District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Mark Bowser, 42, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and other charges in a stabbing that resulted in 47 sharp force injuries and that took place inside the victim’s home in Southeast Washington. announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Bowser also was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon of a second victim, a related weapons offense for the knife, and two counts of obstructing justice. The verdict was returned on March 30, 2022, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr. scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2022. Bowser faces a minimum sentence of 30 years on the murder conviction alone. 

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 20, 2014, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Bowser entered the home and bedroom of the homicide victim, Tracy Womack, as she was laying in her bed to sleep at her apartment in the 4600 block of Benning Road NE. Bowser and Ms. Womack had known each other for months and gathered together as people often did in this residential apartment area.  After enjoying a normal weekend evening with neighbors and friends, Ms. Womack went into her bedroom, fully clothed, to go to sleep.

            While two friends lingered in the apartment living room, Bowser walked into the unlocked apartment, into Ms. Womack’s bedroom, and shut the bedroom door. One of the friends, who could not get the bedroom door open, ran outside to look for help. When Bowser emerged from Ms. Womack’s apartment, Ms. Womack had suffered 47 stabbing and cutting wounds to her face, neck, torso, arms, and hands.  Ms. Womack was also found with her pants and underwear pulled down to her thighs. Before fleeing the scene, Bowser lunged with the knife in hand towards a second victim who had come back to Ms. Womack’s home.  Though rushed to a hospital, Ms. Womack, 39, was soon pronounced dead. 

            Bowser was arrested the next day and has been in custody since. 

            While the case was pending trial, Bowser attempted to mail a letter, instructing someone to locate two witnesses he claimed was lying in his case.  Bowser listed them by name: the witness who ran to get help and the second victim Bowser threatened with the knife.  In the letter, Bowser included a diagram of exactly where one of these witnesses lived and instructions on how to use the first witness to find the second witness.  The mailroom at the District of Columbia Department of Corrections intercepted this letter after noting a discrepancy on the envelope, and this message to tamper with these witnesses was never delivered.

            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 Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Debra Forte, Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth, former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames.

            Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Bradford, who indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jin Park and Dennis Clark, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Three men, all from the District of Columbia, have been indicted on federal conspiracy charges stemming from a series of recent robberies of employees of various retail establishments, including gas stations, liquor stores, hotels, and restaurants.

            The indictments, which were unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Those indicted include Stephon Harrigan, 28, his brother, Aaron Harrigan, 26, and Tavarus Thompson, 28. Stephon Harrigan was arrested on March 6, Tavarus Thompson was arrested on March 18, and Aaron Harrigan was arrested yesterday. All remain in custody pending further court proceedings.

            As alleged in the indictment, beginning on or about Jan. 1, 2022, and continuing through at least March 6, 2022, the defendants agreed to carry out robberies of retail and commercial establishments. They had different roles in the crimes that followed. They wore dark clothing and often wore masks or other clothing over their faces as well as gloves. One or more of the defendants was armed with a firearm. They also used various vehicles, including stolen vehicles, to flee from establishments after the robberies or attempted robberies, the indictment alleges.

            The indictment lists 25 robberies from Jan. 12 through Feb. 22, at locations in Northeast, Northwest and Southeast Washington as well as in Mount Rainier, Maryland, and Silver Spring, Maryland.

            All three defendants were indicted on charges of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery and sale or receipt of stolen vehicles. Stephon Harrigan and Thompson also were indicted on firearms-related offenses, and Stephon Harrigan additionally was indicted on kidnapping and carjacking charges.

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

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Carjacking Task Force. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Columbia, South Carolina Field Office, and the Mount Rainier, Maryland and Montgomery County, Maryland Police Departments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Fletcher and Solomon Eppel of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

 

WASHINGTON – Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia today announced a two-count indictment charging Lauren Handy, 28, of Alexandria, Virginia; Jonathan Darnel, 40, of Arlington, Virginia, Jay Smith, 32, of Freeport, New York; Paulette Harlow, 73, of Kingston, Massachusetts; Jean Marshall, 72, of Kingston, Massachusetts; John Hinshaw, 67, of Levittown, New York; Heather Idoni, 61, of Linden, Michigan; William Goodman, 52, of Bronx, New York; and Joan Bell, 74, of Montague, New Jersey, with federal civil rights offenses in connection with an alleged reproductive health care clinic invasion in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 22, 2020. The defendants were charged with conspiracy against rights and a FACE Act offense.

            The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia, alleges that the nine defendants engaged in a conspiracy to create a blockade at the reproductive health care clinic to prevent the clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services. According to the indictment, as part of the conspiracy, Smith, Harlow, Marshall, Hinshaw, Idoni, Goodman and Bell traveled to Washington, D.C. from various northeast and midwestern states, to participate in a clinic blockade that was directed by Handy and was broadcast on Facebook by Darnel. According to the indictment, Handy, Smith, Harlow, Marshall, Hinshaw, Idoni, Goodman and Bell forcefully entered the clinic and set about blockading two clinic doors using their bodies, furniture, chains and ropes. Once the blockade was established, Darnel live-streamed footage of his co-defendants’ activities. The indictment also alleges that the nine defendants violated the FACE Act by using a physical obstruction to injure, intimidate and interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because they were providing or obtaining reproductive health services.

            If convicted of the offenses, the defendants each face up to a maximum of 11 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $350,000.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of New Jersey, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Eastern District of New York, and Southern District of New York; and FBI Field Offices in Newark, New York City, Boston, and Detroit provided valuable assistance.

            An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

WASHINGTON – Three area men have been found guilty by a jury of federal offenses stemming from a string of 10 armed robberies of gas stations, liquor stores, convenience stores, and restaurants in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, all within a four-week period in 2018.

            The verdict, returned yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, Marcus G. Jones, Chief of the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department, and Antonio DeVaul, Chief of the Takoma Park, Maryland Police Department.

            Those convicted of federal conspiracy, robbery, and weapons charges include: Quaysa Flumo, 34, of Washington, D.C., Enyianna Onyewu, 29, of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Emmanuel Sumo, 27, of Takoma Park, Maryland. All remain held pending sentencing by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta.  Onyewu is to be sentenced on July 22, 2022, Flumo on Aug. 12, 2022, and Sumo on Aug. 26, 2022. 

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

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

            Onyewu was arrested on Oct. 22, 2020. Sumo was arrested on Nov. 23, 2020, and Flumo was arrested on April 27, 2021.

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

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

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nihar Mohanty and Candice Wong, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will perform drug testing at its laboratories on evidence submitted by prosecutors in District of Columbia cases under a new agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves.

            The DEA will perform the testing under a one-year agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office following the loss of accreditation last year of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS), which had been doing the analysis since 2018. In addition to handling new cases, the DEA will test suspected narcotics in dozens of cases that are now pending in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            “Fentanyl and other dangerous narcotics are leading to hospitalizations and deaths in neighborhoods throughout our community,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to act against those who distribute and sell these drugs. We are especially grateful to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram and the DEA for this significant support. The DEA’s agreement to test suspected narcotics will enable us to prosecute cases more effectively and efficiently and to achieve justice for those accused of drug offenses.”

            The DEA worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and handled drug analysis for Superior Court cases until 2018, when the testing was shifted to DFS. On May 2, 2021, the ANSI National Accreditation Board withdrew its accreditation of DFS for all forensic evidence disciplines, creating a gap in the testing of suspected narcotics that the DEA’s laboratories now will fill.

 

WASHINGTON – Linwood Douglas Thorne, 50, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today by a jury of multiple counts related to large-scale drug trafficking case in which law enforcement seized five firearms and more than 44 kilograms of heroin, one of the largest seizures of heroin in D.C. history.

            The verdict, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

            Thorne was found guilty of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and a firearms charge.

            “This case demonstrates our resolve to protect our community from the dual threats of illegal guns and drugs,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Fentanyl has had an especially devastating impact on neighborhoods here and across the nation. With the support of the FBI, ATF and other partners, we will continue to target these activities and get illegal guns and drugs off our streets.”

            “The impact of this investigation will be far-reaching as due to the actions of the defendant, a devastating amount of heroin laced with fentanyl was introduced onto the streets, which fanned the flames of a growing epidemic,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “We will continue in our unyielding pursuit of those who traffic in guns and drugs and the resulting harm they bring to our communities.  This investigation is yet another great example of the dedicated work the FBI and its partners undertake to hold these individuals accountable for their actions.”

            “The individuals that took part in the activities surrounding this investigation are who we at ATF try to keep our communities safe from,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Patterson. “We work diligently with all of our partners to combat violent crimes in an effort to maintain public safety.”

            In 2018, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force began investigating Thorne, as a major heroin supplier. On Dec. 19, 2018, the FBI and ATF executed simultaneous search warrants on Thorne’s Maryland business and D.C. residence, finding 44 kilograms of heroin laced with fentanyl; 55 pounds of marijuana; five firearms; and significant drug paraphernalia. In addition to the search warrants, the task force’s investigation—which began in July of 2018—has led to the recovery of eight additional firearms, approximately 1.5 additional kilograms of marijuana, 260 additional grams of heroin, and several firearms magazines and accessories.

            During trial, the government presented over a dozen civilian and law enforcement witnesses, along with digital and business records establishing and corroborating the defendant’s guilt. With these convictions, Thorne faces up to life imprisonment. He will be sentenced on July 8, 2022, by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell. 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Special Agent in Charge Patterson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and ATF, as well as those from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on the Safe Streets Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by joint law enforcement and prosecution partners, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Rosen and Brandon Regan, as well as Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson of the Federal Major Crimes Section.

 

            WASHINGTON –A District of Columbia couple was sentenced today on charges stemming from the death of a 2-year-old boy who had suffered extensive injuries while in their care, including multiple blunt force trauma, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Antonio Turner, 29, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2022, to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Gabriel Eason. Ta’Jeanna Eason, 32, the boy’s mother, pleaded guilty on Jan. 27, 2022, to three counts of second-degree cruelty to children. Turner also pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree cruelty to children for injuries suffered by another of Eason’s sons, who was 3 years old at the time. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge for attacking a woman after a traffic crash.

            The pleas, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, were contingent upon the Court’s approval. They called for Turner to be sentenced to seven to 13 years in prison. Eason was to be sentenced to six years in prison with that time suspended on the condition that she have no future unsupervised contact with children and that she participate in mental health and drug treatment. The agreement also called for Eason to successfully complete a period of probation and supervised release.

            The Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr. accepted the pleas and sentenced Turner to 12 years and eight months in prison, including 11 years of that time for Gabriel’s death. Eason was sentenced to four years of probation and three years of supervised release with the agreed-upon conditions.

            According to court documents, Turner and Eason had a romantic relationship and resided in the 900 block of Division Avenue NE. Turner was not the biological father of Eason’s three children. On April 1, 2020, at approximately 8:25 a.m., the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the residence to investigate a report of an unconscious person. When police arrived, Gabriel was deceased. Officers also observed a bump on the center of the 3-year-old’s forehead and noted that the child seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

            Later on April 1, 2020, both of Eason’s surviving sons were taken to Children’s National Medical Center for a medical evaluation. It was discovered that both had sustained apparent trauma to their bodies. The three-year-old had several different injuries, including bruises behind his ears and scalp, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver.

            On April 2, 2020, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy of Gabriel. The examination found abrasions and contusions to the head, face, and torso, multiple rib fractures and healing fractured ribs, and other injuries, including to the heart and brain. The cause of death was ruled to be multiple blunt force injuries.

            The charges against Eason involved her failure to seek immediate medical attention for Gabriel and his three-year-old brother, as well as for slapping and striking her other son.

            Both defendants were arrested on Nov. 3, 2020, following an investigation. They were released pending further proceedings. On the morning of Nov. 29, 2021, Turner caused a woman’s car to crash in the 1800 block of New York Avenue NE. He then dragged her from the car and punched her multiple times in the face, causing her to fall and lose consciousness. Turner was arrested following this assault and has been detained ever since.

