District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
Purchaser of Department of Energy Loan to Pay $29 Million to Settle Alleged Bidding FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Hybrid Tech Holdings, LLC, Hybrid Technology, LLC, and Ace Strength International, LTD, have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by colluding to rig the bidding of an auction to purchase the United States Department of Energy’s non-performing loan to Fisker Automotive, Inc. and Fisker Automotive Holdings, Inc., the Department of Justice announced today.
“The Department is committed to ensuring a level playing field for those who seek to do business with the government,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “As today’s settlement demonstrates, the Department will take appropriate action where it determines that this principle has been violated.”
The government alleged that the defendants exerted pressure on the two other competing bidders to suppress their bids during the live auction, thereby depriving the Department of Energy of a fair bidding process and reducing the amount ultimately recovered in the auction. As a result, the defendants were able to acquire the non-performing loan secured by the assets of Fisker Automotive for far less than the fair market value of the loan.
“This settlement reflects our Office’s commitment to hold accountable those who exploit the system for their own personal gain,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Companies working with the federal government must perform their obligations with transparency and fairness and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue and penalize those who violate the False Claims Act.”
The settlements resolve allegations originally filed in a lawsuit by William R. Baldiga and the FAH Liquidating Trust, the successor to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Fisker Automotive Holdings, Inc. The suit was filed in federal court in the District of Columbia pursuant to the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery. Mr. Baldiga’s and the Trust’s share of the settlement will be $5,220,000.
The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the United States Department of Energy Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General.
The case is captioned United States ex rel. Baldiga et al v. Hybrid Tech Holdings, LLC et al, No. 15-00019 (D.D.C). The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only.
This case was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Truong and Heather Graham-Oliver from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney John W. Black with the Department of Justice’s Commercial Litigation Branch.
Purchaser of Department of Energy Loan to Pay $29 Million to Settle Alleged Bidding FraudRead the Press Release
Hybrid Tech Holdings LLC, Hybrid Technology LLC, and Ace Strength International LTD, have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by colluding to rig the bidding of an auction to purchase the United States Department of Energy’s non-performing loan to Fisker Automotive Inc. and Fisker Automotive Holdings Inc, the Department of Justice announced today.
“The department is committed to ensuring a level playing field for those who seek to do business with the government,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “As today’s settlement demonstrates, the department will take appropriate action where it determines that this principle has been violated.”
The government alleged that the defendants exerted pressure on the two other competing bidders to suppress their bids during the live auction, thereby depriving the Department of Energy of a fair bidding process and reducing the amount ultimately recovered in the auction. As a result, the defendants were able to acquire the non-performing loan secured by the assets of Fisker Automotive for far less than the fair market value of the loan.
“This settlement reflects our Office’s commitment to hold accountable those who exploit the system for their own personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia. “Companies working with the federal government must perform their obligations with transparency and fairness and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue and penalize those who violate the False Claims Act.”
The settlements resolve allegations originally filed in a lawsuit by William R. Baldiga and the FAH Liquidating Trust, the successor to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of Fisker Automotive Holdings Inc. The suit was filed in federal court in the District of Columbia pursuant to the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery. Mr. Baldiga’s and the Trust’s share of the settlement will be $5,220,000.
The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the United States Department of Energy Office of General Counsel and Office of Inspector General.
The case is captioned United States ex rel. Baldiga et al v. Hybrid Tech Holdings, LLC et al, No. 15-00019 (D.D.C). The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only.
This case was investigated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Truong and Heather Graham-Oliver from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney John W. Black with the Department of Justice’s Commercial Litigation Branch.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
District Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting 12-Year-Old Girl Walking to Metro StationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rakim Davis, 30, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today by Judge Ronna L. Beck of the Superior Court of the District of the Columbia to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl who was walking to a D.C. metro station, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Davis pled guilty in November 2019 to first degree sexual abuse of a child. Upon completion of his prison term, Davis will be placed on lifetime supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, on October 12, 2019, the 12-year-old victim was walking to the Congress Heights Metro Station in Washington, D.C. As she entered the 1300 block of Alabama Ave. SE, Davis approached her and asked if he could take her to a traphouse for a massage. When the victim said no, the defendant grabbed her by the arm and told her not to make a scene and that he didn’t want to hurt her. Davis took the victim across the street to an old elementary school that had been converted to a community recreation center. In an isolated corner of the breezeway, he sexually assaulted her. The victim immediately reported the assault to her family members, who brought her to the hospital, at which point the Metropolitan Police Department was notified.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Youth Division, which investigated the case. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail and Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris. Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Airbus Agrees to Pay over $3.9 Billion in Global Penalties to Resolve Foreign Bribery and ITAR CaseRead the Press Release
Airbus SE (Airbus or the Company), a global provider of civilian and military aircraft based in France, has agreed to pay combined penalties of more than $3.9 billion to resolve foreign bribery charges with authorities in the United States, France and the United Kingdom arising out of the Company’s scheme to use third-party business partners to bribe government officials, as well as non-governmental airline executives, around the world and to resolve the Company’s violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and its implementing regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), in the United States. This is the largest global foreign bribery resolution to date.
Airbus entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the department in connection with a criminal information filed on Jan. 28, 2020 in the District of Columbia charging the Company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and conspiracy to violate the AECA and its implementing regulations, the ITAR. The FCPA charge arose out of Airbus’s scheme to offer and pay bribes to foreign officials, including Chinese officials, in order to obtain and retain business, including contracts to sell aircraft. The AECA charge stems from Airbus’s willful failure to disclose political contributions, commissions or fees to the U.S. government, as required under the ITAR, in connection with the sale or export of defense articles and defense services to the Armed Forces of a foreign country or international organization. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan of the District of Columbia.
“Airbus engaged in a multi-year and massive scheme to corruptly enhance its business interests by paying bribes in China and other countries and concealing those bribes,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This coordinated resolution was possible thanks to the dedicated efforts of our foreign partners at the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom and the PNF in France. The Department will continue to work aggressively with our partners across the globe to root out corruption, particularly corruption that harms American interests.”
“International corruption involving sensitive U.S. defense technology presents a particularly dangerous combination. Today’s announcement demonstrates the Department’s continuing commitment to ensuring that those who violate our export control laws are held to account,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns of the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD). “The resolution, however, also reflects the significant benefits available under NSD’s revised voluntary self-disclosure policy for companies that choose to self-report export violations, cooperate, and remediate as to those violations, even where there are aggravating circumstances. We hope other companies will make the same decision as Airbus to report potential criminal export violations timely and directly to NSD so that they too can avail themselves of the policy’s benefits.”
“Today, Airbus has admitted to a years-long campaign of corruption around the world, said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia. “Through bribes, Airbus allowed rampant corruption to invade the U.S. system. Additionally, Airbus falsely reported information about their conduct to the U.S. government for more than five years in order to gain valuable licenses to export U.S. military technology. This case exemplifies the ability of our prosecutors and law enforcement to work with our foreign counterparts to ensure that corruption around the world is prevented and punished at the highest levels.”
“Airbus SE, the second largest Aerospace company world-wide, engaged in a systematic and deliberate conspiracy, that knowingly and willfully violated U.S. fraud and export laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Airbus’s fraud and bribery in commercial aircraft transactions strengthened corrupt airlines and bad actors worldwide, at the expense of straightforward enterprises. Additionally, the bribery of government officials, specifically those involved in the procurement of U.S. military technology, posed a national security threat to both the U.S. and its allies. The global threats facing the U.S. have never been greater than they are today, and HSI New York is committed to working with our federal and international partners to assure sensitive U.S. technologies are not unlawfully and fraudulently acquired. As this investigation reflects, national security continues to be a top priority not just for Department of Homeland Security, but for HSI New York.”
The Company’s payment to the United States will be $527 million for the FCPA and ITAR violations, and an additional 50 million Euros (approximately $55 million) as part of a civil forfeiture agreement for the ITAR-related conduct, and the department will credit a portion of the amount the Company pays to the Parquet National Financier (PNF) in France under the Company’s agreement with the PNF. In addition, the Company has agreed to pay a $10 million penalty to the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), of which the department is crediting $5 million. In related proceedings, the Company settled with the PNF in France over bribes paid to government officials and non-governmental airline executives in China and multiple other countries and the Company has agreed to pay more than 2 billion Euros (more than approximately $2.29 billion) pursuant to the PNF agreement. As part of this coordinated global resolution, the Company also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over bribes paid in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana, and the Company has agreed to pay approximately 990 million Euros equivalent (approximately $1.09 billion) pursuant to the SFO agreement. The PNF and SFO had investigated the Company as part of a Joint Investigative Team.
According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least 2008 and continuing until at least 2015, Airbus engaged in and facilitated a scheme to offer and pay bribes to decision makers and other influencers, including to foreign officials, in order to obtain improper business advantages and to win business from both privately owned enterprises and entities that were state-owned and state-controlled. In furtherance of the corrupt bribery scheme, Airbus employees and agents, among other things, sent emails while located in the United States and participated in and provided luxury travel to foreign officials within the United States.
The admissions and court documents establish that in order to conceal and to facilitate the bribery scheme, Airbus engaged certain business partners, in part, to assist in the bribery scheme. Between approximately 2013 and 2015, Airbus engaged a business partner in China and knowingly and willfully conspired to make payments to the business partner that were intended to be used as bribes to government officials in China in connection with the approval of certain agreements in China associated with the purchase and sale of Airbus aircraft to state-owned and state-controlled airlines in China. In order to conceal the payments and to conceal its engagement of the business partner in China, Airbus did not pay the business partner directly but instead made payments to a bank account in Hong Kong in the name of a company controlled by another business partner.
Pursuant to the AECA and ITAR, the DDTC regulates the export and import of U.S. defense articles and defense services, and prohibits their export overseas without the requisite licensing and approval of the DDTC. According to admissions and court documents, between December 2011 and December 2016, Airbus filed numerous applications for the export of defense articles and defense services to foreign armed forces. As part of its applications, Airbus was required under Part 130 of the ITAR to provide certain information related to political contributions, fees or commissions paid in connection with the sale of defense articles or defense services. The admissions and court documents reveal, however, that the Company engaged in a criminal conspiracy to knowingly and willfully violate the AECA and ITAR, by failing to provide DDTC with accurate information related to commissions paid by Airbus to third-party brokers who were hired to solicit, promote or otherwise secure the sale of defense articles and defense services to foreign armed forces.
As part of the deferred prosecution agreement with the department, Airbus has agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigations and prosecutions relating to the conduct, including of individuals, and to enhance its compliance program.
For the FCPA-related conduct, the department reached this resolution with Airbus based on a number of factors, including the Company’s cooperation and remediation. In addition, for the FCPA-related conduct, the U.S. resolution recognizes the strength of France’s and the United Kingdom’s interests over the Company’s corruption-related conduct, as well as the compelling equities of France and the United Kingdom to vindicate their respective interests as those countries deem appropriate, and the department has taken into account these countries’ determination of the appropriate resolution into all aspects of the U.S. resolution.
With respect to the AECA and ITAR-related conduct, the department reached this resolution with Airbus based on the voluntary and timely nature of its disclosure to the department as well as the Company’s cooperation and remediation.
HSI’s New York Field Office Counter Proliferation Investigations Group is investigating the case. Deputy Chief Christopher Cestaro, Assistant Chief Vanessa Sisti and Trial Attorney Elina A. Rubin Smith of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Deputy Chief Elizabeth L. D. Cannon and Trial Attorney David Lim of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Zamarin, Gregg Maisel, David Kent and Karen Seifert of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
The Department of Justice acknowledges and expresses its appreciation of the significant assistance provided by France’s Parquet National Financier and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.
The Fraud Section is responsible for all investigations and prosecutions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and conducts other investigations into sophisticated economic crimes. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section supervises the investigation and prosecution of cases involving the export of military and strategic commodities and technology, including cases under the AECA and ITAR.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
Airbus Agrees to Pay over $3.9 Billion in Global Penalties to Resolve Foreign Bribery and ITAR CaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Airbus SE (Airbus or the Company), a global provider of civilian and military aircraft based in France, has agreed to pay combined penalties of more than $3.9 billion to resolve foreign bribery charges with authorities in the United States, France and the United Kingdom arising out of the Company’s scheme to use third-party business partners to bribe government officials, as well as non-governmental airline executives, around the world and to resolve the Company’s violation of the Arms Export Control Act (“AECA”) and its implementing regulations, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), in the United States. This is the largest global foreign bribery resolution to date.
Airbus entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the department in connection with a criminal information filed on Jan. 28, 2020 in the District of Columbia charging the Company with conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and conspiracy to violate the AECA and its implementing regulations, the ITAR. The FCPA charge arose out of Airbus’s scheme to offer and pay bribes to foreign officials, including Chinese officials, in order to obtain and retain business, including contracts to sell aircraft. The AECA charge stems from Airbus’s willful failure to disclose political contributions, commissions or fees to the U.S. government, as required under the ITAR, in connection with the sale or export of defense articles and defense services to the Armed Forces of a foreign country or international organization. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan of the District of Columbia.
“Airbus engaged in a multi-year and massive scheme to corruptly enhance its business interests by paying bribes in China and other countries and concealing those bribes,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This coordinated resolution was possible thanks to the dedicated efforts of our foreign partners at the Serious Fraud Office in the United Kingdom and the PNF in France. The Department will continue to work aggressively with our partners across the globe to root out corruption, particularly corruption that harms American interests.”
“International corruption involving sensitive U.S. defense technology presents a particularly dangerous combination. Today’s announcement demonstrates the department’s continuing commitment to ensuring that those who violate our export control laws are held to account,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General David P. Burns of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The resolution, however, also reflects the significant benefits available under NSD’s revised voluntary self-disclosure policy for companies that choose to self-report export violations, cooperate, and remediate as to those violations, even where there are aggravating circumstances. We hope other companies will make the same decision as Airbus to report potential criminal export violations timely and directly to NSD so that they too can avail themselves of the policy’s benefits.”
“Today, Airbus has admitted to a years-long campaign of corruption around the world,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia. “Through bribes, Airbus allowed rampant corruption to invade the U.S. system. Additionally, Airbus falsely reported information about their conduct to the U.S. government for more than five years in order to gain valuable licenses to export U.S. military technology. This case exemplifies the ability of our prosecutors and law enforcement to work with our foreign counterparts to ensure that corruption around the world is prevented and punished at the highest levels.”
