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. 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.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. He also thanked the FBI's Denver Field Office - Colorado Springs RA. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, and Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant. 

            Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Company Self-Reported Violations of Contractual Provisions

            WASHINBGTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia reached an agreement with Coloplast, a medical product manufacturer, in the amount of $14,547,347 to settle claims that the company violated the Trade Agreements Act and the Price Reduction Clause in its business dealings with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs.  The settlement was announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and VA Inspector General Michael J. Missal.

            Coloplast self-disclosed that it misapplied the Trade Agreements Act substantial transformation standard, which resulted in (a) Coloplast reporting incorrect countries of origin for several Coloplast-manufactured products and (b) some products remaining on the contract after switching manufacturing locations to non­designated countries. Coloplast also self-reported that it misapplied the Price Reductions Clause by failing to provide the Government with discounts pursuant to the terms of the contract.  This failure led to overbilling the United States for certain medical and pharmaceutical products sold to the United States.

            “The United States government expects its business partners to act in good faith and follow the rules they agreed to follow,” said United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “We cannot overlook the great potential for harm when a company provides products from non-compliant countries.”

            “This settlement is significant in both its monetary value and in the message it sends to other corporations who wish to do business with VA—our nation’s veterans deserve the highest quality products, at the best possible prices available, and that comply with all applicable laws and regulations,” said VA Inspector General Michael J. Missal. “We will continue to work with our partners at the US Attorney’s offices to ensure that VA is treated fairly and appropriately under the requirements of the law.”

            The case was handled by the Civil Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, in collaboration with the VA Inspector General’s Office of Investigations and Office of Audits and Evaluations, VA National Acquisition Center, and VA Office of General Counsel.  U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Division Deputy Chief John C. Truong investigated the matter, with valuable assistance from VA Inspector General Supervisory Auditor Danielle Aguilar and Chief Investigative Counsel Katharine Brown. 

            The claims alleged here are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (Mas’ud), 71, of Tunisia and Libya, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges, unsealed today, stemming from the Dec. 21, 1988, civilian aircraft bombing that killed 270 people. The victims included 190 Americans, 43 citizens of the United Kingdom, including 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland, and citizens from the following countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Trinidad and Tobago.

On Dec. 21, 2020, the Department of Justice made public a criminal complaint charging Mas’ud with destruction of aircraft resulting in death, and destruction of a vehicle used in foreign commerce by means of an explosive resulting in death. The United States subsequently requested the publication of an INTERPOL Red Notice – as is typical in cases involving foreign fugitives – requesting all INTERPOL member countries to locate and arrest the defendant for the purpose of his extradition or lawful return to the United States to face the charges. On Nov. 29, 2022, a federal grand jury formally indicted Mas’ud on the same charges contained in the criminal complaint. That indictment was unsealed today.

From the time the tragic events occurred in 1988 through the present, the United States and Scotland have jointly pursued justice for all the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing. The partnership will continue throughout the prosecution of Mas’ud.

“Nearly 34 years ago, 270 people, including 190 Americans, were tragically killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Since then, American and Scottish law enforcement have worked tirelessly to identify, find, and bring to justice the perpetrators of this horrific attack. Those relentless efforts over the past three decades led to the indictment and arrest of a former Libyan intelligence operative for his alleged role in building the bomb used in the attack,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The defendant is currently in U.S. custody and is facing charges in the United States. This is an important step forward in our mission to honor the victims and pursue justice on behalf of their loved ones.”

“Today’s action is another crucial step in delivering justice for the victims of the senseless terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Our thoughts are with the victims’ families, whose tireless work to honor the lives and legacies of their loved ones has inspired the Department of Justice and our Scottish partners throughout our investigation for the last 34 years. Let this be a reminder that the men and women of the Department of Justice will never forget the loss of innocent lives or waver in our commitment to holding terrorists accountable – no matter how long it takes.”

