District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Bratrell Hawkins, 29, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed for a January 2020 homicide in Southwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Hawkins pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The plea calls for a sentence within the Superior Court Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines.  Hawkins is to be sentenced on May 20, 2022, by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan.   

            The government’s evidence showed that on the evening of Jan. 4, 2020, inside a residence in the 1400 block of Third Street SW, Hawkins, his girlfriend, and her female friend were socializing with the victim, Xavier Tate, 26.  Hawkins and the others were in the living room and were drinking and smoking.  The two females went to bed and Hawkins came to join them in the bed.  A short while later, an argument ensued between Hawkins and his girlfriend, who ordered Hawkins and her friend out of the bedroom.  All three of them went downstairs and continued to argue before the girlfriend ordered them both out of the house.

            As the girlfriend and Hawkins were preparing to leave, the girlfriend and Tate went back upstairs.  Hawkins retrieved a gun out of a black bag and put the weapon in his coat. He then walked back upstairs. While on the second floor, at approximately 5:25 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2020, Mr. Tate confronted Hawkins about the earlier argument. While arguing, Hawkins shot him several times.  At the time, Hawkins was under the mistaken and unreasonable belief that Mr. Tate was reaching for a weapon. Hawkins was arrested on Jan. 9, 2020.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee expressed appreciation for the work of the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also commended the efforts of Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Grazy Rivera, Meridith McGarrity, and Tasha Harris; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Latrice Washington-Williams, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cynthia G. Wright and David Gorman, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

            WASHINGTON – Danielle Bartley, 26, a former Capital One Bank employee from Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, a conspiracy that compromised the account information of at least nine bank account holders and sought at least $253,000 in fraudulent withdrawals and transfers.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Matthew R. Stohler, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, and Greg L. Torbenson, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge for the Washington Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

            Bartley pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan today ordered her to pay restitution of $50,000 for the losses that were suffered and entered a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $3,750.

            As Bartley admitted in her guilty plea, at the time of the conspiracy in 2017, she worked as a branch associate in Washington, D.C.  Between June and August 2017, Bartley and her co-conspirators, including Krishna Jannor-John Marsh, posed as nine different actual bank account holders and sought at least $253,000 in fraudulent withdrawals and transfers.  They succeeded in obtaining one $50,000 wire transfer using personal identifiers of an account holder that Marsh purchased on the dark web.  Other attempts were stopped, including one by an alert teller.

            In September 2018, as part of his broader conspiracy, Marsh was sentenced to 46 months in prison, ordered to pay $338,100 in restitution, and had a forfeiture money judgment of $50,000 entered against him.  After initially agreeing to plead guilty in 2018, Bartley fled to Jamaica and was extradited back to the United States in 2021.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Stohler,  and Inspector in Charge Torbenson commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Paralegal Specialists Joshua Fein and Kristy Penny. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvind Lal and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON – Michelle Layton, 57, a former background investigator for the National Background Investigations Bureau, now the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, was sentenced today to three years of probation and ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution for falsifying reports of investigation she submitted as part of background investigations of individuals seeking national security clearances. 

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), and Amy K. Parker, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General (OPM OIG).

            Layton, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty in November 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to making a false statement. She was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. As part of her plea, Layton resigned her position. She also must pay $101,344 in restitution to the government, representing the cost to rework numerous background investigations. The judge also ordered her to perform 200 hours of community service.

            As part of her plea, Layton admitted to falsifying multiple reports of investigation for background investigations over the course of a year, between February 2018 to February 2019.  Layton admitted that she would submit reports in which she claimed she had interviewed a source about a background investigation subject or that she had collected records about the subject when she had not.  Layton falsified reports of investigation in background investigations for individuals seeking national security clearances, including Top Secret clearances, and the U.S. Department of Defense relied on the falsified reports to determine whether a subject was eligible for a security clearance.

            DCSA has a robust integrity assurance program which uses a variety of methods to ensure the accuracy of reported information. The falsification of investigative work was detected through that program.

         In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda R. Vaughn and Veronica Sanchez, and Paralegal Specialist Quiana Dunn-Gordon. 

 

A former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) pleaded guilty today to federal charges stemming from the theft of proprietary software and sensitive databases from the U.S. government.

According to court documents, Charles K. Edwards, 61, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, executed a scheme to steal confidential and proprietary software from the government. Edwards worked for DHS-OIG from February 2008 until December 2013, including as Acting Inspector General. Prior to DHS-OIG, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). At both agencies, Edwards had access to software systems, including one used for case management and other systems holding sensitive personal identifying information of employees.

After leaving DHS-OIG, Edwards founded Delta Business Solutions Inc., located in Maryland. From at least 2015 until 2017, he stole software from DHS-OIG, along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information of DHS and USPS employees, so that his company could develop a commercially-owned version of a case management system to be offered for sale to government agencies.

Edwards pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to conspiracy to commit theft of government property and theft of government property. A second defendant in the case, Murali Y. Venkata, 56, of Aldie, Virginia, has pleaded not guilty to charges and his case remains pending. Edwards will be sentenced at a later date. 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, Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS-OIG and Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb of USPS-OIG made the announcement.

Senior Litigation Counsel Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and the 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 Venkata is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON – A former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG), pleaded guilty today to federal charges stemming from the theft of proprietary software and sensitive databases from the U.S. government.

            According to court documents, Charles K. Edwards, 61, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, executed a scheme to steal confidential proprietary software from the government. Edwards worked for DHS-OIG from February 2008 until December 2013, including as Acting Inspector General. Prior to DHS-OIG, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). At both agencies, Edwards had access to software systems, including one used for case management, and other systems holding sensitive personal identifying information of employees.

            After leaving DHS, Edwards founded Delta Business Solutions, Inc., located in Maryland. From at least 2015 until 2017, he stole software from DHS-OIG, along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information of DHS and USPS employees, so that his company could develop a commercially owned version of a case management system to be offered for sale to government agencies.  

            Edwards pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to conspiracy to commit theft of government property and theft of government property. A second defendant in the case, Murali Y. Venkata, 56, of Aldie, Virginia, has pleaded not guilty to charges and his case remains pending. Edwards will be sentenced at a later date. 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, Inspector General Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari of DHS-OIG, and Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb of USPS-OPIG made the announcement.

            Senior Litigation Counsel Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and the 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 Venkata is presumed innocent until proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

WASHINGTON - Nequan Carthens, 21, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for opening fire with a handgun on a Southeast Washington street and killing a woman who was walking in the area, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Carthens pleaded guilty in October 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a 10-year prison term. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly on Jan. 7, 2022. Following his prison term, Carthens will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 20, 2020, at approximately 9:55 p.m., Carthens exited from the rear passenger door of a blue-colored, four door sedan as it turned into an alley alongside the 1900 block of 16th Street SE. He was holding a handgun and shot into the 1900 block of 16th Street approximately nine times in the direction of a group of individuals who were congregating across the street. He then ran back into the waiting vehicle and fled the scene. 

            An innocent bystander, Lagoria Brinkley, 36, was walking southbound on 16th Street towards U Street SE and was struck in the head by one of the fired bullets.  Medical personnel arrived at the scene and were unable to revive her. Carthens was arrested on March 26, 2020 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 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 Jennifer Allen, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man was sentenced today to serve 12 months in prison for sexually abusing and blackmailing a woman he met in August 2019 through a dating website, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Steven B. Fabrizio, 58, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, pleaded guilty on July 30, 2021, to one count each of blackmail and third-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The judge sentenced him to a total of 30 months of incarceration; however, all but 12 months of that time was suspended on the condition that Fabrizio successfully complete three years of supervised probation. Additionally, he will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years following his release from prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, Fabrizio met the woman on Aug. 19, 2019, after corresponding via a dating website and text. They had consensual sex, and Fabrizio gave her $400 in cash, as agreed upon beforehand. The next day, Fabrizio sought to set up another meeting, and the woman declined. At that point, Fabrizio sent the first in a series of texts to her, warning that the woman’s employer, parents, and landlord would be told about their sex-for-cash arrangement unless she continued to submit to his demands for further sexual encounters. 

            Similar texts followed, and the woman agreed to see him. During that second encounter, on Aug. 20, 2019, Fabrizio sexually abused her. Fabrizio later persisted with the texts, and the woman contacted the Metropolitan Police Department. He was arrested on Aug. 21, 2019.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended those who investigated the case from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Victim Witness Specialist Juanita Harris, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who prosecuted the matter.

 

 

WASHINGTON – Michael Drummond, 35, of Hyattsville, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit bank fraud for his role in a scheme in which Wells Fargo Bank customers lost $124,000 from their accounts. According to the government’s evidence, the participants in the scheme attempted to steal another $80,000 from the bank’s customers, but the bank detected that fraud and stopped the loss. 

            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.

            Drummond pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Royce C. Lamberth scheduled sentencing for May 13, 2022. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Drummond faces a likely range of 27 to 33 months in prison, a restitution order, and a fine of up to $60,000. He also has agreed to pay $124,000 in a forfeiture money judgment.

            In entering his plea, Drummond admitted to orchestrating a scheme that was carried out in 2017 in which Drummond recruited bank employees who would make unauthorized withdrawals from Wells Fargo customer accounts.  The bank employees used the bank's internal systems to check the account balances of customers without the customer’s knowledge.  Those employees then told Drummond the customer’s name and account balance. 

            Drummond then sent another accomplice into the bank to pose as the customer and to withdraw the funds, unbeknownst to the actual customer.  The conspirators used this scheme to steal $124,000 in cash and an $80,000 cashier’s check from two of the bank’s customers.  Although Wells Fargo was able to detect the theft and stop payment of the $80,000 cashier’s check, Wells Fargo incurred losses on behalf of its customers for the $124,000 in cash that Drummond and others stole. 

            Another conspirator, Tiara Langston, 30, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, entered a guilty plea in November 2020 to related charges and was sentenced in March 2021 to a 15-month prison term.

            In announcing today’s guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Jacobs commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the work of those who are handling the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Borchert, who is prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON – Lawrence Paul Schmidt, aka Lawrence Schmid, 61, formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to three years in prison in connection with federal bank fraud charges related to an investment fraud scheme. 

            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.

            In addition to his term of imprisonment, the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson imposed a four-year term of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $106,775.84, and entry of a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $106,775.84. 

            Schmidt was indicted in November 2018 on two counts of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud, and six counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.  He was extradited from the United Kingdom in late 2020 in connection with the federal charges and has remained in US custody since his arrest.  On Sept. 29, 2021, Schmidt pleaded guilty to a bank fraud charge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

            According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court and admitted by Schmidt, beginning in 2008, Schmidt created several investment entities and related corporations, including Commercial Equity Partners, Ltd. (“CEP”) and FutureGen Company (“FGC”), through which he solicited funds.  Schmidt was the sole signatory on the bank accounts for each of these entities.  Between June 2008 and April 2014, Schmidt raised over $22 million in funds, which he then comingled and transferred between the various entities and to personal accounts.  Schmidt knew that by January 2014, the bank accounts for the various CEP and FGC entities contained insufficient funds to meet the companies’ financial obligations.  By March 2014, the approximate combined balance of all the entities’ bank accounts was just $8,600. 

            As a result, over a roughly four-month period in early 2014, Schmidt masterminded a scheme to defraud and attempt to defraud Bank of America and SunTrust Bank of approximately $746,885.59 in funds controlled by the banks. Specifically, using various methods, Schmidt deposited fraudulent and forged checks into investment fund bank accounts that he controlled, then transferred and used the money for, amongst other things, his own benefit and use. In doing so, according to the government’s evidence, Schmidt abused his position of private trust with the investors of the various CEP and FGC-related entities.

            As the scheme continued to unravel, on April 10, 2014, Schmidt boarded a one-way flight from the United States to London, where he remained until his arrest and extradition. Prior to leaving the United States, Schmidt wrote two letters to family members in which he stated, among other things, “[a]t this point in my life I have three choices, suicide, prison more than likely or to try and start over and make right by everyone.” Thereafter, on or about July 24, 2015, in responding to a message sent to him on LinkedIn from one of his investors, Schmidt wrote, “I know the federal government would like to prosecute me and I cannot blame them.”

            On June 1, 2014, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in Civil Action No. 14-cv-1002 (CRC), against Schmidt, CEP, FutureGen, and the entities Schmidt controlled.  The court entered final judgment against Schmidt on October 3, 2018, and entered final judgment against CEP, FutureGen, and the additional entities that Schmidt controlled on March 11, 2019.

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs in the Department’s Criminal Division, the United States Marshals Service, and the government of the United Kingdom provided substantial assistance in securing Schmidt’s arrest and extradition. The SEC also provided substantial assistance in this investigation.

            The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anne P. McNamara and David B. Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia testified today at a hearing on the District of Columbia Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021.

            Elana Suttenberg, Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, testified at a hearing of the District of Columbia Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety. Today’s hearing is the third in a series. As stated today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to continuously seeking to improve the criminal law and the criminal justice system in the District, and looks forward to continuing to engage the Council and the community in a discussion of how to make our criminal law more fair and just for all.

            Special Counsel Suttenberg also provided written remarks, below:

STATEMENT OF ELANA SUTTENBERG

SPECIAL COUNSEL TO THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Thursday, December 16, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

Virtual Hearing via Zoom

            Chairman Allen and Members of the Council:

            My name is Elana Suttenberg, and I am the Special Counsel for Legislative Affairs at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC). I thank you for the opportunity to appear at today’s public hearing regarding the “Revised Criminal Code Act of 2021” (RCCA).