            U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Grazy Rivera, and Meridith McGarrity, former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Victim/Witness Program Specialist Amy Trotto. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Gorman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice unsealed two indictments today charging four defendants, all Russian nationals who worked for the Russian government, with attempting, supporting and conducting computer intrusions that together, in two separate conspiracies, targeted the global energy sector between 2012 and 2018. In total, these hacking campaigns targeted thousands of computers, at hundreds of companies and organizations, in approximately 135 countries.

            A June 2021 indictment returned in the District of Columbia, United States v. Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh, concerns the alleged efforts of an employee of a Russian Ministry of Defense research institute and his co-conspirators to damage critical infrastructure outside the United States, thereby causing two separate emergency shutdowns at a foreign targeted facility. The conspiracy subsequently attempted to hack the computers of a U.S. company that managed similar critical infrastructure entities in the United States.

            An August 2021 indictment returned in the District of Kansas, United States v. Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov, et al., details allegations about a separate, two-phased campaign undertaken by three officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and their co-conspirators to target and compromise the computers of hundreds of entities related to the energy sector worldwide. Access to such systems would have provided the Russian government the ability to, among other things, disrupt and damage such computer systems at a future time of its choosing.

            “Russian state-sponsored hackers pose a serious and persistent threat to critical infrastructure both in the United States and around the world,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Although the criminal charges unsealed today reflect past activity, they make crystal clear the urgent ongoing need for American businesses to harden their defenses and remain vigilant. Alongside our partners here at home and abroad, the Department of Justice is committed to exposing and holding accountable state-sponsored hackers who threaten our critical infrastructure with cyber-attacks.” 

            “The FBI, along with our federal and international partners, is laser-focused on countering the significant cyber threat Russia poses to our critical infrastructure,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “We will continue to identify and quickly direct response assets to victims of Russian cyber activity; to arm our partners with the information that they need to deploy their own tools against the adversary; and to attribute the misconduct and impose consequences both seen and unseen.”

            “We face no greater cyber threat than actors seeking to compromise critical infrastructure, offenses which could harm those working at affected plants as well as the citizens who depend on them,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The department and my office will ensure that those attacking operational technology will be identified and prosecuted.”

            “The potential of cyberattacks to disrupt, if not paralyze, the delivery of critical energy services to hospitals, homes, businesses and other locations essential to sustaining our communities is a reality in today’s world,” said U.S. Attorney Duston Slinkard for the District of Kansas. “We must acknowledge there are individuals actively seeking to wreak havoc on our nation’s vital infrastructure system, and we must remain vigilant in our effort to thwart such attacks. The Department of Justice is committed to the pursuit and prosecution of accused hackers as part of its mission to protect the safety and security of our nation.”

            In addition to unsealing these charges, the U.S. government is taking action to enhance private sector network defense efforts and disrupt similar malicious activity.

            The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has already released numerous Technical Alerts, ICS Alerts and Malware Analysis Reports regarding Russia’s malign cyber activities, including the campaigns discussed in the indictments. These are located at: https://www.cisa.gov/shields-up

1. United States v. Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh – defendant installed backdoors and launched malware designed to compromise the safety of energy facilities

           

            In June 2021, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment charging Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh (Евгений Викторович Гладких), 36, a computer programmer employed by an institute affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense, for his role in a campaign to hack industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) of global energy facilities using techniques designed to enable future physical damage with potentially catastrophic effects.

            According to the indictment, between May and September 2017, the defendant and co-conspirators hacked the systems of a foreign refinery and installed malware, which cyber security researchers have referred to as “Triton” or “Trisis,” on a safety system produced by Schneider Electric, a multinational corporation. The conspirators designed the Triton malware to prevent the refinery’s safety systems from functioning (i.e., by causing the ICS to operate in an unsafe manner while appearing to be operating normally), granting the defendant and his co-conspirators the ability to cause damage to the refinery, injury to anyone nearby, and economic harm. However, when the defendant deployed the Triton malware, it caused a fault that led the refinery’s Schneider Electric safety systems to initiate two automatic emergency shutdowns of the refinery’s operations. Between February and July 2018, the conspirators researched similar refineries in the United States, which were owned by a U.S. company, and unsuccessfully attempted to hack the U.S. company’s computer systems.

            The three-count indictment alleges that Gladkikh was an employee of the State Research Center of the Russian Federation FGUP Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics’ (Государственный научный центр Российской Федерации федеральное государственное унитарное предприятие Центральный научно-исследовательский институт химии и механики, hereinafter “TsNIIKhM”) Applied Developments Center (“Центр прикладных разработок,” hereinafter “ADC”). On its website, which was modified after the Triton attack became public, TsNIIKhM described itself as the Russian Ministry of Defense’s leading research organization. The ADC, in turn, publicly asserted that it engaged in research concerning information technology-related threats to critical infrastructure (i.e., that its research was defensive in nature).

            The defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to cause damage to an energy facility, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one count of attempt to cause damage to an energy facility, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher B. Brown and Luke Jones for the District of Columbia, in partnership with the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, are prosecuting this case. The FBI’s Washington Field Office conducted the investigation.

            The U.S.-based targets of the conspiracy cooperated and provided valuable assistance in the investigation. The Department of Justice and the FBI also expressed appreciation to Schneider Electric for its assistance in the investigation, particularly noting the company’s public outreach and education efforts following the overseas Triton attack.

1. United States v. Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gavrilov, and Marat Valeryevich Tyukov – defendants undertook years-long effort to target and compromise computer systems of energy sector companies

 

            On Aug. 26, 2021, a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, returned an indictment charging three computer hackers, all of whom were residents and nationals of the Russian Federation (Russia) and officers in Military Unit 71330 or “Center 16” of the FSB, with violating U.S. laws related to computer fraud and abuse, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and causing damage to the property of an energy facility.

            The FSB hackers, Pavel Aleksandrovich Akulov (Павел Александрович Акулов), 36, Mikhail Mikhailovich Gavrilov (Михаил Михайлович Гаврилов), 42, and Marat Valeryevich Tyukov (Марат Валерьевич Тюков), 39, were members of a Center 16 operational unit known among cybersecurity researchers as “Dragonfly,” “Berzerk Bear,” “Energetic Bear,” and “Crouching Yeti.” The indictment alleges that, between 2012 and 2017, Akulov, Gavrilov, Tyukov and their co-conspirators, engaged in computer intrusions, including supply chain attacks, in furtherance of the Russian government’s efforts to maintain surreptitious, unauthorized and persistent access to the computer networks of companies and organizations in the international energy sector, including oil and gas firms, nuclear power plants, and utility and power transmission companies. Specifically, the conspirators targeted the software and hardware that controls equipment in power generation facilities, known as ICS or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. Access to such systems would have provided the Russian government the ability to, among other things, disrupt and damage such computer systems at a future time of its choosing.

            According to the indictment, the energy sector campaign involved two phases. In the first phase, which took place between 2012 and 2014 and is commonly referred to by cyber security researchers as “Dragonfly” or “Havex,” the conspirators engaged in a supply chain attack, compromising the computer networks of ICS/SCADA system manufacturers and software providers and then hiding malware – known publicly as “Havex” – inside legitimate software updates for such systems. After unsuspecting customers downloaded Havex-infected updates, the conspirators would use the malware to, among other things, create backdoors into infected systems and scan victims’ networks for additional ICS/SCADA devices. Through these and other efforts, including spearphishing and “watering hole” attacks, the conspirators installed malware on more than 17,000 unique devices in the United States and abroad, including ICS/SCADA controllers used by power and energy companies.

            In the second phase, which took place between 2014 and 2017 and is commonly referred to as “Dragonfly 2.0,” the conspirators transitioned to more targeted compromises that focused on specific energy sector entities and individuals and engineers who worked with ICS/SCADA systems. As alleged in the indictment, the conspirators’ tactics included spearphishing attacks targeting more than 3,300 users at more than 500 U.S. and international companies and entities, in addition to U.S. government agencies such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In some cases, the spearphishing attacks were successful, including in the compromise of the business network (i.e., involving computers not directly connected to ICS/SCADA equipment) of the Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation (Wolf Creek) in Burlington, Kansas, which operates a nuclear power plant. Moreover, after establishing an illegal foothold in a particular network, the conspirators typically used that foothold to penetrate further into the network by obtaining access to other computers and networks at the victim entity.

            During the Dragonfly 2.0 phase, the conspirators also undertook a watering hole attack by compromising servers that hosted websites commonly visited by ICS/SCADA system and other energy sector engineers through publicly known vulnerabilities in content management software. When the engineers browsed to a compromised website, the conspirators’ hidden scripts deployed malware designed to capture login credentials onto their computers.

            The conspiracy’s hacking campaign targeted victims in the United States and in more than 135 other countries.

            Akulov, Gavrilov and Tyukov are charged with conspiracy to cause damage to the property of an energy facility and commit computer fraud and abuse, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Akulov and Gavrilov are also charged with substantive counts of wire fraud and computer fraud related to unlawfully obtaining information from computers and causing damage to computers. These offenses carry maximum sentences ranging from five to 20 years in prison. Finally, Akulov and Gavrilov are also charged with three counts of aggravated identity theft, each of which carry a minimum sentence of two years consecutive to any other sentence imposed.

            Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Rask, Christopher Oakley and Ryan Huschka for the District of Kansas, and Counsel for Cyber Investigations Ali Ahmad and Trial Attorney Christine Bonomo of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting this case. The FBI’s Portland and Richmond field offices conducted the investigation, with the assistance of the FBI’s Cyber Division.

            Numerous victims, including Wolf Creek and its owners Evergy and the Kansas Electric Power Cooperative, cooperated and provided invaluable assistance in the investigation.

            An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

WASHINGTON – A former managing director for a defense contractor pleaded guilty today to tax evasion.

            According to court documents and statements made in court, from 2010 through 2019, James M. Robar, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, did not timely file tax returns with the IRS. Beginning in approximately February 2012, James Robar was employed by a U.S. Department of Defense contracting company, eventually serving as its managing director starting in 2015. In 2016 and 2017, Robar evaded taxes by having his employer hold his bonus payments in an offshore corporate bank account rather than have those funds transferred to his domestic bank account. In 2019, after receiving a $1 million bonus from his employer, Robar purchased two properties at a total cost of slightly more than $1 million, and he titled both properties solely in his spouse’s name. In total, Robar did not report approximately $5.5 million in compensation he earned from 2012 through 2019, causing a tax loss to the government of more than $1.5 million.

            Robar is the second defendant associated with the defense contracting company to plead guilty. Charles Squires pleaded guilty to tax evasion in February 2022.

            Robar is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia made the announcement.

            IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are conducting the investigation.

            Assistance was provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.

            Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Sarah Ranney of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Goemaat of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Three men were sentenced today to prison terms for their roles in an early-evening shooting in Northeast Washington on June 12, 2020, in which dozens of shots were fired from handguns and assault rifles, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The men, who pleaded guilty to charges in November 2021, include Davon Pratt, 23, of Washington, D.C., Jamar Turner, 19, of Washington, D.C., and Quintin Martin, 25, of Glenarden, Maryland A fourth man, Tevon Brent, 28, of Alexandria, Virginia, previously was sentenced for his role in the crime.

            Pratt and Turner also pleaded guilty to charges in a second shooting carried out earlier the same day in June 2020, and Pratt pleaded guilty to charges related to an armed robbery in March 2020.

            According to the government’s evidence, all four defendants fired or attempted to fire their weapons in the early evening shooting on June 12, 2020. This shooting was captured on surveillance, where multiple pedestrians, including children, are seen running for cover. Pratt and Turner drove to the neighborhood of the 1200 block of Simms Place NE in a 2018 Audi and got out of the vehicle at approximately 6:40 p.m. Pratt was armed with an assault rifle. Turner was armed with a semiautomatic pistol. Both fired their weapons multiple times and fled to the car. Martin also fired a pistol on the street. Brent, meanwhile, retrieved an assault rifle from another car and attempted to fire the weapon.

            No one was identified as being injured in this shooting on Simms Place; however two apartments on this block suffered bullet holes in their windows as a result of this shooting. There were approximately 54 shell casings found throughout the 1200 block of Simms Place and around a nearby alley.

