District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Malcolm Cunningham, 24, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today by Judge Ronna Beck to 18 years’ incarceration, suspending all but 15 years of incarceration for the murder of his great grandmother’s common-law-husband, David Norwood, U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea announced.  Cunningham previously pled guilty to one count of second degree murder while armed with a sentencing range of 12 to 18 years in prison. 

            The incident occurred on Easter Sunday 2017.  Prior to the murder, Mr. Norwood and his wife (Cunningham’s great-grandmother) had allowed Cunningham to stay in their home for about a year.  Two weeks before the murder, Mr. Norwood and Cunningham’s great grandmother finally kicked Cunningham out of the residence as a result of fights he was repeatedly having with other residents.  On Easter morning, Cunningham snuck back into the residence where he found Mr. Norwood, alone.  Cunningham argued with Mr. Norwood and then took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed him before fleeing the scene.  Mr. Norwood remained in the home, injured, until family members found him hours later, unconscious and lying on the floor.  A short time later Mr. Norwood died as a result of his injuries.       

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite and Alesha Matthews-Yette and Victim Witness Specialist Marcia Rinker.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Liebman who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Lamont Alvester Johnson, 43, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty after a jury trial of conspiring to traffic in large quantities of Phencyclidine (PCP), possessing with the intent to distribute large quantities of PCP, possessing a firearm after having previously been convicted of a felony, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea, FBI Assistant Director Timothy Slater,  ATF Special Agent in Charge Ashan Benedict, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Peter Newsham, U.S. Park Police Chief Gregory Monahan, United States Chief Marshal Lamont Ruffin, and Prince George’s County Police Chief  Henry Stawinski. 

            Johnson was found guilty on February 27, 2020, following a trial in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan.  Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2020.  Johnson faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment in light of his extensive criminal record, including prior convictions for crimes of violence while armed and drug trafficking. 

            According to the government’s evidence, which included court-authorized wiretaps, search warrants, GPS trackers, and undercover purchases of narcotics, Johnson was the main supplier of PCP to a drug trafficking ring that was indicted in an eight-co-defendant, 55-count indictment.  Johnson was supplied gallon-quantities of PCP from West Coast suppliers, and he redistributed the PCP to other wholesale-level PCP suppliers in the District of Columbia.  The evidence established that Johnson used threats and intimidation in his PCP trafficking operation, including with an AR-15 assault rifle that was seized from him along with over a kilogram of PCP and related drug trafficking paraphernalia.  During the investigation, federal law enforcement officers seized approximately 2.5 kilograms of PCP; ¼ kilogram of heroin; ½ kilogram of cocaine; 50 grams of crack cocaine base; assorted drug trafficking paraphernalia; and firearms, including Johnson’s AR-15 assault rifle, laser scopes, ammunition, and high-capacity magazines. 

            In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Shea, FBI Assistant Director Timothy Slater,  ATF Special Agent in Charge Ashan Benedict, U.S. Park Police Chief Gregory Monahan,  United States Chief Marshal Lamont Ruffin, Chief Peter Newsham of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Prince George’s County Police Chief  Henry Stawinski commended the work of the many dedicated people who worked tireless hours on the case, including Special Agents from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the ATF’s Washington Field Division, Deputy U.S. Marshals, and officers with the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Park Police. 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. Attorney George Eliopoulos and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty, who prosecuted the case, as well as Paralegals Rommel Pachoca and Katie Thomas and Legal Assistants Emma Atlas and Kate Abrey.

WASHINGTON – Keith Baham, 20, and David McKinney, 19, of Washington, D.C., were found guilty by a jury today of armed carjacking, armed robbery, first-degree theft, and unauthorized use of vehicle, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea.  Baham was also convicted of two counts of Possession of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence. 

            Baham and McKinney were found guilty following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in front of The Honorable J. Michael Ryan. The defendants remain detained pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 1, 2020.

            According to the government’s evidence, on February 25, 2019, Baham and McKinney had the 18-year-old victim drive to the 3100 block of Apple Road, N.E. Once there, Baham took out a gun and told the victim to drop everything and to hand over his belongings. While the victim was held at gunpoint, the men took the victim’s wallet, phone, and other personal items before fleeing the scene in the victim’s car.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Paralegal Specialists Jessica Pierce, Sabrina Turner, and Debra McPherson; Victim Advocate Jennifer Clark; Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling; and Investigative Analyst William Hamann.

            Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rachel Forman and Kevin Birney, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Rashad Liverpool, 27, and Robert Tillery, 44, pleaded guilty today of one count of Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person or Vulnerable Adult.  The two former SunTrust Bank employees defrauded a 72-year old widow with diminished capacity of over $80,000, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea.  Both defendants agreed to pay restitution as part of their plea and will be sentenced on April 28, 2020.

            According to the government’s evidence, during the summer of 2018, Liverpool and Tillery would frequently visit the victim – a client of SunTrust Bank – after normal business hours and against bank policy.  They identified funds that she held at Bank of America and took advantage of her diminished capacity in order to move these funds into accounts that they controlled.  Liverpool moved $51,900 into a joint account that he created in his and the victim’s name at Capital One Bank.  He used all of the funds for his own benefit including two trips to California and one trip to Miami.  During the trip to Miami, Liverpool used the victim’s funds to stay at a beach front hotel, rent a red Ford Mustang, and purchase items from the mini bar.  Meanwhile, Tillery withdrew $3,000 in cash from one of the victim’s accounts and wrote himself a check for $25,700 from another.  He used these funds to make purchases at various outlet stores and move to Chicago.  The scheme ended when the victim was hospitalized and a newly appointed Attorney-in-Fact discovered that the funds were missing.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, specifically Detective Phillipe Moore from the Financial and Cyber Crimes Unit, as well as Investigator Jonathan Rich from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, who investigated the case together.  He also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Mika, who is detailed from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia to handle financial crime cases involving elderly victims; Assistant U.S. Attorney Chimnomnso Kalu; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Romano; and Supervisory Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark. 

            This prosecution is part of the Office’s wider efforts to combat crimes against seniors. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia simultaneously launched initiatives to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults. The Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative at the U.S. Attorney’s Office expanded its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults. The initiative has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop and coordinate further its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older or vulnerable victims. The team consists of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions, as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. In 2019, the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia also established an Elder Justice Section to better protect the District’s elders and vulnerable adults from financial exploitation through civil enforcement of the District’s financial exploitation law. This is the second outcome this month in a case involving elder financial exploitation that was handled jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General.

WASHINGTON – Edward Banks, 47, of Washington, DC pled guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter.  The incident occurred on August 18, 2019 at the homeless shelter located at 2700 Martin Luther King Avenue, SE, U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea announced.

            Banks pled guilty on February 24, 2020, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The plea calls for a sentence of five years in prison for killing the decedent.  He will be sentenced on March 16, 2020 by the Honorable Juliet McKenna.

            The defendant entered the homeless shelter in the early morning hours of August 18, 2019.  At a certain point, the defendant was walking down a hallway in the shelter when he came upon the decedent, Mr. Abraham Weldemichael, who was standing outside the bathroom door.   The defendant became angry at the decedent and took an aggressive posture towards Mr. Weldemichael.  The defendant then punched Mr. Weldemichael in the face once and fled the scene.  Mr. Weldemichael collapsed to the ground and did not move.  Mr. Weldemichael’s unconscious body was on the ground for approximately six minutes until he was eventually discovered by security staff.   Medical personnel arrived at the scene and Mr. Weldemichael was transported to George Washington Hospital.  Upon arrival, he was admitted in critical condition and it was determined that he was suffering from swelling and bleeding in the brain.   He eventually succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on August 21, 2019 at 2:32 am. 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lashone Samuels; Victim Witness Specialist Jennifer Allen and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. 

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Jerel Ruffin, 39, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of thirty-three charges, including assault with intent to kill while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, obstruction of justice, and contempt, for shooting the new boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea.

            The verdict was returned on February 24, 2020, following a two-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Anita Josey-Herring scheduled sentencing for May 1, 2020.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early evening hours of November 26, 2018, Ruffin went to the home of his ex-girlfriend, rang the doorbell, and waited outside when she did not answer. A short time later, the victim arrived at the house to pick up the woman for a date. Before the victim and the woman could leave in the victim’s car, Ruffin drove past their car on the street, made a U-turn, and pulled up window to window with the victim’s car. He then fired six shots at the victim’s car, striking the victim in the leg. Ruffin drove off and the woman drove the victim to the hospital, where his wounds required surgery.

            The government’s evidence also showed that following Ruffin’s arrest on November 27, 2018, he embarked on near-constant attempts to contact the woman and other witnesses in the case to get them to change their testimony. Many of those communications were captured on recorded jail calls and were introduced as evidence in the trial.

            Ruffin, who was in custody pending trial, remains held pending the sentencing.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lu Lan; Paralegal Specialists Brenda Williams and Tiffany Fogle; and Criminal Investigator Nelson Rhone.

            Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer B. Loeb and Ryan Creighton, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case at trial.

WASHINGTON - On February 18, 2020, Cho Yan Nathan Man (Man) was arraigned on an indictment filed June 26, 2019, charging him with four counts of Unlawful Exports and Attempted Unlawful Exports of Defense Articles to Hong Kong, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), 22 U.S.C. § 2778; and the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. §§ 120-130 (Counts One through Four); and four counts of International Money Laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956(a)(2)(A) and (c)(7)(b)(v)(I) (Counts Five through Eight). The indictment, initially filed under seal, was unsealed at Man’s initial appearance and arraignment.  Man was arrested in Switzerland on or about June 13, 2019, and extradited from Switzerland to the United States on or about February 14, 2020. The court has ordered Man detained pending trial.

            The indictment alleges that, from in or around October 2018 to in or around January 2019, Man knowingly attempted to export, and/or caused the export of, the following items that have been determined to be United States Munitions List (USML) defense articles: (1) a pair of enhanced night vision goggles, which combines night vision and thermal imaging and which was manufactured by a U.S. company; (2) a Glare Mout Plus, which is a non-lethal visual disruption laser (also known as a dazzler) used to hail and warn individuals approaching a restricted or controlled area; (3) a target pointer illuminator aiming light, which is a laser that attaches to a rifle and is used for aiming that weapon; and (4) a four-prong muzzle adapter for a rifle that was manufactured by a U.S. company. The indictment further alleges that Man engaged in international money laundering in connection with each transaction by causing or attempting to cause a transfer or transmission of funds for the purchase of these items from Hong Kong to the sellers in the United States.

            An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.  If convicted on any of the AECA charges, Man faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss of the offense, and three years of supervised release. If convicted of any of the money laundering charges, Man faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transportation, transmission, or transfer, whichever is greater; and three years of supervised release.

            This investigation is being conducted jointly by the Chicago Field Office of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Chicago Resident Agency of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. 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.

WASHINGTON – Superior Court of the District of Columbia Judge Ronna L. Beck granted on Tuesday a motion filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General to join their separate prosecutions of defendant James G. Walker, 61, the former owner of a row house at 708 Kennedy Street, N.W.  The defendant did not object to joining the cases against him.  Walker was previously indicted by a grand jury and arraigned on two counts of second degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter.  He was also arraigned on 41 criminal fire and housing code violations.  

            The joinder of trials was announced by U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea; District of Columbia Attorney General Karl A. Racine; 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.

            “The joinder of these cases for trial provides yet another opportunity for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, along with our other local and federal partners, to join forces in the pursuit of justice on behalf of District residents,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.  

            "This prosecution demonstrates how the Office of the Attorney General fights every day for the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable residents," said Attorney General Karl A. Racine. These charges are the result of a comprehensive investigation and close partnership between our two respective offices. We are committed to bringing justice to this tragic case."

            According to the indictment and related court documents, on August 18, 2019, Fitsum Kebebe, Yafet Solomen, and others resided at the row house on Kennedy Street owned by Walker.  Although Walker used the row house as a boarding house, he did not have a certificate of occupancy for the building.  During the morning of August 18, a fire broke out inside the row house.  Kebebe and Solomen were in the basement at the time and were unable to exit the row house.  They died from smoke inhalation.  Following the indictment, Walker was arrested on January 15, 2020.

            An indictment and an information are formal accusations 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.  If convicted of the fire and housing code violations, Walker faces a maximum penalty of more than 10 years or fines exceeding $50,000.

            In announcing the court’s joinder of the cases, U.S. Attorney Shea, D.C. Attorney General Racine, 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 and Assistant Attorneys General Keith Ingram and Jeffrey Cargill who are prosecuting the cases now joined for trial.

WASHINGTON – James Benjamin, 58, of Ellicott City, Maryland, was sentenced Tuesday to sixteen months in prison and ordered to pay $74,500 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman of the District of Columbia.  Following his prison term, Benjamin will serve a term of three years of supervised release.

            The announcement was made Tuesday, February 18, 2020 by U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office.

            Previously, on March 28, 2019, Benjamin pled guilty to engaging in a scheme with intent to defraud, and to thereby unlawfully obtaining over $100,000 for his own personal enrichment.  Benjamin also pled guilty to making a false statement to the FBI, after the FBI had seized approximately $450,000 that Benjamin had obtained from investors.  In connection with the guilty plea, Benjamin admitted that he had falsely told the FBI that the $450,000 had been “held in trust” for the benefit of an investor, when in fact Benjamin kept the funds in his own bank account.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Demian Ahn of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case was investigated and indicted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Demian Ahn and Thomas Swanton, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Jessica McCormick and Chela Okonji.