            USAO-DC supports the goal of reforming the D.C. criminal code to ensure that statutes are clear and consistent, logically ordered, and proportionate in their penalties. In many ways, the RCCA is consistent with that goal, and we appreciate the Council considering these recommendations further. The RCCA is the product of a tremendous amount of work by the D.C. Criminal Code Reform Commission (CCRC) Executive Director, CCRC staff, and Advisory Group members, and we recognize their efforts. The RCCA creates many positive reforms to the criminal code, and is an important part of criminal justice reform in the District. USAO-DC participated as a member of the CCRC Advisory Group, and we voted in favor of submitting the final recommendations to the Council and Mayor. At the time of the vote, however, we were clear that our vote was not intended to express support for all of the CCRC’s recommendations. While we were supportive of moving this process forward, we believe that there are some substantial remaining issues that should be addressed before the Council takes final action.

            Our most significant concerns focus on accountability for the most violent crimes (such as child sexual abuse, murder, burglary, robbery, and carjacking), and that some of the RCCA proposals are not integrally related to substantive criminal law and overlook the realities of certain resource constraints impacting Superior Court and our office. My testimony today will highlight those significant concerns, and my subsequent written testimony will address additional concerns.

Provisions that Should Be Disaggregated from the Revised Criminal Code Act

              Initially, there are several provisions that are not integrally related to the substantive criminal law that the CCRC was tasked with revising. These provisions should be disaggregated from the RCCA and considered on their own merit as separate legislation. A reform of the substantive criminal laws is already a tremendous endeavor that will have a significant impact on the criminal justice system. The RCCA should focus first and foremost on these substantive criminal laws, and the Council should consider these additional procedural provisions—if at all—once the criminal justice system has responded to the RCCA’s impacts. Even though we believe that these provisions should be disaggregated from the RCCA, we offer the following concerns.

Expanded Right to a Jury Trial for Misdemeanors

            The RCCA proposes dramatically expanding the right to a jury trial for misdemeanor offenses, such that, within several years, all offenses punishable by any period of incarceration would be jury demandable. See RCCA Amendments to D.C. Code § 16-705.

            We respect the right to a jury in appropriate cases, including all felony cases. Jury demandability requirements for misdemeanors, however, should remain consistent with current law. When considering any changes to the jury demandability provisions, we strongly encourage the Council to closely engage with D.C. Superior Court to understand their resources, their funding, and how any change would both directly impact cases on the criminal dockets and indirectly impact cases on other dockets through the diversion of resources. Given the import of this change, we would encourage the Council to seek testimony on this proposal from D.C. Superior Court. Under non-pandemic court operations, there are approximately 3 to 5 misdemeanor cases scheduled for trial every day in each of the 6 general misdemeanor courtrooms, and approximately 2 trials a day in each of the 2 domestic violence misdemeanor courtrooms (that is, roughly 110 to 170 misdemeanor trials per week). By contrast, there is approximately 1 felony case scheduled for trial every day in each of the 8 felony courtrooms (that is, roughly 40 trials per week), and approximately 1 felony case scheduled for trial per week for the 4 to 5 calendars that handle the most serious felony cases (including sexual abuse and murder). Creating new rights to demand a jury in misdemeanor cases will strain both court and prosecutorial resources. Jury trials typically take longer to complete than bench trials, and must be scheduled farther in advance than bench trials. Consequently, creating additional misdemeanor jury trials would require more judges, more jurors (which would result in D.C. residents being called for jury duty more frequently), and additional prosecutorial resources. Further, felony cases—especially felony cases involving a detained defendant—are typically prioritized for trials in the court system, so it will likely take longer for misdemeanor cases to go to trial. This may result in delayed justice for victims, as victims will invariably need to wait longer for cases to resolve at trial, even in relatively straightforward misdemeanor cases. To our knowledge, no one has begun to analyze what it would take to create the infrastructure to handle a two-to-four-fold increase in the number of scheduled jury trials, what constraints exist that are beyond the District’s control (such as the current size of Superior Court), and what delays in justice could ensue from all of these changes. Given the consequences involved, these issues should be analyzed and discussed before any action is taken.

Deferred Dispositions for Misdemeanors

            The RCCA proposes that, for every misdemeanor, when a defendant is found guilty of the offense, the court may defer further proceedings and place a defendant on probation before judgment for a period not to exceed one year. Under the proposal, if the defendant does not violate any of the conditions of probation, the court “shall” dismiss the proceedings. Following a dismissal, the defendant may move to seal the arrest and court proceedings. See RCCA § 22A-602(c).

            We support the desire to expand diversion for low-level offenses, in recognition that a conviction may not be the most fair and just result in all cases. Consistent with that recognition, we have been working to expand our pre-trial diversion program with the goal of maximizing public safety, reducing recidivism, and enhancing a fair and efficient criminal justice system. The RCCA proposal, however, would allow judicially crafted diversion after a trial or guilty plea for all misdemeanor offenses—including the most serious misdemeanor offenses, such as certain sex offenses involving adult and child victims, domestic violence, stalking, and voyeurism. To guide our diversion, we have detailed internal guidelines for which defendants are eligible for these diversions (which helps ensure similarly situated defendants are treated the same) and the types of diversion opportunities that should be available for a particular defendant. In short, we have a standardized system for identifying defendants who could benefit from diversion and then offering them the most appropriate diversion opportunity. By contrast, there have been no developed guidelines regarding the implementation of judicially led diversion, including what types of diversion may be most appropriate for a particular defendant or case. We want to ensure that our pre-trial diversion program is robust, allowing for the most appropriate plea agreement or diversion opportunity, and creating consistency between cases; this proposal may undermine our ability to accomplish that goal.

Universal Second Look

            The RCCA proposes expanding the Second Look (also known as IRAA/Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act) provisions to allow any person—regardless of their age at the time of the offense—to petition the court for review of their sentence after the person has been incarcerated for 15 years. See RCCA Amendments to D.C. Code § 24-403.03.

            We recommend that the Council delay consideration of this proposal. We recognize that the goal of a sentencing review mechanism is to offer second chances, and to ensure that people who have served their time have opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry. This proposal, however, would expand second look review from current law, which was significantly expanded by the Council earlier this year. Based on data obtained from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) this past summer, there are currently 460 people in the custody of BOP who became immediately eligible to apply for a sentence reduction as a result of the recently enacted Second Look Act, which allowed a person who was between 18 and 24 years old at the time they committed an offense and who has served 15 years’ incarceration to move for release. Expanding the current IRAA to permit a universal second look would allow an additional 335 individuals in the custody of BOP who were 25 or older at the time of their offense and have served 15 years’ incarceration to immediately move for release. Given that this pool of eligible individuals was so recently expanded, we encourage the Council to delay further consideration of any additional expansion. Before any additional expansion, we should review the impacts of this expansion, including offenses—particularly violent offenses—committed by people released under this provision, the impact that this expansion has had on victims and their families, the supports available to assist victims with navigating this process, and the supports available to assist individuals released under this provision with reentry and reintegration to society.

Concerns with Substantive Criminal Law Proposals Under the Revised Criminal Code Act

Burglary Penalties

            The RCCA proposes creating three gradations of Burglary. First Degree Burglary—which requires that a victim directly perceive the defendant inside a dwelling—would be punishable by a maximum of 4 years’ incarceration, and Enhanced First Degree Burglary—committed with a firearm or dangerous weapon—would be punishable by a maximum of 8 years’ incarceration.[1] See RCCA § 22A-3801.

            However, the RCCA’s proposed maximum penalties for First Degree Burglary and Enhanced First Degree Burglary do not adequately account for the harms and trauma that can be incurred by what is, in essence, a home invasion. A statutory maximum does not represent the legislature’s sense of what the minimum amount, or even average amount, of punishment associated with a crime should entail. Rather, a statutory maximum—by definition—reflects the legislature’s belief as to what a person should be sentenced to for committing the worst possible version of that offense. Homes are where people live, where they keep their children safe, where they store their most valuable and sentimental possessions, and where they feel most secure. A burglary can shatter this sense of security, sometimes irrevocably. The maximum penalty for this crime, therefore, should recognize that a burglary violates the sanctity of the home, and the maximum penalty should be increased so that it is commensurate with the harms that can be caused by this type of invasion. Notably, the District’s Sentencing Guidelines categorize First Degree Burglary as a Group 5 offense—a person convicted of this offense with the lowest criminal history would face a guideline range of between 3 and 7 years in prison; a person convicted of this offense with the highest criminal history would face a guideline range of 7 years or more in prison. The Guidelines categorize First Degree Burglary While Armed as a Group 3 offense—a person convicted of this offense with the lowest criminal history would face a guideline range of between 7.5 and 15 years in prison; a person convicted of this offense with the highest criminal history would face a guideline range of 11.5 years or more in prison. The RCCA proposal represents an unwarranted departure.

Robbery and Carjacking Penalties

            The RCCA proposes creating three gradations of Robbery, depending on the level of bodily injury suffered by the victim, and the type of property that was involved. A robbery that did not result in serious or significant bodily injury, and where the property taken was valued at less than $5,000, would be categorized as Third Degree Robbery, with a statutory maximum of 2 years’ incarceration. Committing this offense while armed with a firearm would be categorized as Enhanced Third Degree Robbery, with a statutory maximum of 4 years’ incarceration, with a higher maximum penalty if the firearm actually caused bodily injury to the victim. The RCCA also proposes subsuming the offense of Carjacking into Robbery. Unarmed Carjacking would be categorized as Second Degree Robbery, with a statutory maximum of 4 years’ incarceration, and Armed Carjacking would be categorized as Enhanced Second Degree Robbery, with a statutory maximum of 8 years’ incarceration. See RCCA § 22A-2201.

            While we could support reductions in the maximum penalties for these offenses, the proposed reductions are simply too great. The maximum penalty for Carjacking should recognize that Carjacking is akin to burglary in some ways, as it may involve a traumatic intrusion into a person’s personal and presumed secure space.[2] It also results in the loss of what is often a much more significant asset than is lost in another form of robbery. Further, the proposed maximum penalties for Robbery and Enhanced Robbery are insufficient to account for the harms that can be incurred in a robbery, particularly where the robbery is committed while armed with a dangerous weapon. For example, under the RCCA proposal, both a defendant who held a gun to a victim’s head and threatened to kill the victim in connection with a robbery and a defendant who fired a gun indiscriminately at a victim, but did not hit the victim because of bad aim, could each be sentenced to a maximum of 4 years’ incarceration for that offense. A maximum possible sentence of 4 years’ incarceration would be woefully inadequate for such conduct. Notably, the District’s Sentencing Guidelines categorize Robbery as a Group 6 offense—a person convicted of this offense with the lowest criminal history would face a guideline range of between 1.5 and 5 years; a person convicted of this offense with the highest criminal history would face a guideline range of 3.5 years or more in prison. The Guidelines categorize Armed Robbery as a Group 5 offense—a person convicted of this offense with the lowest criminal history would face a guideline range of between 3 and 7 years in prison; a person convicted of this offense with the highest criminal history would face a guideline range of 7 years or more in prison. The RCCA’s proposed departure is unwarranted.

Felony Murder

            The RCCA proposes eliminating accomplice liability for felony murder. See RCCA § 22A-2101(g). The RCCA also proposes requiring that, for felony murder, the lethal act be committed “in the course of and in furtherance of committing or attempting to commit” the predicate offense, and proposes limiting the predicate offenses for felony murder from current law, including eliminating certain types of child physical abuse and other serious crimes as potential predicates for a felony murder conviction. See RCCA § 22A-2101(b)(3).

            However, we recommend that, with respect to accomplice liability, the Council adopt a compromise position, and create an affirmative defense to felony murder. Under this affirmative defense, a defendant would not be liable for felony murder if the defendant could prove that they did not commit the lethal act, and either believed no participant in the predicate felony offense intended to cause death or serious bodily injury, or made reasonable efforts to prevent another participant from causing the death or serious bodily injury of another. Notably, creating such an affirmative defense is consistent with a previous recommendation of the CCRC. This compromise position recognizes that accomplice liability for felony murder is necessary in many situations because, even where it is possible to prove the identity of the perpetrators of the offense, it is often not possible to identify the specific offender who “commit[ed] the lethal act.” Without some form of accomplice liability, crimes committed by multiple perpetrators would escape felony murder liability, while the same offense committed by a single perpetrator could result in felony murder liability. For example, a gang rape perpetrated by two or more individuals that resulted in the victim’s death may result in no liability for murder, as it may not be possible to determine which defendant committed the lethal act. A father and mother both systematically abusing their child, resulting in the child’s death, may result in no liability for murder. Where two individuals fire gunshots at a victim at the same time in the course of an armed robbery or carjacking, and it is impossible to prove which bullet caused the victim’s death, there may be no liability for murder. These examples show the necessity of accomplice liability for felony murder in situations where its absence would otherwise mean that neither person responsible for killing someone in the course of what is an inherently dangerous and violent offense is held accountable for murder. In murder cases, unlike for other offenses, the murdered victim cannot provide any information about what happened during the offense. By altering liability for accomplices under a felony murder theory, the RCCA proposal would effectively remove murder liability for certain felony murders committed by groups of perpetrators. Indeed, the more people who commit the predicate offense together, the less likely it would be that liability could attach for felony murder.