“While it has been nearly 34 years since the tragic bombing of Pan Am 103, the FBI and our partners throughout the U.S. government have never forgotten the Americans harmed and we will never rest until those responsible are brought to justice,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Our reach and our memory are long, as this investigation shows. The progress we have made would not have been possible without the hard work and determination of the men and women of the FBI and the Justice Department, and the assistance of our Scottish partners. My thoughts today are focused on those lost and their loved ones as the work to achieve justice continues.”

“The Justice Department has worked for more than three decades to seek justice for the 270 innocent victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today, Mas’ud is charged for his alleged role in this heinous act of terror and he will appear in an American courtroom to answer for those crimes. To those who would seek to harm Americans anywhere in the world, know that we will find you however far you run and we will hold you accountable however how long it takes.” 

“We never forget an act of terrorism against American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “This defendant is charged with making the fateful decision to carry out a callous, cold-blooded act of terrorism, one that left behind devastation and despair for so many. Thanks to the vigilance, skill, and dedication of this team of investigators and prosecutors, and so many who preceded them in working on this case, the families of the victims will finally see a defendant face charges in a U.S. courtroom for his role in this heinous attack. This prosecution may bring little solace to those who have lost a child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a relative, or a friend. But we hope, today, the victims feel the embrace of the people who have poured their hearts and souls into bringing them a few steps closer to achieving some sense of justice for them and their loved ones.” 

“We cannot heal the wounds left nearly 34 years ago, but we can and will continue to work to bring the justice that we can to the families of the victims of Pan Am 103. The lawful arrest and presentment in court of the alleged bombmaker, Abu Agila Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, is the product of hard work and partnerships across the globe,” said Acting Assistant Director in Charge Michael H. Glasheen of the FBI Washington Field Office. “He will now face justice in the U.S. for the crimes he is charged with having committed decades ago against citizens of 21 countries. Thank you to the investigators, prosecutors, and victim advocates who have diligently and tirelessly continued to work for decades and across the globe to find answers about the horrific bombing of Pan Am 103. Most importantly, thank you to the families of the victims for showing us your perseverance and strength for decades. The U.S. government will also persevere in our quest to bring justice, on your behalf, for those we so tragically lost.”

December 21, 1988

At 7:03 pm (GMT), on Dec. 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed, almost instantaneously, 38 minutes after takeoff, when a bomb in the forward cargo area exploded. The plane was at 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland. It had taken off from London-Heathrow and was en route to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

Citizens from 21 countries were killed. Among the 190 Americans lost were 35 Syracuse University students returning home to the United States for the holidays after a semester studying abroad. Of the 43 victims from the United Kingdom, eleven residents of Lockerbie, Scotland perished on the ground as fiery debris from the falling aircraft destroyed an entire city block of homes. The international terrorist attack, planned and executed by Libyan intelligence operatives, was considered the largest international terrorist attack in both the United States and the United Kingdom at the time.

Immediately after the disaster, Scottish and American law enforcement undertook a joint investigation that was unprecedented in its scope and, in November 1991, it led to criminal charges filed in both countries charging two Libyan intelligence operatives – Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi (Megrahi) and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah (Fhimah) – for their roles in the bombing. They were tried in a Scottish court sitting in The Netherlands. Fhimah was acquitted. Megrahi was found guilty.

Planning and Executing the Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103

The December 2020 criminal complaint alleged that from approximately 1973 to 2011 Mas’ud worked for the External Security Organization (ESO), the Libyan intelligence service which conducted acts of terrorism against other nations, in various capacities including as a technical expert in building explosive devices. In the winter of 1988, Mas’ud was directed by a Libyan intelligence official to fly to Malta with a prepared suitcase. There he was met by Megrahi and Fhimah at the airport. Several days later, Megrahi and Fhimah instructed Mas’ud to set the timer on the device in the suitcase for the following morning, so that the explosion would occur exactly eleven hours later. Megrahi and Fhimah were both at the airport on the morning of Dec. 21, 1988, and Mas’ud handed the suitcase to Fhimah after Fhimah gave him a signal to do so. Fhimah then placed the suitcase on the conveyor belt. Subsequently, Mas’ud boarded a Libyan flight to Tripoli schedule to take off at 9:00 a.m.