            Just four hours before this attack, Pratt and Turner carried out another shooting in broad daylight on a nearby street, the 1200 block of Meigs Place NE. According to the government’s evidence, the two drove to the area in a 2017 Infiniti at about 2:30 p.m., pursuing a man in a motor scooter.  Turner fired a semi-automatic pistol several times from a passenger window, at close range, causing the man to be flung from his scooter to the ground. He was hospitalized for gunshot wounds to his left arm and left buttock area and continues to have difficulty walking.

            Months prior to these shootings, in March 2020, Pratt and others lured two victims to the 2400 block of E Street NE through an online advertisement falsely offering to see a car. They stole a wallet, iWatch, designer purse, cellphones and $6,000 from the victims.

            Martin was arrested in June 2020. Pratt and Turner were arrested in October 2020. Bratt was arrested in March 2021.

            All four defendants were sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee is the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            Pratt pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, attempted assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted robbery, and two firearms charges. He was sentenced to a total of 136 months in prison, including 32 months for the shooting on Simms Place.

            Turner pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and two firearms charges. He was sentenced to total of 66 months in prison, including 18 months for the shooting on Simms Place.

            Martin pleaded guilty to one count of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and a firearms charge for the Simms Place shooting. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

            Brent pleaded guilty to one count of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and a firearms charge in the Simms Place shooting. He was previously sentenced to a 24-month prison term.

            Following their release from prison, all of the defendants will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            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 assistance provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office, including Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marco Crocetti, Jessica L.D. Ans, and  former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Fretto Lingwood, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – An off-duty police officer from Virginia pleaded guilty today to a felony charge related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Jacob Fracker, 30, of Rocky Mount, Virginia, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a felony charge of conspiracy. According to court documents, Fracker and Thomas Robertson, both officers with the Rocky Mount, Virginia Police Department, were off-duty when they headed for Washington, D.C. on the morning of Jan. 6. Both brought along their police identification badges and firearms but left those in their vehicle when they arrived in the Washington metropolitan area. They went to the Washington Monument area, where they attended a rally, and then headed to the Capitol, where a mob was gathering.

According to the documents, both donned gas masks and approached the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol. Fracker entered the Capitol at approximately 2:14 p.m.  and took a selfie along with 
Robertson of themselves making an obscene gesture in front of a statue in the Capitol Crypt.

In his plea, Fracker admitted that by the time he and Robertson entered the Capitol, they had agreed to attempt to impede, stop, or delay the proceedings going on before Congress and that they  aided, assisted, encouraged, and facilitated each other in the conduct.

Fracker was arrested on Jan.13, 2021. He faces up to five years in prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000. A sentencing date will be set later in the U.S. District Court for the District of 
Columbia. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Robertson, 49, also was arrested on Jan. 13, 2021. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case and is awaiting trial.

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

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Roanoke Resident Agency of the FBI’s Richmond Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S.Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 14 months since Jan. 6, more than 775 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 245 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

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

A federal court in the District of Columbia today unsealed two separate indictments charging Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, aka Chicharra, and his son-in-law Freddy Arnoldo Salazar Flores, aka Fredy, Freshco, Boyca, Boyka, Torojo, Flaquillo, and Flaco, with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States. Salazar Flores is a representative of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).

A grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment against Samayoa-Recinos on Aug. 1, 2018. According to court documents, beginning as early as 2006 and through 2016, Samayoa-Recinos allegedly conspired with others to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

A grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment against Salazar Flores on May 30, 2017. According to court documents, beginning as early as 2010 and through May 2017, Salazar Flores allegedly conspired with others to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. 

This case was supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The DEA’s Bilateral Investigations Unit and Guatemala Country Office are investigating the case.

Trial Attorneys Imani Hutty, Teresita Mutton, and Doug Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations and Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

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 – Adrian Proctor, 23, of Fort Washington, Md., has been sentenced to a 7 ½-year prison term for carjacking and other charges stemming from a pair of crimes that took place over a three-day period, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Proctor pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to carjacking, attempted robbery and a felon-in possession firearms offense. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed upon 7 ½-year prison term.  Yesterday, the Honorable James A. Crowell IV approved the agreement and sentenced Proctor accordingly. Judge Crowell denied the defense request for sentencing under the Youth Rehabilitation Act. Following his prison term, Proctor will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 19, 2020, at approximately 6:45 a.m., Proctor was in a car that rammed into an Audi in the 1400 block of P Street NW. Both the victim and Proctor got out of their vehicles, and Proctor, who was armed with a firearm, demanded the victim’s car keys. He then got into the victim’s car and fled westbound on P Street NW. 

            In a second incident, on June 22, 2020, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Proctor was in a vehicle that double-parked next to a Chevrolet Camaro in the 2900 block of V Street NE. The victim was in the Camaro, attempting to take a nap. Proctor reached inside, unlocked the door, and attempted to pull the victim out of the driver’s seat. The victim complained and screamed to people nearby to call the police. The victim took the key out of the ignition and ran. Proctor unsuccessfully attempted to start the vehicle with another key that was left inside. He then fled with a backpack and portable speaker that he took from the car, but he was arrested afterward by the Metropolitan Police Department 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 efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, Special Agents Geoffrey Guska, Mark Crawford, and Nelson Rhone, all of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Unit, and Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin M. DeRiso, Sarah Folse, and Brian Ganjei, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON - Kenneth Deberry, 40, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 39 months in prison for illegal possession by a felon of a firearm and assault, stemming from his arrest in separate cases, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Deberry pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a federal offense, as well as simple assault, a District of Columbia offense. He was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan to 33 months in prison on the weapons charge, and another 180 days for assault. Following completion of his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 14, 2020, at approximately 4 p.m., MPD responded to the area of 17th and I Streets NW after reports of assaults occurring during a march taking place that day. Deberry, who was suspected of carrying out one of the assaults, was apprehended by officers. During a search, police recovered a loaded .38-caliber revolver in his waistband. Deberry was barred from possessing a firearm because of previous convictions in the District of Columbia for robbery, sexual abuse of a child, and other felony offenses. As part of the plea, the government dismissed assault and disorderly conduct charges in this incident.

            Six months later, on May 14, 2021, while he was on home detention pending trial, Deberry got into an argument with a male relative at his home. During the argument, he strangled the relative, repeatedly punched him in the face, and later pushed him from behind when the man tried to flee. The man was hospitalized and suffered a collapsed lung, fractured ribs, a broken nose, and other injuries. Deberry was arrested and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the officers from the Metropolitan Police Department who investigated both incidents. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the cases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary L. Dohrmann and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily (Meg) Ariotti, who prosecuted the matter with assistance from former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle McLeod and Thomas Caldwell.

WASHINGTON – Raydrian Scott, 25, who had no fixed address, was sentenced today to nine years in prison for attempting to rob one store in Northeast Washington and robbing another store in Southeast Washington over a two-day period last fall, announced U.S Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Scott pleaded guilty in January 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of armed robbery and attempted robbery. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a nine-year prison term. The Honorable J. Michael Ryan accepted the plea today and sentenced Scott accordingly. Following his prison term, Scott will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 8, 2021, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Scott walked into a store in the 900 block of H Street NE. Scott appeared to browse the store’s merchandise when a clerk offered to assist. When greeted by the clerk, Scott, with his right hand in his jacket’s front pocket, stated, “Give me all the money in the register. I have a gun in my pocket.” The clerk was able to go away and head to the back of the store and Scott left out of the front entrance.

            The following day at about 5:55 p.m., Scott walked into another store, this time in the 400 block of Eighth Street SE. He walked around the store before ordering an employee, “Open the register now. I have a gun. Open it, or I will shoot you.” Scott kept his left hand in his jacket’s front pocket, imitating a firearm. The employee gave Scott approximately $500 to $600, and Scott left the store. Scott was arrested a short time later in Northeast Washington and has been detained ever since.

            At the time of the crimes, Scott was on supervision for previous convictions in Colorado.

            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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Allison Daniels. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney LaVater Massie-Banks, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – George Miller, 27, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder while armed for killing a construction worker in November 2020 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  

            Miller pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on June 28, 2022, by the Honorable Robert Okun.

            According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 1:40 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2020, Miller rode a bicycle toward a house that was under construction in the 1600 block of Olive Street NE. He entered the building and pointed a gun at Elias Flores, who was working at the site. He held Mr. Flores at gunpoint and took some of his property. Miller then shot Mr. Flores once in the head before fleeing the scene. When first responders arrived, Mr. Flores was not conscious but was breathing and suffering from a single gunshot wound to the head. Mr. Flores, 48, was taken to a hospital, where he died on Nov. 23, 2020.

            Miller was arrested on Dec 9, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.

            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 also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris and Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel L. Dean, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Teang Liu, 38, of Alexandria, Virginia, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was sentenced today to 12 months and a day in prison for participating in a conspiracy to defraud Apple Inc. out of more than $1 million.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and Greg Torbenson, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge for the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

            Liu pleaded guilty in February 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan ordered Liu to pay $577,780 in restitution and $57,780 in a forfeiture money judgment. Followning his prison term, Liu will be placed on a year of supervised release.

            Liu moved to the United States in 2011. In 2014, he obtained his master’s degree in finance from George Washington University. From at least June 2016 to at least June 2018, he actively participated in a conspiracy to defraud Apple.  Liu was recruited to join the conspiracy by Haiteng Wu. Wu also recruited Jiahong Cai, Wu’s wife, to participate in the scheme. Like Liu, Wu and Cai are citizens of the People’s Republic of China.

            As part of the scheme, conspirators received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong. Those phones contained spoofed IMEI numbers and serial numbers that corresponded with authentic in-warranty iPhones. The conspirators then returned the inauthentic phones to Apple, claiming that the phones were legitimate, in-warranty phones, all in an effort to receive authentic replacement iPhones from Apple. The fraudulently obtained authentic iPhones were then shipped back to conspirators overseas, including in Hong Kong.

            Liu’s particular role in the conspiracy included opening dozens of commercial mail agency mailboxes -- mostly at UPS Stores -- using fake identification cards that Wu provided to him, returning fraudulent phones to Apple retail stores, and traveling to the Rocky Mountains and Florida to facilitate the fraud.

            The conspirators acknowledged successfully defrauding Apple out of nearly $1 million and intending to defraud the company out of even more money.

            Wu, Cai, and Liu were arrested in December 2019. Wu and Cai were detained from the time of their arrests to their sentencings. Each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in May 2020. Cai ultimately ended up spending five months at a D.C. jail as part of her sentence. She also was ordered removed from the United States. Wu was sentenced on Feb. 1, 2021, to time served, approximately 26 months that he spent in custody.

            This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section, and Senior Counsel Ryan K.J. Dickey of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. They were assisted by Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Mariela Andrade, Amanda Rohde, and Brian Rickers, former Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi, Brittany Phillips, and Angeline Thekkumthala, and Records Examiner Angela De Falco.

WASHINGTON – Project Concern International (PCI) has agreed to pay the United States $537,500 to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in PCI’s performance of grants to provide agricultural and other aid to developing countries.

            The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge Mark Day for the USAID Office of Inspector General (OIG).

            “This agreement demonstrates our resolve to hold accountable any organization that mishandles federal funds,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “Organizations such as PCI are entrusted to provide vital humanitarian assistance to those in need, and the United States will ensure that a violation of that trust will be investigated and prosecuted.”

            “This settlement reflects the consequences for submitting false invoices to USAID for work not actually performed,” said USAID OIG Special Agent in Charge Day. “Organizations receiving USAID funds must establish checks and controls in their accounting systems to ensure that fraud schemes like this are detected and disrupted early on.  USAID OIG, through its global investigative activities, will continue to work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable those who, through corruption and fraud, compromise the operations of critical U.S. foreign assistance programs.”    

            PCI is a global health non-profit organization headquartered in San Diego, California, and operates a second office in Washington, D.C.  Based on information from a whistleblower, a review of PCI internal communications and financial records by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the USAID OIG for the period 2014 to 2016 determined that PCI was improperly shifting costs between projects, and sometimes using USAID grant funds to cover for privately-funded projects. 