“Airbus SE, the second largest Aerospace company world-wide, engaged in a systematic and deliberate conspiracy, that knowingly and willfully violated U.S. fraud and export laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Peter C. Fitzhugh of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Airbus’s fraud and bribery in commercial aircraft transactions strengthened corrupt airlines and bad actors worldwide, at the expense of straightforward enterprises. Additionally, the bribery of government officials, specifically those involved in the procurement of U.S. military technology, posed a national security threat to both the U.S. and its allies. The global threats facing the U.S. have never been greater than they are today, and HSI New York is committed to working with our federal and international partners to assure sensitive U.S. technologies are not unlawfully and fraudulently acquired. As this investigation reflects, national security continues to be a top priority not just for Department of Homeland Security, but for HSI New York.”
The Company’s payment to the United States will be $527 million for the FCPA and ITAR violations, and an additional €50 million (approximately $55 million) as part of a civil forfeiture agreement for the ITAR-related conduct, and the department will credit a portion of the amount the Company pays to the Parquet National Financier (PNF) in France under the Company’s agreement with the PNF. In addition, the Company has agreed to pay a $10 million penalty to the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC), of which the department is crediting $5 million. In related proceedings, the Company settled with the PNF in France over bribes paid to government officials and non-governmental airline executives in China and multiple other countries and the Company has agreed to pay more than 2 billion Euros (more than approximately $2.29 billion) pursuant to the PNF agreement. As part of this coordinated global resolution, the Company also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over bribes paid in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Indonesia and Ghana, and the Company has agreed to pay approximately 990 million Euros equivalent (approximately $1.09 billion) pursuant to the SFO agreement. The PNF and SFO had investigated the Company as part of a Joint Investigative Team.
According to admissions and court documents, beginning in at least 2008 and continuing until at least 2015, Airbus engaged in and facilitated a scheme to offer and pay bribes to decision makers and other influencers, including to foreign officials, in order to obtain improper business advantages and to win business from both privately owned enterprises and entities that were state-owned and state-controlled. In furtherance of the corrupt bribery scheme, Airbus employees and agents, among other things, sent emails while located in the United States and participated in and provided luxury travel to foreign officials within the United States.
The admissions and court documents establish that in order to conceal and to facilitate the bribery scheme, Airbus engaged certain business partners, in part, to assist in the bribery scheme. Between approximately 2013 and 2015, Airbus engaged a business partner in China and knowingly and willfully conspired to make payments to the business partner that were intended to be used as bribes to government officials in China in connection with the approval of certain agreements in China associated with the purchase and sale of Airbus aircraft to state-owned and state-controlled airlines in China. In order to conceal the payments and to conceal its engagement of the business partner in China, Airbus did not pay the business partner directly but instead made payments to a bank account in Hong Kong in the name of a company controlled by another business partner.
Pursuant to the AECA and ITAR, the DDTC regulates the export and import of U.S. defense articles and defense services, and prohibits its export overseas without the requisite licensing and approval of the DDTC. According to admissions and court documents, between December 2011 and December 2016, Airbus filed numerous applications for the export of defense articles and defense services to foreign armed forces. As part of its applications, Airbus was required under Part 130 of the ITAR to provide certain information related to political contributions, fees or commissions paid in connection with the sale of defense articles or defense services. The admissions and court documents reveal, however, that the Company engaged in a criminal conspiracy to knowingly and willfully violate the AECA and ITAR, by failing to provide DDTC with accurate information related to commissions paid by Airbus to third-party brokers who were hired to solicit, promote or otherwise secure the sale of defense articles and defense services to foreign armed forces.
As part of the deferred prosecution agreement with the department, Airbus has agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigations and prosecutions relating to the conduct, including of individuals, and to enhance its compliance program.
For the FCPA-related conduct, the department reached this resolution with Airbus based on a number of factors, including the Company’s cooperation and remediation. In addition, for the FCPA-related conduct, the U.S. resolution recognizes the strength of France’s and the United Kingdom’s interests over the Company’s corruption-related conduct, as well as the compelling equities of France and the United Kingdom to vindicate their respective interests as those countries deem appropriate, and the department has taken into account these countries’ determination of the appropriate resolution into all aspects of the U.S. resolution.
With respect to the AECA and ITAR-related conduct, the department reached this resolution with Airbus based on the voluntary and timely nature of its disclosure to the department as well as the Company’s cooperation and remediation.
HSI’s New York Field Office Counter Proliferation Investigations Group is investigating the case. Deputy Chief Christopher Cestaro, Assistant Chief Vanessa Sisti and Trial Attorney Elina A. Rubin Smith of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Deputy Chief Elizabeth L. D. Cannon and Trial Attorney David Lim of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Zamarin, Gregg Maisel, David Kent, Karen Seifert and Zia Faruqui of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
The Department of Justice acknowledges and expresses its appreciation of the significant assistance provided by France’s Parquet National Financier and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.
The Fraud Section is responsible for all investigations and prosecutions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and conducts other investigations into sophisticated economic crimes. The Counterintelligence and Export Control Section supervises the investigation and prosecution of cases involving the export of military and strategic commodities and technology, including cases under the AECA and ITAR.
Attorney General William P. Barr Appoints Timothy Shea Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
Attorney General William P. Barr announced today the appointment of Timothy Shea as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 546, effective February 3. The Office is the largest U.S. Attorney’s Office in the country, serving as both the local and the federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital, with over 300 attorneys responsible for litigation before over 100 judges in federal and local courts.
“I am pleased to appoint Tim Shea as Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Tim brings to this role extensive knowledge and expertise in law enforcement matters as well as an unwavering dedication to public service, reflected in his long and distinguished career in state and federal government,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “His reputation as a fair prosecutor, skillful litigator, and excellent manager is second-to-none, and his commitment to fighting violent crime and the drug epidemic will greatly benefit the city of Washington. I would also like to express my gratitude to Jessie Liu, who has served with distinction as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia since 2017, and has been nominated to a new role at the Department of the Treasury.”
Shea served as Associate Deputy Attorney General from 1990-1992 and as Counselor to the Attorney General since 2019. In both roles, he advised the Attorney General on law enforcement operations, criminal justice policy, and management issues affecting the Department. He recently spearheaded the Department’s Operation Relentless Pursuit, a crackdown targeting violent crime in seven U.S. cities.
From 1992-1997, Shea served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia where he prosecuted federal criminal cases, including violent crimes, drug trafficking, fraud cases, perjury and obstruction of justice investigations, federal tax fraud and evasion cases, civil rights matters, and public corruption cases. He headed the Task Force responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes at the District of Columbia correctional facilities at Lorton, supervising AUSAs and D.C. government attorneys. He was also the coordinator for matters related to the Criminal Enforcement Child Support.
In state government, Shea served as the Chief of Public Protection Bureau in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office where he managed several divisions staffed by attorneys and investigators. In that position, he was responsible for the enforcement of state law related to consumer protection, civil rights, antitrust, regulated industries, insurance rate setting, telecommunications, energy, environment, public charities, and elder protection. Shea also served in Congressional roles, including as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations under the chairmanship of Senator Susan Collins and on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee professional staff under Ranking Republican Member Silvio O. Conte. During his 20 years of private practice, Shea served as Of Counsel for Bingham McCutchen and Morgan Lewis, handling complex civil litigation.
Shea earned his J.D. degree magna cum laude in 1991 from the Georgetown University Law Center where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He was also a senior staff member of the America Criminal Law Review. He received his B.A. degree magna cum laude from Boston College in 1982 where he received the Kenealy Award for Academic Excellence.
District Man Sentenced to 120 Months for Federal Carjacking and Firearms Charge Related to Kidnapping of NJ ManRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Trevonta Barnes, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 120 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release for a federal carjacking and related firearms charge stemming from the kidnapping of a New Jersey man last year in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Barnes pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of federal carjacking and one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on October 28, 2019. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 19, 2019, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Barnes, while masked, attempted to steal the victim’s car that was left unattended while he ran into a store to make a quick transaction. When the victim heard his car engine revving, he came out to investigate and encountered Barnes, who then brandished a firearm and forced the victim into his own car. Barnes directed the victim to drive and turn on various streets. Along the way, Barnes struck the victim on the back of the head with the firearm and took several items from the victim, including his cell phone and keys to his rental property.
Barnes then directed the victim to stop under an underpass and the victim managed to run away and get help. Barnes was spotted wearing the same clothing approximately 90 minutes later. When approached by MPD officers, Barnes fled on foot until he was apprehended shortly thereafter. Barnes was still in possession of the victim’s property at the time.
Barnes was arrested on Jan. 20, 2019, and has been in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, Barnes was on supervised release following his release from prison three months earlier for unlawfully possessing a firearm. He was also on supervised probation for an earlier Maryland burglary. He now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration separate and apart from the sentence that he faces for the carjacking and brandishing the loaded firearm on Jan. 19, 2019.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case, including lead Detective David Adams. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Gripkey, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin Vaillancourt, as well as Paralegal Candace Battle.
District Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison for Second-Degree Murder While Armed in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donnell Mills, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 21 years for second-degree murder while armed from a killing that took place in 2018 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The defendant pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on October 22, 2019. He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton Lee. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of November 8, 2018, at approximately 9:29am, the decedent Jelani Mohammed was walking along the 1500 block of Benning Road NE, Washington, DC. The defendant and his co-defendant ran up behind the decedent and assaulted him while the defendant stabbed him one time with a knife belt puncturing the decedent’s right lung. Despite life-saving efforts, the decedent was pronounced dead at 9:59am. The defendant has been held without bond since his arrest on November 21, 2018.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Earnest, Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Siegerist, Tameka Garcia, and Alesha Matthews; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Mustafa al-Imam Sentenced to 236 Months in Prison for September 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, LibyaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Mustafa al-Imam, a 47-year-old Libyan national, was sentenced today to 236 months in prison on federal terrorism charges stemming from the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty died in the attack.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, Jay Tabb, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, and Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office.
“Today’s sentence demonstrates the United States’ continuing commitment to pursue justice against those who commit terrorist acts against the United States no matter how far we must go or how long it takes. Mustafa al-Imam played an important role in the terrorist attack that destroyed the U.S. Mission and the CIA Annex in Benghazi,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice against all those who murdered these four American heroes and who seriously injured our personnel defending these U.S. facilities overseas.”
“The tragic loss of four American lives in the Benghazi attacks will never be forgotten and today’s sentencing of Mustafa al-Imam is an important reminder of that,” said Jay Tabb, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “The FBI is committed to investigate and bring to justice all individuals involved in acts of terrorism against U.S. facilities or citizens and will use the full range of our resources to pursue such cases.”
“We have not rested in our efforts to bring to justice those involved in the terrorist attacks on our facilities in Benghazi, which led to the death of four courageous Americans – Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Ambassador Christopher Stevens – and we never will,” said Assistant Attorney General Demers. “Those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors – and all of their partners in the U.S. government – who are responsible for this important investigation.”
“Mustafa al-Imam played a significant role in the 2012 Benghazi attack, one that ultimately claimed American lives,” said Assistant Director William F. Sweeney, Jr. “While nothing will ever change the outcome of this horrific event, today’s sentencing is a reminder that the safety of Americans—whether at home or abroad, civilian or otherwise—will always be our top priority. If you commit an act of terrorism, we will find you and bring you to justice."
Al-Imam was captured in Libya on Oct. 29, 2017, and brought to the United States to face trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was found guilty by a jury on June 13, 2019, following a six-week trial, of one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists and one count of maliciously destroying and injuring dwellings and property, and placing lives in jeopardy within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, a group of extremists, armed with AK-47 rifles, grenades, and other weapons, swept into the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, setting fires and breaking into buildings. During that violence, Ambassador Stevens, Mr. Smith, and Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) Special Agent Scott Wickland valiantly tried to protect themselves when the attackers stormed into the Ambassador’s residence, sheltering in a secure area. However, when the attackers could not gain entry to the secure area, the attackers set fire to the residence. Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith suffocated from the thick, black smoke that enveloped the residence. Special Agent Wickland, who tried to guide them to safety, was injured and repeatedly took small arms fire while trying to rescue Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith.
Al-Imam arrived at the Mission during the initial stage of the attack, accompanying Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the leader of an extremist militia named Ubaydah bin Jarrah and one of the planners of the attack. During the attack on the Mission, al-Imam maintained contact with Khatallah in a series of cellphone calls, including an 18-minute phone call that took place during the height of the attack. Members of Ubaydah bin Jarrah, as well as other extremist groups, were caught on surveillance video attacking the Mission. After the American security personnel withdrew from the Mission, al-Imam, Khatallah, several UBJ members, and other extremists entered the Mission’s office and removed sensitive information, including maps and other documents related to the location of the CIA’s Annex in Benghazi.
Following the attack at the Mission, in the early hours of Sept. 12, 2012, the violence continued at the CIA Annex, first with gunfire and then with a precision mortar attack. While defending the Annex, Mr. Woods, Mr. Doherty, DSS Special Agent David Ubben, and CIA security specialist Mark Tiegen were hit by a precision mortar attack, leading to the deaths of Mr. Woods and Mr. Doherty. Special Agent Ubben and Mr. Tiegen were seriously wounded but survived.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office with substantial assistance from various other government agencies, including the Department of Defense and the two victim agencies, the CIA and the Department of State. The National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section provided significant assistance.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Cummings and Karen Seifert of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Coleman and Jolie Zimmerman, Paralegal Specialist Donna Galindo, detailed Paralegal Specialist Ashley Davis, Intelligence Research Special Dustin Powell, Contract Document Management Analyst Michael Watts, Victim-Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant, Tonya Jones, Laverne Perry and Wanda Queen, and Litigation Technology Chief Leif Hickling. Earlier stages of the prosecution were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiLorenzo and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Opher Shweiki and Julieanne Himelstein.
Mustafa Al-Imam Sentenced to More than 19 Years in Prison for September 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, LibyaRead the Press Release
Mustafa al-Imam, a 47-year-old Libyan national, was sentenced today to 236 months in prison on federal terrorism charges and other offenses stemming from the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty died in the attack.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, Jay Tabb, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch, and Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office.
“We have not rested in our efforts to bring to justice those involved in the terrorist attacks on our facilities in Benghazi, which led to the death of four courageous Americans – Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Ambassador Christopher Stevens – and we never will,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “Those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable. I want to thank the agents, analysts, and prosecutors – and all of their partners in the U.S. government – who are responsible for this important investigation.”
“Today’s sentence demonstrates the United States’ continuing commitment to pursue justice against those who commit terrorist acts against the United States no matter how far we must go or how long it takes. Mustafa al-Imam played an important role in the terrorist attack that destroyed the U.S. Mission and the CIA Annex in Benghazi,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue justice against all those who murdered these four American heroes and who seriously injured our personnel defending these U.S. facilities overseas.”