According to the allegations in the complaint, three or four days after returning to Libya, Mas’ud and Megrahi met with a senior Libyan intelligence official, who thanked them for a successful operation. Approximately three months after that, Mas’ud and Fhimah met with then-Libyan leader Muamar Qaddafi, and others, who thanked them for carrying out a great national duty against the Americans, and Qaddafi added that the operation was a total success.

If convicted, Mas’ud faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case along with prosecutors from the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. National Central Bureau provided valuable assistance in this matter.

Victims of this crime and their families may contact the Department of Justice on the VNS website at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov or the VNS Call Center at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY: 1-866-228-4619) (International: 1-502-213-2767).

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

Defendant Arrested by FBI and Brought to US for Court Appearance

            WASHINGTON, DC - Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi (“Mas’ud”), 71, of Tunisia and Libya, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges, unsealed today, stemming from the December 21, 1988 civilian aircraft bombing that killed 270 people.  The victims included 190 Americans, 43 citizens of the United Kingdom, including 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland, and citizens from the following countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Trinidad and Tobago.

            On December 21, 2020, the Department of Justice made public a criminal complaint charging Mas’ud with destruction of aircraft resulting in death, and destruction of a vehicle used in foreign commerce by means of an explosive resulting in death.  The United States subsequently requested the publication of an INTERPOL Red Notice - as is typical in cases involving foreign fugitives – requesting all INTERPOL member countries to locate and arrest the defendant for the purpose of his extradition or lawful return to the United States to face the charges. On Nov. 29, 2022, a federal grand jury formally indicted Mas’ud on the same charges contained in the criminal complaint. That indictment was unsealed today.

            From the time the tragic events occurred in 1988 through the present, the United States and Scotland have jointly pursued justice for all the victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing.  The partnership will continue throughout the prosecution of Mas’ud. 

            “Nearly 34 years ago, 270 people, including 190 Americans, were tragically killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Since then, American and Scottish law enforcement have worked tirelessly to identify, find, and bring to justice the perpetrators of this horrific attack. Those relentless efforts over the past three decades led to the indictment and arrest of a former Libyan intelligence operative for his alleged role in building the bomb used in the attack,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The defendant is currently in U.S. custody and is facing charges in the United States. This is an important step forward in our mission to honor the victims and pursue justice on behalf of their loved ones.”

            “Today’s action is another crucial step in delivering justice for the victims of the senseless terrorist attack on Pan Am Flight 103,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Our thoughts are with the victims’ families, whose tireless work to honor the lives and legacies of their loved ones has inspired the Department of Justice and our Scottish partners throughout our investigation for the last 34 years. Let this be a reminder that the men and women of the Department of Justice will never forget the loss of innocent lives or waver in our commitment to holding terrorists accountable – no matter how long it takes.”

            “While it has been nearly 34 years since the tragic bombing of Pan Am 103, the FBI and our partners throughout the U.S. government have never forgotten the Americans harmed and we will never rest until those responsible are brought to justice,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Our reach and our memory are long, as this investigation shows. The progress we have made would not have been possible without the hard work and determination of the men and women of the FBI and the Justice Department, and the assistance of our Scottish partners. My thoughts today are focused on those lost and their loved ones as the work to achieve justice continues.”

            “We never forget an act of terrorism against American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “This defendant is charged with making the fateful decision to carry out a callous, cold-blooded act of terrorism, one that left behind devastation and despair for so many. Thanks to the vigilance, skill, and dedication of this team of investigators and prosecutors, and so many who preceded them in working on this case, the families of the victims will finally see a defendant face charges in a U.S. courtroom for his role in this heinous attack. This prosecution may bring little solace to those who have lost a child, a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a relative, or a friend. But we hope, today, the victims feel the embrace of the people who have poured their hearts and souls into bringing them a few steps closer to achieving some sense of justice for them and their loved ones.” 

            “The Justice Department has worked for more than three decades to seek justice for the 270 innocent victims of the Pan Am 103 bombing,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today, Mas’ud is charged for his alleged role in this heinous act of terror and he will appear in an American courtroom to answer for those crimes. To those who would seek to harm Americans anywhere in the world, know that we will find you however far you run and we will hold you accountable however how long it takes.” 