Defense to Child Sexual Abuse

            The RCCA proposes departing from long-standing District law that mistake of age is not a legal defense to child sexual abuse,[3] and creating an affirmative defense to felony child sexual abuse where: (1) the victim is 14 or 15 years old (or 16 or 17, in the case of sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust or authority); (2) the defendant reasonably believes the victim is 16 or older (or 18 or older, in the case of sexual abuse by a person in a position of trust or authority); and (3) the reasonable belief is based on an oral or written statement that the victim made to the defendant about the victim’s age. See RCCA § 22A-2302(g)(2)-(3). For less severe forms of child sexual abuse, the government would be required to prove, as an element, that the defendant was reckless as to the victim’s age. See RCCA § 22A-2304(a)(1)(A) (Sexually suggestive conduct with a minor); RCCA § 22A-2305(a)(2)(A) (Enticing a minor into sexual conduct); RCCA § 22A-2306(a)(2) (Arranging for sexual conduct with a minor or person incapable of consenting).

           However, because this defense would allow for the introduction of evidence regarding the defendant’s objectively “reasonable belief” as to the age of the victim, the existence of this defense could, practically, create a legally sanctioned justification for the defense to introduce evidence that would otherwise have no probative value at trial. For example, to show an objectively “reasonable belief,” the defendant may seek to elicit testimony relating to the child victim’s appearance, including the child victim’s physical development, maturity, and clothing, or photos of how the child victim presents themselves on social media. This testimony would be elicited to show why the victim appeared to be older than the victim’s true age. Allowing evidence of the defendant’s “reasonable belief” would allow this type of demeaning and humiliating evidence to be deemed probative and, thus, admissible at trial. If this proposal goes into effect, a defendant may also seek to introduce evidence currently precluded by the Rape Shield Law[4] regarding the victim’s prior sexual behavior to validate their “reasonable belief” that the child victim was of consenting age. Such evidence could include, for example, the victim’s known history of engaging in sexual acts with adults, prior pregnancies or births, involvement in prostitution and/or other sexually related behavior of an adult nature that suggested to the defendant that the victim was of a legally mature age. This evidence is the exact type that exposes the extremely intimate life of the victim (and here, a child victim) that the Rape Shield Law was specifically designed to exclude except in the most unusual cases where the probative value of the evidence is precisely demonstrated. We account for compelling fact patterns in exercising our charging discretion, where—despite the strict liability for this offense—a person may have reasonably believed that the victim was not underage. Allowing for this legal defense, however, may permit the defendant to elicit evidence at trial in a manner that is inappropriate, unnecessarily humiliating for the sexual assault victim, and directly contrary to the compelling policy reasons behind the Rape Shield Law.[5]

Requirement that Certain Sexual Conduct Have a “Sexual” Intent

            The RCCA proposes adding the modifier “sexually” to certain conduct before it can constitute a “sexual act” or “sexual contact,” such that certain behavior would only constitute a sexual offense if the defendant has a “sexual” intent. See RCCA §§ 22A-101(118)(c), 22A-101(119)(B)(ii).[6]

        However, adding the modifier “sexually” would constitute an ill-advised change from current law, as it would unduly limit situations where the defendant’s conduct should qualify as a sexual act or sexual contact. Sexual violence can be about power and control, not sex or sexual gratification. When committing a sexual offense, a defendant may be motivated by a desire to be violent or to assert power over a victim, not necessarily to be sexually aroused. For example, if, at a fraternity or sorority hazing, a defendant publicly penetrated another person with an object, the defendant may not have been acting with a sexual desire, but may have been acting with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, or degrade the victim. This would and should constitute a sexual offense. Further, even where a victim clearly experiences a sexual violation, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to prove that a defendant committed the offense for a sexual reason. For example, if a defendant grabs the vagina, breast, or buttocks of a stranger, that victim likely will feel sexually violated, and the conduct should constitute a sexual offense. Absent evidence of the defendant having an erection or outwardly manifesting sexual pleasure through words or actions—which is rare in many cases, particularly those involving sudden, brief, sexual assaults of strangers—the government may not be able to prove that the defendant’s actions were sexually arousing or gratifying. The government, however, would be able to show that, at a minimum, the defendant intended to humiliate, degrade, or harass the victim.

Mandatory Minimums

            The RCCA proposes eliminating all mandatory minimum sentences from the D.C. Code. See RCCA § 22A-603. While we recognize and agree with the desire to reduce the number of mandatory minimums, we cannot support eliminating them all, and argue that two in particular should remain in light of their direct relation to serious violent crime. First, the 30-year mandatory minimum sentence for premeditated First Degree Murder should be maintained. District law has long provided for a minimum sentence for First Degree Murder, an offense that is uniformly viewed as the most serious offense. Every state has some mandatory minimum for First Degree Murder, and the concern that a mandatory minimum sentence may lead to a disproportionately harsh sentence for a less serious offense does not apply to First Degree Murder. Second, the 5-year mandatory minimum for committing a crime of violence while armed with a firearm should be maintained. Under the RCCA’s proposed structure, a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence should attach to an enhancement that involves a dangerous weapon or imitation dangerous weapon, where: (1) the underlying offense is a crime of violence; and (2) the weapon involved was a firearm or imitation firearm. This would attach a mandatory minimum to offenses such as armed carjacking, armed sexual assault, armed robbery, and armed kidnapping, but would not extend a mandatory minimum to drug-related offenses. The presence of any firearm is inherently dangerous and can create a significant risk of violence—including a risk of violence to both intended and unintended victims—and the presence of that firearm during a crime of violence necessitates a proportionate sentence. A minimum sentence reflects the community and the legislature’s sense that committing a crime of violence while armed is unacceptable by community standards, and will be penalized accordingly.

 

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            USAO-DC is committed to continuously seeking to improve the criminal law and the criminal justice system in the District, and looks forward to continuing to engage the Council and the community in a discussion of how to make our criminal law more fair and just for all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Because the RCCA proposes removing the requirement in current law that, at the time of sentencing, a period of incarceration be reserved as back-up time under D.C. Code § 24-403.01(b-1), these RCCA maximum penalties correspond to maximums of 5 years’ and 10 years’ incarceration, respectively, under current law.

 

[2] See, e.g., Dan Morse and Luz Lazo, With Carjackings on the Rise, this Trio of Fed-Up Strangers Intervened, Washington Post (December 4, 2021) (“For victims, the suddenness of being carjacked can extend out the trauma. One moment, they’re in their car—something often associated with contentment, whether it’s listening to music or smelling a fresh coffee nestled in the cup holder—the next moment there’s a gun or knife stuck in their face, said Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. ‘It’s just as bad, really, as an armed person coming into your house,’ Herrmann said. In Montgomery County, victims’ advocate Greg Wims has worked with carjacking survivors for nearly 30 years. It can take days or weeks to fully realize the danger they went through. ‘Then the thought really hits: I was almost killed over my car,’ said Wims, founder of the Victims’ Rights Foundation.”).

 

[3] See D.C. Code § 22-3011(a).

 

[4] See D.C. Code §§ 22-3021, 3022.

 

[5] See Scott v. United States, 953 A.2d 1082, 1089 (D.C. 2008) (the purpose of the Rape Shield Law is to “safeguard against unwarned invasions of privacy” and “to exclude legally irrelevant evidence that may distract the jury or lead it to discount the complainant’s injury because of societal stereotypes and prejudices”).

 

[6] Under the RCCA proposal, a “sexual act” would include: “Penetration, however slight, of the anus or vulva of any person by any body part or by any object, with the desire to sexually abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, arouse, or gratify any person, or at the direction of someone with such a desire” (emphasis added). RCCA §§ 22A-101(118)(c). A “sexual contact” would include: “Touching of the clothed or unclothed genitalia, anus, groin, breast, inner thigh, or buttocks of any person: (i) With any clothed or unclothed body part or any object, either directly or through the clothing; and (ii) With the desire to sexually abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, arouse, or gratify any person, or at the direction of someone with such a desire” (emphasis added). RCCA § 22A-101(119)(B)(ii).

WASHINGTON – Lamont Johnson, 45, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 35 years in prison on federal charges of conspiring to traffic in large quantities of Phencyclidine (PCP) and related narcotics and firearms offenses.

            Johnson was found guilty by a jury in February 2020, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, of the conspiracy charge, as well as charges of possessing with the intent to distribute large quantities of PCP, possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. He was sentenced on Dec. 15, 2021, by the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan. 

            The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division,  Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the U.S. Park Police, Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD),  U.S. Marshal Lamont Ruffin, and Malik Aziz, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Maryland Police.  

            Johnson was arrested in October 2017 following an extensive law enforcement investigation into violence and drug trafficking in areas of Southeast Washington, including the 16th Street, W Street, and Good Hope Road area. He has been in custody ever since.

            According to the government’s evidence, which included court-authorized wiretaps, search warrants, GPS trackers, and undercover purchases of narcotics, Johnson was the main supplier of PCP to a drug trafficking ring that was indicted in an eight-co-defendant, 55-count indictment.  Johnson was supplied gallon-quantities of PCP from West Coast suppliers, and he redistributed the PCP to other wholesale-level PCP suppliers in the District of Columbia.  The evidence established that Johnson used threats and intimidation in his PCP trafficking operation, including with an AR-15 assault rifle that was seized from him along with over a kilogram of PCP and related drug trafficking paraphernalia. 

            During the investigation, federal law enforcement officers seized approximately 2.5 kilograms of PCP; ¼ kilogram of heroin; ½ kilogram of cocaine; 50 grams of crack cocaine base; assorted drug trafficking paraphernalia; and firearms, including Johnson’s AR-15 assault rifle, laser scopes, ammunition, and high-capacity magazines. 

            This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the ATF’s Washington Field Division, the U.S. Park Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney George Eliopoulos and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Rommel Pachoca, Katie Thomas and Catherine O’Neal, and Legal Assistants Emma Atlas and Kate Abrey.

 

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man has been charged in a 10-count indictment with carrying out a scheme to steal a residence located in the District of Columbia and then reselling the property to an unsuspecting buyer.

            Franklin A. Olaitan, 48, of Beltsville, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The indictment against him was also unsealed today.  He was released following his initial court appearance, pending further court proceedings.

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

            As alleged in the indictment, Olaitan perpetrated a scheme in which he obtained a residential real property located in the 2000 block of First Street NW by submitting false documents to lenders, a settlement company, and the District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds. It is alleged that Olaitan quickly resold the residential property to an unsuspecting buyer and received the seller’s proceeds from both purported sales of the property.  In the real estate closings, first, a lender paid approximately $420,000 and, second, a purchaser paid about $550,000.

            Olaitan is charged with four counts of wire fraud, two counts of interstate transportation of stolen property, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of identity theft, and one count of first-degree fraud. The indictment includes a notification of the United States’ intent to seek the forfeiture of any proceeds Olaitan received as a result of the fraud scheme, identity theft, and interstate transportation of stolen property.

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

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas of the Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Daniel Haines and Mariela Andrade.

 

WASHINGTON – A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 28 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to a felony charge involving a threat he made to shoot House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

            According to court documents, Cleveland Grover Meredith, Jr., 53, of Hayesville, N.C., traveled from Colorado to Washington D.C. and arrived late in the evening of Jan. 6, 2021, after the riots at the U.S. Capitol had ended. He had planned to arrive in Washington on Jan. 5 and attend various rallies. On Jan. 7, while at a hotel in Washington, D.C., he sent a text message to one of his relatives who was then in Georgia. The text message included a threat directed toward House Speaker Pelosi. The relative contacted Meredith’s mother, who then contacted the FBI.

            The FBI located Meredith at a hotel approximately one mile from the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7, and arrested him. He gave consent to search his phone, truck and trailer, which was physically present at the hotel. The FBI found a 9 mm semi-automatic firearm, an assault-style rifle with a telescopic sight, approximately 2,500 rounds of ammunition, and multiple large-capacity ammunition feeding devices inside the trailer. Meredith has been detained since his arrest.

            Meredith pleaded guilty on Sept. 10, 2021, in the District of Columbia to interstate communication of threats. At sentencing, Judge Amy Berman Jackson also ordered that Meredith must serve a period of three years of supervised release, following completion of his prison term.

            This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            In the 11 months since Jan. 6, more than 700 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 220 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 – Tyrell Morris, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to serve 15 years in prison for a pair of armed robberies he committed over a six-week period this summer in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Morris pleaded guilty in September 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of armed robbery and related firearms offenses. He was sentenced by the Honorable J. Michael Ryan to 18 years in prison; however, three years of that time was suspended on the condition that Morris successfully complete five years of supervised probation.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 22, 2021, at approximately 7:35 a.m., Morris and an accomplice approached a man in the mouth of an alley behind the 1700 block of Gales Street NE, demanding everything that he had. The man, who had been walking, had a bag containing his phone and wallet. Morris brandished a firearm, which he then used to hit the victim across his face and head. When the victim turned to run away, Morris fired at him several times, hitting the victim once in the leg. Morris and the accomplice then fled with the bag.

            The second robbery took place on Aug. 29, 2021, at approximately 10:10 a.m. The victim was using an ATM located inside a small building in the 1100 block of H Street NE, in the process of withdrawing money. As he was doing so, Morris and an accomplice entered the building. Morris aimed a firearm at the victim and demanded money. He took approximately $70 from the man, as well as the victim’s ATM card, which Morris used to withdraw approximately $1,000. Morris and the accomplice then left.