“The tragic loss of four American lives in the Benghazi attacks will never be forgotten and today’s sentencing of Mustafa al-Imam is an important reminder of that,” said Jay Tabb, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “The FBI is committed to investigate and bring to justice all individuals involved in acts of terrorism against U.S. facilities or citizens and will use the full range of our resources to pursue such cases.”
“Mustafa al-Imam played a significant role in the 2012 Benghazi attack, one that ultimately claimed American lives,” said Assistant Director William F. Sweeney, Jr. “While nothing will ever change the outcome of this horrific event, today’s sentencing is a reminder that the safety of Americans—whether at home or abroad, civilian or otherwise—will always be our top priority. If you commit an act of terrorism, we will find you and bring you to justice."
Al-Imam was captured in Libya on Oct. 29, 2017, and brought to the United States to face trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was found guilty by a jury on June 13, 2019, following a six-week trial, of one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists and one count of maliciously destroying and injuring dwellings and property, and placing lives in jeopardy within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, a group of extremists, armed with AK-47 rifles, grenades, and other weapons, swept into the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, setting fires and breaking into buildings. During that violence, Ambassador Stevens, Mr. Smith, and Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Special Agent Scott Wickland valiantly tried to protect themselves when the attackers stormed into the Ambassador’s residence, sheltering in a secure area. However, when the attackers could not gain entry to the secure area, the attackers set fire to the residence. Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith suffocated from the thick, black smoke that enveloped the residence. Special Agent Wickland, who tried to guide them to safety, was injured and repeatedly took small arms fire while trying to rescue Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith.
Al-Imam arrived at the Mission shortly after the attack began, accompanying Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the leader of an extremist militia named Ubaydah bin Jarrah and one of the planners of the attack. During the attack on the Mission, al-Imam maintained contact with Khatallah in a series of cellphone calls, including an 18-minute phone call that took place during the height of the attack. Members of Ubaydah bin Jarrah, as well as other extremist groups, were caught on surveillance video attacking the Mission. After the American security personnel withdrew from the Mission, al-Imam, Khatallah, several UBJ members, and other extremists entered the Mission’s office and removed sensitive information, including maps and other documents related to the location of the CIA’s Annex in Benghazi.
Following the attack at the Mission, in the early hours of Sept. 12, 2012, the violence continued at the CIA Annex, first with gunfire and then with a precision mortar attack. While defending the Annex, Mr. Woods, Mr. Doherty, DSS Special Agent David Ubben, and CIA security specialist Mark Tiegen were hit by a precision mortar attack, leading to the deaths of Mr. Woods and Mr. Doherty. Special Agent Ubben and Mr. Tiegen were seriously wounded but survived.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office with substantial assistance from various other government agencies, including the Department of Defense and the two victim agencies, the CIA and the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. The National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided assistance.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Cummings and Karen Seifert of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Coleman and Jolie Zimmerman, Paralegal Specialist Donna Galindo, detailed Paralegal Specialist Ashley Davis, Intelligence Research Special Dustin Powell, contract Document Management Analyst Michael Watts, Victim-Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant, Tonya Jones, Laverne Perry and Wanda Queen, and Litigation Technology Chief Leif Hickling. Earlier stages of the prosecution were handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiLorenzo and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Opher Shweiki and Julieanne Himelstein.
Former District of Columbia Government Employee Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Accepting Bribes from ConsultantRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Latasha Moore, 39, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for accepting more than $140,000 in bribes from John Woods, who was a consultant and independent contractor who did business with the D.C. government.
The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia Inspector General.
On October 11, 2018, Moore pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of bribery. She was sentenced by the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich. Following her prison term, Moore will be placed on two years of supervised release. As part of her sentence, Moore was ordered to forfeit the more than $140,000 in bribes that she received from Woods.
According to the statement of offense, Moore started working in 2002 for the D.C. Department of Human Resources (“DCHR”); in 2012, she was promoted to the position of resource allocation analyst. In that role, among other duties, she was the main point of contact for “Company A,” which was a Maryland-based company that had agreements with DCHR to provide organizational skills training courses and human resources consulting to various D.C. government agencies.
As noted in the statement of offense, Moore and Woods, who was a consultant employed by Company A, engaged in a scheme in which Moore agreed to protect the government contracts held by Company A and ensure that no complaints about its performance reached others in the District of Columbia government. The scheme began in approximately July 2014 and ran through August 2017. In return for her actions, according to the statement of offense, Moore accepted 50 checks and one PayPal money transfer from Woods totaling more than $140,000.
According to the statement of offense, Moore had suspicions about more than $1 million in invoices that Woods submitted in March 2015 through June 2017 for work that Company A purportedly performed under its contracts with DCHR. Nonetheless, in return for the money that Woods paid her, Moore advised other D.C. government officials to approve the invoices for payment. As the scheme continued, according to the statement of offense, Company A discovered that Woods was acting on his own and retaining the profits for himself. Although Moore knew of Company A’s concerns, she did not relay them to her supervisors and continued to advise other government officials to approve Woods’s invoices.
Woods, 57, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on December 20, 2019, by Judge Friedrich to 41 months in prison on charges of bribery and wire fraud arising from this scheme. As part of his sentence Woods was ordered to pay $564,910.23 in restitution to Company A.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Office of the Inspector General of the District of Columbia. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Marando of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Federal and Local Agencies Team up to Combat Human Trafficking in the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu and D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced today that the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force now will be jointly chaired by representatives of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. The move recognizes the important work of both agencies toward eradicating human trafficking in the District and the complementary skills of the federal and local agencies. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office aggressively investigates and prosecutes human traffickers. As the Chair of the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force for the last 15 years, our Office has worked tirelessly to improve the public health and safety of some of the most vulnerable members of our community: sex trafficking survivors. Our prosecutors and advocates have shown unparalleled dedication to this important issue, which deserves our continued and expanded efforts. The joint leadership of the Task Force will enable us to tackle the challenges ahead with even greater vigor. We are pleased to have yet another opportunity for partnership with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.
Since its formation in 2004, the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force has been chaired by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with the goal of increasing the prosecution of traffickers while identifying and serving the victims-survivors of this horrific crime. The four main goals of the Task Force are:
- To facilitate a more coordinated anti-trafficking effort in the D.C. area through protocol development, extensive community outreach, proactive investigations, law enforcement training, intelligence sharing, and more formalized partnerships between law enforcement organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
- To identify citizen, resident, and transnational victims of both sex and labor trafficking.
- To provide comprehensive services to trafficking victims.
- To increase the prosecution of traffickers.
Since its creation, the Task Force has served as a forum for disparate organizations—local and federal government agencies, NGOs, and local and federal law enforcement—to come together around one table for information sharing, internal and external training, and relationship building. The Task Force consists of a large number of law enforcement, NGOs, and government agencies, as well as component subcommittees. The current subcommittees are: Direct Services, Labor, Training and Outreach, Law Enforcement, and a Policy Working Group.
Through the information-sharing work of the Task Force and the efforts of a reconfigured Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Taskforce (CEHTTF) at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Office has seen a significant increase in prosecutions of juvenile sex trafficking cases, as well as an increase in the number of child exploitation cases brought in federal court.
In recent years, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia has also expanded its anti-human trafficking efforts, recognizing that children that are at risk for trafficking and those who are victims-survivors of trafficking present unique challenges that require trauma-informed staff and court personnel. One such initiative was its successful launch, along with the D.C. Superior Court, of Hope Court, a diversion program for youth that appear at risk of trafficking or who represent confirmed cases of trafficking.
For more information, please contact External Affairs Specialist Melanie Howard at 202-252-6930.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 36-Month Prison Term for Fatal Crash in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyler S. Hurley, 22, of Port Republic, Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to a prison term of 36 months (3 years) for Voluntary Manslaughter, stemming from a traffic collision where he ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, killing the driver, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Gregory Monahan, Acting Chief of the United States Park Police (USPP).
Hurley pled guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter on August 12, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed upon sentence totaling 36 months. The Honorable Craig Iscoe accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Hurley will be placed on 5 five years of supervised release.
The fatal traffic collision occurred on Sunday, December 23, 2018, at approximately 12:27 a.m., at the intersection of Constitution Avenue and 19th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. The investigation by U.S. Park Police found that Hurley, who had come to Washington with a group of family and friends, was returning to Southern Maryland, when he was driving a 2014 Honda Civic southbound on 19th Street approaching the intersection with Constitution Avenue, where 19th Street dead ends. Hurley ran the red light at the intersection with Constitution Avenue, and struck an eastbound 2012 Honda Accord being driven by Kunal Talwar. Mr. Talwar’s Accord was crushed between Hurley’s striking Civic and a tree. Mr. Talwar later died from his injuries at George Washington University Hospital.
When officers arrived, a companion of Hurley falsely claimed to be the driver of the striking vehicle. Later, when told that the crash resulted in the death of Mr. Talwar, that person recanted and told officers that Hurley was the driver. Hurley was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, along with other occupants of his Civic, for injuries. Hurley was asked about the crash and admitted to being the driver of the striking Civic. Hurley displayed some signs of impairment, but officers were unable to determine if he was intoxicated. Approximately 4 hours after the crash, Hurley’s blood was drawn and his blood alcohol concentration was 0.04 g/ml, which is less than the 0.08 g/ml concentration that is definitive evidence of driving under the influence in the District of Columbia. A download of the black box of Hurley’s Civic later showed that he was driving at 73 miles per hour in the 25-mile-per-hour zone, when he ran the red light and struck Mr. Talwar’s Accord. Hurley was later arrested and charged with causing Mr. Talwar’s death.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Acting Chief Monahan commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from the United States Park Police, as well as officers and detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Major Crash Investigations Unit. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist, and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.
WeLeakInfo.com Domain Name SeizedRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that they have seized the internet domain name weleakinfo.com. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Timothy M. Dunham of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The website had claimed to provide its users a search engine to review and obtain the personal information illegally obtained in over 10,000 data breaches containing over 12 billion indexed records – including, for example, names, email addresses, usernames, phone numbers, and passwords for online accounts. The website sold subscriptions so that any user could access the results of these data breaches, with subscriptions providing unlimited searches and access during the subscription period (one day, one week, one month, or three months).
With execution of the warrant, the seized domain name – weleakinfo.com – is now in the custody of the federal government, effectively suspending the website’s operation. Visitors to the site will now find a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain name has been seized by federal authorities. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued the seizure warrant.
Any persons having information concerning weleakinfo.com or its owners and operators are encouraged to provide that information by filing a complaint (referencing #weleakinfo in the “Description of Incident” field) with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx.
The seizure is part of a comprehensive law enforcement action taken by the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, along with international law enforcement, including the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the Netherlands National Police Corps, the German Bundeskriminalamt (the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany), and the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Owner of Unlicensed D.C. Row House Indicted for Murder in Connection with Fatal FireRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – James G. Walker, 61, the owner of a commercially zoned row house at 708 Kennedy Street, N.W., was arraigned by Superior Court of the District of Columbia Judge Ronna L. Beck on two counts of second degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The grand jury indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division Ashan M. Benedict; Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Peter Newsham; and Fire and EMS Chief Gregory M. Dean.
According to the indictment and related court documents, on August 18, 2019, Fitsum Kebede, Yafet Solomen, and others resided at the row house on Kennedy Street owned by Walker. Although Walker used the structure as a boarding house, he did not have a certificate of occupancy for the building and the structure was in violation of several fire safety codes. During the morning of August 18, 2019, a fire broke out inside the building. Kebede and Solomen were in the basement at the time and were unable to exit the premises. They subsequently died from smoke inhalation. Following the indictment, Walker was arrested on January 15, 2020.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, Walker faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and five years of supervised release.
In announcing the indictment and arraignment, U.S. Attorney Liu, ATF SAC Benedict, MPD Chief Newsham, and Fire and EMS Chief Dean commended the work of the ATF Arson and Explosives Task Force that investigated the case, including MPD, ATF, and Fire and EMS. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Vinet Bryant, who is prosecuting the case.
District Woman Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison on Federal Mail Fraud Charge, Admits Her Role in Embezzlement SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Belinda McKenzie, 45, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for her role in an embezzlement scheme targeting District of Columbia government funds earmarked for at-risk tenants, through a program administered by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Special Agent in Charge Matthew S. Miller, U.S. Secret Service, Washington Field Office; Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); and Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia’s Office of Inspector General.
Belinda McKenzie pled guilty in May 2019 to one count of mail fraud charge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden. In addition to her prison term, McKenzie must pay restitution in the amount of $234,249, as well as a forfeiture money judgement in the same amount. Following her prison term, she will be placed on two years of supervised release.
The defendant, Belinda McKenzie, was a Family Support Worker at Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Washington (“CC ADW”), working in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (“ERAP”). Between 2015 and 2017, the defendant, along with others, recruited family members, neighbors, and friends, and used their information, and that of others, on fraudulent ERAP applications stealing $234,249.00 in ERAP funds administered by CC ADW (and from DC government which finances the program). CC ADW is one of six agencies that administers the ERAP program for the District of Columbia’s Department of Human Services.
After an anonymous complaint to CC ADW, an outside auditing firm identified approximately 42 ERAP files (all processed by the defendant) comprising of payments to approximately 16 landlords on behalf of 31 tenants. In truth, the listed tenants were not at risk of eviction, did not rent from the listed landlords, and instead of assisting families from eviction, the emergency rental money was shared with the co-schemers involved in the fraud. After a referral by CC ADW, law enforcement conducted an independent investigation and found that the defendant created fraudulent files using forgeries from the legitimate documents to “paper” the requests for the fraudulent tenant assistance. Armed with an array of falsely manufactured “supporting” documentation, the defendant tricked CC ADW into issuing approximately 42 checks totaling $234,249.00 to individuals who posed as landlords, on behalf of individuals who posed as tenants at risk of eviction from the “landlords’” property.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Miller, Chief Newsham, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, MPD, and DC Office of Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Financial Accountant Bryan Snitselaar, Paralegal Specialists Amanda Rohde, Mariela Andrade, and Quiana Dunn-Gordon, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison on Federal Fraud Conspiracy Charge for Stealing over $1.3 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Issam Abu-Ghosh, 61, of Leesburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to 60 months in prison for his role in a fraud conspiracy targeting companies and individuals from across the United States and around the world.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Washington Field Office of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Division, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Issam Abu-Ghosh pled guilty in September 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Richard J. Leon. In addition to his prison term, Abu-Ghosh must pay restitution in the amount of $1,358,980, as well as a forfeiture money judgement in the amount of $952,000. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.