            “We cannot heal the wounds left nearly 34 years ago, but we can and will continue to work to bring the justice that we can to the families of the victims of Pan Am 103. The lawful arrest and presentment in court of the alleged bombmaker, Abu Agila Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, is a product of hard work and partnerships across the globe,” said Acting Assistant Director in Charge Michael H. Glasheen of the FBI Washington Field Office. “He will now face justice in the U.S. for the crimes he is charged with having committed decades ago against citizens of 21 countries. Thank you to the investigators, prosecutors, and victim advocates who have diligently and tirelessly continued to work for decades and across the globe to find answers about the horrific bombing of Pan Am 103. Most importantly, thank you to the families of the victims for showing us your perseverance and strength for decades. The U.S. government will also persevere in our quest to bring justice, on your behalf, for those we so tragically lost.”

December 21, 1988

            At 7:03 pm (GMT), on Dec. 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed, almost instantaneously, 38 minutes after takeoff, when a bomb in the forward cargo area exploded. The plane was at 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland. It had taken off from London-Heathrow and was en route to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

            Citizens from 21 countries were killed. Among the 190 Americans lost were 35 Syracuse University students returning home to the United States for the holidays after a semester studying abroad. Of the 43 victims from the United Kingdom, eleven residents of Lockerbie, Scotland perished on the ground as fiery debris from the falling aircraft destroyed an entire city block of homes. The international terrorist attack, planned and executed by Libyan intelligence operatives, was considered the largest international terrorist attack in both the United States and the United Kingdom at the time.

            Immediately after the disaster, Scottish and American law enforcement undertook a joint investigation that was unprecedented in its scope and, in November 1991, it led to criminal charges filed in both countries charging two Libyan intelligence operatives - Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi (Megrahi) and Lamen Khalifa Fhimah (Fhimah) - for their roles in the bombing. They were tried in a Scottish court sitting in The Netherlands. Fhimah was acquitted. Megrahi was found guilty.

Planning and Executing the Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103

            The December 2020 criminal complaint alleged that from approximately 1973 to 2011 Mas’ud worked for the External Security Organization (ESO), the Libyan intelligence service which conducted acts of terrorism against other nations, in various capacities including as a technical expert in building explosive devices. In the winter of 1988, Mas’ud was directed by a Libyan intelligence official to fly to Malta with a prepared suitcase. There he was met by Megrahi and Fhimah at the airport. Several days later, Megrahi and Fhimah instructed Mas’ud to set the timer on the device in the suitcase for the following morning, so that the explosion would occur exactly eleven hours later. Megrahi and Fhimah were both at the airport on the morning of Dec. 21, 1988, and Mas’ud handed the suitcase to Fhimah after Fhimah gave him a signal to do so. Fhimah then placed the suitcase on the conveyor belt. Subsequently, Mas’ud boarded a Libyan flight to Tripoli schedule to take off at 9:00 a.m.

            According to the allegations in the complaint, three or four days after returning to Libya, Mas’ud and Megrahi met with a senior Libyan intelligence official, who thanked them for a successful operation. Approximately three months after that, Mas’ud and Fhimah met with then-Libyan leader Muamar Qaddafi, and others, who thanked them for carrying out a great national duty against the Americans, and Qaddafi added that the operation was a total success.

            If convicted, Mas’ud faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case along with prosecutors from the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. National Central Bureau provided valuable assistance in this matter.

            Victims of this crime and their families may contact the Department of Justice on the VNS website at https://www.notify.usdoj.gov or the VNS Call Center at 1-866-DOJ-4YOU (1-866-365-4968) (TDD/TTY: 1-866-228-4619) (International: 1-502-213-2767).

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

##

Defendant Pointed Firearm at Mother and Daughter

            WASHINGTON – Jacobi Williams, 36, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury on felony assault charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Williams was found guilty on Thursday, December 8, 2022 of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (firearm) following a two-week trial in D.C. Superior Court. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for March 14, 2023.