            Morris was arrested on Sept. 7, 2021, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department into a series of armed robberies. 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 worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews Yette, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andy Wang, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Demetrius Pierce, also known as Orlando Little, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for fatally shooting an employee of a Northeast Washington food mart during an early-morning robbery in November 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Pierce, 35, of Washington, D.C., also was sentenced to an additional 180 days of incarceration for stabbing another inmate last year at the District of Columbia Jail.

            Pierce pleaded guilty in September 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to second-degree murder while armed. He also pleaded guilty to simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon, both misdemeanors, for the attack at the jail. He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Following his prison term, Pierce will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 3, 2018, shortly after 6 a.m., Pierce entered the food mart in the 900 block of Brentwood Road NE. At the time, store employee Nazir Ahmad was in a rear area of the store, away from the cash register. Pierce went behind the counter to the cashier area and unplugged and removed the cash register. As Mr. Ahmad returned to the cashier area, he saw Pierce, raised his hands, and began to back up. Mr. Ahmad retreated to the employee area, which has a door that shuts. However, Pierce shot through the door. Pierce then fired another shot at the front door of the mart as he left with the cash register.

            Mr. Ahmad, 68, was taken to a hospital but died a short time later. The D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined he died from gunshot wounds to the left shoulder and leg.

            Pierce was arrested on Nov. 26, 2018 and has been in custody ever since.

            While incarcerated at the D.C. Jail, on Dec. 5, 2020, Pierce approached another inmate, who was seated in a television room, and stabbed him multiple times in the torso.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Conte. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Prava Palacharla and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Puja Bhatia, who prosecuted the murder case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Bartz, who prosecuted the jail attack.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against the officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who was involved in the fatal shooting, in May 2021, of Vedo Hall in Southeast Washington.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included interviews of civilian and law enforcement witnesses as well as a review of physical evidence, recorded radio communications, Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage, medical reports, and reports from the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the evidence, shortly after 11 a.m. on May 24, 2021, MPD Seventh District Officers were dispatched to an apartment in the 1200 block of Mississippi Avenue SE, to check on the welfare of a woman who reportedly was being held against her will by her ex-boyfriend, Mr. Hall. Additionally, Mr. Hall was reported to be armed with a firearm. Officers knocked on the apartment door and announced, “police!” Mr. Hall replied, “I’m about to shoot!” The woman was heard from inside the apartment stating, “Please don’t! please don’t!” Mr. Hall then opened the apartment door and again stated, “I’m about to shoot.” Officers saw Mr. Hall was armed with a rifle, and Mr. Hall then closed the door to the apartment.

            Members of MPD’s Emergency Response Team (ERT) subsequently breached the door and entered the apartment. They determined that the apartment was empty. A rear window on the apartment was open and the screen had been pushed out.  It appeared that Mr. Hall and his ex-girlfriend had fled the apartment before the officers set up a perimeter.

            Hours later, at approximately 3 p.m., two other MPD officers responded to the 1300 block of Alabama Avenue SE after MPD developed information that the woman’s cellphone was near that location. The officers exited their patrol vehicle and proceeded to walk westbound in the 1300 block of Alabama Avenue SE.

            One officer entered a gate that led to the walkway of the breezeway on the south side of 1351 Alabama Avenue SE. He was immediately confronted by Mr. Hall at the entrance into the breezeway. Mr. Hall was holding a large cardboard box in front of him with both his right and left hands. The officer forced his way between the fence and the side of the building and made his way onto the breezeway. Mr. Hall began to back away from the officer and drew a rifle from the cardboard box he was holding. Mr. Hall’s ex-girlfriend, who had been standing next to Mr. Hall, screamed and ran away. The officer drew his service pistol and backed away from Mr. Hall. The officer yelled, “Stop! Stop! Put it down!” Mr. Hall, with his right hand on the grip of the rifle, took up a shooting stance and pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer then discharged two rounds from his service pistol, striking Mr. Hall once in the face and once in the left leg.

            Mr. Hall, 26, died from a gunshot wound to the head.

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers used excessive force under the circumstances.

Use-of-force investigations generally

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.  To prove such violations, prosecutors must typically be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary.  Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden.  Prosecutors must not only prove that the force used was excessive, but must also prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids. 

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

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for repeatedly stabbing an ex-girlfriend after he accosted her when she was leaving her workplace in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Meverard Edward Paul, 30, of Adelphi, Maryland, also known as Meverard Edward, pleaded guilty in February 2020, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with intent to kill while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 14 to 18 years. The Honorable Milton C. Lee accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Paul will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Paul threatened his ex-girlfriend after she broke up with him in January 2018. She subsequently obtained a civil protective order in Maryland. Paul complied with the order for about a week, but then he began contacting the woman from social media accounts and various phone numbers. Then, at 11 p.m. on May 15, 2018, he followed her into her car as she left work in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW.

            Paul repeatedly stabbed the woman with a kitchen knife, pulled her out of the car by her hair, and dragged her into a stairwell and down a flight of stairs before cutting her throat. He then pulled her across the street into a wooded area, where he demanded that she drop the civil protective order and made further threats. He then forced her back to the car to start driving him home, but she convinced him to let her drive herself to the hospital, alone. She had stab wounds to her face, hands, forearms, and buttocks, along with the laceration to her throat.

            Paul was arrested on May 18, 2018 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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eliot Folsom, Eric S. Nguyen, Grace Richards, Michael McGovern, and Lauren Galloway.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice announced today that it has awarded more than $17.5 million in grants to support the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program. Funding will support efforts across the country to address violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. The District of Columbia Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants was awarded $102,828 to administer PSN grants in the District of Columbia.

            Overall, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), will administer the 88 grant awards, which are being made to designated fiscal agents across the nation to support local PSN projects that work in partnership with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

            “This latest Project Safe Neighborhoods grant is critical to addressing the violent crime threatening cities and towns all across our country,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “Ensuring the safety of all Americans is the highest priority for the Department of Justice, but when it comes to violent crime, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We have to work closely with local public safety agencies as well as community organizations to craft individual strategies unique to each community’s needs. Programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods and the funding it provides allow us to do just that.”

            “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is fortunate to work with so many outstanding community partners in the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “The grants being awarded today will support our comprehensive efforts to reduce gun violence in partnership with organizations committed to a multi-pronged approach tied to community engagement.”

            In the District of Columbia, grant funds have previously been used to support neighborhood-level efforts focused on 18-24-year-olds, an age group that was selected because of the extent to which they have been perpetrators or victims of gun violence. Community-based organizations have hosted local events, negotiated ceasefires between feuding groups, promoted available resources through pop-up events, and led safety walks, among other activities.

            With approval from BJA, and upon acceptance of the award, the D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants will begin the process of making subawards for PSN grant projects.

            “Investing in our communities, supporting victims and building a justice system that both keeps people safe and earns their trust – these are mutually reinforcing goals that stand at the heart of Project Safe Neighborhoods,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon for OJP. “The Office of Justice Programs is pleased to join with our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and with jurisdictions across the country, as we work together to meet the challenges of crime and violence and achieve our shared aspirations of public safety and community trust.”

            In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced a new effort to reduce violent crime, including the gun violence that is often at its core. Integral to that effort was the reinvigoration of PSN, a two-decade old evidence-based and community-oriented program focused on reducing violent crime. The updated PSN approach, outlined in the department’s Comprehensive Strategy for Reducing Violent Crime issued by Deputy Attorney General Monaco, is guided by four key principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results of our efforts. The fundamental goal is to reduce violent crime, not simply to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions.

            This fall, U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country have enhanced their violent crime reduction efforts to ensure alignment with the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices have engaged in outreach to law enforcement and other agencies and organizations serving communities to identify the most significant drivers of violence in their districts. Working together with a broad coalition of stakeholders, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices are addressing the most pressing violent crime issues in their district to make our neighborhoods safer for all. PSN programs are led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices in collaboration with local public safety agencies, community stakeholders, and other agencies and organizations that work to reduce violent crime.

            For a list of all grantees, please visit the link HERE.

            The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at  www.ojp.gov.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced the successful forfeiture of two large caches of Iranian arms, including 171 surface-to-air missiles and eight anti-tank missiles, as well as approximately 1.1 million barrels of Iranian petroleum products. The U.S. Navy seized the weapons from two vessels in the Arabian Sea while conducting routine maritime security operations. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, orchestrated the arms shipments, which were destined for Houthi militants in Yemen. The U.S. government similarly seized the Iranian petroleum products from four foreign-flagged tankers in or around the Arabian Sea while en route to Venezuela. These actions represent the government’s largest-ever forfeitures of fuel and weapons shipments from Iran.

            The U.S. government sold the seized petroleum products pursuant to a court order. The net proceeds of that sale, $26,681,397.67 before interest, may be directed, in whole or in part, to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund now that the case has concluded.

            “The actions of the United States in these two cases strike a resounding blow to the Government of Iran and to the criminal networks supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to use all available tools to combat the threats posed by terrorist organizations and all those who seek to harm the United States and its allies.”

            “These two cases demonstrate that not only can we disrupt the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ability to finance its operations through petroleum sales, but we can also thwart its ability to use the proceeds of such sales to arm its terrorist proxies and export terrorism abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Given our expertise and special statutory authority, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is uniquely positioned to support its law enforcement partners in such terrorism cases. We are deeply committed to this mission.”

            “The combined efforts of the FBI and our partners to seize missiles and over a million barrels of petroleum demonstrate our commitment to defend against foreign terrorist organizations and enforce U.S. sanctions,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The Government of Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism has left innocent victims in its wake and its attempts to support regimes dangerous to the United States and our allies will be met with the full force of the law. The FBI has a continued resolve to hold the Government of Iran accountable for its illegal actions, and we urge anyone with information about violations of sanctions on Iran to contact the FBI.”

            “This case is a success because of the hard work and dedication of a joint agency team including agents, analysts and prosecutors who, by securing illegal petroleum, have helped curtail Iran’s campaign of violence and unrest throughout the Middle East,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.

            “The results announced today by the Department of Justice represent another significant victory for HSI in its ongoing efforts to thwart the nefarious criminal activities of the Iranian regime and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Special Agent in Charge Ray Villanueva of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington. “Protecting our homeland from transnational threats of any kind remains a top priority for HSI.  The actions conducted by HSI and our partner organizations, both at home and abroad, demonstrate that no matter where in the world Iran attempts to violate sanctions and arm dangerous entities, HSI stands ready to disrupt their activities and defend the national security of the United States.”

            “The illegal transfer of Iranian-made weapons poses a significant and immediate threat to our national security,” said Director Kelly P. Mayo of the Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General’s criminal investigative arm, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “The judgement announced today is an important step in our efforts to identify, disrupt, and bring to justice those who imperil resources vital to our safety.”

            U.S. Navy Central Command (NAVCENT) seized the weapons from two flagless vessels in the Arabian Sea on Nov. 25, 2019 and Feb. 9, 2020, respectively. The weapons included 171 guided anti-tank missiles, eight surface-to-air missiles, land attack cruise missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, thermal weapons optics, and other components for missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

            On Aug. 20, 2020, the Justice Department filed a complaint seeking to forfeit the seized weapons in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint alleged that the arms shipments were part of an IRGC trafficking network designed to distribute illicit weapons to the Houthi movement in Yemen. The court granted the government’s motion for default judgment and entered a final order of forfeiture on Nov. 15. In its opinion, the court found that the government had adequately alleged that the weapons belonged to the IRGC and that the IRGC constitutes an entity engaged in planning or perpetrating a federal crime of terrorism against the United States.

           

On Feb. 9, 2020, U.S. authorities seized three type “358” surface-to-air missiles. On Feb. 9, 2020, U.S. authorities seized 150 “Dehlavieh” anti-tank guided missiles.

On July 2, 2020, the United States also filed a complaint in the District of Columbia seeking to forfeit all petroleum-product cargo aboard four foreign-flagged oil tankers. The complaint alleged that the petroleum originated in Iran, and the sale of that petroleum benefitted the IRGC, a sanctioned Iranian entity. On Oct. 1, the court granted the government’s motion for default judgment and entered an order of forfeiture. In its opinion, the court found that the United States had sufficiently alleged that the petroleum products provided a source of influence over the IRGC because those properties were critical to furthering the affairs of the terrorist group’s enterprise.

            These successful forfeiture actions are a product of the U.S. government’s coordinated efforts to enforce U.S. sanctions against the IRGC and the Iranian regime.

            HSI’s Washington Field Office and DCIS’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office led the investigation of the IRGC weapons smuggling network, with substantial assistance from NAVCENT in conducting the seizures. HSI Denver and FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office led the investigation of the Iranian petroleum sales, again with substantial assistance from NAVCENT during the seizures.

            Both cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Hudak, Stuart D. Allen, and Michael P. Grady for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney David Lim of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the cases, with support from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division provided extensive assistance in the forfeiture and sale of the seized petroleum.

            The cases are United States v. All Petroleum-Product Cargo Aboard the Bella, et al., 1:20-cv-1791-JEB, and United States v. 171 “Dehlavieh” Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, et al., 20-cv-2299-JEB.

 

The Justice Department today announced the successful forfeiture of two large caches of Iranian arms, including 171 surface-to-air missiles and eight anti-tank missiles, as well as approximately 1.1 million barrels of Iranian petroleum products. The U.S. Navy seized the weapons from two vessels in the Arabian Sea while conducting routine maritime security operations. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, orchestrated the arms shipments, which were destined for Houthi militants in Yemen. The U.S. government similarly seized the Iranian petroleum products from four foreign-flagged tankers in or around the Arabian Sea while en route to Venezuela. These actions represent the government’s largest-ever forfeitures of fuel and weapons shipments from Iran.