WASHINGTON – Davon Payton, 29, of Alexandria Virginia, was sentenced today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Honorable Craig Iscoe to a period of twenty- four years of incarceration followed by five years of supervised release.  Payton pled guilty on November 22, 2019, to two counts of second-degree murder while armed, one count of attempted robbery while armed, and an unrelated count of arson announced Timothy J. Shea, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia.

            On October 9, 2019, at approximately 9:49 p.m., Payton entered the victims’ home under the guise of using the restroom. When he exited the restroom, he pulled out a firearm and attempted to rob the homeowner. In the process, he fatally shot the homeowner’s autistic grandson and his home health aide who, during the robbery, had attempted to flee with the other occupants of the home. Both victims were unarmed. About a month prior to the shooting, Payton was captured on surveillance footage at the Exxon Service Station and 7/11 Convenience Store, located in the area of 4665 and 4675 South Capitol St. SW, igniting a gas pump fuel nozzle with a lighter before fleeing the scene.

            In announcing the sentence, United States Attorney Shea commended the work of those from the Metropolitan Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Washington Field Office and the D.C. Fire and EMS who investigated the homicide and arson cases. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the United States Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lornce Applewhite, Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Victim/Witness Program Specialist Lesley Slade.

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Merikas and Sitara Witanachchi who assisted in investigating the cases and bringing them to a prompt and just resolution.

WASHINGTON – Temitope Oluwa-Bakare Ogunbiyi, 49, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for defrauding the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program out of more than $1 million. Yesterday, Rose Asang Gana, 40, of Greenbelt, Maryland, was sentenced to 13 months in prison for defrauding the program out of more than $400,000.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea; Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; 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.; Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Mike McGill of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG).

            Ogunbiyi pled guilty to one count of health care fraud in August 2019. Today, the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan sentenced her to 15 months in prison. Following her prison term, she will be placed on three years of supervised release. In addition she was ordered to pay $1,071,247.12 in restitution and $575,462.03 in a forfeiture money judgment.

            Gana pled guilty to one count of health care fraud in October 2019. Yesterday, the Honorable Carl J. Nichols sentenced her to 13 months in prison. She also will be placed on three years of supervised release following her prison term. She was ordered to pay $441,234.64 in restitution and $257,503.31 in a forfeiture money judgment. 

            Ogunbiyi worked as a personal care aid for 18 home health agencies at various times between January 2014 and September 2018. Gana worked for nine health agencies at various times between October 2013 and December 2018. The home health agencies employed Ogunbiyi and Gana to assist D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating. Ogunbiyi and Gana were supposed to document the care they provided to the Medicaid beneficiaries on timesheets and then submit those timesheets to the home health agencies, which would in turn bill Medicaid for the services rendered.

            Between January 2014 and September 2018, Ogunbiyi caused the D.C. Medicaid Program to issue payments totaling $1,071,247.12 for services that she did not render. Between October 2013 and December 2018, Gana caused the D.C. Medicaid Program to issue payments totaling $441,234 for services that she did not render.

            As part of their individual fraud schemes, both women paid kickbacks to beneficiaries and submitted false timesheets to different home health agencies claiming to have provided personal care aide services that they did not provide. Ogunbiyi also caused Medicaid to be billed for services she claimed to provide in the District of Columbia when she was traveling outside the United States. As a result of their schemes, Ogunbiyi earned more than $500,000 in wages and Gana earned more than $250,000 in wages.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Shea, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Special Agent in Charge Dixon of U.S. HHS-OIG, District of Columbia Inspector General Lucas and Special Agent in Charge McGill 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 Mariela Andrade and former Paralegal Specialist Brittany Phillips. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Simmonds, who prosecuted the cases.           

WASHINGTON – Ronald Randolph, 42, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today by Judge Todd Edelman to 26 ½ years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend, Shameka Jones, U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea announced.  Randolph previously pled guilty to one count of second degree murder while armed with a sentencing range of 20 to 28 years in prison. 

            The incident occurred on July 22, 2017, less than one month after Randolph’s release from prison for another violent crime, around 8:30 a.m.  Randolph and Ms. Jones had been in a romantic relationship for years, however, in the days leading up to the murder, Ms. Jones had expressed a desire to end the relationship.  That morning, angry about the possibility that the relationship might end, Randolph shot Ms. Jones in the face.  He then waited twenty minutes before calling 911 and confessing to the crime.