            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 currently in custody on an unrelated 2021 homicide offense. This case is set for trial in June 2023. Mr. Williams is facing another homicide offense in Charles County, Maryland. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee 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.

Defendant attempted to assault man with a firearm during argument inside a McDonald’s

            WASHINGTON – Charles Epps, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Thursday, December 8, 2022, to 36 months in prison for a shooting inside a McDonald’s restaurant in September, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department. Mr. Epps pleaded guilty, in October 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm.

            According to the government’s evidence, Epps was in an argument with another male in McDonald’s, located on 14th Street NW, in the late evening hours of September 3, 2022, when he retrieved a firearm from his waistband and held it at his side during the argument. A struggle over the firearm ensued during which the firearm discharged, injuring a restaurant patron. The shooting victim was later transported to the hospital for treatment of the injury. Epps was on supervised release at the time of the incident for attempted robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee 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 cases at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Latrice Washington and Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy.

            Finally, they commend the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Keefer who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

  Defendants Convicted of Daylight Shooting on Busy D.C. Street Corner, Killing and Wounding Innocent Bystanders

            WASHINGTON – Robert Moses, 23, of Washington, D.C., and James Mayfield, 22, of Washington, D.C., have been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and other charges in a mid-day shooting that took place on a Northeast Washington corner on August 10, 2017, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Moses and Mayfield were found guilty by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of conspiracy, first-degree murder while armed (premediated), two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed (one with aggravating circumstances) one count of aggravated assault while armed (with aggravating circumstances), assault with a dangerous weapon, and related charges. Moses was also convicted with obstructing justice for his attempts to have another friend alibi him. Additionally, Mayfield is charged in a separate multiple-count indictment, including two counts of murder, for a three-day crime spree that occurred December 24-27, 2017. The verdict was returned on Dec. 8, 2022, following a seven-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Sentencing before the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan has not been scheduled. Moses and Mayfield face a mandatory minimum sentence of thirty years of incarceration for the crimes.

            On Aug. 10, 2017, at about 3:30 p.m., Moses and Mayfield, each armed with firearms, approached on foot the intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues Northeast.  Numerous people were outside at the time, in and around the busy neighborhood intersection.  Both Moses and Mayfield opened fire across Montana Avenue towards the people on Saratoga Avenue, collectively firing over ten rounds. As they did, Jamahri Sydnor, 17 years-old and the daughter of retired MPD Homicide Detective and Sgt Que Wallace, was driving through the intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues with her 12-year-old nephew, on the way to run an errand before her sister’s wedding rehearsal dinner.  Ms. Sydnor, who was days away from beginning her college education at Florida A&M University, was struck in the head by a bullet.  Incapacitated, she lost control of the car, and it crashed into another parked car.  Her 12-year-old nephew was injured by the shattering glass when the bullet traveled through the front passenger window before striking Ms. Sydnor.  A third victim was shot as he stood on the corner speaking with friends, while yet another innocent bystander shattered his leg, after throwing himself from his wheelchair, attempting to take cover from the hail of gunfire. 

            Following the attacks, Moses and Mayfield fled the scene.  Moses was arrested on October 26, 2017, and Mayfield was arrested on December 27, 2017.  Both have been in custody since their respective arrests.

            At the time of the alleged offenses, Moses was on release in a pending gun case in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
 
            In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).   They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Robert Cephas and Lesley Slade; former Victim/Witness Security Specialist Wanda M. Queen; Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Lashone Samuels, and Grazy Rivera; former Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews-Yette; Lead Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; and Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Lenerz who provided Appellate support, Deputy Chief Sharon Donovan, who provided extensive forensic and DNA litigation assistance, former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines and Glenn Kirschner, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Kimberley Nielsen, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case.

Defendant Also Set Fire to One Victim’s Apartment

            WASHINGTON – Peter R. Dorney, 42, was sentenced today to 96 months in prison for arson and fraud charges, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, D.C. Fire and EMS Office of the Fire Marshal, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Dorney pleaded guilty in April 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to felony destruction of property for a February 2021 arson, and first-degree felony fraud charges. He was sentenced by the Honorable James A. Crowell IV.  Following his prison term, Dorney will be placed on supervised release for three years.