            Specifically, once grant funding for one assistance project was depleted, PCI supervisors would instruct its employees to bill their time or other costs to separate and unrelated USAID grant projects that had money remaining in their accounts, even though those employees did not work on that project.  PCI then certified to USAID that it used the grant funds only as allowed under each project. 

            PCI through its legal counsel, cooperated with the investigation and agreed to settle the matter prior to a determination of liability in the civil case.  Under the settlement agreement, PCI agreed to reimburse USAID $215,000, the estimated amount of mis-charged costs, and an additional multiplier penalty under the False Claims Act of $322,500, for a total of $537,500.  PCI also agreed to pay the reasonable attorney’s fees incurred by the whistleblower.  

            The investigation in this matter was conducted by USAID OIG and Assistant U.S. Attorney Darrell Valdez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

            The case is captioned United States. ex rel. Seims v. Project Concern International, Inc., No. 1-20-cv-0389 (D.D.C.)

WASHINGTON – Andre Nickens, 22, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics and a related conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

            Nickens is one of more than a dozen individuals arrested as part of a joint FBI/ATF investigation which resulted in the seizure of more than 34 pounds of marijuana, 16 firearms, and more than $270,000 in cash.

            Nickens, who used the street nickname “Dreco,” pleaded guilty in November 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, as well as oxycodone and codeine. As part of his plea agreement, Nickens admitted to participating in a separate conspiracy to use, carry, and possess firearms and to serving in a leadership role of both conspiracies. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Following his prison term, Nickens will  be placed on four years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in approximately June 2018, and continuing through April 2021, Nickens and his co-conspirators maintained drug-dealing territory on Trenton Place SE in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. – a territory they defended by carrying, and discharging, firearms at perceived rivals. As part of his role in the conspiracy, Nickens distributed narcotics in street-level transactions and served as an armed defender of the co-conspirators’ drug-dealing territory. Nickens encouraged his co-conspirators to pool their money and buy as many firearms as possible for use in defending their territory, and admitted to having participated in shootings in defense of the co-conspirators’ territory.

            Nickens was arrested on April 22, 2021. He has been detained ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Special Agent in Charge Patterson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and ATF. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Genevieve de Guzman, Kim Hall, and Teesha Tobias. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson, who investigated and prosecuted the case, with help from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Vaillancourt and former Assistant U.S Attorney Christopher Berridge.

 

WASHINGTON – Aurelia Stanton, 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, and formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her former employer.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division Wayne A. Jacobs.

            Stanton pleaded guilty in September 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to bank fraud. She was sentenced by the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden. Following her prison term, she will be placed on five years of supervised release. She also must pay about $233,000 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

            According to the government’s evidence, Stanton worked as an office manager from approximately June 2014 through May 2017 for a business, identified in court documents as “Company A.” She was responsible for ensuring timely payment of bills and invoices, accurate bookkeeping, and managing the office. From August 2015 through May 2017, according to court documents, she embezzled more than $233,000 writing checks to herself on the company’s check stock. She used a computer software program to conceal the fraudulent disbursements by editing the company’s bank statements to remove references to the fraudulently drafted, forged, and negotiated checks. In total, she deposited 187 checks with forged signatures.

            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 Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Jessica Mundi.   

            Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick Williams, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Kristina Ann Ballard, 52, of Largo, Florida, pleaded guilty today to embezzling more than $270,000 from her former employer, a nonprofit organization. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.

            Ballard pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of wire fraud. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she faces a likely recommended sentence of between 33 and 41 months in prison. As part of the plea agreement, Ballard will be ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $271,465 and also will be liable for a forfeiture money judgment in that same amount. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2022.

            In court documents, Ballard admitted that she worked for the nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C., between August 2014 and December 2020, at which point she was fired for poor performance. She served as the organization’s Director of Finance.

            From January 2015 through December 2020, Ballard embezzled $271,465 from the organization. She fraudulently wired organization funds to bank accounts that she controlled, intercepted credit card rewards checks issued to the organization, and then deposited those checks into a bank account she controlled, and fraudulently charged personal purchases on the organization’s credit card. On Nov. 5, 2020, she used the organization’s credit card to pay $24,694 in restitution to the Arlington County Circuit Court for a prior embezzlement scheme for which she was convicted in Virginia.

            Ballard concealed her fraud from the organization by listing various beneficiary names on wire transfers and creating fake invoices, often using fake company names. She also forged the Executive Director’s signature on the credit card rewards checks before she deposited them.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart and former Paralegal Specialist Angeline Thekkumthala. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Gaughan, 43, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to carrying out two separate financial schemes. In one, he fraudulently obtained more than $2.1 million in federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).  In the other, he embezzled more than $438,000 in funds from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., where he was previously employed as Assistant Superintendent.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Darrell Waldon, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Washington, D.C. Field Office, Thomas J. Sobocinski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, and Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General, Eastern Region.

            Gaughan, who used the alias of Richard Strauski, carried out his scheme targeting federal funds from at least March 2020 through August 2020. The PPP loans were created through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. These forgivable loans were to be used by businesses and organizations for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The EIDL loans, part of a program run by the Small Business Administration, also are designed to help businesses and organizations facing hardship.

            In Gaughan’s case, he used funds from the two programs, in part, to purchase a $300,000 yacht, a $1.13 million rowhouse, and a $46,000 luxury sports sedan. 

            “While small businesses were struggling to stay afloat, Kenneth Gaughan stole taxpayer dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle, home, car, and yacht,” said U.S. Attorney Graves.  “These emergency funds were intended to help our small businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic, not line the pockets of fraudsters.  Yet this defendant brazenly undertook his scheme even after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his former faith-based employer.”

            “Kenneth Gaughan saw an opportunity to enrich his lifestyle by defrauding taxpayers and diverting funds meant to help struggling businesses during one of our nation’s most difficult times,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Waldon. “Our IRS-CI special agents will continue to lead COVID-related fraud cases and work with our law enforcement partners to bring these criminals to justice.”

            “Mr. Gaughan was so emboldened by deceiving a church for several years he then turned his deception to the government, stealing funds that were meant to be a lifeline for struggling businesses and greedily using them to satisfy his own materialistic desires,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Sobocinski.  “The FBI, and our law enforcement partners, will continue to diligently investigate these crimes of fraud and hold those individuals accountable.”

            “Greed has no place in SBA’s programs that are intended to provide assistance to the nation’s small businesses struggling with the pandemic challenges,” said SBA-OIG Special Agent in Charge McCall-Brathwaite.  “Our Office will remain relentless in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs.  I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”

            Gaughan was arrested in both cases on Aug. 11, 2020. He pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to three counts: one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering in the PPP and EIDL case, and one count of wire fraud in the case involving the Archdiocese. Gaughan is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan on June 15, 2022.

            The wire fraud charges each carry a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.  The money laundering charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison.  Gaughan will be required to pay restitution for the PPP and EIDL fraud in the amount of $2,182,465 and to the Archdiocese in the amount of $438,200. He will also be required to pay a forfeiture money judgment. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the course of his scheme, Gaughan sought over $2.7 million in PPP loans on behalf of nine companies.  Some of the applications were submitted in his own name, and others were in the name of another individual.  Gaughan received approximately $2.1 million in PPP and EIDL funds through applications to SBA lenders for the companies, which falsely purport to register emotional support animals.  Gaughan made false representations to receive the loan funds, including forged paperwork and bank records.

            Gaughan then used a portion of the loan proceeds to purchase a 2020 Cruisers Yachts 338 CX 33-foot watercraft, a 2020 Kia Stinger, and a rowhouse in Northeast Washington.  At the time of Gaughan’s arrest, the government obtained a warrant authorizing the seizure of the yacht, the Kia Stinger, Gaughan’s investment account, and Gaughan’s bank accounts.  The government also filed a civil forfeiture complaint against a home Gaughan purchased with his fraudulently obtained proceeds. Additionally, the government filed a lis pendens on that property to give proper notice of the forfeiture litigation and to prevent the sale of the property prior to the resolution of this case.

            The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans suffering from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.  One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent.  Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities.  The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.

            EIDL is an existing SBA program designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue.  EIDL provides loan assistance, including up to $10,000 advances, for small businesses and other eligible entities for loans up to $2 million.  The EIDL proceeds can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that could have been paid had the disaster not occurred; however, such loan proceeds are not intended to replace lost sales or profits or for expansion of a business.  Unlike certain other types of SBA-guaranteed loans, EIDL funds are issued directly from the United States Treasury and applicants apply through the SBA via an online portal and application.

            In the second scheme, Gaughan admitted defrauding the Archdiocese of Washington of over $438,000.  Gaughan began working for the Archdiocese as its Director of Counseling in 2008 and was later promoted to Assistant Superintendent.  In his role, Gaughan was responsible for recruiting and acting as the point of contact for contractors who provided various services to the Archdiocese.  These included contractors that could help the Archdiocese implement anti-bullying, crisis intervention, and professional development programs at the approximately 95 Catholic schools overseen by the Archdiocese in Maryland and Washington, D.C. Gaughan also obtained invoices for services from contractors and provided those invoices, along with requests for payment and supporting documentation, to his superiors for approval.

            Beginning in at least June 2010 and continuing through April 2018, Gaughan caused the Archdiocese to pay invoices manufactured by Gaughan purportedly for anti-bullying and crisis intervention programs, as well as for software used to send mass messages to Archdiocese students and families.  To execute the scheme, Gaughan concealed his ownership and control of three companies, including by submitting forms using an alias.  Gaughan then transmitted fraudulent invoices for these companies and persuaded the Archdiocese to issue checks for services that Gaughan knew the companies did not provide as represented.  Gaughan opened virtual and private mailboxes to receive the checks issued to pay for the fraudulent invoices. He deposited the checks into the bank accounts he controlled and converted the money to his personal use. 

            The PPP and EIDL matters were investigated by the IRS-CI, FBI, and SBA-OIG.  The matter involving the Archdiocese of Washington was investigated by the FBI. 

            The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Collins of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Bernstein, formerly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.  They were supported by Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart and Quiana Dunn-Gordon, Victim-Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, and Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.  The seizure and forfeiture matters were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvind Lal, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Grisier, former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Brantley, and Senior Attorney Advisor Jim Alexander of the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

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

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

 

WASHINGTON – Niko Culbreth, 29, of Washington D.C. was sentenced today to.80 months in federal prison for his role in an ongoing conspiracy to distribute narcotics and a related conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. 

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

            Culbreth is one of more than a dozen individuals arrested as part of a joint FBI/ATF investigation which resulted in the seizure of more than 34 pounds of marijuana, 16 firearms, and more than $270,000 in cash.

            Culbreth, who utilized the street nicknames “Cucuz” and “Slick,” pleaded guilty on Nov. 1, 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, as well as oxycodone and codeine. As part of his plea agreement, Culbreth admitted to participating in a separate conspiracy to use, carry, and possess firearms and to serving in a leadership role of both conspiracies. Culbreth was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson.  Following completion of his prison term, Culbreth will be placed on four years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in approximately June 2018, and continuing through September 2020, Culbreth and his co-conspirators maintained drug-dealing territory on Trenton Place SE in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. – a territory they defended by carrying, and discharging, firearms at perceived rivals. As part of his role in the conspiracy, Culbreth not only served as the primary wholesaler of narcotics to his co-conspirators, but he encouraged his co-conspirators to pool their money and buy as many firearms as possible for use in defending their territory. Culbreth further encouraged his co-conspirators to always carry and use firearms in furtherance of the conspiracy.

            Culbreth was arrested on Sept. 2, 2020. He has been detained ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Special Agent in Charge Patterson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and ATF. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Genevieve de Guzman, Kim Hall, and Teesha Tobias. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson, who investigated and prosecuted the case, with help from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Vaillancourt and former Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Berridge.

 

WASHINGTON – Anthony Allen, 25, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a botched robbery attempt that led to the death of a teenager in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Allen pleaded guilty in December 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of second-degree murder while armed and attempted robbery while armed. He was sentenced yesterday by the Honorable Craig Iscoe.