The U.S. government sold the seized petroleum products pursuant to a court order. The net proceeds of that sale, $26,681,397.67 before interest, may be directed, in whole or in part, to the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund now that the case has concluded.

“The actions of the United States in these two cases strike a resounding blow to the Government of Iran and to the criminal networks supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Department of Justice will continue to use all available tools to combat the threats posed by terrorist organizations and all those who seek to harm the United States and its allies.”

“These two cases demonstrate that not only can we disrupt the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ability to finance its operations through petroleum sales, but we can also thwart its ability to use the proceeds of such sales to arm its terrorist proxies and export terrorism abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “Given our expertise and special statutory authority, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is uniquely positioned to support its law enforcement partners in such terrorism cases. We are deeply committed to this mission.”

“The combined efforts of the FBI and our partners to seize missiles and over a million barrels of petroleum demonstrate our commitment to defend against foreign terrorist organizations and enforce U.S. sanctions,” said Assistant Director Alan E. Kohler Jr. of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “The Government of Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism has left innocent victims in its wake and its attempts to support regimes dangerous to the United States and our allies will be met with the full force of the law. The FBI has a continued resolve to hold the Government of Iran accountable for its illegal actions, and we urge anyone with information about violations of sanctions on Iran to contact the FBI.”

“This case is a success because of the hard work and dedication of a joint agency team including agents, analysts and prosecutors who, by securing illegal petroleum, have helped curtail Iran’s campaign of violence and unrest throughout the Middle East,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office.

“The results announced today by the Department of Justice represent another significant victory for HSI in its ongoing efforts to thwart the nefarious criminal activities of the Iranian regime and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” said Special Agent in Charge Ray Villanueva of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington. “Protecting our homeland from transnational threats of any kind remains a top priority for HSI. The actions conducted by HSI and our partner organizations, both at home and abroad, demonstrate that no matter where in the world Iran attempts to violate sanctions and arm dangerous entities, HSI stands ready to disrupt their activities and defend the national security of the United States.”

“The illegal transfer of Iranian-made weapons poses a significant and immediate threat to our national security,” said Director Kelly P. Mayo of the Department of Defense, Office of the Inspector General’s criminal investigative arm, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). “The judgment announced today is an important step in our efforts to identify, disrupt, and bring to justice those who imperil resources vital to our safety.”

U.S. Navy Central Command (NAVCENT) seized the weapons from two flagless vessels in the Arabian Sea on Nov. 25, 2019, and Feb. 9, 2020, respectively. The weapons included 171 guided anti-tank missiles, eight surface-to-air missiles, land attack cruise missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, thermal weapons optics and other components for missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

On Aug. 20, 2020, the Justice Department filed a complaint seeking to forfeit the seized weapons in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The complaint alleged that the arms shipments were part of an IRGC trafficking network designed to distribute illicit weapons to the Houthi movement in Yemen. The court granted the government’s motion for default judgment and entered a final order of forfeiture on Nov. 15. In its opinion, the court found that the government had adequately alleged that the weapons belonged to the IRGC and that the IRGC constitutes an entity engaged in planning or perpetrating a federal crime of terrorism against the United States.

 

On Feb. 9, 2020, U.S. authorities seized three type “358” surface-to-air missiles (above) and 150 “Dehlavieh” anti-tank guided missiles (below).

 

On July 2, 2020, the United States also filed a complaint in the District of Columbia seeking to forfeit all petroleum-product cargo aboard four foreign-flagged oil tankers. The complaint alleged that the petroleum originated in Iran, and the sale of that petroleum benefitted the IRGC, a sanctioned Iranian entity. On Oct. 1, 2021, the court granted the government’s motion for default judgment and entered an order of forfeiture. In its opinion, the court found that the United States had sufficiently alleged that the petroleum products provided a source of influence over the IRGC because those properties were critical to furthering the affairs of the terrorist group’s enterprise.

These successful forfeiture actions are a product of the U.S. government’s coordinated efforts to enforce U.S. sanctions against the IRGC and the Iranian regime.

HSI’s Washington Field Office and DCIS’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office led the investigation of the IRGC weapons smuggling network, with substantial assistance from NAVCENT in conducting the seizures. HSI Denver and FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office led the investigation of the Iranian petroleum sales, again with substantial assistance from NAVCENT during the seizures.

Both cases were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Hudak, Stuart D. Allen, and Michael P. Grady for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney David Lim of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the cases, with support from Paralegal Specialist Brian Rickers and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick. The Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division provided extensive assistance in the forfeiture and sale of the seized petroleum.

The cases are United States v. All Petroleum-Product Cargo Aboard the Bella, et al., 1:20-cv-1791-JEB, and United States v. 171 “Dehlavieh” Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, et al., 20-cv-2299-JEB.

WASHINGTON – James Kyle Bell, 44, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for carrying out separate wide-ranging fraud schemes last year: one involving fundraising for fake political action committees (PACs) that he created, and the other involving COVID-19 relief funds he sought and received through fraudulent applications. He also must forfeit or pay back nearly $1.4 million in cash and assets.

            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 Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of the Inspector General, Eastern Region.

            Bell registered two sham PACs with the Federal Election Commission. One, the “Keep America Great Committee,” purportedly supported Donald Trump. The other, the “Best Days Lie Ahead Committee,” purportedly supported Joseph Biden, Jr. He sought donations nationwide for both PACs using online platforms and e-mail solicitations, generating at least $346,000.

            Additionally, Bell created multiple shell companies that he used to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was created by Congress to provide financial assistance to Americans who suffered economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He applied for and won approval for more than $1.1 million in four separate loans. He also applied for a fifth loan for $521,625 but withdrew the application.

            “This prosecution is the first in the District of Columbia involving the creation of scam political action committees,” said U.S. Attorney Graves. “It also is another in a series of prosecutions targeting frauds committed against the COVID relief efforts. The message is clear: along with our law enforcement partners, we will protect the public against fraudsters who seek to line their pockets by exploiting the political process and government programs.”

            “Today’s sentencing should serve as yet another reminder to those who deceive and steal from hardworking Americans—you will ultimately be held to account for your actions,” said Special Agent in Charge Jacobs of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division. “The FBI and its partners will continue to aggressively investigate those who perpetrate fraud schemes at the expense of the American people. Bell defrauded over 2,000 victims, who were all deceived into thinking they were making a donation to the presidential candidate of their choice, but in reality, that money was going to Bell’s personal accounts. Bell also defrauded the government through the Paycheck Protection Program, pocketing money meant for Americans in need.”

            “Lying to gain access to SBA’s pandemic response programs is not without consequence,” said Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite of the SBA’s Office of Inspector General, Eastern Region. “SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program is intended to provide assistance to the nation’s small businesses struggling with the pandemic challenges.  I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its leadership and dedication to pursuing justice.”

            Bell pleaded guilty in May 2021 to one count of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable John D. Bates. Following completion of his prison term, he will be placed on two years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, between January 2020 and October 2020, Bell’s PACs sent solicitations nationwide to more than 40,000 recipients.  The solicitations promised that individual donations would be “5x matched” by Bell’s PACs.  The solicitations also replicated the look and feel of marketing materials used by the presidential campaigns, including official logos and slogans.  Bell also set up websites to solicit donations with names like “keepamericagreatcommittee.com,” “trump2020maga.com,” and “bestdayslieaheadcommittee.com.”  The sham PACs received more than $346,000 in contributions from individuals and other groups during the months before the 2020 election.  However, none of the individual donations were ever “5X matched” by Bell or anyone else.  Additionally, Bell made a series of false filings with the FEC in which Bell claimed that his PACs had made expenditures in support of both presidential campaigns.

            During the same period, Bell applied for more than $1.6 million in PPP loans. For example, one of Bell’s companies, named “Echo Three LLC,” a company registered in Nevada with no employees and no payroll, received a PPP loan of $485,000 based on Bell’s false statements to the government that the company had 83 employees working at Bell’s private residence.  In another instance, Bell obtained a PPP loan in the amount of $492,000 for a company he owned and controlled named “Myson Rules LLC” which had no employees, no payroll, no business operations, and no active business license in the State of Nevada.  Bell submitted fabricated tax documents and other company records in support of all five PPP loan applications. He withdrew one application, for $521,625, before the loan could be funded.

            Bell diverted almost all of the funds from PAC donors and the taxpayer-supported PPP loans to bank accounts where they could be used for Bell’s personal benefit, commingling the proceeds of the fraud and further violating federal campaign finance laws which require exacting record keeping for PACs.  According to court papers, the government has located and seized $519,000 of Bell’s criminal proceeds.  Bell’s plea agreement requires that Bell make full restitution to his victims and agree to the entry of a money judgement of $862,000 against him.

            This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of the Inspector General.  Assistant United States Attorneys John W. Borchert and Elizabeth Aloi prosecuted this case.

**

            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 – Cristian Santay-Rosales and Diego Rigoberto Lopez, both 19 and from Washington, D.C., were sentenced today for committing a series of armed carjackings across the District of Columbia within a 12-hour period in the fall of 2020. Santay-Rosales was sentenced to 121 months in prison and Lopez to 108 months for their roles in the crimes.

            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, Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the U.S. Park Police, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Santay-Rosales and Lopez pled guilty on April 15, 2021, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit federal carjacking and two counts of federal carjacking. They were sentenced by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth. Following completion of their prison terms, both men be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the defendants used carjacked vehicles to block in and carjack additional vehicles, a pattern that they continued until they were ultimately apprehended by law enforcement. The indictment alleged that, as part of the carjacking conspiracy, a firearm was brandished and pointed at numerous individuals, including minor children.  A third co-defendant in the case, Romeo Francisco-Ramirez, also 19, of District Heights, Maryland, has also pleaded guilty and is being detained pending sentencing. 

            The series of crimes took place between 1:55 p.m. Oct. 26, 2020, and 1:25 a.m. Oct. 27, 2020, with the defendants seizing a Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and other vehicles. Both defendants carried out carjackings in the 5200 block of Upton Terrace NW, the 2800 block of O Street NW, the 6300 block of Luzan Avenue NW, the 3800 block of 12th Street NW, 17th and Franklin Streets NE, the 1300 block of Parkwood Place NW, and Rock Creek Park. Santay-Rosales and Lopez were arrested after they crashed the Mercedes-Benz the night of Oct. 26, 2020. Ramirez, meanwhile, was arrested after committing yet another carjacking early Oct. 27, 2020.  

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, Chief Smith, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI, U.S. Park Police, and Metropolitan Police Department.  They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Rommel Pachoca and Genevieve de Guzman.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia man has been found guilty of first-degree (felony) murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances, and attempted robbery while armed in a 2017 shooting in Southeast Washington that led to the death of a swim coach.

            Christopher Green, 36, also known as “Twin,” was found guilty on Dec. 2, 2021, following a month-long trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the murder charge, Green was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and attempted robbery while armed. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on federal racketeering and other charges.

            The guilty verdict 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, Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Malik Aziz, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Maryland Police.

            According to the government’s evidence, Green was a core member of a criminal organization that operated in the District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and elsewhere, primarily making money through a series of armed robberies.

            The jury found Green found guilty of murder in a shooting in Southeast Washington on April 9, 2017, that later led to the death of Zaan Scott, 25. Mr. Scott, a coach at the Eastern Market pool, was on his way home from swim lessons when Green intended to rob him at approximately 9:05 p.m. Mr. Scott died on May 17, 2017, of a blood clot that the medical examiner determined was a result of the shooting. Green also was found guilty of firing gunshots at another victim on Feb. 23, 2017.

            Green has been detained since his arrest in April 2017.

            The Honorable Randolph D. Moss scheduled sentencing for March 25, 2022.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, Chief Contee, and Chief Aziz commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County 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 Ellen D’Angelo; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth F. Whitted and Richard Barker; Paralegal Supervisor Mary Downing; Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle and Lornce Applewhite; Legal Assistant Latoya Wade; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialist Paul Howell, and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker.  

            Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. Liebman and Nihar R. Mohanty, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

 

WASHINGTON – Mekhi Truesdale, 19, and William Bell, 19, both of Washington, D.C., have been indicted on 98 charges, including conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed kidnapping, and fraud, for a series of armed robberies that took place during the fall of 2020 in Northwest Washington. A third individual, Jada Winder, 19, of Greenbelt, Md., was also indicted on fraud and receiving stolen property charges.

            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, Pamela A. Smith, Chief of the U.S. Park Police, and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            The indictment was returned on Nov. 5, 2021. Bell was arrested yesterday in San Luis Obispo, Calif., by the U.S. Marshals Service.  Winder was arrested in Greenbelt by the U.S. Marshals on Nov. 24, 2021.  Truesdale was arrested in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 5, 2020, following a foot chase in the Georgetown area. Truesdale and Bell remain detained pending further court proceedings, and all three defendants are to appear for a hearing on Dec. 10, 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            The indictment follows an investigation by MPD, FBI, and the U.S. Park Police into a series of armed robbery‑related incidents that occurred in the District of Columbia and Maryland in October and November 2020.  According to the government’s evidence, between Oct. 17 and Nov. 1, 2020, Truesdale and Bell robbed at least 20 people at gunpoint or knifepoint across Northwest Washington.  Three of the victims were kidnapped and forced into a vehicle before or after they were robbed.  Following many of the incidents, Truesdale and Bell used mobile applications such as Venmo and Cash App to transfer funds from the victims to themselves and, on at least two occasions, to Winder.