Beginning in or about 2009, and continuing through at least 2012, Ghosh and his co-conspirator conducted a scheme to defraud individuals, companies, and other types of entities, to obtain money. The scheme was conducted in a similar manner for many of the victims. In nearly each instance, Ghosh represented to the victim that Ghosh, through his solely owned company, could obtain a loan for the victim through various connections that he maintained. The loans needed by the victims were often for millions of dollars and to fund large projects. Prior to soliciting potential lenders, Ghosh required that each victim provide a good faith deposit to be held in escrow to show the victim’s good intentions toward obtaining the loan. The good faith deposits ranged from $15,000 to $250,000. Ghosh’s co-conspirator, an attorney, acted as the escrow agent for the good faith deposits. Once an agreement was reached between the victim and Ghosh, the terms and conditions were memorialized in a Loan Commitment contract. The Loan Commitment included an Escrow Agreement, which identified Ghosh’s co-conspirator as the escrow agent and provided conditions under which the Escrow Agreement would operate, including the transfer of the good faith deposit to a bank account held by the co-conspirator. In most cases, the Escrow Agreement required that the co-conspirator hold the money with the understanding that the funds would be returned to the victim if Ghosh failed to identify and provide a lender. Once the victim wired the good faith deposit to the escrow account, most of that money was transferred to Ghosh within days. Ghosh and his co-conspirator obtained over $1,358,980 in good faith deposits. No loans were ever obtained by Ghosh and the good faith deposits were used by Ghosh and his co-conspirator for their personal benefit or to further the scheme.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Special Agent in Charge Jackson commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle A. Zamarin, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Marando, who prosecuted the case.
Two Individuals Sentenced in Connection with Work on Behalf of IranRead the Press Release
Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, 39, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, and Majid Ghorbani, 60, an Iranian citizen and resident of California, have been sentenced to prison terms of 38 months and 30 months, respectively, for their criminal convictions relating to their conduct conducting surveillance of and collecting identifying information about American citizens and U.S. nationals who are members of the group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
On Jan. 15, 2020, the Honorable Paul L. Friedman sentenced Doostdar to a prison term of 38 months, 36 months of supervised release, and a fine of $14,153. Ghorbani was sentenced to a prison term of 30 months and 36 months of supervised release.
On Oct. 8, 2019, Doostdar entered guilty pleas to one count of acting as an agent of the government of Iran without notifying the Attorney General, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 951, and one count of conspiring to violate that statute, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. On Nov. 4, 2019, Ghorbani entered a guilty plea to one count of willfully violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations 31 C.F.R. Parts 560.204 and 560.206.
“This case illustrates Iran’s targeting of Americans in the United States in order to silence those who oppose the Iranian regime or otherwise further its goals,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “The defendants, working for Iran, gathered information on Americans that could then be used by the Iranian intelligence services to intimidate or harm them or their families. These prosecutions should serve as a reminder to anyone here working covertly for Iran that the American law enforcement will pursue you to protect this country, its citizens and the First Amendment principles upon which it was founded.”
“The sentences in this case illustrate the high cost to those who act as agents of the Iranian government in the United States or provide services that benefit the government of Iran, especially when those activities target the free speech and peaceful assembly rights of people in the United States,” said Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. “We will continue to thwart efforts by foreign governments to endanger our national security and to stifle the freedoms that all Americans cherish.”
"The FBI will not tolerate surveillance being conducted here in the United States at the behest of foreign nations like Iran," said Jay Tabb, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's National Security Branch. "Such activity is intimidating, particularly to individuals who exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and criticize the Iranian government. The FBI will continue to pursue such activity on U.S. soil and disrupt efforts by any individuals who take such actions on behalf of Iran."
As part of his plea, Doostdar admitted under oath that he traveled to the United States from Iran on three occasions in order to meet with Ghorbani and to convey directions for Ghorbani’s activities on behalf of the government of Iran. Prior to Doostdar’s first trip to the United States, his handler with the government of Iran identified Ghorbani by name, showed Doostdar a photograph of Ghorbani, and told him where Ghorbani worked.
During Doostdar’s first trip to the United States in July 2017, Doostdar met Ghorbani at Ghorbani’s workplace. Doostdar admitted that, during a subsequent conversation, Ghorbani told Doostdar that he was willing to work for the government of Iran in the United States.
On Sept. 20, 2017, Ghorbani attended a rally in New York City organized by the Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK). The rally consisted of constitutionally-protected activity, including U.S. citizens denouncing the Iranian regime. At the rally, Ghorbani photographed rally attendees, including MEK leaders.
In December 2017, during Doostdar’s second trip to the United States as part of the conspiracy, Doostdar met with Ghorbani and collected the rally photographs from Ghorbani. The photographs depicted MEK leaders and included hand-written notes identifying the individuals and listing their positions in the group. Under oath, Ghorbani admitted to attending the September 2017 MEK rally and to photographing and gathering information on rally attendees to provide to Doostdar and ultimately to individuals in Iran. Doostdar paid Ghorbani $2,000 for his work, which Doostdar admitted had been provided by Doostdar’s government of Iran handler.
During this December 2017 trip, Ghorbani and Doostdar also discussed Ghorbani’s planned travel to Iran in March 2018, and Ghorbani offered to provide an in-person briefing on rally attendees during this trip. Later in December 2017, Doostdar departed the United States for Iran with the photographs and handwritten notes provided by Ghorbani.
In May 2018, Ghorbani traveled to another MEK rally, this time in Washington, D.C., where he again collected information on participants critical of the Iranian regime. Following that rally, Doostdar admitted that he and Ghorbani spoke by telephone and discussed the methods that Ghorbani could use to provide the information collected at that rally to Doostdar in Iran.
Doostdar further admitted that, during his travel to the United States to task Ghorbani with collecting information on U.S. persons on behalf of the Iranian regime, he communicated with his government of Iran handler through another co-conspirator. Doostdar’s handler relayed instructions and encouragement and answered Doostdar’s questions that came up during his mission in the United States.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Los Angeles Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.
Two Individuals Sentenced in Connection with Providing Services to IranRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, 39, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, and Majid Ghorbani, 60, an Iranian citizen and resident of California, have been sentenced to prison terms of 38 months and 30 months, respectively, for their criminal convictions relating to their conduct on behalf of Iran. As the government demonstrated at sentencing, both defendants collected the information of conducting surveillance of and collecting identifying information about American citizens and U.S. nationals who are members of the group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) for the purpose of providing that information to Iran..
On Jan. 15, 2020, the Honorable Paul L. Friedman sentenced Doostdar to a fine of $14,153 and 36 months of supervised release and Ghorbani to 30 months in prison along with 36 months of supervised release.
On Oct. 8, 2019, Doostdar entered guilty pleas to one count of acting as an agent of the government of Iran without notifying the Attorney General, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 951, and one count of conspiring to violate that statute, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. On Nov. 4, 2019, Ghorbani entered a guilty plea to one count of willfully violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations 31 C.F.R. Parts 560.204 and 560.206.
The sentencings were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Executive Assistant Director Jay Tabb of the FBI’s National Security Branch.
“This case illustrates Iran’s targeting of Americans in the United States in order to silence those who oppose the Iranian regime or otherwise further its goals,” said AAG Demers. “The defendants, working for Iran, gathered information on Americans that could then be used by the Iranian intelligence services to intimidate or harm them or their families. These prosecutions should serve as a reminder to anyone here working covertly for Iran that the American law enforcement will pursue you to protect this country, its citizens and the First Amendment principles upon which it was founded.”
“The sentences in this case illustrate the high cost to those who act as agents of the Iranian government in the United States or provide services that benefit the government of Iran” said Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. “We will continue to thwart efforts by foreign governments to endanger our national security.”
"The FBI will not tolerate surveillance being conducted here in the United States at the behest of foreign nations like Iran," said Jay Tabb, Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's National Security Branch. "Such activity is intimidating, particularly to individuals who exercise their constitutional rights to free speech and criticize the Iranian government. The FBI will continue to pursue such activity on U.S. soil and disrupt efforts by any individuals who take such actions on behalf of Iran."
As part of his plea, Doostdar admitted under oath that he traveled to the United States from Iran on three occasions in order to meet with Ghorbani and to convey directions for Ghorbani’s activities on behalf of the government of Iran. Prior to Doostdar’s first trip to the United States, his handler with the government of Iran identified Ghorbani by name, showed Doostdar a photograph of Ghorbani, and told him where Ghorbani worked.
During Doostdar’s first trip to the United States in July 2017, Doostdar met Ghorbani at Ghorbani’s workplace. Doostdar admitted that, during a subsequent conversation, Ghorbani told Doostdar that he was willing to work for the government of Iran in the United States.
On Sept. 20, 2017, Ghorbani attended a rally in New York City organized by the Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK). The rally consisted of constitutionally-protected activity, including U.S. citizens denouncing the Iranian regime. At the rally, Ghorbani photographed rally attendees, including MEK leaders.
In December 2017, during Doostdar’s second trip to the United States as part of the conspiracy, Doostdar met with Ghorbani and collected the rally photographs from Ghorbani. The photographs depicted MEK leaders and included hand-written notes identifying the individuals and listing their positions in the group. Under oath, Ghorbani admitted to attending the September 2017 MEK rally and to photographing and gathering information on rally attendees to provide to Doostdar and ultimately to individuals in Iran. Doostdar paid Ghorbani $2,000 for his work, which Doostdar admitted had been provided by Doostdar’s government of Iran handler.
During this December 2017 trip, Ghorbani and Doostdar also discussed Ghorbani’s planned travel to Iran in March 2018, and Ghorbani offered to provide an in-person briefing on rally attendees during this trip. Later in December 2017, Doostdar departed the United States for Iran with the photographs and handwritten notes provided by Ghorbani.
In May 2018, Ghorbani traveled to another MEK rally, this time in Washington, D.C., where he again collected information on participants critical of the Iranian regime. Following that rally, Doostdar admitted that he and Ghorbani spoke by telephone and discussed the methods that Ghorbani could use to provide the information collected at that rally to Doostdar in Iran.
Doostdar further admitted that, during his travel to the United States to task Ghorbani with collecting information on U.S. persons on behalf of the Iranian regime, he communicated with his government of Iran handler through another co-conspirator. Doostdar’s handler relayed instructions and encouragement and answered Doostdar’s questions that came up during his mission in the United States.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Los Angeles Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.
California Woman Charged with Hate Crime for Threatening to Bomb Catholic Prep SchoolRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A two-count federal indictment was unsealed January 3, 2020 charging Sonia Tabibzada, 35, of San Jacinto, California, for threatening to bomb the Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in Washington, DC. Count One charges Tabibzada with intentionally attempting to obstruct persons in the enjoyment of their free exercise of religious beliefs through the threatened use of force, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 247. Count Two charges Tabibzada with threatening to kill, injure, and intimidate school officials and threatening to unlawfully destroy a building by means of fire or explosive device, in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 844.
Visitation Prep is the oldest Catholic school for girls in the United States. The indictment alleges that, after school officials announced that Visitation Prep would begin publishing same-sex wedding announcements in its alumni magazine, Tabibzada made at least two threatening calls referencing the decision. On May 15, 2019, Tabibzada left a voice message stating that she was going to burn and bomb the church and was going to kill school officials and students. Several minutes later, Tabibzada left a second voice mail stating that she was going to blow up the school and warned that she would commit terrorism.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, Tabibzada faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendra Briggs of the District of Columbia and Civil Rights Division Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer.
D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charge in ATF Firearms and Narcotics InvestigationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Stackhouse, 31, of Southeast, D.C. pled guilty yesterday to a federal firearms charge stemming from his narcotics trafficking in the summer and fall of 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Stackhouse pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. He will be sentenced on March 30, 2020 by the Honorable Judge Amit P. Mehta. He faces a minimum term of incarceration of five years and up to life in prison.
Stackhouse was arrested after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) engaged in a large-scale drug investigation in the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Southeast, Washington, D.C. and arrested multiple individuals involved with narcotics trafficking. During the investigation, the ATF conducted several controlled purchases of narcotics from Stackhouse, including the purchase of cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine). On October 9, 2019, ATF obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of Stackhouse’s residence, finding a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, cocaine residue, two loaded firearms – a .22 caliber firearm and a revolver – and four imitation firearms. Law enforcement also recovered nearly 400 rounds of ammunition, and two additional firearms magazines.
“This investigation is another example of our desire and ability to disrupt drug trafficking organizations in the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “As a result of this effort, we were able to remove six firearms or imitation firearms, all of which are dangerous tools used in the drug trade and can harm our community.”
This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
This case was also prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide crime-reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety - one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case, including ATF and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Finally, they cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Kim Hall, and Candace Battle, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.
Former Bank Branch Manager Sentenced to 33 Months for Scheme to Steal Funds from Elderly Account HoldersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Fetehi Mohammed, 34, of Washington, D.C., who was a branch manager of a Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. in Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 to 33 months in prison for stealing funds from elderly customers’ accounts, depositing the funds in the form of cashiers’ checks into his personal accounts at another financial institution, and transferring stolen funds from Virginia to the District of Columbia for his use.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, Field Office, and Peter R. Rendina, Postal Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
On September 30, 2019, Mohammed pled guilty to a two-count Criminal Information charging in Count One - Interstate Transportation of Money Taken by Fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2314, and Count Two - Engaging in Monetary Transactions in Property Derived from Specified Unlawful Activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1957. Today, the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle sentenced Mohammed to a 33-month term of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release on both counts to run concurrently to one another. The Court also ordered Mohammed to pay restitution to Wells Fargo Bank in the amount of $509,864.95. In addition, Judge Huvelle ordered Mohammed to pay a $38,779.01 forfeiture money judgment in addition to the restitution ordered. Wells Fargo Bank has covered the individual account holders for their losses due to Mohammed’s criminal conduct, so it will receive any restitution Mohammed pays.
As detailed in the statement of offense, from February 1, 2017, through on or about March 27, 2019, Mohammed exploited his position as a bank branch manager to execute a scheme to defraud elderly bank customers. Mohammed used the trust that he had built with a half-dozen senior clients to steal over $500,000 from their accounts and to transfer some of those funds from Virginia into the District of Columbia for his use and benefit.