            During the sentencing hearing, numerous statements were read that had been prepared by family members and friends describing the significant role Ms. Jones played in their lives as a sister, daughter, friend and mother.  In imposing his sentence, Judge Edelman indicated that he considered Randolph’s significant prior criminal history, to include multiple convictions for crimes of violence and a prior conviction for second degree murder, and found there were few if any mitigating factors to consider. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Lead Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman, Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert and Stephanie Siegerist, Victim Witness Specialist Jennifer Allen, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Bruckmann who investigated and indicted the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Jack Korba who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Darius Murphy, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a period of nineteen-and-a-half years of incarceration for second-degree murder while armed announced Timothy J. Shea, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The defendant pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on September 13, 2019. He was sentenced by the Honorable Craig Iscoe. Following his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release.

            On February 22, 2019, at approximately 7:01 a.m., defendant Murphy fatally stabbed James Wood.  Specifically, Mr. Wood was having a conversation with two men in the parking lot of the Capital Laundromat on Benning Road in Northeast. As Mr. Wood engaged in conversation with these two individuals, the defendant walked up behind him, grabbed him by the neck, and stabbed him several times, killing him.  After stabbing Mr. Wood, the defendant fled on foot.

            In announcing the sentence, United States Attorney Shea and Chief of Police Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including Homicide Branch Detective Thomas O’Donnell. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the United States Attorney’s Office, including Assistant United States Attorney George A. Pace, Jr., Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcey Rinker.

An Ohio man was arrested for his operation of Helix, a Darknet-based cryptocurrency laundering service. 

In the three-count indictment unsealed Feb. 11 in the District of Columbia, Larry Harmon, 36, of Akron, Ohio, was charged with money laundering conspiracy, operating an unlicensed money transmitting business and conducting money transmission without a D.C. license.

According to the indictment, Harmon operated Helix from 2014 to 2017.  Helix functioned as a bitcoin “mixer” or “tumbler,” allowing customers, for a fee, to send bitcoin to designated recipients in a manner that was designed to conceal the source or owner of the bitcoin.  Helix was linked to and associated  with “Grams,” a Darknet search engine also run by Harmon.  Harmon advertised Helix to customers on the Darknet as a way to conceal transactions from law enforcement. 

“Helix allegedly laundered hundreds of millions of dollars of illicit narcotics proceeds and other criminal profits for Darknet users around the globe,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “This indictment underscores that seeking to obscure virtual currency transactions in this way is a crime, and that the Department can and will ensure that such crime doesn’t pay.”

“For those who seek to use Darknet-based cryptocurrency tumblers, these charges should serve as a reminder that law enforcement, through its partnerships and collaboration, will uncover illegal activity and charge those responsible for unlawful acts,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea of the District of Columbia.

“The brazenness with which Helix operated should be the most appalling aspect of this operation to every day citizens.  There are bad actors and then there are criminals who facilitate hundreds of other crimes,” said Don Fort, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation.  “The sole purpose of Harmon’s operation was to conceal criminal transactions from law enforcement on the Darknet, and because of our growing expertise in this area, he could not make good on that promise.  Working in tandem with other sites, he sought to be the ‘go-to’ money launderer on the Darknet, but our investigators once again played the role of criminal disrupters, unraveling the interlinked web from one tentacle to another.  We thank the Belizean authorities and other law enforcement agencies for their assistance on this case.”

“The perceived anonymity of cryptocurrency and the Darknet may appeal to criminals as a refuge to hide their illicit activity,” said Special Agent in Charge Timothy M. Dunham of the Criminal Division of the FBI Washington Field Office.  “However, as this arrest demonstrates, the FBI and our law enforcement partners are committed to bringing the illegal practices of money launderers and other financial criminals to light and to justice, regardless of whether they are using new technological means to carry out their schemes.”

The indictment alleges that Helix moved over 350,000 bitcoin – valued at over $300 million at the time of the transactions – on behalf of customers, with the largest volume coming from Darknet markets.  Helix partnered with the Darknet market AlphaBay to provide bitcoin laundering services for AlphaBay customers.  AlphaBay was one of the largest Darknet marketplaces in operation at the time that it was seized by law enforcement in July 2017.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

The investigation was led by the IRS-CI and the FBI’s Washington Field Office with assistance from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.  The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, IRS Field Offices of Washington, D.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Oakland, California; and the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division and Field Offices of Cleveland, Ohio — Akron Resident Agency; Newark, New Jersey; and San Francisco, California — San Jose Resident Agency and the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service provided essential support for the operation.   