            The indictment details a series of 11 armed robberies committed between Oct. 17, 2020 and Nov. 1, 2020, at various locations in Northwest Washington. Two took place at Fort Reno Park. In one stretch of approximately four hours, late Oct. 31, 2020, and early Nov. 1, 2020, Truesdale and Bell allegedly committed four robberies, at four different locations: Fort Reno Park, the 3100 block of P Street NW, the 1400 block of 22d Street NW, and the 2400 block of Massachusetts Avenue NW. These four robberies involved a total of nine victims.

            Truesdale and Bell are charged with a number of offenses related to the series of crimes, including conspiracy to commit a crime of violence and 95 counts of armed robbery, armed kidnapping, assault with intent to rob, assault with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, as well as various fraud offenses.  Winder is charged with two counts of first-degree felony fraud and two counts of receiving stolen property.

             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 MPD, the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force, and the U.S. Park Police.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Metro Transit Police Department and the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department.

            In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, Chief Smith, and Chief Contee expressed appreciation for the work of those investigating the case from MPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, and U.S. Park Police, as well as for the assistance of the Deputy U.S. Marshals involved in locating the defendants. 

            They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Debra McPherson and Alesha Matthews Yette.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Gold and Charles R. Jones, who are investigating and prosecuting the case, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter, who investigated the case prior to indictment.

 

WASHINGTON – Michelle Cage, 46, of Temple Hills, Md., was sentenced today to five years of probation, including six months of home confinement, for paying more than $6,500 in bribes to a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employee in exchange for personal identifying information of traffic crash victims.

            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 Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Cage pleaded guilty in November 2020, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of bribery of a public official.  She was sentenced by the Honorable Emmett G.  Sullivan.  While on probation, Cage must complete 100 hours of community service.

            According to the government’s evidence, dating back to at least 2012, Cage worked, in return for referral fees, to connect people in need of legal representation or medical services with providers of those services.  In 2017, Cage started MC Referrals and Marketing L.L.C. to provide these referral services. To identify potential clients, Cage obtained from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Traffic Accident Reports, or “PD Form 10s,” which contained the names and contact information of individuals involved in traffic accidents. 

            Beginning in 2015, however, MPD General Order 401.03 limited the distribution of these reports to individuals involved in traffic accidents and their representatives.  Cage admitted that, beginning at that time and continuing into 2017, she paid cash bribes in the amount of $50 to $200 per week to a clerk in MPD’s First District station, to influence the clerk to violate the General Order and provide Cage with the confidential reports, which Cage used to contact and solicit potential clients.  Cage admitted that she paid the clerk at least $6,500 in bribes.

            In announcing the sentence, 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 MPD’s Internal Affairs Division.  They also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section and Fraud Section, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein and Veronica Sanchez.

WASHINGTON – Urbano Vazquez, 49, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty yesterday of sexually abusing an adult woman while he was employed as a priest in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Vazquez was found guilty of one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse. The Honorable Juliet McKenna returned the verdict following a one-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The case proceeded immediately to sentencing and, after hearing a victim impact statement, Judge McKenna sentenced the defendant to 180 days of incarceration, the maximum sentence. The time is to be served consecutive to the 15-year sentence he is already serving on four felony counts of child sexual abuse, of which he was convicted in 2019.

            The government’s evidence established that in approximately April 2017, during a confession in a room in the parish rectory building at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, in Northwest Washington, Vazquez twice touched the adult parishioner’s breast, over her sweater, without her consent. He had previously made comments about her appearance and marital status. Following the assault, the adult parishioner immediately disclosed what happened to her mother, who encouraged her to stay away from Vazquez. In 2018, when reports came out that the defendant was accused of sexually molesting child parishioners, the woman disclosed the abuse to another priest at the church who notified law enforcement.

            Vazquez was indicted on this charge when he was indicted on the child sexual abuse counts. The cases involving the child victims and the adult proceeded separately. In August 2019, a jury found Vazquez guilty of committing four counts of child sexual abuse against two children in his parish from 2015 to 2017. He was sentenced in that case to 15 years in prison.

            In announcing the verdict and sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Forensic Sciences Leica Team. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Lezlie Richardson, former Victim/Witness Program Specialist Juanita Harris, and intern David Offit. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Houck and Sharon Marcus-Kurn, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

*

            In October 2018, the Superior Court Division’s Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia launched a hotline and e-mail address for survivors to report child sexual abuse by clergy.     

            Survivors of sexual abuse by a clergy member that took place in a house of worship, school, or other location in the District of Columbia can call the Clergy Abuse English and Spanish Reporting Line at 202-252-7008 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. 

            Survivors can access further information by visiting the following website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance/report-clergy- abuse.

            All reports will be reviewed and a team of experienced criminal investigators, prosecutors, and victim advocates from the Superior Court Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office will determine whether any criminal charges can be brought or victim services provided. The victim advocates, who are part of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit, are available to offer support and guidance to survivors who wish to report.

            Depending on the nature of the report, some information may be referred to law enforcement or the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia.

            Individuals in need of police assistance or wishing to report any other criminal activity or sexual assault or abuse should call 911.

WASHINGTON – Two people have been indicted on federal charges stemming from a scheme in which they allegedly used fraudulent property deeds to steal residential real estate property in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. All told, the indictment alleges, the scheme generated more than $500,000 in illegal proceeds.

            Jeffrey M. Young-Bey, 65, of Washington, D.C., and Martina Yolanda Jones, 44, of Baltimore, Md., were indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury on one count each of conspiracy, mail fraud, and money laundering. Young-Bey was indicted on an additional count of mail fraud, an additional count of money laundering, and five counts of aggravated identity theft.

            Young-Bey was arrested on Nov. 22, 2021, and Jones was arrested on Nov. 27, 2021. Both have made their initial appearances in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            As alleged in the indictment, beginning at least as early as November 2019, Young-Bey and Jones conspired to steal real estate and obtain a loan against the property or sell the property for profit. Specifically, the indictment states, Young-Bey identified a target property located in the District of Columbia. Young-Bey then prepared a fraudulent property deed, including forged signatures of the true owners.  Young-Bey filed the deed with the District of Columbia Recorder of Deeds, transferring the title from the true owners to a corporate entity controlled by Young-Bey or Jones.  The residential real estate property was then encumbered or sold through means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises. 

            As a result of the scheme, the indictment alleges, Jones and Young-Bey obtained $323,224 from a fraudulent loan taken out on one property. 

            In addition, according to the indictment, Young-Bey received $268,036 from the sale of a second property in the District of Columbia that he allegedly stole and sold through the same scheme.  With these fraudulent proceeds, the indictment alleges, Young-Bey purchased a 2020 BMW 750XI worth over $106,000 and a 2016 BMW 328XI worth over $21,000.

            In connection with Young-Bey’s activity, the Government has seized $269,239, as well as the 2020 BMW 750XI.

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

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Viviana Vasiu, both from the Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

 

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man who advertised the sale of pit bull puppies on various websites was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for a scheme in which he generated at least $158,000 in money transfers from more than 100 victims who never got the dogs.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington, D.C.

            Fonjeck Eric Azoh, 42, of Mount Rainier, Md., pleaded guilty in August 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of wire fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Carl J. Nichols. In addition to the prison term, Azoh was ordered to pay $158,000 in restitution. He also must forfeit $67,000 seized by law enforcement during the investigation and pay an additional $92,000 forfeiture money judgment.

            According to the government’s evidence, between January 2019 and October 2020, Azoh offered the pit bull puppies, using various websites. He agreed to sell these puppies to victims living throughout the United States even though he never intended to provide them. Azoh directed victims to send money to him through money transfer businesses, which he then collected at retail stores and elsewhere. Throughout the scheme, Azoh collected at least $158,000 from at least 119 victims who lived in 40 different states.

            Azoh was arrested in January 2021 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Villanueva commended the work of those who investigated the case from HSI. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Borchert, who prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Jeanine Henderson Arnett, 44, the former Executive Director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and her husband, Diallo Arnett, 47, have been sentenced to prison terms on bank fraud charges stemming from her embezzlement of more than $228,000.

            The Arnetts, of Purcelville, VA., pleaded guilty in April 2021 and were sentenced on Nov. 23, 2021, by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Jeanine Henderson Arnett was sentenced to 16 months in prison and Diallo Arnett was sentenced to 12 months and a day. Upon completion of their prison terms, they will be placed on five years of supervised release. They also must pay $228,357 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. 

            The sentencing was announced 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 the statements of offense submitted to the Court at the time of their guilty pleas, Jeanine Henderson Arnett was employed as the Executive Director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a charitable organization located in the District of Columbia.  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., has a long history of community service and partners with programs and other charitable organizations to address issues such as food insecurity, domestic violence, and educational needs for students.

            Jeanine Henderson Arnett and Diallo Arnett admitted that, between approximately Oct.  3, 2017 and Sept. 15, 2019, she misappropriated more than $228,000 from Delta Sigma Thetas’s bank accounts through, among other things, ACH money transfers and credit card transactions.  This included unauthorized and fraudulent charges for personal items and expenses at, among other places, Amazon, Avis Rent a Car, Century Twenty-One, Coach, GEICO, and T-Mobile.  In addition, the Arnetts used the Square Cash App to make nine transactions to transfer $14,162.50 to their account.

            Delta Sigma Theta terminated Jeanine Henderson’s employment in August 2019 and discovered financial irregularities a month later. A criminal investigation followed.

            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 work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua Rothstein and David Kent, who investigated and prosecuted the matter, and the assistance provided by former Paralegal Specialist Angeline Thekkumthala.

 

WASHINGTON – Susan Engonwei Tingwei, 44, of Silver Spring, Md., a licensed attorney, pleaded guilty today to defrauding the D.C. Medicaid program out of more than $100,000 in a scheme involving false claims about personal care services.

            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, Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General for the region that includes Washington, D.C., and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Tingwei pleaded guilty to health care fraud, which carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Tingwei faces a likely recommended sentence of between 10 and 16 months in prison and potential financial penalties. She has agreed to pay $131,656.12 in restitution. The Honorable Carl J. Nichols scheduled sentencing for Feb. 22, 2022.

            In court documents, Tingwei admitted that at various times between 2016 and 2018, she was employed by two different home health agencies in the District of Columbia. The home health agencies employed her to assist D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating.

            Tingwei was supposed to document the care that she provided to Medicaid beneficiaries on timesheets and then submit the timesheets to the home health agencies, which would in turn bill Medicaid for the services that she rendered. As part of her guilty plea, Tingwei admitted that she submitted false timesheets claiming to provide services that she did not actually render.

            Tingwei earned her Master of Laws degree from the University of Maryland in May 2017. She was admitted to the New York state bar in February 2018.

            On 118 occasions between August 2016 and May 2017, Tingwei submitted timesheets claiming that she worked as a personal care aide in Washington, D.C., during the same hours when she either was scheduled to attend law school classes in Baltimore, or when she should have been traveling to or from Baltimore related to her law school program. For example, Tingwei submitted timesheets claiming that she provided services to two beneficiaries on April 13, 2017, one from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the other from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Records show Tingwei’s key card swiping in at the University of Maryland’s law school campus at 5:30 p.m. and swiping out at 9:29 p.m. Cell phone records also showed her cell phone being in Baltimore between 8:03 a.m. and 9:31 p.m. that day.

            Tingwei admitted that her fraud scheme began no later than August 2016 and continued through September 2018. She acknowledged successfully defrauding the D.C. Medicaid program out of $131,656.

            The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who defraud the D.C. Medicaid program.

            Tingwei is the eleventh former personal care aide since August 2018 to plead guilty to defrauding Medicaid in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Six of those aides were sentenced to 13 months in prison; a seventh was sentenced to serve 15 months.

            The government urges the public to provide tips and assistance to stop health care fraud.

            If you have information about individuals committing health care fraud, please call the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General hotline at (800) HHS‑TIPS [(800) 447-8477] or the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at (800) 724-TIPS [(800) 274-8477].

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Simmonds, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Michon Tart and former Paralegal Specialists Angeline Thekkumthala and Brittany Phillips.

 

WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia woman has been charged in a 35-count indictment with carrying out a scheme to steal more than $400,000 in government benefit funds provided by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) for the care and benefit of government beneficiaries.

            Rosemary Ogbenna, 45, was arrested yesterday, following her indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The indictment was unsealed yesterday.  She was released following her initial court appearance and is to be arraigned on Nov. 30, 2021.

            The indictment was announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves; Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration (SSA); Kim Lampkins, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Mid-Atlantic Field Office, and Christy Goldsmith Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

            According to the indictment, Ogbenna perpetrated a scheme in which she obtained and used SSA and VA benefit funds – which were intended for the care of elderly, mentally ill, disabled, and veteran beneficiaries – for her own personal use and benefit. The indictment alleges that Ogbenna stole more than $400,000 in government benefits funds intended for the benefit of others who had been tenants of her rooming house business. 

            The Social Security Administration administers benefit programs under federal law, including the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (“OASDI”) program, which provides monthly benefit funds to qualified retired and disabled workers and their dependents and to survivors of insured workers. Eligibility and benefit amounts under this program are determined by a worker’s contributions to Social Security. Under another program, qualifying individuals Disabled (“SSI”) and related programs.

            The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs serves the needs of American veterans, including providing monthly government benefit funds through its Veterans Benefits Administration.