“Fraud perpetrated against our senior citizens is deplorable,” said IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson. “Fetehi Mohammed used his position of trust as a bank manager to victimize elderly bank customers for his own personal benefit. Although his sentence won’t right his actions, we hope it brings some closure to those he defrauded.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office works with the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other law enforcement partners on a Financial Crimes Task Force which investigates, among other things, crimes targeting older victims. The Office hopes to build on its work successfully prosecuting such cases and in addition, the Office will continue its extensive community outreach efforts in hopes of increasing awareness to protect seniors.
“This sentencing highlights the joint efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute those who prey on our nation’s senior citizens,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge for the Washington Division, Peter Rendina.
“Fetehi Mohammed exploited his position as a bank branch manager to defraud senior citizens of their savings. His sentencing illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to protecting elder adults and should send a clear message about the consequences for those who prey upon their vulnerability,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.
These efforts are part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, a multi-faceted nationwide program to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target senior citizens. According to the Justice Department, each year an estimated $3 billion is stolen or defrauded from millions of American seniors. Through “grandparent scams,” fake prizes, romance scams, fraudulent IRS refunds, and even outright extortion, criminals try to exploit some of the most vulnerable Americans and steal their life’s savings.
With approximately 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, the population of potential targets continues to grow. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population of Americans over 65 years of age will increase to 83.7 million in 2050, nearly double the estimated population of 43.1 million as of the most recent census.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspector and the IRS agents who investigated the case. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist C. Rosalind Pressley and Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who prosecuted the case.
More information about the Department of Justice’s elder justice efforts can be found on its Elder Justice Website at https://www.justice.ogv/elderjustice.
D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Charge in ATF Firearms and Narcotics InvestigationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bayney Pinard Parker, 39, of Southeast, D.C. pled guilty on Tuesday, January 7, 2020 to a federal firearms charge stemming from his narcotics trafficking in the summer and fall of 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Parker pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of Using, Carrying, and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense. He will be sentenced on March 20, 2020 by the Honorable Judge Amit P. Mehta. He faces a minimum term of incarceration of five years, up to life in prison.
Parker was arrested after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) engaged in a large-scale investigation of the 2900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, Southeast, Washington, D.C. for narcotics trafficking. During the investigation, the ATF conducted several controlled purchases of narcotics from the defendant, to include the purchase of cocaine base (also known as crack cocaine). On October 3, 2019, ATF obtained a search warrant and conducted a search of the defendant’s residence, finding .40 caliber ammunition, several green ziplocs containing crack, a digital scale, drug paraphernalia, and $1,818 in U.S. currency. ATF also located a Glock gun box and 9mm magazine, along with a Palmer 80 firearm and accompanying ammunition.
“This investigation is another example of our determination to target drug trafficking organizations that are bringing in crack and firearms into neighborhoods of the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Through this coordinated law enforcement effort, we were able to remove significant quantities of drugs as well as dangerous firearms from the community.”
This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
This case was also prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide crime-reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case, including ATF and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Finally, they cited 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. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Kim Hall, Candace Battle, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.
District Man Sentenced to Five Years for Shooting at Seventh District Police OfficerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Hudson, Sr., 31, of Washington, DC, was sentenced on January 6, 2020 to 60 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of Felony Assault on a Police Officer While Armed back on November 1, 2019. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rainey Brandt yesterday morning in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department made the announcement.
According to the government’s evidence, on September 18, 2019, at approximately 2:15 a.m., a Metropolitan Police Department Officer, in a marked patrol car and full police uniform, observed the defendant drive through a red light at the intersection of Suitland Parkway SE and Stanton Road SE. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the defendant fled from the officer in his vehicle, ultimately crashing at the intersection of Morris Road SE and Elvans Road SE. When the MPD officer got out of his patrol car on Morris Road SE, the defendant ran straight towards him, passed the officer, and fired two shots over his shoulder at him. The officer returned fire, but the defendant disappeared into the tree line off Morris Road SE.
Upon canvassing the area, officers recovered a Glock 26 9mm handgun near the tree line where the defendant entered the woods. The handgun had a 31 round capacity magazine inside, with 23 cartridges remaining. On Morris Road SE, near where the officer was pursuing the defendant, multiple cartridge casings were recovered. Two of those cartridge casings matched the cartridge casings inside the magazine of the Glock 26 9mm recovered from the scene.
The defendant was ultimately apprehended by Seventh District officers in the woods shortly after the events took place. The MPD officer identified the defendant on scene as the man who shot at him. The defendant was placed under arrest, and has remained in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Victim Witness Advocate Elsa Maltese and Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly Paschall, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Government Contractor Sentenced to 18 Months for Fraudulently Claiming to Perform Services as a Minority Business EnterpriseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keith Forney, 61, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in prison for fraudulently claiming to perform services as a Minority Business Enterprise on a copier contract with the State of Maryland.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Kelly R. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office.
On August 13, 2019, Forney pled guilty to mail fraud, money laundering, and tax fraud. The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer sentenced Forney to 18 months of incarceration on the mail and money laundering charge to run concurrently to one another in addition to six months of incarceration for the tax fraud. She also entered a $400,000 forfeiture money judgment and ordered Forney to pay $92,000 in restitution to the IRS. Forney was also placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the statement of offense, Forney was the sole owner of Forney Enterprises, Inc. (FEI). FEI was primarily engaged in the construction business as a general contractor. Its principal office was located in the District of Columbia.
Forney participated in a scheme with John Vassos and the President of Sharp Business Systems (SBS) to obtain a contract with the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts (Maryland AOC) for copier maintenance and repair services throughout the state’s court system. In 2009, the Maryland AOC solicited bids for the contract. The contract required that at least 20% of the work be performed by a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). SBS bid on the contract and identified FEI as the MBE. Forney, on behalf of FEI, signed a subcontracting agreement with the President of SBS. The Maryland AOC awarded the contract to SBS, and renewed the contract in 2010 and 2011.
As detailed in the statement of offense, FEI performed no work and provided no services during the three years that the contract was in effect. Forney falsely stated in a letter to the MBE compliance manager that FEI was providing “logistic support” to SBS. Forney signed monthly work force rosters to the Maryland AOC falsely claiming that an FEI employee was working as a “Logistics/IT Support Technician” on the contract. The FEI employee was in fact a Quality Control Manager for FEI’s construction projects.
FEI submitted monthly $12,500 invoices to SBS for FEI’s purported work as an MBE. Sharp Electronics, the parent company of SBS, then issued checks to FEI. In total, FEI received $400,000 for its purported work as the MBE. Forney committed money laundering by providing the entire $400,000 to Vassos, who was an SBS consultant. Vassos pled guilty in June 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of tax fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is awaiting sentencing.
In the statement of offense for the tax fraud case, Forney acknowledged that he knowingly under-reported his income from FEI on his personal federal income tax returns for the 2009 and 2010 calendar years. Forney did so by fraudulently treating certain expenses as deductible business expenses. Those expenses included: FEI payments to reimburse individuals whom Forney had directed to make contributions from their personal funds to candidates for D.C. political offices and to D.C. Council members’ Constituent Services Programs; an FEI $25,000 contribution to a mayoral campaign; an FEI payment to a law firm for its representation of a former foreign government official from a country where Forney owned investment property, in connection with the official’s trip to Washington, D.C.; FEI payments to Forney for “consulting” work; and FEI payments for his child’s college education.
In April 2019, Forney was convicted of eleven counts of campaign finance violations, three counts of fraud, two counts of perjury, and one count of corrupt election practices following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced to six months in prison for the 11 illegal campaign violations and an additional 36 months, suspended, for fraud, perjury, and corrupt election practices.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the efforts of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and IRS. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including financial analyst, Bryan J. Snitselaar, paralegal specialists C. Rosalind Pressley and Amanda Rohde, former paralegals Toni Anne Donato, Kristy Penny, and Joshua Fein, and former U.S. Attorney’s Office investigator Juan Juarez. Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Federal Firearms Charge in Robbery of Convenience StoreRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cordell Brockington, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 84 months’ imprisonment and five years of supervised release to a federal firearms charge stemming from an armed robbery that he committed earlier this year at a convenience store in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division Special Agent in Charge Timothy M. Dunham, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Brockington pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence on November 9, 2018. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Rosemary M. Collyer this morning.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 9, 2018, at approximately 1:10 a.m., Brockington, while masked, entered a 7-Eleven store in the 1600 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. After entering the store, he approached two store clerks who were working at the time. Brockington stated to the clerks “Give me the money” several times, during which he lifted his jacket area to expose, show, and display a firearm that was located in his waistband.
Brockington then directed one of the clerks to the area of the store where two cash registers were located and instructed the clerk to open both registers. Brockington removed a total of approximately $210 from the registers. He then fled the 7-Eleven store.
Brockington was arrested on Jan. 12, 2018, and has been in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, Brockington was on supervised release following his release from prison eight months earlier for a different armed robbery. He now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration separate and apart from the sentence that he received for brandishing the loaded firearm on Jan. 9, 2018.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the FBI agents and MPD officers who investigated the case. They 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 Ethan Carroll, Gregory Rosen, and Kaitlin Vaillancourt.
Former Government Consultant Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison for Bribery and Fraud SchemesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John Woods, 57, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 41 months in prison on charges that he stole more than $560,000 from the company and paid more than $140,000 in bribes to a former D.C. government employee to facilitate his theft.
The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, and Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia Inspector General.
In August 2019, Woods pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of wire fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich. Following his prison term, Woods will be placed on three years of supervised release.
As part of his sentence, Woods was ordered to pay $564,910.23 in restitution to the company from which he stole the money, identified in the statement of offense as “Company A.”
According to the statement of offense, Woods worked as a consultant for Company A, which had contracts with the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources (“DCHR”). Between April 2013 and February 2015, Woods stole $214,910 in D.C. government checks that were issued to “Company A” for work performed on the DCHR contracts. Beginning in March 2015, Woods began usurping “Company A’s” role under the contracts by purposefully failing to submit Company A’s invoices to DCHR for payment. This led Company A to believe the D.C. government was negligent in paying its invoices, and Company A stopped seeking to perform work under its agreements with DCHR. Woods then secretly performed the agreements without Company A’s knowledge by hiring and retaining contractors to provide the necessary work to DCHR and by submitting fraudulent invoices to DCHR, purportedly on behalf of Company A, for payment under the agreements. DCHR would then issue payments in the form of D.C. government checks made payable to Company A, which Woods deposited into a bank account he controlled. In all, Woods fraudulently deposited approximately 27 checks issued by the D.C. government to “Company A”, totaling approximately $1,040,023, from March 2015 through August 2017.
According to the statement of offense, in order to keep his scheme in place, Woods paid more than $140,000 in bribes to Latasha Moore, then a DCHR employee. As a resource allocation analyst for DCHR, Moore was the main point of contact for “Company A.” In exchange for the bribes that Woods paid to her, Moore ensured no complaints or suspicions about the contracts reached others in the government. For example, Moore failed to report problems that arose while Woods was managing the work, including complaints of contractors arriving late, leaving early or failing to show up at all for training.
Moore, 38, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty on Oct. 11, 2018, to a federal bribery charge. She will be sentenced on January 7, 2020.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Office of the Inspector General of the District of Columbia. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Marando of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
Former Federal Government Contract Officer Pleads Guilty to Accepting BribesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ronnie Simpkins, 67, a former government contract officer with the General Services Administration (GSA), pled guilty today to a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which he accepted bribes from government contractors from August 2011 to August 2017.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, and Eric D. Radwick, Acting Special Agent in Charge, National Capital Region, Office of Investigations.
Simpkins, of Lusby, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Simpkins faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $75,000. He also has agreed to pay approximately $12,108 in a forfeiture money judgement. The Honorable Trevor N. McFadden scheduled sentencing for March 18, 2020.
According to the government’s evidence, from 1989 until May 2019, Simpkins was employed by the General Services Administration (“GSA”) as a Contract Specialist, informally known as a Contracting Officer, in procurement related positions, and between August 2013 and May 2019, he worked as a Contract Specialist assigned to GSA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. As a Contract Specialist, Simpkins was deemed to be a public official as defined by 18 U.S.C. Section 201(a)(1), and as a senior Contract Specialist.
From February 2010 to August 2017, Simpkins was assigned to a sub-division of the Federal Acquisition Service, which oversees the administration of GSA Schedule 70 contracts. “Schedules” are long-term government-wide contracts with commercial companies that provide access to commercial products and services at fair and reasonable prices to the government. “Schedule 70 contracts” provide IT solutions, services, and software to federal, state, and local customer agencies. GSA pre-negotiates the vendors’ pricing, terms, and conditions, to streamline the acquisition process while at the same time providing the best value to the end user agency.
Company A was a corporation owned by Person 1 and Person 2 and was located in Northern Virginia. At times during the relevant time-period, the company’s website included a link entitled: “GSA Schedule,” which emphasized for prospective customers that the company was awarded a GSA Scheduled contract. Advertising its GSA Schedule status was seen as benefiting Company A when it sought contracting opportunities with other federal agencies, as those agencies may have considered Company A’s GSA status and GSA pricing in fashioning their own contracts.
To maintain a GSA Schedule contract, Company A was required to have annual sales in excess of $25,000. GSA Schedule contracts are subject to cancellation if sales levels are not met. The annual sales requirement can be waived by the GSA Administrative Contracting Officer (“ACO”) for good cause after communicating with the contract vendor. If the contract vendor can demonstrate that it has potential, pending or unreported sales, the ACO normally will allow the contract to continue and withdraw the contract cancellation. In addition, contractors, such as Company A, are required to pay an Industrial Funding Fee (“IFF”) of 0.75% of all Schedule sales. The IFF is a fee to cover GSA’s cost of operating the Federal Supply Schedules program.
Simpkins administered and oversaw Company A’s GSA contracts for years, beginning on or about June 3, 2009, while Company A held a GSA contract, and continuing through August 2017 when GSA awarded Company A with a replacement contract. Simpkins’ duties included executing contract modifications and ensuring contract compliance. Company A maintained its GSA Schedule contract despite reporting no sales and not paying any IFFs since 2006.
Beginning in or around August 2011, and continuing through in or around August 2017, Simpkins received and agreed to receive from Person 1 and Person 2 things of value, including cash, meals, and furniture, in return for, when the opportunity arose, using his official position at GSA to help Company A through the performance of official action, aiding in the commission of a fraud on the United States, and acting or failing to act in violation of his official duty.