            According to the government’s evidence, Dorney targeted elderly women in the commission of his crimes.  On February 4, 2021, at approximately 6:10 p.m., Dorney was inside the Gateway Georgetown Apartment Complex when he used a key to enter Apartment 332, the then-vacant apartment of the 92-year-old victim.  Dorney used an open flame source to set a fire inside the apartment.  The fire spread, causing over $1,000 in damage to the victim’s property, including walls, furniture, and papers.  Then, between March 2021 and April 2021, Dorney made more than 70 unauthorized charges on an 80-year-old victim’s credit card, obtaining a total of $4,628.06 of her money by fraudulent means.  On some occasions, Dorney brazenly treated mutual friends to expensive dinners using the victim’s credit card without her knowledge.  Dorney has been in custody since his May 13, 2021 arrest.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Fire and E.M.S., especially Investigator Paul Gunshol. They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold, who investigated and prosecuted the case, Paralegal Specialist Debra McPherson,  Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Torabzadeh, on detail from the Office of the Attorney General to handle financial crimes cases involving elderly victims.

Defendant was Convicted of Illegal Possession of a Loaded Semi-Automatic Pistol By a Felon

            WASHINGTON – Ronnard Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury on a federal firearms charge, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Williams was found guilty by a jury yesterday of illegal possession of a weapon by a felon following a four-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Jia M. Cobb scheduled sentencing for March 10, 2023.

            On May 10, 2020, at approximately 11:05 p.m., officers of the Metropolitan Police Department patrolled the 2600 block of Birney Place in Southeast, Washington, D.C. Officers initiated a traffic stop of Williams’ vehicle. While conducting the stop, an officer observed a firearm in the rear passenger side of the vehicle, which was recovered and determined to be a Glock, Model 22, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with one round in the chamber and 12 rounds in the magazine. Williams had prior convictions, including for armed robbery. 

            Following his arrest in this case, Williams was placed on pre-trial release subject to various conditions. After a tamper alert on his monitoring device in November 2020, he did not return to Court until he was re-arrested in October 2021. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the valuable assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Marshals Service in the course of the investigation.  They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who prosecuted the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Hart and Kimberly Paschall and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian W. Lynch, as well as Paralegal Specialist Peter Gaboton.

WASHINGTON – Ranjith Keerikkattil, 34, of Catonsville, Maryland, who left the United States after he was found guilty of stalking a junior co-worker, and was finally re-arrested four years later, has been sentenced to an 11-month prison term.

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

            Keerikkattil was found guilty of the stalking charge on July 9, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert A. Salerno released Keerikkattil following the verdict, pending sentencing. The judge ordered him to appear the next morning to have a GPS monitoring device installed. However, he failed to appear, and left the United States, ending up in Australia, where he remained a fugitive for over four years.  A grand jury subsequently indicted him on July 11, 2018, on a felony charge of violating the Bail Reform Act. He was finally arrested on Oct. 4, 2022, at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. He has pleaded not guilty to the felony Bail Reform Act charge and faces trial on Jan. 4, 2023.

            The Honorable Judge James A. Crowell IV sentenced the defendant on Nov. 29, 2022, to the maximum of 12 months of incarceration; however, all but 11 months of the time was suspended on the condition that Keerikkattil successfully complete five years of supervised probation.  Keerikkattil will also be required to stay away from the victim, her family, trial witnesses and the consulting firm, as well as be prohibited from possessing a firearm while serving the five years of supervised probation.

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

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

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

            At the sentencing hearing, the court also considered a statement from another female victim who had claimed that Keerikkattil had stalked her in 2012-2013, where he filed similar lawsuits against her and “doxed” her on the Internet.  The Government referenced this prior alleged stalking behavior during its argument, drawing the court’s attention to the striking similarities between the two victims and how Keerikkattil chose to torment them.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph and Stephanie Siegerist, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ethan Carroll and Kristina Wolf, who assisted in investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Giovannelli, who prosecuted and tried the case to verdict and through sentencing.