            As alleged in the indictment, Ogbenna carried out a scheme from at least March 19, 2009 through on or about Feb. 23, 2020, in which she obtained and maintained control over SSA benefit funds for some tenants of her rooming house business by becoming the Representative Payee of their SSA benefit funds. Although a Representative Payee has a duty to use SSA benefits solely on behalf of the beneficiary, the indictment alleges that Ogbenna used a portion of those funds for her own personal use and benefit.

            In addition, the indictment alleges that Ogbenna also gained control over tenants’ monthly VA benefits and used a portion of those VA benefit funds for her personal use and benefit without authority. The indictment further alleged that Ogbenna made false statements to agents investigating the fraud scheme and obstructed the investigation by providing altered documents.

            Ogbenna is charged with 35 counts overall, including 12 counts of mail fraud, 16 counts of wire fraud, one count of theft of government property, two counts of aggravated identity theft, one count of Representative Payee fraud, one count of making a false statement, one count of tampering with documents, and one count of first-degree theft. If convicted, Ogbenna faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of mail fraud, wire fraud or tampering with documents, ten years in prison for the counts of theft of government property or first-degree theft, two years in prison for each count of aggravated identity theft, to run consecutive to any sentence for wire fraud, and five years in prison for the count of Representative Payee fraud.

            The indictment includes a notification of the United States’ intent to seek the forfeiture of any proceeds Ogbenna received as a result of the fraud scheme and theft of government property. If convicted of any of the charges, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

            This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, of the Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, is prosecuting the case, supported by Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar and Paralegal Specialists Chad Byron and Mariela Andrade.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today announced more than $139 million in grant funding through the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) COPS Hiring Program (CHP). The awards provide direct funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation, allowing those agencies to hire 1,066 additional full-time law enforcement professionals.

            The District of Columbia government and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were awarded $3,125,00.

            “We are committed to providing police departments with the resources needed to help ensure community safety and build community trust,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The grants we are announcing today will enable law enforcement agencies across the country to hire more than 1,000 additional officers to support vitally important community oriented policing programs.”

            “Public safety is our highest priority at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “Our law enforcement partners show enormous dedication each and every day and we are pleased to support their mission through this grants program. By working with them and our community, we hope to make our neighborhoods more secure.”

            CHP is a competitive award program intended to reduce crime and advance public safety through community policing. CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire additional career law enforcement officers, thereby increasing their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts. Of the 183 agencies awarded grants today, approximately half will use the funding to focus on building legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities; 41 agencies will seek to address high rates of gun violence; 21 will focus on other areas of violence; and 19 will focus CHP resources on combating hate and domestic extremism or supporting police-based responses to persons in crisis. The complete list of awards can be found here.  

            Since its creation in 1994, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 135,000 officers. CHP, COPS’ flagship program, continues to be in demand today: In FY21, COPS received 590 applications requesting nearly 3,000 law enforcement positions. For FY22, President Biden has requested $537 million for CHP, an increase of $300 million.

            To learn more about CHP, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp-award. For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/.  

            The COPS Office is the federal component of the Department of Justice responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Department of Justice agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served.

 

WASHINGTON – Two men, both from Washington, D.C., have been indicted on federal charges following an investigation by federal and local law enforcement agencies into a drug operation that was selling Fentanyl and heroin in the Ivy City area of Northeast Washington.

            Nathaniel Scruggs, 37, and Andrew Cooper, 46, were arrested on Nov. 10, 2021, and remain detained following hearings this week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Scruggs is charged with six counts of unlawful distribution of Fentanyl and heroin, and, in a separate indictment, Cooper is charged with five counts of Fentanyl distribution. Both men are to appear Nov. 22, 2021, for a status hearing before the Honorable Amit P. Mehta.

            The indictments were announced today by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Criminal Division, Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Kevin Davis, Chief of the Fairfax County, Va. Police.

            The arrests followed an investigation into drug sales that allegedly were taking place near the defendants’ two residences in the 1900 block of Capitol Avenue NE. According to court documents, the joint law enforcement investigation began last spring after the defendants were linked to drug sales and pending overdose investigations by the Fairfax County Police Department. 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.

            At the time of the arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants at the defendants’ residences. According to court documents, law enforcement seized more than 400 grams of suspected Fentanyl and other drugs from Cooper’s residence, along with counterfeit OxyContin pills that were actually Fentanyl, cocaine and other drugs, approximately $74,430 of bundled cash, three cell phones, and a firearm. From Scruggs’s residence, agents seized $1,200 in cash and four cell phones, according to the court filings.

            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 investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Washington Division Office of the DEA, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Fairfax County, Va. Police Department. It 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 – Yohanness Ayechew, 49, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 14 months in prison for aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return and causing at least $250,000 of loss to the Internal Revenue Service.

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Darrell J. Waldon, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation, Washington Field Office.

            Ayechew pleaded guilty in August 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable John D. Bates. The judge also ordered him to pay restitution to the IRS as well as a $10,000 fine.

            According to court documents, Ayechew, a Certified Public Accountant in Virginia, operated Endalk and Yohannes Associated, L.P. with a business partner, Endalkachew Asfaw, in the District of Columbia since 2011. From 2016 through 2019, Ayechew and Asfaw prepared approximately 10,000 tax returns.

            According to court documents, Ayechew knowingly aided and assisted in the preparation of false income tax returns for years 2014 through 2017 on behalf of his clients. Ayechew did this by deliberately overstating unreimbursed employee business expenses on his clients’ Schedule A deductions, including uniforms and unreimbursed mileage expenses. As part of his plea, Ayechew also admitted to creating fraudulent Schedule C expenses and deducting exemptions for individuals that his clients were not entitled to claim. Ayechew admitted to fabricating these items to generate larger tax refunds for his clients.

            As part of his plea, Ayechew admitted that he filed false tax returns resulting in a total tax loss of more than $250,000 to the U.S. government.

            Asfaw, 38, of Alexandria, Va., also pleaded guilty in August 2021. Judge Bates sentenced Asfaw today to three years of probation, including a year to be spent on home detention. He also was ordered to pay restitution to the IRS.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Graves and Special Agent in Charge Waldon commended the work IRS Criminal Investigation, Washington Field Office, which investigated the case.  They also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Mariela Andrade and Assistant U.S. Attorney Leslie A. Goemaat, who prosecuted the matter.

 

WASHINGTON – Chance Barrow, 32, of Lusby, Md., was sentenced today to 17 months in prison for concealing material information when he successfully applied to become a federal law enforcement officer, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.

            Barrow was found guilty by a jury in June 2021 of two counts of wire fraud and one count of engaging in a scheme to conceal material facts. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Barrow to pay $77,000 in restitution. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, beginning in May 2018, Barrow perpetrated schemes to conceal and to defraud when he initiated and progressed through the application process for a law enforcement position with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration. (TIGTA).  In particular, at every point at which he was required to disclose the circumstances of his departure from his previous law enforcement position with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Command, he failed to state that he resigned before he was fired. He also hid the fact that, at the time of the application, he was under criminal investigation; no charges ultimately were filed in that investigation.

            As a result of Barrow’s actions, according to the evidence at trial, he was hired by TIGTA and drew a federal salary. Several months after he started work, in July 2019, investigating other people for crimes of fraud, his misrepresentations came to light.

            The case was investigated by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth A. Aloi and Amanda R. Vaughn, and assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Quiana Dunn-Gordon.

 

Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Bannon, 67, is charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. An arraignment date has not yet been set in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

“Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law and pursues equal justice under the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.”

“As detailed in the indictment, on Sept. 23, 2021, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to Mr. Bannon,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves for the District of Columbia. “The subpoena required him to appear and produce documents to the Select Committee, and to appear for a deposition before the Select Committee. According to the indictment, Mr. Bannon refused to appear to give testimony as required by subpoena and refused to produce documents in compliance with a subpoena.”

In its subpoena, the Select Committee said it had reason to believe that Bannon had information relevant to understanding events related to Jan. 6. Bannon, formerly a Chief Strategist and Counselor to the President, has been a private citizen since departing the White House in 2017.

Each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of $100 to $100,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

WASHINGTON – Stephen K. Bannon was indicted today by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress stemming from his failure to comply with a subpoena issued by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach of the United States Capitol.

            Bannon, 67, is charged with one contempt count involving his refusal to appear for a deposition and another involving his refusal to produce documents, despite a subpoena from the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. An arraignment date has not yet been set in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

            “Since my first day in office, I have promised Justice Department employees that together we would show the American people by word and deed that the Department adheres to the rule of law, follows the facts and the law, and pursues equal justice under the law,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Today’s charges reflect the Department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.”

            “As detailed in the indictment, on Sept. 23, 2021, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to Mr. Bannon,” said Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “The subpoena required him to appear and produce documents to the Select Committee, and to appear for a deposition before the Select Committee. According to the indictment, Mr. Bannon refused to appear to give testimony as required by subpoena and refused to produce documents in compliance with a subpoena.”

            In its subpoena, the Select Committee said it had reason to believe that Bannon had information relevant to understanding events related to Jan. 6. Bannon, formerly a Chief Strategist and Counselor to the President, has been a private citizen since departing the White House in 2017.

            Each count of contempt of Congress carries a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of one year in jail, as well as a fine of $100 to $100,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

 

WASHINGTON – Joshua Young, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man earlier this year in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Young pleaded guilty in August 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Yvonne M. Williams. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Young did not know the victim, Walter Rogers. In the early morning hours of Feb. 21, 2021, Young was riding a bike south on Minnesota Avenue NE while the victim, Mr. Rogers, was traveling north on the same sidewalk. After the two passed, Young dismounted his bike, tackled Mr. Rogers to the ground, and then stabbed him while Mr. Rogers was laying on his back on the sidewalk. After the stabbing, Young left Mr. Rogers on the sidewalk and continued riding his bike home. The Metropolitan Police Department responded minutes later at approximately 8:25 a.m., and Mr. Rogers, 50, was pronounced dead a hospital a short time later.

            Young was arrested on March 1, 2021 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 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 Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, Litigation Technology Specialist Aisha Keys, and Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ganjei, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 71, of Falkville, Alabama, pleaded guilty today to federal and local firearms offenses stemming from the discovery of weapons in his pickup truck parked near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

According to his plea agreement, Coffman traveled from Alabama to the District of Columbia several days prior to Jan. 6 and parked his red GMC Sierra pickup truck at the 300 block of First Street, SE, on the morning of Jan. 6. Less than half a mile away in the U.S. Capitol Building, a joint session of the U.S. Congress was scheduled to meet in the afternoon to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Coffman admitted in the plea agreement that he exited the pickup truck at 9:20 a.m. and walked in the direction of the U.S. Capitol Building, and towards a rally near the National Mall. Inside the pickup truck were several loaded firearms within arms-reach of the driver’s seat, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, large-capacity ammunition feeding devices, a crossbow with bolts, machetes, camouflage smoke devices, a stun gun and a cooler containing 11 mason jars filled with ignitable ingredients for Molotov cocktail incendiary weapons. Coffman also carried a loaded handgun and a loaded revolver as he walked around the area that day. A search of Coffman’s residence in Alabama later that month led to the discovery of 12 additional mason jars containing ignitable substances, each constituting the component parts of Molotov cocktails.

Coffman did not have a license to carry a pistol in the District of Columbia and had not registered any firearms or destructive devices in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, as required by law.

Coffman has been in custody since his arrest on Jan. 6.

Coffman pleaded guilty in two separate criminal cases, one brought in the District of Columbia on Jan. 6, and the other brought in the Northern District of Alabama and transferred to the District of Columbia for purposes of plea and sentencing. Coffman pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm, a federal offense, regarding the component parts of Molotov cocktails discovered in his pickup truck in Washington, D.C., and at his residence in Alabama. Coffman also pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license, a District of Columbia offense.

The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for April 1, 2022. Coffman faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the federal offenses and faces up to five years in prison and a $12,500 fine for the District of Columbia offense. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

WASHINGTON – A Maryland man has been sentenced to 151 months in prison for carjacking and kidnapping a grandmother and her 13-year-old granddaughter at gunpoint in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and driving them into Southeast Washington, where he then assaulted and threatened others, including a police officer.

            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 Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Jamal Gilmore, 34, of Mount Rainier, Md., pleaded guilty in July 2021, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to federal charges of kidnapping and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, as well as District of Columbia charges of assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a police officer while armed. He was sentenced on Nov. 8, 2021, by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the chain of events began at about 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, 2020. The woman and her granddaughter were utilizing a rental moving truck on Southview Drive in Oxon Hill, Md. The woman was in the driver’s seat and the teenager in the front passenger seat. Gilmore approached the passenger side of the vehicle, brandished a semi-automatic handgun, got into the vehicle, and demanded the woman drive or he would kill her. He took her cellphone and ordered her to drive to a police station. However, she made a wrong turn and entered a parking lot in the rear of a building in the 2200 block of Southern Avenue SE. The parking lot led into a dead end, and Gilmore left the vehicle with the woman’s cellphone and the gun that he was carrying.

            At this point, Gilmore jumped a fence and ran into an apartment complex on 22nd Street SE. He attempted to gain access to one of the ground-floor apartments, where three people were inside—including a 10-year-old child. He demanded someone open the door. When no one complied, he fired a gunshot through the front window of the apartment. No one was injured by the shooting. Two of the apartment’s occupants fled out the back window, and one was injured while fleeing.