Internationally, the Belize Ministry of the Attorney General and the Belize National Police Department simultaneously executed a search warrant of a residence allegedly leased by Harmon in Belize as U.S. authorities executed warrants in the United States.  U.S. law enforcement agencies, coordinated by U.S. Embassy Belmopan, assisted in the Belize action.  “These actions underscore the vital importance of working closely with our law enforcement partners in Belize to make both of our countries more safe and secure,” said U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Keith Gilges.

Trial Attorneys S. Riane Harper and C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Brown of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.  Additional assistance has been provided by Trial Attorneys Emily Siedell and Brian Nicholson of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, former CCIPS Trial Attorney W. Joss Nichols and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Riedl of the Northern District of Ohio. 

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.

WASHINGTON – Bilal Ahmed, 47, of Potomac, Maryland, was sentenced to 71 months’ incarceration on February 10, 2020, having pled guilty to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which he and others caused the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program to be defrauded out of more than $5 million. The Honorable Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly granted the parties’ joint request for a sentence that runs concurrently with a 16-year sentence that Ahmed currently is serving for sexually assaulting patients. The Court also ordered Ahmed to pay $5,421,227 in restitution and $3,978,879.93 in forfeiture. 

            The announcement was made Monday, February 10, 2020 by U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea, 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, for the region that includes Washington, D.C., and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

            Ahmed was indicted in January 2019, along with his former office manager, on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, one count of health care fraud, and five counts of wire fraud.  Ahmed pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to Count II of the Indictment and the remaining charges were dismissed at sentencing.  

           According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court at the time of the plea hearing, Ahmed was a practicing dentist who owned and operated Universal Smiles, a dental practice, in Northwest, Washington, D.C.  When Ahmed’s dental license was suspended by the D.C. Dentistry Board, and subsequently was surrendered by him, Ahmed opened and operated Dental Equipment and Services (“DES”).  DES was a Maryland company that employed dentists on contract to work at Universal Smiles’ former business location in the District of Columbia.  According to court paperwork, through Universal Smiles and DES, Ahmed and his office manager engaged in a scheme to enrich themselves by defrauding D.C. Medicaid, a health care benefits program jointly funded by the federal government and the District of Columbia to provide health care services to residents who meet the income qualifying requirements.  As part of the scheme, Ahmed applied to be a Medicaid provider.   According to Ahmed’s admissions, once approved to bill Medicaid, he and the office manager sought to increase the dental practice’s profits by recruiting Medicaid recipients as patients and then then billing D.C. Medicaid for thousands of provisional crowns that were not provided to the patients.  From August 9, 2012, through February 26, 2014, D.C. Medicaid paid Universal Smiles approximately $12.4 million; and it paid DES approximately $1.2 million from November 17, 2014, though February 1, 2016.  According to court paperwork, more than one-third of the money paid out by D.C. Medicaid was for services that Ahmed’s dental offices did not provide. 

            The indictment remains pending with respect to Ahmed’s former office manager, who has pled not guilty and whose case is set for trial on June 1, 2020. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Shea, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Special Agent in Charge Dixon 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’s Office of the Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys, Brittany Phillips, Lauren Hernandez and Amanda Rohde, Forensic Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar, and the D.C. OIG Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise A. Simmonds, Michelle Bradford and Lionel Andre, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Moureen Masika, 31, was found guilty on Monday, February 10, 2020, of one count of Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person or Vulnerable Adult and three counts of Second-Degree Theft after a jury trial.  The incidents were part of a fraud scheme perpetrated by Masika, a home health aide, on her patient, an 88-year-old man with dementia, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea.  This trial is the first involving the charge of Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Person or Vulnerable Adult in D.C. since the crime was passed into law in 2016. Sentencing is scheduled for March 9, 2020.

            According to the government’s evidence, over the course of five months in 2018, Masika made 49 trips to CVS during which she obtained over $3,000 in cash using the victim’s debit card.  To maximize the cash obtained, Masika would make multiple transactions back-to-back and request cash back at each transaction.  Her fraud came to an abrupt end when the victim’s family confronted her.  

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Financial and Cyber Crimes Unit, which investigated the case.  He also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Mika, who is detailed from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia to handle financial crime cases involving elderly victims; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Kelley and Stephanie Miller; and paralegals Chad Byron and Antoinette Sakamsa. 