Simpkins met Person 1 and/or Person 2 over a dozen times at various restaurants in Northern Virginia, at Person 1 and Person 2’s residence, and other places, often outside of normal GSA business hours and on weekends. As Simpkins admitted to law enforcement, Person 1 and Person 2 paid for meals during their meetings at restaurants. During some of their meetings (Simpkins estimated 15 times), Simpkins accepted cash payments totaling approximately “thousands of dollars into the teens.” After receiving the cash, Simpkins often deposited some or all of it into his Navy Federal Credit Union account. During the relevant period, Simpkins deposited $9,750.00 in cash into that account, consisting of the cash payments he accepted from Person 1 and Person 2. In July of 2016, Simpkins also accepted furniture paid for by Person 1 and/or Person 2, valued at $2,358.91. Between the cash payments and furniture, not including meals paid for by Person 1 and/or Person 2, Simpkins admits to accepting at least $12,108.91 in things of value from Person 1 and Person 2.
In exchange for these things of value, oftentimes soon before or after the meetings with Person 1 and Person 2, Simpkins took official action and/or provided improper assistance to benefit Company A’s GSA Schedule contracts. Specifically, Simpkins recommended and signed Company A’s contracts with GSA, even though Company A failed to meet program requirements; willfully neglected to notify GSA, as he was obligated to do, when Company A’s contract under his supervision no longer met program requirements; and advised Company A about ways to avoid contract cancellation despite failing to meet GSA’s program requirements.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Radwick, commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and GSA Office of Inspector General. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Amanda Rohde and Quiana Dunn-Gordon, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Simmonds, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Bribing D.C. Public OfficialsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Marvin Parker, 61, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for paying more than $40,000 in bribes to two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employees, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
In July 2019, Parker pled guilty to one count of bribery of a public official in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Emmett G. Sullivan sentenced him to 18 months in prison to be followed by 18 months of supervised release. Parker was also ordered to forfeit $40,001.00, the minimum dollar value of the bribes he paid to MPD officials.
According to Parker’s admissions made in connection with his plea, Parker was the owner and sole proprietor of RPM Associates, through which he solicited clients involved in traffic accidents to connect them with legal and medical services. Parker admitted to paying cash to two MPD employees to influence them to provide him with information about individuals who had been involved in traffic accidents in in the District. After receiving this information, Parker would contact those individuals by phone and offer to assist them with obtaining legal representation and medical services. MPD’s General Orders prohibits officers and employees from releasing Traffic Crash Reports except under limited circumstances. D.C. Law prohibits the solicitation of traffic accident victims within 21 days of the accident when the solicitation is for financial gain and for the purpose of directing the victim to practitioners, such as attorneys or medical providers. Parker admitted that he solicited and entered into a scheme with two different MPD employees, whom he paid anywhere from $50 to $500 per week for the personal identifying information of recent traffic crash victims. During an approximately two-year span between 2015 and 2017, Parker paid more than $40,000 in cash bribes to the two employees.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who assisted the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division. She 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. Attorneys Andrew Floyd, Kathryn Rakoczy, and Colleen Kukowski along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
School Owner Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Department of Veterans Affairs Program Dedicated to Rehabilitating Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The owner of a physical security school pleaded guilty today to defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with disabilities.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.
Francis Engles, 63, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 2, 2020.
According to admissions made in connection with Engles’s guilty plea, Engles was the owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles Security). In August 2015, Engles Security became an approved vendor of the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program, which provides disabled U.S. military veterans with services. Thereafter, Engles Security obtained over 80 percent of its total revenue from the VA in exchange for purporting to provide certain courses to disabled military veterans.
To further the scheme, Engles falsely represented to the VA that he was providing veterans with months-long courses for 40 hours per week and over 600 total hours. In fact, Engles Security offered veterans far less than what Engles represented to the VA. In some instances, he offered only a few hours of class per day for several weeks. Some veterans did not attend more than one day of class. Engles nevertheless sent to the VA “Certificates of Training” stating that veterans had completed courses that they had not completed or, in some instances, had not taken at all. Similarly, Engles submitted letters to the VA falsely stating that the veterans were employed by Engles’ private security business. Engles also instructed veterans to sign attendance sheets for classes that they did not in fact attend. In total, Engles obtained $337,960 from the VA for the purported education of veterans.
Engles also attempted to obstruct the investigation into his fraud. During an interview with federal agents, Engles lied about veteran students’ attendance at the school, among other things. Later, when Engles Security was served with a grand jury subpoena, Engles prevented his employee from producing responsive documents that she had gathered. Some of these documents were later discovered in the government’s search of Engles Security’s office.
In February 2019, four other individuals were sentenced in related cases following their guilty pleas. James King, a former VA employee, was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison for committing bribery, defrauding the VA, and obstructing justice. Albert Poawui, the owner of Atius Technology Institute, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison for committing bribery. Sombo Kanneh, Poawui’s employee, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery. Michelle Stevens, the owner of Eelon Training School, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison for committing bribery.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo and Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
School Owner Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Department of Veterans Affairs Program Dedicated to Rehabilitating Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
The owner of a physical security school pleaded guilty today to defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with disabilities.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.
Francis Engles, 63, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia. Sentencing has been scheduled for April 2, 2020.
According to admissions made in connection with Engles’s guilty plea, Engles was the owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles Security). In August 2015, Engles Security became an approved vendor of the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program, which provides disabled U.S. military veterans with services. Thereafter, Engles Security obtained over 80 percent of its total revenue from the VA in exchange for purporting to provide certain courses to disabled military veterans.
To further the scheme, Engles falsely represented to the VA that he was providing veterans with months-long courses for 40 hours per week and over 600 total hours. In fact, Engles Security offered veterans far less than what Engles represented to the VA. In some instances, he offered only a few hours of class per day for several weeks. Some veterans did not attend more than one day of class. Engles nevertheless sent to the VA “Certificates of Training” stating that veterans had completed courses that they had not completed or, in some instances, had not taken at all. Similarly, Engles submitted letters to the VA falsely stating that the veterans were employed by Engles’s private security business. Engles also instructed veterans to sign attendance sheets for classes that they did not in fact attend. In total, Engles obtained $337,960 from the VA for the purported education of veterans.
Engles also attempted to obstruct the investigation into his fraud. During an interview with federal agents, Engles lied about veteran students’ attendance at the school, among other things. Later, when Engles Security was served with a grand jury subpoena, Engles prevented his employee from producing responsive documents that she had gathered. Some of these documents were later discovered in the government’s search of Engles Security’s office.
In February 2019, four other individuals were sentenced in related cases following their guilty pleas. James King, a former VA employee, was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison for committing bribery, defrauding the VA, and obstructing justice. Albert Poawui, the owner of Atius Technology Institute, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison for committing bribery. Sombo Kanneh, Poawui’s employee, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery. Michelle Stevens, the owner of Eelon Training School, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison for committing bribery.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General are investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo and Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
Indonesian Citizen and Three Indonesian Companies Charged with Violating U.S. Export Laws and Sanctions Against IranRead the Press Release
Sunarko Kuntjoro, 68, a citizen of Indonesia, and three Indonesian-based companies, PT MS Aero Support (PTMS), PT Kandiyasa Energi Utama (PTKEU), and PT Antasena Kreasi (PTAK), were charged today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on Dec. 10, 2019, with violating U.S. export laws related to U.S. sanctions against Iran.
The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Nick Annan, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations San Diego.
An eight-count indictment returned today charges Kuntjoro and PTMS, PTKEU, and PTAK, with conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S.-origin goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States. Kuntjoro and PTMS also face charges for unlawful export and attempted export to an embargoed country, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and false statements. As set forth in the indictment, the U.S.-origin goods were destined for an Iranian aviation business end user, Mahan Air, and the defendants conspired to make a financial profit for themselves and other conspirators, and to evade export regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), the Export Administration Regulations, and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (GTSR). The United States Department of Treasury designated Mahan Air as Specially Designated National and Blocked Person (SDN) under the GTSR on Oct. 12, 2011.
According to the indictment, between March 2011 and July 2018, Kuntjoro, the majority owner and President Director of PTMS, conspired with Mahan Air; Mustafa Oveici, an Iranian executive for Mahan Air; and others, including an American person and company. Mahan Air was designated an SDN for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. The United States Department of Commerce has placed Mahan on its Denied Parties List and Mustafa Oveici on the Entity List. The conspiracy involved transporting goods owned by Mahan through PTMS, PTKEU and PTAK to the United States for repair and re-export to Mahan in Iran and elsewhere. The conspirators caused the U.S.-origin goods to be exported from the United States without obtaining valid licenses from the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control and the United States Department of Commerce.
On March 15, 1995, the President, pursuant to IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 12957, finding that “the actions and policies of the Government of Iran constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” and declaring “a national emergency to deal with the threat.” In subsequent Executive Orders, the President imposed economic sanctions, including a trade embargo, on Iran. The Executive Orders and the ITSR prohibit the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Iran of any goods, technology, or services from the United States or by a United States person without prior authorization or license from the United States Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, located in Washington, D.C.
Kuntjoro faces statutory maximum sentences of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and defraud the U.S. government; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each of the individual charges of violating IEEPA; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statement charge. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
The investigation was conducted by special agents from the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, with assistance from special agents from Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego and Miami.
The details contained in an indictment are mere allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Indonesia Citizen and Three Indonesian Companies Charged with Violating U.S. Export Laws and Sanctions against IranRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sunarko Kuntjoro, 68, a citizen of Indonesia, and three Indonesian-based companies, PT MS Aero Support (PTMS), PT Kandiyasa Energi Utama (PTKEU), and PT Antasena Kreasi (PTAK), were charged today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on December 10, 2019, with violating U.S. export laws related to U.S. sanctions against Iran.
The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Nick Annan, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations San Diego.
An eight-count indictment returned today charges Kuntjoro and PTMS, PTKEU, and PTAK, with conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S.-origin goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States. Kuntjoro and PTMS also face charges for unlawful export and attempted export to an embargoed country, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and false statements. As set forth in the indictment, the U.S.-origin goods were destined for an Iranian aviation business end user, Mahan Air, and the defendants conspired to make a financial profit for themselves and other conspirators, and to evade export regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), the Export Administration Regulations, and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (GTSR). The United States Department of Treasury designated Mahan Air as Specially Designated National and Blocked Person (SDN) under the GTSR on Oct. 12, 2011.
According to the indictment, between March 2011 and July 2018, Kuntjoro the majority owner and President Director of PTMS, conspired with Mahan Air; Mustafa Oveici, an Iranian executive for Mahan Air; and others, including an American person and company. Mahan Air was designated an SDN for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. The United States Department of Commerce has placed Mahan on its Denied Parties List and Mustafa Oveici on the Entity List. The conspiracy involved transporting goods owned by Mahan through PTMS, PTKEU and PTAK to the United States for repair and re-export to Mahan in Iran and elsewhere. The conspirators caused the U.S.-origin goods to be exported from the United States without obtaining valid licenses from the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control and the United States Department of Commerce.
On March 15, 1995, the President, pursuant to IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 12957, finding that “the actions and policies of the Government of Iran constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” and declaring “a national emergency to deal with the threat.” In subsequent Executive Orders, the President imposed economic sanctions, including a trade embargo, on Iran. The Executive Orders and the ITSR prohibit the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Iran of any goods, technology, or services from the United States or by a United States person without prior authorization or license from the United States Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, located in Washington, D.C.
Kuntjoro faces statutory maximum sentences of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and defraud the U.S. government; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each of the individual charges of violating IEEPA; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; and a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statement charge. The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
The investigation was conducted by special agents from the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, with assistance from special agents from Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego and Miami.
The details contained in an indictment are mere allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Indictment Returned Charging Two Foreign Nationals with Violating U.S. Money Laundering and Sanctions Laws Against IranRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Issam Shammout of Jordan, 48, and Ali Abdullah Alhay of Saudi Arabia, 61, were charged with violating U.S. export laws and sanctions against Iran in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Jill Sanborn of FBI Minneapolis, and Acting Director of the Office of Export Enforcement John Sonderman of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
A 17-count indictment returned on Tuesday December 16, 2019 charges Shammout and Alhay with conspiracy to acquire U.S. origin aircrafts and parts to supply to end-users in Iran, specifically Mahan Air, a specially designated national. The indictment alleges that the defendants concealed from companies, financial institutions that clear U.S. dollar transactions, and the U.S. government that the U.S.-origin goods were destined for Mahan Air, all as part of a scheme to enrich the defendants and other conspirators, and to evade the regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
A related verified civil complaint in rem filed in July 2017 in the District of Columbia against $17,035,935 in funds for benefit of Al Naser airlines has also been unsealed. These funds were allegedly involved in this scheme to launder funds in to the United States to illicitly procure airplanes destined for Mahan Air. A criminal forfeiture allegation against the funds and nine airplanes was also included in the indictment against Shammout and Alhay.
“We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who violate our export control laws and use every measure available under the law, to include civil forfeiture, to recover funds for the victims of terrorism,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “These laws serve to prevent hostile countries from obtaining and proliferating goods that could be used to harm our nation.”
"Today's indictment underscores an important fact that those who support this type of procurement effort by Mahan Air will be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Jill Sanborn. "We applaud the efforts of our agents and other partners for their outstanding work on this significant case," Sanborn added.
“The Department of Commerce and our interagency partners will relentlessly pursue any commercial entity which flagrantly disregards American laws to support the spread of terrorism," said Acting Director of the Office of Export Enforcement John Sonderman. “This is just the latest in a string of actions dating back to 2008 to end Mahan Air's systematic violation of U.S. export controls.”
According to the indictment, beginning around August 2012 through May 2015, Shammout and Alhay conspired to purchase and deliver U.S.-made engine parts valued at over ten percent of the value of the aircraft, subjecting them to the strictures of IEEPA and the Iran Sanction Regulations. The conspiracy utilized the U.S. correspondent banking system to process the illicit transactions as they were in U.S. Dollars, and at no time were U.S. financial institutions alerted that they were financing Mahan Air’s aircraft supply.
Mahan Air has been designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury since October 12, 2011 as a Specially Designated National for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force. The Department of Commerce has placed Mahan on its Denied Parties List.
On March 15, 1995, the President, pursuant to IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 12957, finding that “the actions and policies of the Government of Iran constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” and declaring “a national emergency to deal with the threat.” In subsequent Executive Orders, the President imposed economic sanctions, including a trade embargo, on Iran. The Executive Orders and the ITSR prohibit the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Iran of any goods, technology, or services from the United States or by a United States person without prior authorization or license from the United States Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, located in Washington, D.C.
If convicted, Shammout and Alhway would face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by special agents from the FBI Minneapolis Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement Washington D.C. Field Office.