            Gilmore then went back outside and flagged down a police officer, banging on the rear driver’s side window of the officer’s patrol car with the handgun he was carrying. He then fled into the hallway of another nearby apartment building as other MPD officers responded to the scene. As officers arrived, he made his way to the landing between the first and second floor. He used the firearm to break the glass window on the landing, jumped out the window, and fell to the ground – still with the firearm in his hand. Gilmore was arrested on the scene and has been detained ever since.

            This investigation was conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, in partnership with MPD and the Prince George's County Police. The task force focuses on identifying, investigating, and bringing prosecutable cases against violent offenders in the Washington, D.C. region.

            In announcing the sentence, 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 Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. Finally, they commended the efforts of Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, Paralegal Specialist Catherine O’Neal, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel A. Fletcher, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Steven M. Robinson, 30, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend at point-blank range at her apartment in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Robinson pleaded guilty in June 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison. The Honorable Neal E. Kravitz accepted the plea on Nov. 9, 2021, and sentenced Robinson accordingly. Following his prison term, Robinson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Robinson was in a romantic relationship with the victim, Shanika Williams. In the early morning hours of July 12, 2020, Robinson was at Ms. Williams’s apartment in the 800 block of 19th Street NE; at the time, she was alone with her three children. While inside, he quarreled with Ms. Williams, and at one point, got his gun and shot her at close range. After shooting her, he fled, leaving Ms. Williams on the floor of her apartment.  The Metropolitan Police Department responded at approximately 4 a.m., and Ms. Williams, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene.

            Robinson was arrested on Feb. 5, 2021 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 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 Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling, and Paralegal Specialist LaShone Samuels.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah C. Santiago, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Sikirat Adunni Brown, 60, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was sentenced today to 13 months in prison for defrauding the D.C. Medicaid program out of more than $340,000.

            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, Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General for the region that includes Washington, D.C, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Brown pleaded guilty in July, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to health care fraud. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Brown to pay $343,539 in restitution and $201,645 in a forfeiture money judgment.

            According to the government’s evidence, at various times between January 2014 and June 2020, Brown worked as a personal care aide for at least eight different home health agencies in the District of Columbia. The home health agencies employed her to assist D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating.

            Brown was supposed to document the care that she provided to the Medicaid beneficiaries on timesheets and then submit the timesheets to the home health agencies, which would in turn bill Medicaid for the services that she rendered. In her guilty plea, Brown acknowledged that between 2014 and 2020, she caused the D.C. Medicaid Program to issue payments totaling $343,539 for services that she did not provide. As part of her scheme, she submitted false timesheets to different home health agencies claiming that she provided 20 hours or more of personal care aide services in a given day. She also claimed to provide services when she was traveling outside the D.C. metropolitan area. She paid kickbacks during the scheme to at least one beneficiary. She also acknowledged that she claimed to provide services to one beneficiary during the COVID-19 pandemic even though that beneficiary said she did not.

            The FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office are committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals who defraud the D.C. Medicaid program.

            Brown is the tenth former personal care aide in the last three years to plead guilty to defrauding Medicaid in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Five of those aides were sentenced to 13 months in prison; a sixth was sentenced to serve 15 months.

            The government urges the public to provide tips and assistance to stop health care fraud. If you have information about individuals committing health care fraud, please call the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General hotline at (800) HHS‑TIPS [(800) 447-8477] or the D.C. Office of the Inspector General at (800) 724-TIPS [(800) 274-8477].

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman of the Fraud Section, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Mariela Andrade.

 

WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia man and his fiancé have pleaded guilty to child cruelty charges stemming from an assault of a five-year-old girl in their care, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, announced today.

            Dawub Balil, also known as Tyvez Jackson, 26, and Diamond Taylor, 24, pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Balil pleaded guilty to first-degree cruelty to children, a felony, and Taylor pleaded guilty to a felony charge of second-degree cruelty to children. Both also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice. Both defendants are to be sentenced Jan. 28, 2022, by the Honorable Marisa Demeo.

            According to the government’s evidence, Balil and Taylor resided in the 2800 block of Pomeroy Road SE, with four children, including the 5-year-old, who is identified in court documents as “D.J.” Balil is the child’s father. He and Taylor, who was not “D.J.”’s biological mother, were the primary caregivers for her and had exclusive care and custody of her weeks prior to “D.J.’s” hospitalization.

            On May 28, 2020, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Taylor called 911 and reported that “D.J.” fell from the top of her bunk bed, which she later admitted was untrue. The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department arrived on the scene and found “D.J.” in the bathroom, face up in the tub. The shower was running, and the tub was filling up with cold water.

            The girl was taken to Children's National Medical Center. A pediatrician noted that she suffered from a severe head trauma, a lacerated liver, old and new rib fractures, and fractures to her tibia and wrists, among other injuries.  Several of those injuries were loop shaped and were concentrated on her thighs. The doctor believed the marks were consistent with being hit with a belt. The doctor also stated that she believed these injuries were consistent with repeated abuse.

            After “D.J.” was taken to the hospital, Balil subsequently threatened his roommates and took their cell phone so that they would not be able to make a report about the child abuse to the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency or the Metropolitan Police Department.  Taylor admitted that on May 28, 2020, she told her children not to tell the police that Balil beats the children.

            In their guilty pleas, both defendants acknowledged inflicting injuries on “D.J.” on other occasions.

            In announcing the pleas, 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 Children’s National Medical Center. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert, Meridith McGarrity, and Tasha Harris; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisor Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Wright, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Matthew M. Graves took office today as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He succeeds Channing D. Phillips, who had been serving as Acting U.S. Attorney since March 3, 2021.

            President Biden nominated Mr. Graves on July 26, 2021, to serve as U.S. Attorney, and the nomination was confirmed on Oct. 28, 2021, by the Senate. Mr. Graves was sworn into office by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell this afternoon in a ceremony at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland made remarks at the ceremony, which was attended by numerous judges, and other dignitaries.

            Mr. Graves, 45, is returning to the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he worked for nearly a decade before going into private practice in 2016 as a litigation and compliance partner in DLA Piper’s Washington, D.C., office.

            “Having lived in the District of Columbia for nearly two decades, it is a distinct honor to return to the United States Attorney’s Office and to, once again, have the opportunity to serve my fellow community members and to work with this incredibly talented team of public servants,” said Mr. Graves.

            In his previous time with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Graves supervised and prosecuted a wide variety of cases as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and later as Chief of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section. He handled numerous high-profile matters, including successful prosecutions of public officials, international business organizations, government contractors, and defendants engaged in Ponzi schemes and other large-scale fraud. Additionally, he prosecuted scores of cases involving shootings, robberies, kidnappings, and other violent crimes.

            Mr. Graves graduated from Washington and Lee University and obtained his juris doctorate from Yale Law School in 2001. He clerked on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for the Honorable Richard W. Roberts from 2001 to 2002 and was an associate at WilmerHale from 2002 to 2007, prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2007.

            As he took on his new responsibilities today, U.S. Attorney Graves thanked Mr. Phillips for his decades of service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice, including commending him for his exceptional leadership over the past eight months.

 

WASHINGTON – Aaron Jackson, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 9 ½ years for fatally stabbing a man in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Jackson pleaded guilty in June 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of voluntary manslaughter. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 9 ½ years of incarceration. The Honorable Milton C. Lee accepted the plea and sentenced Jackson accordingly. Following his prison term, Jackson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence on Nov. 5, 2020, at about 2:30 a.m., Jackson and a group of acquaintances were hanging out on the sidewalk in the 600 block of Lamont Street NW. Jamaul Crockett joined the group in smoking K-2 (synthetic marijuana). According to the evidence, Mr. Crockett, 36, became belligerent and loud, and attempted to punch Jackson and missed. Mr. Crockett then pushed Jackson, causing Jackson to fall back and strike his head against a fence. Jackson took a knife that was in Jackson’s possession, and stabbed Mr. Crockett, inflicting the fatal wounds.

            Jackson was arrested on Nov. 11, 2020 and has remained in custody since. He had admitted stabbing the victim when detectives canvassing the area approached him at his home and asked if he would agree to answer questions about the incident.

            In announcing the sentence, 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 Lornce Applewhite; Victim/Witness Specialist Jennifer Clark, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney John Interrante, who investigated and prosecuted the matter. 

            WASHINGTON –Robert Dean, 63, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder while armed in the fatal stabbing of a woman in Northeast Washington.

            The verdict was returned yesterday in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and announced this morning by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Honorable Marisa Demeo scheduled sentencing for Feb. 4, 2022.

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 31, 2018, shortly before 5:04p.m., Dean stabbed his former girlfriend, Tamiya White, 38, at her parking lot in the 1000 block of Mount Oliver Road NE before she drove herself to the local McDonalds to seek help. Ms. White’s two children were in the apartment at the time.

            Dean was arrested on April 5, 2018 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the verdict. Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips 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 Emma McArthur and Eric Hansford; Paralegal Specialists Grazy Rivera and Stephanie Siegerist; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Litigation Technology Specialist Taylor Davis; Forensic Child Interviewers Tracy Owusu and Karen Giannakoulias, and teams from the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit and the Litigation Technology Unit.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Trigoso and George A. Pace, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Daniel Gregory Johnston, 43, formerly of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of possessing child pornography and was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

            The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, 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).

            Johnston’s plea and sentencing took place before the Honorable James E. Boasberg in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on six years of supervised release.  He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison. 

               According to the government’s evidence, over the course of a few months in the spring of 2018, Johnston used his computer and a file-sharing software program to collect and distribute images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of very young children.  Law enforcement, acting in an undercover capacity, were able to connect to Johnston’s computer and download over 200 images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.  Some of the victims depicted in these images and videos were as young as five years old.

                In June of 2018, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Johnston’s home. Various digital devices were seized from his home, which were then forensically examined by a computer forensic specialist. Various sexually explicit file names were found on Johnston’s laptop.  Other evidence found on the digital devices proved that Johnson downloaded and viewed videos showing children bound with ropes and metal restraints, being sexually assaulted by adult men.

            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 plea and sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force and MPD’s Youth Investigations Division. 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.

            Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Chief Contee also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kenny Nguyen.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy E. Larson, who prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against two officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who were involved in the fatal shooting, in April 2021, of Terrance Parker in Southwest Washington.

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included interviews of civilian and law enforcement witnesses as well as a review of physical evidence, recorded radio communications, Body Worn Camera footage, medical reports, and reports from the Metropolitan Police Department.

            According to the evidence, on April 30, 2021, at approximately 8:56 p.m., two MPD officers received a radio assignment to respond to a domestic assault in progress at an apartment in the 1100 block of 4th Street SW. The officers were working the evening tour of duty, in full uniform, and equipped with Body Worn Cameras. Upon arrival at the apartment, they paused briefly to listen for any sounds of distress or commotion. Hearing nothing, one officer knocked and announced “MPD.” A woman opened the apartment door, and immediately stated “get this bitch out my house,” as she turned and walked into a bedroom doorway that was located immediately to the right of the apartment door. The officers entered the apartment and directed their attention to the bedroom and observed Mr. Parker leaning across a mattress on his right side with his legs on the floor while holding a cell phone. The woman was standing next to Mr. Parker and neither responded to the officers as they inquired “what’s going on?”

            The officers then attempted to separate the two parties. One of the officers observed Mr. Parker pulling his right hand from his side, and asked “what do you have there?” Mr. Parker then suddenly pulled his right hand from his side and produced a handgun. Mr. Parker pulled the handgun up and pointed it in the direction of the officers. They immediately yelled “gun” several times and drew their service weapons. One officer then discharged a service weapon, striking Mr. Parker three times. The other officer did not discharge a weapon.

            After securing the scene, the officers attempted to render medical aid, as did additional officers who responded. Members of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department subsequently transported Mr. Parker to a hospital. Mr. Parker was pronounced dead at 10:05 p.m.

            The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland determined that Mr. Parker, 36, died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Mr. Parker also had graze wounds to the fingers on his left hand and left thigh.

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers used excessive force under the circumstances.

Use-of-force investigations generally

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law.  To prove such violations, prosecutors must typically be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary.  Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden.  Prosecutors must not only prove that the force used was excessive, but must also prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids. 

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

WASHINGTON – A 62-year-old man, of Southeast Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of 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 verdict took place on Oct. 27, 2021, following a six-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The announcement was made today by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, 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, remains held pending his sentencing by the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2022. The defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

            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 verdict, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips, 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. Attorney Jennifer Loeb, 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 – Isaac Moye, 44, of Washington D.C., was indicted today on one count of second-degree murder, stemming from the October 2010 disappearance of Unique Harris, a 24-year-old woman who disappeared from her home in October 2010 and whose body has never been found, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert J. Contee, III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced.

            The indictment was returned by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Moye, who is detained, is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 16, 2021.

            Ms. Harris was reported missing on Oct. 10, 2010, disappearing from her apartment in the 2400 block of Hartford Street SE, with three children still inside. According to the indictment and related court documents, Moye was an acquaintance of the victim, and his GPS device placed him in her home overnight on the night she went missing, contrary to his assertions that he had never spent the night at the residence. Although he has vacillated between admitting and denying any sexual contact between them, according to the government’s evidence, the defendant’s semen was identified on furniture, which had been mutilated, arguably in an attempt to remove evidence of his presence in Ms. Harris’s apartment.  Moye was arrested and charged with the murder on Dec. 19, 2020. He has been in custody ever since.

            An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. If convicted, Moye faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of supervised release.

            This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Vinét Bryant.