            This prosecution is part of the Office’s wider efforts to combat crimes against seniors. In 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia simultaneously launched initiatives to address the abuse and exploitation of older adults. The Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative at the U.S. Attorney’s Office expanded its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults. The initiative has enabled the U.S. Attorney’s Office to develop and coordinate further its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older or vulnerable victims. The team consists of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions, as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. This prosecution marks the first time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General have together prosecuted a case of this kind, and this collaboration is continuing.

WASHINGTON – Mason Binion, 32, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty after a jury trial of first-degree murder while armed, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Binion was found guilty following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in front of The Honorable Ronna Lee Beck. Sentencing is scheduled for May 1, 2020. Proctor faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole.

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

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Shea and Chief Newsham commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Lenerz and Jeff Pearlman; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Administrative Services Specialists Tina Wall; Supervisory Budget Specialist Nikiya Burnett; Paralegal Meridith McGarrity; Victim Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling; and Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin.

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

The head of a Houston-based company that was the subsidiary of a Chinese company that developed stolen trade secrets was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $330,000 by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the District of Columbia.

Shan Shi, 55, of Houston, Texas, had previously been found guilty of conspiracy to steal trade secrets by a jury on July 29, 2019.  Evidence admitted during a three-week trial showed that Shi had signed an agreement with Taizhou CBM Future New Material Science and Technology Co. Ltd (CBMF), to develop the manufacture of syntactic foam, which is a buoyancy material that aids in offshore oil and gas drilling.  The defendant specifically pledged to “digest/absorb” the relevant technology in the United States.  The defendant then set up a U.S.-based corporation, CBM International Inc., (CBMI) and hired ex-employees of a victim company that manufactured syntactic foam, located in Houston, Texas.  These employees had access to trade secrets developed by the victim company, and the defendant was aware that they had signed agreements with the victim company not to disclose proprietary information.  The other employees then transferred proprietary information to CBMI and the defendant, who used the information to create a syntactic foam manufacturing process in China.

The defendant was arrested along with five other individuals in the United States after he and CBMI attempted to market related-technology in the District of Columbia.  An additional Chinese national living in China, Hui Huang, was also charged. The trial was solely of defendant Shi. 

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the intellectual property of American companies, particularly against Chinese malign economic aggression,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “As Shan Shi’s prosecution demonstrates, we will steadfastly defend the right of U.S. entrepreneurs to reap the benefits of their innovations.” 

“Yesterday’s sentencing underscores our determination to prosecute those who would steal trade secrets from American businesses and further misuse them for their own research and development,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.  “The Court made clear that the defendant knew or intended that the offense would benefit the People’s Republic of China.  To those who would steal proprietary information from U.S. companies and provide it to a foreign government, our message is that you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Shan Shi will now pay the consequences in prison for stealing trade secrets from a U.S. company for the benefit of China, while he himself also profited from that theft. This is just another example of the serious and growing threat the Chinese government poses to the United States and our industries,” said Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office. “Just as the People’s Republic of China is determined to steal from the United States, the FBI and DOJ is determined to protect America's national and economic security and intellectual property from unscrupulous foreign adversaries.”

The FBI’s Houston Field Office, Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement and IRS-Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

Senior Counsel Matthew R. Walczewski of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Pearlman, Luke Jones and Zia Faruqui of the District of Columbia, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Joss Nichols prosecuted the case. 

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.

WASHINGTON – The head of a Houston-based company that was the subsidiary of a Chinese company that developed stolen trade secrets was sentenced Monday to sixteen months in prison and ordered to forfeit $342,424.96 by U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper of the District of Columbia.

            Shan Shi, 55, of Houston, Texas, had previously been found guilty by a jury on July 29, 2019, of Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets.  Evidence presented during a three-week trial established that Shi had entered into an agreement with Taizhou CBM Future New Material Science and Technology Co. Ltd (CBMF) to develop the manufacture of syntactic foam, which is a buoyancy material that aids in offshore oil and gas drilling.  The defendant specifically pledged to build “China’s first deep[-]sea drilling buoyance [sic] material production line” by moving to “digest/absorb” the relevant, critical U.S. technology.  The defendant then set up a U.S.-based corporation, CBM International, Inc., (CBMI) and hired ex-employees of a victim company that manufactured syntactic foam, located in Houston, Texas.  These employees had access to trade secrets developed by the victim company, and the defendant was aware that they had signed agreements with the victim company not to disclose proprietary information.  The former employees of the victim company then transferred proprietary information to CBMI and the defendant, who used the information to create a syntactic foam manufacturing process in China.