The details contained in an indictment are mere allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Chris Brown, and Arvind Lal, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kaltsas, National Security Division Trial Attorney Dave Recker, and Paralegal Specialist Rosalind Pressley, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, are representing the government. Former Intelligence Analyst Lia Anter also provided support of this investigation.
District Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Armed KidnappingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ethan Moye-Gordon, 23, of Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison for his participation in an armed kidnapping and robbery that began in the District of Columbia and continued into Maryland.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department, and Chief Henry P. Stawinski, Prince George’s County Police Department made the announcement.
The defendant entered a guilty plea in July of 2019, before the Honorable Judge Amy Berman Jackson. In addition to the period of incarceration, Judge Jackson imposed a 60-month period of supervised release and required the defendant to complete 250 hours of community service.
According to the government’s evidence, late in the evening on November 10, 2018, and into the early morning hours of November 11, 2018, Moye-Gordon, along with two other men, abducted the victim at gunpoint near Logan Circle and forced the victim into their vehicle. The victim had been in Washington to attend the annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer at the Convention Center.
During the course of the abduction, the victim was forced into the trunk of the defendant’s vehicle; he ultimately was able to pull the latch in the trunk and attempted to escape, but was unable to obtain help before he was recaptured by his captors and forced back into the vehicle.
During the abduction, Moye-Gordon and his associates forced the victim at gunpoint to provide his ATM PIN code and made physical withdrawals from numerous ATMs in D.C. and Maryland. Moye-Gordon and his associates also withdrew funds from the victim’s accounts using online banking applications on the victim’s phone.
In a statement provided to the court, the victim advised that “words cannot convey the horror and the shock I experienced” during the kidnapping. The victim praised everyone who worked on the case and “diligently assembled evidence and facts, and then diligently and expertly conducted their criminal case and investigation.”
This matter was investigated by the Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, which is composed of FBI Special Agents, along with Detectives of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police, in conjunction with the Prince George’s County Police. This task force, working with local, state and federal partners, is charged with investigating and arresting the most egregious and violent criminal actors within the Capital Region.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Chief Newsham, and Chief Stawinski commended the work of the FBI Agents, MPD officers, Prince George’s County police officers, and Arlington County police officers who investigated the armed kidnapping. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane, former Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Willis, Paralegal Specialist Rommel, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.
District Man Sentenced to 32 Years in Prison for the Murder of a Man Outside a Convenience Store in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kenneth Adams, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 years in prison stemming from a killing of a man that took place outside of a convenience store in 2016 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Adams was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed and a weapons offense related to the murder, as well as a robbery charge involving an earlier incident following a 4-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of February 15, 2016, Adams and two others robbed a woman near the intersection of 21st and Maryland NE and threatened that her brother would be next. The woman told her brother what happened, and he confronted Adams and the others.
On February 19, 2016, at approximately 9:40 p.m., Adams armed with a .40-caliber revolver, walked a short distance from 21st Street and Maryland Avenue NE to the convenience store at 19th Street and Benning Road NE. He was backed by several others from the neighborhood. He walked to the center of the parking lot, raised his left arm, and pointed his firearm at the woman’s brother, firing multiple times. The man was in a group that included Dante Kinard. The gunfire did not hit the intended target, but did hit Mr. Kinard, 21, who was standing in front of the store at the time. He was shot in the back and right thigh and died a short time later.
Adams was arrested on June 15, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Park Police, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the ATF. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan, Chrisellen Kolb, Daniel Lenerz, John Mannarino, David Misler, and Rizwan Qureshi; Paralegal Specialists Debra Joyner, Alesha Matthews, Lornce Applewhite, Meridith McGarrity, and Sharon Newman; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Anisha Bhatia, and Thomas “Ron” Royal; Victim/Witness Advocates Diana Lim and Jennifer Allen; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Lesley Slade and M. LaVerne Perry, and Intern Tia Kerkhof.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Baset and Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Florida Nursing School President Pleads Guilty for His Role in Defrauding D.C.’s Department of Disability ServicesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cleophat Tanis, 52, of Naples, Florida, pled guilty today to one count of mail fraud for his role in a scheme that caused the District of Columbia’s Department of Disability Services to be defrauded out of more than $880,000. Tanis conspired with Eugenia Rapp, 50, of Woodbridge, Virginia, a former D.C. government employee, who pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in July.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division; Aaron R. Jordan, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Education; and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.
Tanis and Rapp pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Tanis faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Rapp faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. Both face potential financial penalties. Judge Trevor N. McFadden scheduled Tanis’ sentencing for March 13, 2020. Judge McFadden is expected to set a sentencing date for Rapp at her status hearing tomorrow morning.
According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court in Tanis’ case, Rapp worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the District of Columbia’s Department of Disability Services, Rehabilitation Services Administration (“DCRSA”). The DCRSA Vocational Rehabilitation program provides vocational rehabilitation benefits, like college tuition, to qualified individuals with disabilities to help them prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Individuals must be D.C. residents to be eligible for the benefits.
From 2012 through 2016, Rapp conspired with others to defraud the D.C. government by having benefits awarded to individuals who weren’t eligible to receive them. In her role as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, Rapp was responsible for determining whether an individual was eligible to receive the benefits. Notwithstanding D.C. government policy regarding conflicts of interest, Rapp served as the vocational rehabilitation counselor for more than 20 individuals whom she described as being related to her. She knew these individuals were not eligible to receive benefits, but ensured that she was assigned to be their vocational rehabilitation counselor, so she could process and approve their applications. As a result, the D.C. government awarded vocational rehabilitation benefits totaling approximately $834,536 to Rapp’s family members and friends.
When one of Rapp’s family members wanted to attend Tanis’ nursing school, Rapp worked with Tanis to get his school added as an approved vendor with the D.C. government. During that process, Tanis told Rapp that his school was struggling financially and asked her to use her position to help pay tuition for students at his school. Tanis knew that students had to be D.C. residents in order to be eligible to receive benefits, but worked with Rapp to get $47,895 in benefits awarded to five students at his school who were not D.C. residents and who had no familial relationship to Rapp. During the scheme, Tanis provided one of Rapp’s relatives with a full scholarship to attend his school. Rapp also asked him to provide money to that relative, which he did.
In announcing Tanis’ plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Assistant Inspector General Jordan, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia’s Officer of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialist Mariela Andrade, and former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Jessica Mundi. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who is prosecuting the case.
District Woman Found Guilty of Setting Fire to her Grandmother’s HomeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vivian Marion Hairston, 37, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today for setting fire to her grandmother’s home in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Hairston was found guilty of arson with a senior citizen enhancement and destruction of property following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for February 21, 2020.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 2, 2019, Hairston went to her 78-year-old grandmother’s house and got into an argument with her mother about not being let inside the house due to her PCP use. Hairston told her mother that she would “be back,” and 15 minutes later she returned holding a gallon jug of yellow liquid and poured the liquid all over the enclosed front porch. She set a fire and left while her grandmother was asleep in the basement and her mother and other family members, including a 1-year-old, were inside. A few minutes later, family members saw smoke and ran out to see the porch on fire. The family was able to put the fire out before there was any major damage. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined that gasoline was used as an accelerant to light the fire. The jug was never recovered. A doorbell camera captured Hairston pouring a liquid onto the porch but unfortunately cut out before she set the fire.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vivian Kim, who initially investigated the case, Dana Joseph, and Eric Nguyen. She also praised Victim Witness Advocates Tracy Owusu and Elsa Maltese and Paralegals TJ McPhail and ReShawn Johnson.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office works with the Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and other law enforcement partners on investigations of crimes targeting older victims. The Office hopes to build on its work successfully prosecuting such cases and in addition, the Office will continue its extensive community outreach efforts in hopes of increasing awareness to protect seniors.
More information about the Department of Justice’s elder justice efforts can be found on its Elder Justice Website at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice
Convicted Felon Sentenced to More Than 17 Years in Prison on Federal Firearm and Narcotics ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Victor A. Brown, Jr., 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for his unlawful possession of a loaded firearm with an extended magazine, as well as his possession of distribution-level quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base, Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department announced.
The sentence followed a jury trial in September in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan. Due to two prior qualifying convictions – one for a crime of violence and one for a drug trafficking offense – Judge Hogan sentenced the defendant to enhanced sentencing penalties as a Career Offender.
According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of March 22, 2019, officers of MPD’s Fourth District Crime Suppression Team executed a search warrant at a rowhouse in the Petworth neighborhood. Inside of Brown’s bedroom, officers located a 9 millimeter pistol with an extended magazine in his night stand. Officers recovered fentanyl and cocaine base from on top of his bed and recovered various items used for drug distribution throughout Brown’s bedroom (including digital scales, ziplocks, a tray with residue, cutting agents, and razor blades). Officers also recovered more than $2,800 in U.S. currency from Brown’s person.
At the time of his arrest this spring, Brown was under supervision for a robbery charge to which he had pled guilty in Howard County, Maryland.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Fourth District Crime Suppression Team who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the fingerprint analysts from the D.C. Department of Forensic Science. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Rommel Pachoca, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Wasserman and Laura Crane, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
United States Files Complaint Seeking Forfeiture of Ancient Sculpture Stolen from Italy and Smuggled into the United StatesRead the Press Release
The United States has filed a civil complaint seeking the forfeiture of an Attic Etruscan votive statuette that was recovered by the FBI and HSI years after it was illegally excavated and smuggled out of Italy. The United States intends to return the artwork to its rightful owner.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Washington Field Office.
The artwork, an unusually detailed bronze statuette of a young woman, measures approximately 4.5 inches tall. The figurine’s features are believed to be reminiscent of the fifth century B.C.E., when historical Etruria covered what is now Tuscany, in Northern Italy. The statuette has been described as “among the best known examples of small scale Etruscan bronze sculpture.”
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and seeks forfeiture of the sculpture on the basis that it represents the proceeds of the interstate transportation of stolen property and possession of stolen goods.
“The recovery of this artwork stolen from Italy and its people reflects our commitment to pursue justice for victims of crime here and abroad,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “The looting of cultural heritage for profit is unacceptable, and we will continue to assist in the efforts to return such items to their rightful owners.”
“The FBI works to return stolen art to preserve the culture and history of countries around the world,” said Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge FBI Washington Field Office. “This action sends a clear message to art dealers and galleries that trafficking in stolen art ultimately does not pay. We encourage those who suspect that a piece of art is stolen to report it to law enforcement so we can return it to its rightful owners. The FBI worked closely with our HSI partners to recover this important piece, and will continue to aggressively investigate theft of cultural property.”
According to the complaint, the statuette is allegedly part of a trove of objects discovered during an illegal excavation in the Tuscan region of Italy. It was allegedly smuggled out of Italy in violation of Italian law to a prominent art gallery in Switzerland that allegedly dealt in antiquities trafficking. In approximately 1989, an American art gallery purchased the statuette and later sold it to a private collector. The statuette resurfaced when the collector tried to sell it using another American art gallery in New York. The offering price for the sculpture was $95,000.
HSI obtained custody of the statuette, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office commenced forfeiture proceedings. The government plans to return the statuette to the Italian Republic upon its filing of a claim of ownership.
The lawsuit is captioned United States v. One Attic Etruscan Votive Statuette of a Female Figure.
This case is being investigated by HSI’s Washington Field Office, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui and Arvind Lal, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Williamson, and Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Elizabeth Swienc, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, are representing the government.
United States Joins Suit against Navistar Defense LLC Alleging False Claims under Marine Corps ContractRead the Press Release
The United States has intervened in a whistleblower suit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Navistar Defense LLC. Navistar Defense manufactured armored vehicles for the United States military and is a subsidiary of Navistar International LLC, headquartered in Melrose Park, Illinois. The suit alleges that Navistar Defense violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent invoices to support inflated prices for commercial parts under its contract to supply Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
“The Department of Justice will hold accountable those contractors who falsify information and thereby cause the military to pay inflated prices,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Civil Division. “We will take steps necessary to protect the military’s procurement process from abuse.”
“Through rigorous enforcement of the False Claims Act, we protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia. “We expect the utmost integrity and reliability from the contractors that design and build equipment that is meant to ensure that our men and women in uniform are adequately protected as they serve our country.”
In 2007, the United States Marine Corps awarded Navistar Defense a contract to build several hundred MRAP vehicles to replace the Humvee, which proved to be vulnerable to roadside explosive devices. Navistar Defense ultimately provided nearly 4,000 MRAPs under the contract. In 2009, as the focus of the war effort transitioned from the paved roads and flat terrain of the Iraqi deserts to Afghanistan’s rocky terrain, the Marine Corps sought to upgrade its MRAP vehicles with a modified Independent Suspension System (ISS). During the course of negotiations for the ISS, the Marine Corps asked Navistar Defense to provide evidence of prior commercial sales of the various parts that made up the ISS to ensure that the prices paid were fair and reasonable. The lawsuit alleges that Navistar Defense knowingly submitted fraudulent invoices that falsely purported to show prior, comparable commercial sales to conceal the inflated prices it was charging the Marine Corps. In reality, the lawsuit alleges, those sales never occurred.
The lawsuit was originally filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Duquoin Burgess, a former government contracts manager for Navistar Defense. Under the acts, a private party, known as a relator, can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The act permits the United States to intervene in and take over the action, as it has done here. If a defendant is found liable for violating the act, the United States may recover three times the amount of its losses plus applicable penalties.
The lawsuit is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Investigative support is being provided by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case is captioned United States ex rel. Burgess v. Navistar Defense, LLC (D.D.C). The claims alleged in the lawsuit are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
United States Joins Suit Against Navistar Defense LLC Alleging False Claims Under Marine Corps ContractRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States has intervened in a multimillion dollar whistleblower suit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Navistar Defense, LLC. Navistar Defense manufactured large and armored vehicles for the United States military and is a subsidiary of Navistar International, LLC, headquartered in Melrose Park, Illinois. The suit alleges that Navistar Defense violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting fraudulent invoices to support inflated prices for commercial parts on the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.
“Contractors who falsify information to induce the military to pay inflated prices will be held accountable,” said Jody H. Hunt, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. “We will continue to protect the military’s procurement process from such abuse.”
“Through rigorous enforcement of the False Claims Act, we protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “We expect the utmost integrity and reliability from the contractors that design and build equipment that is meant to ensure that our men and women in uniform are adequately protected as they serve our country.”