            Allen pleaded guilty for his role in committing a botched robbery attempt on Jan. 14, 2018, in the 1700 Block of Minnesota Avenue SE. According to the government’s evidence, Allen was driving a stolen Mercedes along with two other individuals, and the group, armed with a handgun, were driving around searching for victims to rob.

            Shortly before 7 p.m., Allen and his accomplices observed 14-year-old Steven Slaughter, who was leaving a 7-Eleven on Good Hope Road SE, accompanied by two of his teenage friends. Allen followed the teenagers to Minnesota Avenue and parked the car facing the victims. One of his accomplices exited the car and brandished the handgun towards Mr. Slaughter while Allen stayed in the car and waited. The accomplice fired multiple shots from the handgun, striking Mr. Slaughter three times, as the other two teenagers ran away. The accomplice returned to the Mercedes, and Allen drove them away from the crime scene. Mr. Slaughter was taken to a hospital, where he died from his wounds.

            Allen was arrested on March 5, 2018. He has been in custody since his arrest.

            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 (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Saunders; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Gilead Light, who prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Carlo General 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy on July 4, 2020, in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            General entered the guilty plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Consistent with the Court’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, General’s plea calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 13 to 16 years in prison. The plea is contingent upon the Court’s approval.  The Honorable Rainey R. Brandt scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 3, 2022. 

            Three co-defendants -- Daryle Bond, 20, Marcel Gordon, 26, and Christen Wingfield, 24 – pleaded guilty earlier this month to the same charge. They also are scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2022. Bond’s plea calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 7 ½-to-9 ½- years in prison, Gordon’s calls for 10 years, and Wingfield’s calls for a 9 ½-year prison term.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 4, 2020, at approximately 9:15 p.m., General, Bond, Gordon, and Wingfield were congregating at a barbeque near the cul-de-sac in front of an apartment building located in the 1400 block of Cedar Street SE. Cedar Street is a long road that ends in a cul-de-sac. The entrance of the 1400 block of Cedar Street intersects diagonally with a street that is known as the “alley.” 

            Near the entrance of the 1400 block of Cedar Street, Davon McNeal – 11 years old – was exiting a vehicle and walking towards a basement apartment in the Frederick Douglass Garden Apartment Complex.  At a certain point, General, armed with a firearm with a laser sight, started running towards the entrance of the 1400 block of Cedar Street and fired his weapon towards the alley.  Surveillance footage shows Davon running towards the basement apartment and falling after General fired his weapon.  

            Approximately six seconds later, Gordon, while running behind General, fired his weapon in the same direction.  Bond, also armed with a firearm, ran towards the entrance of the 1400 block on a sidewalk on the side of the apartment building, along with Wingfield, who was armed with a firearm as well and running on the road. 

            All four defendants gathered in front of the apartment building and looked down the alley.  The group subsequently ran in the direction of a playground with guns drawn.  Bond, General and Gordon all fired their firearms as they were running away.

            An autopsy concluded that Davon’s death was caused by a gunshot wound to the head. 

            General was arrested on July 30, 2020. Bond was arrested on July 10, 2020. Wingfield was arrested on July 11, 2020. Gordon was arrested on Sept. 1, 2020. All have been in custody since their arrests.

            In announcing today’s plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of 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 Lashone Samuels, former Victim/ Witness Specialist Marcia Rinker, Victim/ Witness Specialist Latrice Washington-Williams, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shehzad Akhtar, Stephen Rickard, and Jack Korba, who investigated and prosecuted the case, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryam Adeyola, who provided valuable assistance.

 

WASHINGTON – A 63-year-old man, of Southeast Washington, was sentenced today to life in prison for federal child exploitation offenses, including production of child pornography, enticement of a minor, and possession of child pornography, as well as multiple counts of first- degree child sexual abuse and first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. 

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, was found guilty by a jury in October 2021, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell.

            According to the government’s evidence, the defendant repeatedly sexually abused his stepdaughter from May 2016 until April 2017. The victim was 12 and 13 years old at the time and living with her mother, younger sister, and the defendant at the defendant’s apartment. The defendant also directed the victim to take photographs of herself constituting child sexual abuse material and to transfer those photographs to the defendant’s cell phones. Additionally, he stored these sexually explicit photographs on his cell phones and computer. These photographs, as well as dozens of text messages to the victim corroborating the sexual abuse, were recovered from the defendant’s electronic devices by law enforcement. 

            The defendant was arrested in May 2019 and was subsequently detained pending trial. 

            The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, 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, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the FBI-Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. The FBI 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 human trafficking.

            They also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Specialist Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb and Andrea Hertzfeld, and Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section Intern David Offit.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Sedky, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Mason Binion, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for a 2008 murder in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Binion was found guilty in February 2020, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of first-degree murder while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 21, 2008, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Binion and three other individuals drove the victim, Michael F. Taylor, 21, from a recreation center in Silver Spring to the 600 Block of Emerson Street NW. Binion and Mr. Taylor had arranged for a large purchase of drugs, and Mr. Taylor had given the drug money to a middleman who then took off with the money. Searching for revenge, Binion and his associates drove into the alley, stopped the car in front of a detached garage behind 610 Farragut Street, and then shot Mr. Taylor in the back of the head, killing him.

            Binion was arrested on Jan. 24, 2018, was released pending trial, and has been in custody since the guilty verdict.

            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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Pearlman; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilead Light and Michael Spence, who prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON—A District of Columbia Department of Corrections Officer was arrested today on charges alleging that he accepted bribes to bring prohibited items, including weapons and drugs, into the District’s Central Detention Facility (CDF). 

            Johnson Ayuk, 31, of Bowie, Maryland, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with bribery and providing or possessing contraband in prison, both federal offenses. He was arrested at the CDF and made his initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather. He was released on high-intensity supervision pending a preliminary hearing set for March 10, 2022.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Tom Faust, Director of the District of Columbia Department of Corrections.

            According to court documents, Ayuk has been a Department of Corrections officer since April 2021, and his only assignment has been at CDF, where he is responsible for maintaining order and security of those housed in the facility. In the charging documents, he is accused of taking part in a smuggling operation in which he accepted money from the un-incarcerated girlfriend of an inmate to bring illicit materials—including knives, drugs, and cellular telephones—into the jail for distribution among inmates.   

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the D.C. Department of Corrections’ Investigative Services Branch.  This case is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Marshals Service has provided valuable assistance.

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

 

 

WASHINGTON – A Nevada man pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Michael Meoni, 44, of Laughlin, Nevada, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Following his release from prison, Meoni also will be required to register for 25 years as a sex offender. The Honorable Royce C. Lamberth scheduled sentencing for July 8, 2022.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18, 2020, Meoni communicated online with a man he believed was the father of an under-aged girl. Unbeknownst to Meoni, the man he was communicating with was an undercover detective working as part of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

            In one conversation on Sept. 17, 2020, Meoni asked the man for pictures of his daughter.  On Sept. 18, 2020, Meoni initiated contact with the undercover detective and again asked for a picture. The undercover detective asked Meoni what images he had to share, and Meoni provided explicit photos of a young girl, including some in which he also was depicted with the child. In some photos, the child was wearing a diaper.

            Meoni was arrested on Sept. 18, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.

            This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from the District of Columbia and northern Virginia. 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 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.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the assistance of the FBI’s Las Vegas Field Office. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Janani Iyengar, who is prosecuting the case.

            WASHINGTON – Stacy Higa, 58, a former public official from Hilo, Hawaii, was sentenced in federal court today to 46 months in prison for embezzling from AmeriCorps and also for offering a bribe in return for grants under the CARES Act.

            The announcement was made by Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Deborah Jeffrey, Inspector General of AmeriCorps, and Steven Merrill, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Honolulu Field Office.

            Higa pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to embezzlement and offering a bribe. He was sentenced by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. Following his prison term, Higa will be placed on three years of supervised release. He is required to pay $38,642 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. He also will be required to perform 200 hours of community service.

            “This Defendant abused his position of trust when he robbed AmeriCorps, a critical federal program designed to help the most vulnerable Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “His attempt to obtain CARES Act funds through bribery showed a shocking disregard for the critical importance of the program. The Department of Justice will prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, those individuals who choose to abuse their positions of power to enrich themselves at the cost of the American people.”

            “Stacy Higa exploited his position of trust to steal AmeriCorps funds from vulnerable communities and schemed to deny his neighbors money needed for pandemic relief,” said Inspector General Jeffrey of AmeriCorps. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable, reflecting the gravity of his offenses.”

            “The citizens of Hawai’i deserve a government free of corruption. Stacy Higa’s actions undermine the respect and reputation of all public officials who have the responsibility to uphold the public’s trust,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Merrill. “Today’s sentencing reflects the ongoing commitment and dedication of the FBI to work with our partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who abuse their authorities and hold them accountable.” 

            AmeriCorps is a federally funded network of national service programs that address critical community needs, such as increasing academic achievement, mentoring youth, fighting poverty, sustaining national parks, preparing for disasters, and more.  AmeriCorps’ national service members commit to service for a set period of time, usually a year, in exchange for a living allowance, funding to be used for college tuition, and other benefits.

            From June 2011 until May 2020, Higa, a former Hawaii County councilman and mayoral candidate, served as the Executive Director of the Hawaii Commission for National and Community Service, the state service commission responsible for administering AmeriCorps programs in Hawaii. From February 2018 through his resignation from the Commission, Higa embezzled more than $38,000 in AmeriCorps funds by signing and authorizing contracts and purchase orders between the Hawaii Commission and two companies that he owned or controlled, without disclosing his control of the companies. Higa spent the embezzled funds on personal expenses including paying for approximately $20,000 of elective aesthetic dental care.

            The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law in or about March 2020, provided financial relief to individuals, businesses, states, and localities suffering the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other relief programs, the CARES Act created a $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) to be distributed to states, localities, and tribal governments to support expenditures incurred due to COVID-19. Government entities that received money from the CRF could use the funds, among other things, to make grants to small businesses to reimburse the costs of business interruption caused by required closures and to provide economic relief for those suffering employment interruption.

            In August 2020, Hanalei Aipoalani was hired to serve as Honolulu City and County’s Department of Community Service’s CARES Program Administrator and was responsible for administering CRF programs. From August 2020 through October 2020, Higa offered to provide financial benefits to Aipoalani in order to influence the approval of Higa’s applications for two grants totaling $845,000 under the CARES Act. Higa then directed an employee to draft and submit false and backdated invoices under the grants. Higa and Aipoalani discussed opening LLCs on Oahu and using their wives as principals in order to launder the money. As part of his plea agreement, Higa admitted to expecting to receive at least $250,000 in profit from the CARES Act funds.

            Aipoalani, 43, of Waianae, Hawaii, separately pleaded guilty to embezzling from AmeriCorps and agreeing to accept a bribe under the CARES Act. Aipoalani was sentenced on June 30, 2021 to 46 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay full restitution to AmeriCorps.

            The Inspector General for AmeriCorps and the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Goemaat of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

**

            The Inspector General for AmeriCorps, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who defraud the AmeriCorps program and programs under the CARES Act. If you are aware of fraud, waste, or abuse affecting AmeriCorps or any of its programs, contact the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-452-8210 or [email protected].

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

            For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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

            Additionally, anyone who is aware of fraud, waste, or abuse affecting AmeriCorps or any of its programs, is encouraged to contact the AmeriCorps Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-452-8210 or [email protected].

 

 

 

WASHINGTON – Three men, all from Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed in the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy on July 4, 2020, in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Daryle Bond, 20, Marcel Gordon, 26, and Christan Wingfield, 24, entered the guilty pleas in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. All three pleas are contingent upon the Court’s approval. Bond’s plea calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 7 ½-to-9½ years in prison, Gordon's calls for 10 years, and Wingfield’s calls for a 9 ½-year prison term The Honorable Rainey R. Brandt scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 3, 2022.

            A fourth defendant is awaiting trial for first-degree murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances, conspiracy, and other offenses. He has pleaded not guilty to charges.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 4, 2020, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Bond, Gordon, Wingfield, and a fourth man were congregating at a barbeque near the cul-de-sac in front of an apartment building located in the 1400 block of Cedar Street SE. Cedar Street is a long road that ends in a cul-de-sac.  The entrance of the 1400 block of Cedar Street intersects diagonally with a street that is known as the “alley.”  