In 2007, the United States Marine Corps awarded Navistar Defense a contract to build several hundred MRAP vehicles to replace the Humvee, which proved to be vulnerable to roadside bombs. Navistar Defense ultimately provided nearly 4,000 MRAPs under the contract. In 2009, as the focus of the war effort transitioned from the paved roads and flat terrain of the Iraqi deserts to Afghanistan’s rocky terrain, the Marine Corps sought to upgrade its MRAP vehicles with a modified (?) Independent Suspension System (ISS). During the course of negotiations for the ISS, the Marine Corps asked Navistar Defense to provide evidence of prior commercial sales of the various parts that made up the ISS to ensure that the prices paid were fair and reasonable. The government alleges that Navistar Defense knowingly submitted forged documents of prior, comparable commercial sales to conceal the inflated prices it was charging the Marine Corps. In reality, those sales never occurred.
The suit was filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA by Duquoin Burgess, a former government contracts manager for Navistar Defense. Under those FCA provisions, a private party, known as a relator, can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. Under the FCA, the United States may recover three times the amount of its losses plus civil penalties.
The government’s complaint alleges claims under the FCA, which prohibits knowingly submitting false claims for federal funds, and other common law claims. The lawsuit is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Investigative support is being provided by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case is captioned United States ex rel. Burgess v. Navistar Defense, LLC (D.D.C). The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Former U.S. Navy Contractor and its President Sentenced for Scheme Related to Transfer of U.S. Navy Submarine Rescue TechnologyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Navy Contractor, Canada-based OceanWorks International Cooperation (“OceanWorks”) was sentenced on December 2, 2019, for a scheme to falsify facts in a disclosure to the Department of Commerce and the company’s president, Glen Omer Viau, 52, of British Columbia, Canada, was sentenced for unauthorized use of government property.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Perrye K. Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Houston, and Douglas R. Hassebrock, Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce made the announcement.
On September 10, 2019, OceanWorks pled guilty to a one-count information charging it with knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. OceanWorks’ President, Glen Omer Viau, pleaded guilty to conveying, without authority, U.S. Navy technical data to an unauthorized party. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced OceanWorks to a fine of $84,000 and Viau to time served and a $25,000 fine.
According to the government’s evidence, the OceanWorks scheme, which started in 2016, involved misrepresenting to and concealing from, the Office of Export Enforcement within the Department of Commerce, the true nature and extent of the transfer of U.S. Navy technical data to China. The scheme was performed in connection with a proposal by OceanWorks and an unindicted company based in China (“the Chinese Company”) to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy for the design and construction of remotely-operated submarine rescue vehicles.
OceanWorks was the prime contractor for the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (“SRDRS”). One component of the SRDRS was the submarine rescue system, a tethered, remotely-operated vehicle that included a Pressurized Rescue Module (“PRM”). The Department of Commerce issued a formal determination that the PRM and its technical data could not be exported to China without a license and were controlled under U.S. regulations.
In 2016, OceanWorks was sold to the Chinese Company. Viau was hired as President of OceanWorks soon thereafter.
After Viau was hired as President, from approximately November 2016 to February 2017, OceanWorks sent U.S. Navy technical data, including multi-page technical drawings, on the PRM, a component of the U.S. Navy’s submarine rescue system, to an employee of OceanWorks and the Chinese Company. OceanWorks transferred this data to assist with a proposal to develop a similar submarine rescue vehicle system for the PLA Navy. At least one of the multi-page technical drawings was export-controlled and required a license before being sent to China.
In 2017, the Canadian Government ordered the divestiture of the OceanWorks acquisition. Following the divesture, in March 2018, OceanWorks filed with the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement a Voluntary Self Disclosure (“VSD”) identifying export violations that had occurred before Viau became President of OceanWorks. However, in the VSD, OceanWorks omitted that the Chinese Company sought to enter the same industry as the U.S. Navy and that OceanWorks worked on a proposal to design a submarine rescue system for the PLA Navy.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Turner, and Assistant Secretary Hassebrock acknowledged the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. They also praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Pearlman, Jolie F. Zimmerman, and Thomas Gillice of the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for 2008 Murder of Best FriendRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Astriane Horton, 37, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the 2008 murder of his best friend, Deon Coleman, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Horton pled guilty in August 2019 to second-degree murder while armed and two counts of obstructing justice, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya Dayson sentenced him to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence on the obstruction counts will run concurrently with the sentence for murder. Horton was also ordered to stay away from witnesses after his release from prison.
According to the government’s evidence, Horton kept a gun behind his grandmother’s house, on Halley Terrace, SE, the location of which was known only to Horton, Coleman, and a mutual friend. When the gun went missing, on June 19, 2008, Horton became upset and believed that Coleman had stolen the gun, and in so doing, had disrespected him. At that point, Horton began searching for Deon Coleman, eventually tracking him to Brandywine Street, SW, where Coleman lived.
Shortly before 10pm that night, Astriane Horton arrived at the Coleman’s home and confronted him in the street about the missing gun. After initially appearing to part on good terms, the two men had a brief exchange of words, during which, Horton accused Coleman of taking the gun, and Coleman denied taking it. Horton then reached through the driver’s side window of the car in which Coleman sat, threw punches, then pulled out a gun and fired four (4) close range shots, striking Coleman in the face, neck, back and forearm, injuries from which Deon Coleman would not survive.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, and also expressed appreciation for the assistance of law enforcement in Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
They further expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman, Paralegal Specialists Alesha Matthews Yette, Meridith McGarrity, and Kelly Blakeney; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator LaJune Thames; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Supervisory Budget Analyst Nikiya Burnette, Budget Officer Natalie Hope; Litigation Technology Specialists Paul Howell, and William Henderson; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.
Finally, they praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Vinét Bryant, who investigated and indicted the case and secured the guilty plea.
District Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Armed RobberiesRead the Press Release
Saddiq Muhammad, 24, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for his role in two armed robberies that occurred on May 8 and May 9, 2019. The incidents were part of a crime spree perpetrated by Muhammad on innocent civilians over the course of three days announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Muhammad pled guilty to two counts of assault with intent to rob while armed on October 4, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe sentenced Muhammad to 12 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 8, 2019, at about 11:16 p.m., Muhammad entered a 7-11 convenience store at 1344 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., in Washington, DC. He approached the store counter, where the victim was working as a cashier. Muhammad leapt over the counter, brandishing what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun. Muhammad pointed the handgun at the victim and demanded that he open the cash register. The victim complied. Muhammad then reached into the drawer and stole $100. Muhammad exited the store and fled South on Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., in a car he had stolen the day before.
On May 9, 2019, at 12:30 a.m., two victims were sitting in front of an apartment building at 2517 25th Street, N.W., waiting for an Uber. Muhammad approached the victims on foot. He pulled out what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun and pointed the gun in one of the victim’s face. Muhammad demanded the victim’s cellphone. The victim had his hands up and Muhammad grabbed the victim’s cellphone from his hand. Muhammad then pointed the handgun at the other victim and grabbed her purse. The victim held onto her purse and would not let go. Muhammad tried to pull the purse away and in the process dragged the victim several yards down the sidewalk before she surrendered her purse to Muhammad.
Several hours later, at about 7:34 a.m., another victim was standing near 950 Division Avenue, N.E. Muhammad pulled up in the stolen car and approached the victim. Muhammad said something to the victim but the victim could not understand him because the victim did not speak English. Muhammad hit the victim in the head with a gun and took his wallet and car keys. On that same day, Muhammad also robbed an Exxon gas station in Silver Spring, Maryland, at gunpoint.
After an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, obtaining surveillance video and talking to witnesses, law enforcement identified Saddiq Muhammad as the perpetrator of the armed robbery spree. Muhammad was arrested on May 10, 2019, and subsequently charged.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hobel and Beth Kelley who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Personal Care Aide Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Hope Falowo, 53, of Bowie, Maryland, pled guilty today to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which she caused the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program to be defrauded out of approximately $400,000.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, 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 (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.; and Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia Inspector General.
Falowo pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of health care fraud. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Falowo faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The plea agreement calls for Falowo to pay $316,887 in restitution and $316,887 in a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for March 20, 2020.
Falowo worked as a personal care aide for twelve home health agencies at various times between January 2013 and March 2017. The home health agencies employed Falowo to assist D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating. Falowo was supposed to document the care 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.
Between January 2013 and March 2017, Falowo caused the D.C. Medicaid Program to issue payments totaling $399,000 for services that she did not render. As part of her fraud scheme, she paid kickbacks to beneficiaries and submitted false timesheets to different home health agencies claiming that she provided 24 hours or more of personal care aide services. She also submitted false timesheets claiming to have provided personal care aide services while she was out of the country. Falowo fraudulently earned more than $300,000 in wages as a result of the healthcare fraud scheme.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Special Agent in Charge Dixon of U.S. HHS-OIG, and District of Columbia Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialist Lauren Fernandez. Finally, they commended the work of Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Clergy Member Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Multiple Counts of Child Sexual AbuseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Urbano Vazquez, 47 of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for abusing two children in his parish from 2015 to 2017, in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
A jury found Vazquez guilty of committing four counts of child sexual abuse against two children in his parish on August 15, 2019, following a nine-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Juliet McKenna sentenced Vazquez to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. As part of his sentence, Vazquez will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender. At sentencing, Judge McKenna noted a substantial sentence was necessary to protect against Vazquez’s “predatory and manipulative behavior” that had a “devastating impact on the victims.”
The government’s evidence established that between on or about April 1, 2015 and May 31, 2015, Vazquez molested a 13-year-old girl while speaking with her in a parish office. In addition, between June 2016 and August 2017, Vazquez kissed and molested a separate 9-to-10-year-old girl in various places on church grounds, including near the church confessionals, in the church basement, and in the church sacristy. The jury also heard testimony from an additional teenage girl who Vazquez kissed in a church conference room.
"Urbano Vazquez used his trusted position as a clergy member to abuse innocent children,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “We will not tolerate abhorrent conduct against our children. Survivors of abuse need to know that they can come forward with information and we will seek justice on their behalf.”
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Forensic Sciences Leica Team. She also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Juanita Harris Tracy Owusu, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Lynda Randolph, Paralegal Tiffany Jones, Appellate Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Trosman, Chrisellen Kolb, and Elizabeth Danello, Deputy Chief Mark O’Brien, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Creighton, and interns Aquila Maliyekkal, Rustin Armknecht, and Sharon Foster. Finally, she also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Matt Williams and Sharon Marcus-Kurn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Ms. Liu also notes that on October 22, 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. She continues to encourage survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy who wish to share their experiences and/or those who have knowledge of such abuse are encouraged to report these incidents to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for potential criminal investigation and prosecution, as a part of the Office’s Superior Court Division intake process.
Survivors of child 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 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.
Maryland Man Found Guilty of Burglarizing Schools throughout the DistrictRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Nakym Sheffield, 41, of Germantown, MD was found guilty of burglarizing four separate elementary schools in the District of Columbia between March and May 2018, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
On November 20, 2019, Sheffield was found guilty of four counts of second-degree burglary, six counts of second-degree theft, and three counts of credit card fraud, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for January 28, 2020.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, on March 20, 2018, Sheffield entered Bridges Elementary School located at 100 Gallatin St. NE at dismissal and wandered the halls of the school until finding an empty classroom stealing a teacher’s wallet from inside. The teacher was unaware of the theft until she received an alert from her bank notifying her that her card was being used at a local Safeway store.
On April 11, 2018, Sheffield entered two more elementary schools in the Anacostia area of D.C., Ketcham Elementary School at 1919 15th St SE and D.C. Prep Public Charter School at 1409 V St SE during dismissal. Sheffield wandered the halls of the school until finding empty classrooms and stole credit cards and money from teachers who were assisting students during parent pick up. Sheffield again charged the teachers credit cards for over $500.00 in VISA gift cards and other purchases at local Safeway stores.
On May 3, 2018, Sheffield entered Stanton Elementary School at 2701 Naylor Road SE, at morning drop-off and stole credit cards and cash from a school administrator and a teacher. He then went to a Target Store in District Heights, MD where he attempted to purchase $400.00 in VISA gift cards.
After an extensive investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, obtaining surveillance video and financial records evidencing the very distinct Modus Operandi, law enforcement identified Nakym Sheffield as the perpetrator of the burglary spree. Sheffield was arrested on a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant on May 17, 2018, and subsequently charged. After a six-day trial, the jury convicted Sheffield on each count of the indictment.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including paralegal specialists Crystal Waddy and Allison Daniels, Leif Hickling and Taylor Davis from the Litigation Technology Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chrisellen Kolb from the Appellate Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Emile Thompson and Janani Iyengar who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Nicole McClain and Andrea Coronado who presented the case at trial. Finally, she expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Public Schools for their cooperation with the case.
District Man Sentenced to Seven-Year Prison Term for Committing Armed Robbery While on Supervised ReleaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Jenkins, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for brandishing a firearm during a robbery over the July 4th weekend of 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Jenkins pled guilty in September 2019, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia to one count of armed robbery, which carries a mandatory-minimum sentence of five years in prison. The Honorable Robert Okun sentenced Jenkins. Upon release, he will be placed on supervised release for five years.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 6, 2019, Jenkins approached the victim outside of a gas station in the 900 block of Florida Avenue, Northwest. He brandished a firearm while demanding the victim’s belongings. The victim dropped his keys, which Jenkins picked up before driving away in the victim’s car. When Jenkins committed the armed robbery, he was on supervised release for a 2015 firearms-related conviction, and now will face revocation of his supervised release in that case.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Carroll, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
D.C. Man Convicted of Unlawful Possession of Firearm and AmmunitionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Asa Lea, 28, of Washington, D.C. was found guilty by a jury today on charges related to his unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition after he had previously been convicted of a felony. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Ronald A. Pavlik, Jr., Chief of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD).
Lea was convicted following a jury trial in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Lea faces a prison sentence of up to ten years of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for February 6, 2020, before the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper.
According to the government’s evidence, in March 2019, MTPD officers attempted to write Lea a citation for public consumption of marijuana. After Lea provided a false identification to the officers and attempted to flee, officers located a .25 caliber semi-automatic firearm in his front jacket pocket. The firearm, which was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, had an obliterated serial number.
This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program (“PSN”) and Project Guardian, which are nationwide crime-reduction strategies aimed at reducing violent crime and gun crime. PSN and Project Guardian involve a comprehensive approach to public safety that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Liu coordinates PSN and Project Guardian efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu expressed her appreciation to the Metro Transit Police Department for their work on the case. She also acknowledged the work of Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, AUSA Vincent Caputy, who investigated and indicted the case, and AUSAs Andrea Duvall and Nicole Battle, who prosecuted and tried the case.