            Near the entrance of the 1400 block of Cedar Street, Davon McNeal – 11 years old - was exiting a vehicle and walking towards a basement apartment in the Frederick Douglass Garden Apartment Complex. At a certain point, the fourth man, armed with a firearm, started running towards the entrance of the 1400 block of Cedar Street and fired his weapon towards the alley.

            Gordon was running behind and fired his weapon in the same direction. Bond, armed with a firearm, too, ran towards the entrance of the 1400 block on a sidewalk on the side of the apartment building along with Wingfield, who was armed with a firearm and running on the road.  Davon was struck by one of the bullets and was on the ground in front of the apartment complex. The group subsequently ran in the direction of the playground with guns drawn.  Bond, Gordon, and the fourth man all fired their firearms as they were running away from the apartment building.

            A review of video surveillance footage showed that Davon was struck by one of the fired bullets as he was running towards the basement apartment.  An autopsy concluded that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. 

            Bond was arrested on July 10, 2020. Wingfield was arrested on July 11, 2020. Gordon was arrested on Sept. 1, 2020. All have been in custody since their arrests.

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of 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 Lashone Samuels, former Victim/ Witness Specialist Marcia Rinker, Victim/ Witness Specialist Latrice Washington-Williams, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shehzad Akhtar, Stephen Rickard, and Jack Korba, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maryam Adeyola, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – An Ashland, Oregon, employee of a defense contractor pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to tax evasion.

            According to court documents, Charles D. Squires was the director of operations for a U.S. Department of Defense contracting company, eventually serving as its chief executive officer for part of the year in 2015. From 2010 through 2019, Squires did not report on his individual income tax returns all of the compensation he earned from the defense contracting firm. In total, Squires did not report to the IRS more than $1.8 million in compensation he earned during this period, causing a tax loss to the government of approximately $666,080.

            Squires is scheduled to be sentenced at a later date and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia made the announcement.

            IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are conducting the investigation.

            Assistance was provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.

            Senior Litigation Counsel Nanette Davis and Trial Attorneys Brittney Campbell and Sarah Ranney of the Tax Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie Goemaat of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

           

WASHINGTON - Mohammad Ezazul Hoque, 59, the former owner of several Washington, D.C. restaurants, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for paying bribes to the former Chief of Collections of the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR) in exchange for the OTR official taking actions favorable to Hoque’s businesses. 

            Hoque was also sentenced to 37 months in prison, to run concurrent to his bribery sentence, for executing a multi-year scheme to obtain credit cards in others’ names, without their knowledge or consent, to fund his personal and business expenses.  Hoque pleaded guilty to the charges in January 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division.

            According to court documents, Hoque, of Alexandria, Virginia, paid more than $45,000 in bribes to the OTR official between 2015 and 2017 so that the official would change the status and limit the negative effects of unpaid tax liabilities on his businesses, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Court documents also state that, in 2016, in exchange for the bribes Hoque was paying, the OTR official released a lien on one of his businesses and provided a false certification that it had no outstanding tax liabilities so that Hoque could sell the business to a third party.  In fact, Hoque still owed tens of thousands of dollars in taxes and related fees.

            As a result of the OTR official’s actions, Hoque was able to sell the business and make a profit of approximately $84,000.

            Court papers further state that Hoque also carried out a fraud scheme spanning 2013 to 2017, in which he obtained more than 15 credit cards from various financial institutions in the names of others without their knowledge or consent.  Hoque charged more than $40,000 in personal and business expenses to the cards he fraudulently obtained.

            In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Carl J. Nichols ordered Hoque to pay a fine of $45,000 and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $84,000. He must also serve a period of three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term.

            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 Washington Field Office.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda R. Vaughn, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Bianca Forde, and Paralegal Specialist Joseph McClanahan.

 

WASHINGTON – Joshua Austin, 34, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 years in prison for attacking a senior citizen in an apartment stairwell during a robbery in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Austin was found guilty by a jury in December 2021 of charges of first-degree burglary of a senior citizen, robbery of a senior citizen, and assault with intent to commit robbery of a senior citizen. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Rainey R. Brandt. Following his prison term, he is to be placed on five years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2019, the then 68-year-old victim -- who uses a cane and was suffering from multiple significant health issues -- walked from her apartment building to a nearby corner market located at Missouri and Georgia Avenues NW. She encountered Austin, a stranger, inside the store. Not long after she left the market, Austin followed her to her apartment building on his bicycle.  According to the evidence, Austin then followed her into the stairwell of her apartment building where he threw her on the ground, assaulted her, dumped her groceries onto the floor, and stole $60 before fleeing. The woman suffered a broken collarbone and injuries to her arms in the attack.

            Austin was identified through surveillance video and other evidence. He was arrested Dec. 26, 2019. 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 acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles J. Willoughby, Jr., Alicia Long, and Daniel Lenerz, Paralegal Specialists Lashaune Briggs and Alesha Matthews, and teams from the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit and the Litigation Technology Unit. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma McArthur and Kristian Hinson, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON - Johnnie Williamson, 36, of Washington, D.C. has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from two violent confrontations that took place in 2020, including one that was prosecuted as a hate crime, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced today.

            Williamson pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of bias-related assault and one count of attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. Williamson had been in custody while awaiting trial ever since his arrest in March 2021. He was sentenced today by the Honorable Jason Park to 450 days of incarceration; however, all of that time was suspended, with credit for the time he has already served, on the condition that he successfully complete one year of supervised probation. As a condition of probation, Williamson must participate in mental health treatment and supervision.

            According to the government’s evidence, the first incident took place on June 14, 2020. At approximately 1:45 p.m., Williamson pulled a knife during an argument with an individual while inside of Union Station.

            The second incident took place at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2020. Williamson entered a Chipotle restaurant in the 2300 block of Washington Place NE. He asked an employee how much food he could purchase with approximately $8. The employee tried to assist. But due to a language barrier, she had difficulty communicating, and so she asked her manager to assist. The manager informed Williamson what was available on the menu for under $8.

            Williamson was not satisfied with the answer, and immediately began yelling a series of xenophobic, ethnic, and transphobic slurs at the employee and the manager.

            As Williamson yelled these slurs, he climbed onto the service counter and spit on the employee. He then reached over the counter and began throwing food and serving spoons at the employee, striking her in the hand. After throwing the spoons, Williamson then pushed the cash register off the counter. He picked up a fire extinguisher and threw it at the manager, striking her in the leg. Williamson continued yelling slurs throughout the incident. Finally, as he moved towards the exit, he shouted that he was going to return and kill the employees. Williamson was arrested on March 5, 2021.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the matter from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Wolf, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Three Hawaii-based executives of a government contractor were indicted today in the District of Columbia for allegedly making unlawful campaign contributions to a candidate for Congress and a political action committee.

            According to the indictment, Martin Kao, 48, Clifford Chen, 48, and Lawrence “Kahele” Lum Kee, 52, all of Honolulu, were employed by a defense contractor prohibited from making contributions in federal elections. The defendants allegedly created a shell company and then used that shell company to make an illegal contribution to a political action committee supporting the election of a candidate for the U.S. Senate using government contractor funds. The defendants also allegedly used family members as conduits to make illegal contributions to the campaign committee of the same candidate, and then reimbursed themselves for those donations using funds obtained from their employer.

            All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make conduit and government contractor contributions, making conduct contributions, and making government contractor contributions. Kao is also charged with two counts of making false statements for causing the submission of false information to the Federal Election Committee.

            Kao, Chen and Lum Kee will make their initial appearance at a later date. If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dillard, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Mid-Atlantic Field Office, made the announcement.

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office and DCIS’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office are investigating the case.

            Trial Attorney Lauren Castaldi of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Liz Aloi and Joshua Rothstein of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

            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—Two District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS) employees were arrested today on conspiracy and bribery charges for allegedly accepting payments from a District of Columbia contractor in exchange for directing purchase agreements and orders to the contractor and then falsely certifying that goods that FEMS had paid for had been delivered.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Louis “Joey” Mitchell, 50, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, and Charity Keys, 43, of Bowie, Maryland, are charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with bribery and conspiracy.  They are to make an initial appearance today in the District of Columbia before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather.

            According to court documents, Mitchell, a FEMS warehouse supply technician, and Keys, a FEMS contract administrator, accepted bribes over the course of several years—including a bribe of $20,000 each—from the owner of a Maryland limited liability company contractually obligated to provide various goods to FEMS and other District of Columbia agencies.  In exchange, Mitchell and Keys allegedly directed purchase agreements and purchase orders to the company and confirmed delivery of and payment for goods that the company did not deliver.

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

            This case is being investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and D.C. Office of Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

 

WASHINGTON – Two individuals were arrested this morning in Manhattan for an alleged conspiracy to launder cryptocurrency that was stolen during the 2016 hack of Bitfinex, a virtual currency exchange, presently valued at approximately $4.5 billion. Thus far, law enforcement has seized over $3.6 billion in cryptocurrency linked to that hack.

            “Today’s arrests, and the department’s largest financial seizure ever, show that cryptocurrency is not a safe haven for criminals,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “In a futile effort to maintain digital anonymity, the defendants laundered stolen funds through a labyrinth of cryptocurrency transactions. Thanks to the meticulous work of law enforcement, the department once again showed how it can and will follow the money, no matter what form it takes.”

            “Today, federal law enforcement demonstrates once again that we can follow money through the blockchain, and that we will not allow cryptocurrency to be a safe haven for money laundering or a zone of lawlessness within our financial system,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The arrests today show that we will take a firm stand against those who allegedly try to use virtual currencies for criminal purposes.”

            Ilya Lichtenstein, 34, and his wife, Heather Morgan, 31, both of New York, New York, are scheduled to make their initial appearances in federal court today at 3:00 p.m. in Manhattan.

            According to court documents, Lichtenstein and Morgan allegedly conspired to launder the proceeds of 119,754 bitcoin that were stolen from Bitfinex’s platform after a hacker breached Bitfinex’s systems and initiated more than 2,000 unauthorized transactions. Those unauthorized transactions sent the stolen bitcoin to a digital wallet under Lichtenstein’s control. Over the last five years, approximately 25,000 of those stolen bitcoin were transferred out of Lichtenstein’s wallet via a complicated money laundering process that ended with some of the stolen funds being deposited into financial accounts controlled by Lichtenstein and Morgan. The remainder of the stolen funds, comprising more than 94,000 bitcoin, remained in the wallet used to receive and store the illegal proceeds from the hack. After the execution of court-authorized search warrants of online accounts controlled by Lichtenstein and Morgan, special agents obtained access to files within an online account controlled by Lichtenstein. Those files contained the private keys required to access the digital wallet that directly received the funds stolen from Bitfinex, and allowed special agents to lawfully seize and recover more than 94,000 bitcoin that had been stolen from Bitfinex. The recovered bitcoin was valued at over $3.6 billion at the time of seizure.

            “Cryptocurrency and the virtual currency exchanges trading in it comprise an expanding part of the U.S. financial system, but digital currency heists executed through complex money laundering schemes could undermine confidence in cryptocurrency,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The Department of Justice and our office stand ready to confront these threats by using 21st century investigative techniques to recover the stolen funds and to hold the perpetrators accountable.”

            The criminal complaint alleges that Lichtenstein and Morgan employed numerous sophisticated laundering techniques, including using fictitious identities to set up online accounts; utilizing computer programs to automate transactions, a laundering technique that allows for many transactions to take place in a short period of time; depositing the stolen funds into accounts at a variety of virtual currency exchanges and darknet markets and then withdrawing the funds, which obfuscates the trail of the transaction history by breaking up the fund flow; converting bitcoin to other forms of virtual currency, including anonymity-enhanced virtual currency (AEC), in a practice known as “chain hopping”; and using U.S.-based business accounts to legitimize their banking activity.

            “In a methodical and calculated scheme, the defendants allegedly laundered and disguised their vast fortune,” said Chief Jim Lee of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit special agents have once again unraveled a sophisticated laundering technique, enabling them to trace, access and seize the stolen funds, which has amounted to the largest cryptocurrency seizure to date, valued at more than $3.6 billion.”

            “Criminals always leave tracks, and today’s case is a reminder that the FBI has the tools to follow the digital trail, wherever it may lead,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul M. Abbate. “Thanks to the persistent and dedicated work of our FBI Investigative teams and law enforcement partners, we're able to uncover the source of even the most sophisticated schemes and bring justice to those who try to exploit the security of our financial infrastructure.”

            “Financial crime strikes at the core of our national and economic security. With a hack of this magnitude, public and private sector collaboration is crucial to ensure continued consumer confidence in our financial system,” said Acting Executive Associate Director Steve Francis of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “Ilya Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan attempted to subvert legitimate commerce for their own nefarious purposes, operating with perceived anonymity. Today’s action demonstrates HSI’s commitment and ability to work with a collation of the willing to unravel these technical fraud schemes and identify the perpetrators, regardless of where they operate.”

            Lichtenstein and Morgan are charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and conspiracy to defraud the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The investigation was led by IRS-CI Washington, D.C. Field Office’s Cyber Crimes Unit, the FBI’s Chicago Field Office, and HSI-New York. The Ansbach Police Department in Germany provided assistance during this investigation.

            The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jessica Peck and C. Alden Pelker of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Paralegal Specialists Angela De Falco and Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick provided valuable assistance. Significant assistance was also provided by Trial Attorney Christen Gallagher of the Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Southern District of New York, HSI-Philadelphia, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica C. Brooks.

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

WASHINGTON – Leon A. Miller, 32, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to armed robbery and a firearms offense stemming from a hold-up he carried out last fall at a liquor store in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Miller pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for Miller to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment between seven and nine years. The Honorable J. Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for April 11, 2022.

            In court documents, Miller also admitted to committing two other robberies of liquor stores, also in Northwest Washington, and of two store customers. The five robberies took place on three successive evenings.

            Miller pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the Oct. 14, 2021, robbery of Paul’s Wine and Spirits, in the 5200 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW. According to a factual proffer, Miller entered the store at approximately 6 p.m., brandished what appeared to be a black handgun, and demanded that a store employee open the cash registers. He stole about $200 in cash. He also demanded three specific kinds of champagne, none of which the store carries.

            Miller also admitted robbing The Wine Specialist, in the 1100 block of 20th Street NW, on the evening of Oct. 12, 2021. There, he also brandished what appeared to be a black handgun and demanded that an employee open the cash registers. He took approximately $2,000 in cash as well as two bottles of champagne, valued at roughly $950.

            The next evening, Oct. 13, 2021, Miller entered Press Liquors, in the 500 block of 14th Street, brandished what appeared to be a black handgun, and demanded an employee open the registers. He stole approximately $900 in cash. In addition, he brandished the gun at two customers and took their wallets and phones.

            Miller was arrested about an hour after the robbery of Paul’s, near the Dupont Circle Metro station. He has been in custody ever since.

            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 also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metro Transit Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Crystal Waddy, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul V. Courtney, who investigated and prosecuted the matter

WASHINGTON - Kevin Goggins, 22, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to voluntary manslaughter while armed in the fatal shooting of a man outside an apartment complex in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Goggins pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of eight to nine years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Rainey R. Brandt scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2022.

            According to plea documents, on Oct. 9, 2020, at approximately 10 p.m., Goggins exited a vehicle with two other armed individuals, in the 1600 block of W Street SE, a residential area that includes an apartment complex. He and the others fired into a group of individuals who were congregating outside of the apartment complex. Goggins then ran back into the waiting vehicle and fled the scene.

            Yisa Jeffcoat, 28, was standing outside the apartment complex and was struck by one of the gunshots.  Medical personnel were unable to revive Mr. Jeffcoat, who died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

            Goggins was arrested on Dec. 14, 2020. He has been in custody ever since. 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of 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 Specialist Lashone Samuels, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Jaz Pratt, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for a summertime shooting on a busy street in Southeast Washington that struck a 56-year-old woman, leaving her permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

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

             Pratt pleaded guilty in June 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to aggravated assault while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert D. Okun. The judge sentenced Pratt to a total of 10 years in prison but suspended three years of that time on the condition that he successfully complete three years of probation after his release from prison.

            The shooting took place on Aug. 21, 2020, in front of a gas station in the 3000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. According to the government’s evidence, Pratt and co-defendant Davon Robinson approached a man at approximately 8 p.m. They began a conversation and, soon afterwards, Robinson stepped back, pulled out a pistol, and shot the man once in the hip at close range. The man then fled up the street.  

            Immediately after the shot, Pratt took a few steps back, still facing in the direction of the wounded man. He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the man. He fired once, missing the man but hitting the victim, an innocent bystander, in the back as she was walking down the street. The entire incident was captured on surveillance video. At the time of the shooting Pratt was on pre-trial release in a separate gun possession case.   

            The victim has been hospitalized and/or living in a rehabilitation center on a near-continuous basis since the shooting.

             Pratt was arrested on Sept. 2, 2020. He has been in custody since that time.

             Robinson, 28, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to charges in this case and in an unrelated armed robbery. He was sentenced in October 2020 to a 10 ½-year prison term.

            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 (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Latrice Washington-Williams, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Miles E. Janssen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Haiteng Wu, 32, of the People’s Republic of China, was sentenced today to serve 26 months in prison for participating in a three-year conspiracy to defraud Apple Inc. out of more than $1 million.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Washington, D.C. Field Office, Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and Greg Torbenson, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge for the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

            Wu pleaded guilty in May 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Today, the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan sentenced Wu to the time he already has served in custody, which amounts to approximately 26 months. He also ordered Wu to pay $987,000 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. Judge Sullivan previously ordered Wu to forfeit his interests in two condominium units, one in McLean, Virginia, the other in Arlington, Virginia. Wu purchased the Arlington condominium for cash during the conspiracy.

            According to publicly filed court documents, Wu immigrated to the United States in 2013 to study engineering. After earning his Master’s Degree in 2015, he secured lawful employment in the United States, but then embarked on a roughly 3 ½-year-long scheme to defraud Apple. As part of the scheme, Wu and other conspirators received shipments of inauthentic iPhones from Hong Kong. Those phones contained spoofed IMEI numbers and serial numbers that corresponded with authentic in-warranty iPhones. The conspirators then returned the inauthentic phones to Apple, claiming that the phones were legitimate, in-warranty phones, all in an effort to receive authentic replacement iPhones from Apple. The fraudulently obtained authentic iPhones were then shipped back to conspirators overseas, including in Hong Kong.

            Wu, who most recently was residing in McLean, Virginia, recruited others, including his wife, Jiahong Cai, and Teang Liu to participate in the conspiracy. Wu also procured fake identification documents, used aliases, opened multiple commercial mail receiving agency mailboxes, and arranged for members of the conspiracy to travel throughout the United States.

            In total, Wu acknowledged defrauding Apple out of nearly $1 million and intending to defraud the company out of even more money.

            Wu, Cai, and Liu were arrested in December 2019, and Wu has been in custody since that time. Like her husband, Cai pleaded guilty in May 2020 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Judge Sullivan sentenced Cai, a Chinese national, to time served following her guilty plea. She spent just over five months in custody. Liu, 37, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty to that same offense in February 2021, and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 10, 2022.

             This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia’s Fraud Section, and Senior Counsel Ryan K.J. Dickey of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. They were assisted by Paralegal Specialists Michon Tart, Mariela Andrade, Amanda Rohde, and Brian Rickers, former Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi, Brittany Phillips, and Angeline Thekkumthala, and Records Examiner Angela De Falco.

 

WASHINGTON – Jerome J. Simmons, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 15-year prison term for sexually abusing an under-aged girl, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Simmons pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo. Following completion of his prison term, Simmons will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years following his release from prison.

            According to court documents, Simmons was in a romantic relationship with the victim’s mother. In December 2020, when the girl was 14, she told authorities that Simmons sexually abused her on multiple occasions in Southeast Washington when she was 13 and 14. A subsequent investigation determined that Simmons began grooming her for abuse when she was 13 by giving her a cellphone and texting her on it. After providing the cellphone, he asked her to send pictures of her body to him and then they had explicit video calls. This conduct, in turn, escalated to hands-on abuse.  In a search of the defendant’s cellphone, police discovered graphic photos and videos depicting the victim.

            Simmons was arrested on Dec. 26, 2020, soon after the girl made the disclosures. He has been detained 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 worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Feldman and Paralegal Specialist ReShawn Johnson. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth C. Kelley, who prosecuted the matter.

A U.K. man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia to violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. At the same time, an indictment was unsealed charging four individuals with the same offense, as well as related offenses.

According to his plea, Saber Fakih, 46, of the United Kingdom, conspired with Bader Fakih, 41, of Canada, Altaf Faquih, 70, of the United Arab Emirates, and Alireza Taghavi, 46, of Iran, to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran, without first obtaining the requisite license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Saber Fakih pleaded guilty to count two of the indictment.

“Fakih and his coconspirators attempted to evade U.S. sanctions and obtain highly sensitive pieces of equipment for Iran from unwitting U.S. suppliers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “In doing so, Fakih jeopardized not only U.S. national security, but the national security of any other nation Iran decides to target. The Department of Justice can and will act to disrupt and prosecute such criminal conduct.”  

“This indictment and guilty plea demonstrate the United States’ commitment to preventing U.S. technology with military applications from falling into the hands of the Iranian government, and it demonstrates the effective results generated by the partnership between the Justice Department, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia.

“This investigation illustrates that our adversaries are willing to utilize complicated procurement networks and blatantly disregard U.S. export control laws to acquire sensitive dual use items for potential military purposes, such as counter drone technology, industrial microwave systems, and directed-energy systems that would undermine U.S. national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement, Washington Field Office. “The Office of Export Enforcement and our partner agencies will aggressively target and dismantle those illicit networks that seek technological advantages that can be used against us.”

“Mr. Fakih’s guilty plea shows the lengths he went to in order to attempt to procure U.S. technology with military uses; it also shows the lengths the FBI and our federal partners will go to in order to stop these technologies and materials from getting into the wrong hands,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Those who are working domestically and abroad to undermine American interests will be held accountable.”

“The FBI remains committed to protecting U.S. technology and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of anyone intending to use it for harm,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “For over 40 years, Iran has continuously attempted to obtain sanctioned items that could be used against Americans or our allies. This indictment of Fakih and his coconspirators sends a clear message: The FBI, along with its federal partners, will persist in thwarting these attempts and do its part to keep our democracy safe.”

“Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) remains committed to safeguarding sensitive U.S. technology and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of our adversaries,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI’s Baltimore Field Office. “This investigation highlights HSI’s global investigative capabilities, and we will continue to work with our federal partners to protect the safety and security of the United States.”   

In addition, a related indictment was unsealed in the District of Columbia charging Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad, 44, with smuggling, wire fraud and related offenses arising from the same scheme. Rohollahnejad was previously added to the Department of Commerce’s, Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List in March 2020, for acting contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests by procuring goods on behalf of a Specially Designated National (SDN).

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

The indictments allege that Rohollahnejad and Taghavi hold themselves out as representatives of Rayan Roshd Asfzar, which has been linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

According to court documents, Taghavi informed Saber Fakih that he could not purchase the IMS because he is an Iranian national. Saber Fakih then arranged the purchase of the IMS on Taghavi’s and Rohollahnejad’s behalf, knowing it was ultimately destined for Iran.

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

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

Saber Fakih faces up to 20 years of incarceration and/or a fine of $1 million for violating the IEEPA. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

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

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

WASHINGTON – A U.K. man pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in the District of Columbia to violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations. At the same time, an indictment was unsealed charging four individuals with the same offense, as well as related offenses.

            According to his plea, Saber Fakih, 46, of the United Kingdom, conspired with Bader Fakih, 41, of Canada, Altaf Faquih, 70, of the United Arab Emirates, and Alireza Taghavi, 46, of Iran, to export and attempt to export an Industrial Microwave System (IMS) and counter-drone system from the United States to Iran, without first obtaining the requisite license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Fakih pleaded guilty to count two of the indictment.

            “Fakih and his coconspirators attempted to evade U.S. sanctions and obtain highly sensitive pieces of equipment for Iran from unwitting U.S. suppliers,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “In doing so, Fakih jeopardized not only U.S. national security, but the national security of any other nation Iran decides to target. The Department of Justice can and will act to disrupt and prosecute such criminal conduct.”

            “This indictment and guilty plea demonstrate the United States’ commitment to preventing U.S. technology with military applications from falling into the hands of the Iranian government, and it demonstrates the effective results generated by the partnership between DOJ, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Commerce,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, for the District of Columbia.

            “This investigation illustrates that our adversaries are willing to utilize complicated procurement networks and blatantly disregard U.S. export control laws to acquire sensitive dual use items for potential military purposes, such as counter drone technology, industrial microwave systems, and directed-energy systems that would undermine U.S. national security,” said Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan of the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement, Washington Field Office. “The Office of Export Enforcement and our partner agencies will aggressively target and dismantle those illicit networks that seek technological advantages that can be used against us.”

            “Mr. Fakih’s guilty plea shows the lengths he went to in order to attempt to procure U.S. technology with military uses, it also shows the lengths the FBI and our federal partners will go to in order to stop these technologies and materials from getting into the wrong hands,” said Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski, of the FBI Baltimore Field Office. “Those who are working domestically and abroad to undermine American interests will be held accountable.”

            “The FBI remains committed to protecting U.S. technology and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of anyone intending to use it for harm,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. “For over 40 years, Iran has continuously attempted to obtain sanctioned items that could be used against Americans or our allies. This indictment of Fakih and his coconspirators sends a clear message: The FBI, along with its federal partners, will persist in thwarting these attempts and do its part to keep our democracy safe.”

            “Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) remains committed to safeguarding sensitive U.S. technology and ensuring it does not fall into the hands of our adversaries,” said Special Agent in Charge James R. Mancuso of HSI’s Baltimore Field Office. “This investigation highlights HSI’s global investigative capabilities, and we will continue to work with our federal partners to protect the safety and security of the United States.”   

            In addition, a related indictment was unsealed in the District of Columbia charging Iranian national Jalal Rohollahnejad, 44, with smuggling, wire fraud and related offenses arising from the same scheme. Rohollahnejad was previously added to the Department of Commerce’s, Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List in March 2020, for acting contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests by procuring goods on behalf of a Specially Designated National (SDN).

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

            The indictments allege that Rohollahnejad and Taghavi hold themselves out as representatives of Rayan Roshd Asfzar, which has been linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

            According to court documents, Taghavi informed Fakih that he could not purchase the IMS because he is an Iranian national. Saber Fakih then arranged the purchase of the IMS on Taghavi’s and Rohollahnejad’s behalf, knowing it was ultimately destined for Iran.

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

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

            Saber Fakih faces up to 20 years of incarceration and/or a fine of $1 million for violating the IEEPA. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

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

            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 District of Columbia couple pleaded guilty today to charges stemming from the death of a 2-year-old boy who had suffered extensive injuries while in their care, including multiple blunt force trauma, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Antonio Turner, 29, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Gabriel Eason. Ta'Jeanna Eason, 32, the boy’s mother, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree cruelty to children. Turner also pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree cruelty to children for injuries suffered by another of Eason’s sons, who was 3 years old at the time. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge for attacking a woman after a traffic crash.

            The pleas, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, are contingent upon the Court’s approval. They call for Turner to be sentenced to seven to 13 years in prison. Eason is to be sentenced to six years in prison with that time suspended on the condition that she have no future unsupervised contact with children and that she participate in mental health and drug treatment. She would be placed on a period of probation and supervised release. The Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr. scheduled sentencing for March 25, 2022.

            According to court documents, Turner and Eason had a romantic relationship and resided in the 900 block of Division Avenue NE. Turner was not the biological father of Eason’s three children. On April 1, 2020, at approximately 8:25 a.m., the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the residence to investigate a report of an unconscious person. When police arrived, Gabriel was deceased. Officers also observed a bump on the center of the 3-year-old’s forehead and noted that the child seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

            Later on April 1, 2020, both of Eason’s surviving sons were taken to Children’s National Medical Center for a medical evaluation. It was discovered that both had sustained apparent trauma to their bodies. The three-year-old had several different injuries, including bruises behind his ears and scalp, fractured ribs and a lacerated liver.

            On April 2, 2020, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy of Gabriel. The examination found abrasions and contusions to the head, face, and torso, multiple rib fractures and healing fractured ribs, and other injuries, including to the heart and brain. The cause of death was ruled to be multiple blunt force injuries.

            The charges against Eason involved her failure to seek immediate medical attention for Gabriel and his three-year-old brother, as well as for slapping and striking her other son.

            Both defendants were arrested on Nov. 3, 2020, following an investigation. They were released pending further proceedings. On the morning of Nov. 29, 2021, Turner caused a woman’s car to crash in the 1800 block of New York Avenue NE. He then dragged her from the car and punched her multiple times in the face, causing her to fall and lose consciousness. Turner was arrested following this assault and has been detained ever since.

            U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Grazy Rivera, and Meridith McGarrity, former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Victim/Witness Program Specialist Amy Trotto. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who is prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – A brother and sister were arrested yesterday on charges stemming from an investigation by federal and local law enforcement agencies into a drug operation that was distributing Fentanyl, including to a woman who overdosed twice, once leading to her death.

             The indictments, which were unsealed today, were announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Larry Jerome Eastman, 21, of Temple Hills, Maryland, and his sister, Justice Michelle Eastman, 25, of Washington, D.C. were arrested following an investigation into the Fentanyl overdose death of a woman in Washington, D.C. They are charged in an indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute Fentanyl, unlawful distribution of Fentanyl, resulting in serious bodily injury, and unlawful distribution of Fentanyl, resulting in death. The indictment was returned on Jan. 18, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Both defendants made their initial court appearances this afternoon and were ordered held pending further proceedings.

            “As this case demonstrates, Fentanyl continues to have a devastating impact on our community,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “We are committed to identifying and prosecuting those who distribute Fentanyl and other illicit drugs and doing all we can to prevent future tragedies.”

            “Charges like this, demonstrate our commitment to combatting the alarming number of drug overdose-related deaths, and our shared, tough stance on drug dealers peddling this poison to unwitting victims across our city,” said Special Agent in Charge Forget. “We are working with our area partners every day to root out the drug problem at its source and target drug dealers who deal overdose-prone drugs to our area's most vulnerable. By pursuing 'death resulting' charges, we seek to hold those who poison us with Fentanyl accountable for the violent crimes they are knowingly committing in our communities.”

            The indictments followed an investigation into the April 6, 2021, death of a 20-year-old woman in Southeast Washington from acute Fentanyl intoxication. According to the government’s evidence, the same woman survived an earlier overdose in the fall of 2020; she was revived that time when paramedics administered Narcan. At the time of the fatal overdose, a white powder was discovered by police on a glass-topped coffee table at the woman’s apartment and later determined to be Fentanyl. As noted by the DEA, because of its potency and low cost, drug dealers nationally have been mixing Fentanyl with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, increasing the likelihood of a fatal interaction.

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

            The charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute Fentanyl carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Unlawful distribution of Fentanyl, resulting in serious bodily injury or death, carries a statutory mandatory minimum penalty of not less than 20 years with a maximum of life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case is being investigated by the Washington Division Office of the DEA and the Metropolitan Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Henek, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

 

WASHINGTON – A South Carolina man was sentenced today to 44 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

According to court documents, Nicholas Languerand, 26, of Little River, South Carolina, was among rioters standing near the archway leading from the Lower West Terrace to the interior of the Capitol. Between 4:50 and 5 p.m., he threw various objects at officers with the U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department, including an orange traffic barrier and two stick-like objects. The officers were protecting the Lower West Terrace entrance. Based on the size and weight of the objects, as well as the speed and force with which Languerand threw them, the items were capable of inflicting serious bodily injury. Additionally, at about 5 p.m., Languerand took possession of a police riot shield, struck it against the ground, and then held it in front of him as he confronted police.

At the time of the Capitol breach, Languerand was residing in Wolcott, Vermont. He later moved to South Carolina, where he was arrested on April 15. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, in the District of Columbia, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon. In addition to the prison term, Judge John D. Bates ordered Languerand to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve a period of two years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. He additionally was ordered to perform 60 hours of community service.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Columbia, South Carolina Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the one year since Jan. 6, more than 725 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 225 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

###

WASHINGTON – An Iraqi national, Aws Muwafaq Abduljabbar, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States related to his role in a scheme to defraud U.S. refugee programs.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, and U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Deputy Assistant Secretary and Assistant Director for Domestic Operations Mark A. Sullo.

            Abduljabbar, 43, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras of the District of Columbia. He remains held without bond pending sentencing on June 24, 2022.

            Abduljabbar is one of three defendants charged in an indictment that was unsealed on January 22, 2021.  The indictment charges Abduljabbar and two other foreign nationals, Haitham Isa Saado Sad, 43, and Olesya Leonidovna Krasilova, 44, in connection with a scheme to defraud the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) and, in particular, the Iraq P-2 program, which allows certain Iraqis to apply directly for refugee resettlement in the United States.  Sad previously pleaded guilty and remains held pending sentencing.  Krasilova remains at large.

            According to the indictment and statement of facts agreed to by Abduljabbar as part of his guilty plea, from approximately February 2016 until at least April 2019, the three defendants, led by Abduljabbar, conspired to steal U.S. government records related to hundreds of USRAP applications.  Sad was employed in Amman, Jordan from 2007 to 2016 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Krasilova held a similar position at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia.  As part of their duties, both defendants had access to the State Department’s Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS), a database containing sensitive, non-public information about refugee applicants and their family members, as well as the results of security checks and internal assessments by U.S. officials regarding applications.

            Abduljabbar organized and led the conspiracy, and he relied on and paid Sad and Krasilova to steal WRAPS records and information so that Abduljabbar could assist applicants in gaining admission to the United States through fraudulent means.  As outlined in the indictment and statement of facts, the theft of USRAP records creates a number of risks to public safety and national security while imposing significant costs on the U.S. government, its taxpayers, and otherwise legitimate refugee applicants negatively impacted by the scheme.

            The charges in an indictment are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.  The maximum penalty for conspiracy to defraud the United States is five years.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            This case is being investigated jointly by the DHS Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Luke M. Jones and Erik M. Kenerson of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted.

WASHINGTON - Tyra Anderson, 28, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter in the February 2020 death of her 11-month-old daughter, which was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Anderson pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a 10-year prison term, with all but three years of that time suspended on the condition that Anderson have no future unsupervised contact with children and that she engage in mental health treatment. Following the prison term, Anderson is to be placed on five years of supervised release. The Honorable Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for March 31, 2022. 

            Anderson was the parent and primary caregiver for the child, Makenzie Anderson. On Feb. 6, 2020, she took her daughter to Children’s National Medical Center, where the child was pronounced dead. Anderson, who was residing at a hotel in the 1600 block of New York Avenue NE, told law enforcement that the child fell from a bed on or about Feb. 3, 2020. She stated that the child “was not active and not acting like herself” the following day, and that she was gasping for air on Feb. 5. Finally, on Feb. 6, she stated, she found the child unresponsive and cold to the touch. She maintained that she did not seek immediate medical attention because she was scared.

              On Feb. 7, 2020, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy.  Prior to the examination, the staff washed the child’s remains and observed a brown-colored residue on the towels and sponges. A member of the staff noted that the residue looked like make-up or some type of cosmetic. Once the child was fully washed, the examination detected multiple contusions to the head and face. Following a search warrant, cosmetics were recovered from the hotel room. The autopsy determined that the child suffered from multiple contusions to the face and head, skull fractures, and other injuries. The cause of death was ruled to be blunt force trauma to the head.

            Anderson was arrested on Dec. 4, 2020, following an investigation.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Grazy Rivera, and Meridith McGarrity, former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Victim/Witness Program Specialist Amy Trotto. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who is prosecuting the case.