            The government also entered into evidence that the defendant intended to benefit the People’s Republic of China (PRC) by developing the technology, and that after the technology was stolen, the defendant attempted to sell syntactic foam based on the stolen proprietary information to the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of the PRC.  The defendant was arrested along with five other individuals in the United States after he and CBMI attempted to market related-technology in the District of Columbia.  An additional Chinese national living in China, Hui Huang, was also charged. Shi, defendant Gang Liu, CBMI, and CBMF were subsequently charged in a superseding indictment with Conspiracy to Commit Economic Espionage, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1831.  Shi and CBMI and CBMF were additionally charged in the superseding indictment with Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h).  The jury found the defendant guilty of Conspiracy to Steal Trade Secrets, and acquitted on the remaining counts.  The trial was solely of defendant Shi. 

            “Yesterday’s sentencing underscores our determination to prosecute those who would steal trade secrets from American businesses and further misuse them for their own research and development,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.  “The Court made clear that the defendant knew or intended that the offense would benefit the People’s Republic of China.  To those who would steal proprietary information from U.S. companies and provide it to a foreign government, our message is that you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

            This case was investigated by the Houston Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) Office of Export Enforcement of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Pearlman, Luke Jones, Zia Faruqui, and former Special Assistant United States Attorney W. Joss Nichols of the District of Columbia; Senior Counsel Matthew R. Walczewski of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice; and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON – MacArthur Venable, 34 of Washington, D.C. pled guilty to one count second degree murder while armed for killing one man by shooting at him multiple times in Northeast Washington.  The incident occurred on October 31, 2018 when the defendant got into an argument with the decedent at the Unit block of Massachusetts Avenue, NE near the intersection of North Capitol Street, NW, U.S. Attorney Timothy Shea announced.

            Venable pled guilty on February 6, 2020, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  The plea calls for a sentence of between fifteen to eighteen years in prison for killing the decedent.  He will be sentenced on July 21, 2020, by the Honorable Anita Josey-Herring. 

            The incident occurred on October 31, 2018 at approximately 9:52 p.m.  The defendant was walking down Massachusetts Avenue with another individual when he came upon the decedent, Mr. James Ferrell.   The defendant then began to speak to Mr. Ferrell and an argument ensued.    The argument between Mr. Ferrell and the defendant escalated and the defendant then walked up to the individual who he was walking with, reached into his waistband, and pulled out a firearm.  The defendant then pointed the firearm at Mr. Ferrell and discharged the firearm four times.  Mr. Ferrell was struck in his chest twice and subsequently ran across the street and collapsed in front of the Postal Museum.  A witness called 911 and police and paramedics arrived at the scene.  The decedent was transported to the Medstar Unit of the Washington Hospital Center.  All life saving measures were unsuccessful and Mr. Ferrell was pronounced dead a short time later.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department and also the U.S. Capitol Police.  He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lashone Samuels; Victim Witness Specialist Marcia Rinker and Investigative analyst Zachary McMenamin. 

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Shea commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Jamar Tillman, 36, of Washington, D.C., was convicted on Friday, January 31, 2020, by Judge Neil E. Kravitz of the Superior Court of the District of the Columbia for assaulting seven different female victims in less than an hour, including sexual assaults against six of those victims, U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea announced.

            According to the government’s evidence—as presented to Judge Kravitz following the defendant’s waiver of his right to a jury trial—on April 3, 2019, the defendant assaulted his first victim in a parking garage near Dupont Circle by grabbing her hair and trying to pull her to the ground.  The victim resisted, and the defendant fled the scene after bystanders responded to the victim’s cries.  Over the course of the next forty-five minutes, the defendant sexually assaulted five additional women in the Dupont Circle area, grabbing or slapping their buttocks as he walked passed them.  The defendant then sexually assaulted his final victim in a stairwell, pinning her to the ground and grabbing her vaginal area over her clothes.  A police officer was alerted to that victim’s cries and interrupted the assault.  The defendant then fled with the victim’s cellular phone and was arrested seconds later.

            Judge Kravitz convicted the defendant of one count each of third degree sexual abuse, kidnapping, and robbery for the final victim, misdemeanor assault for attacking the first victim, and four counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse and one count of attempted misdemeanor sexual abuse for the other five victims.  The defendant remains detained pending sentencing, which is scheduled for May 1, 2020.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Shea stated that “Due to the swift action of police officers on the scene and the outstanding work of the investigative and prosecutorial teams, a dangerous predator has been taken off of the streets of D.C.  The residents of the District are safer as a result of their efforts.”  U.S. Attorney Shea specifically commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including detectives with the Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case.  He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle and Victim/Witness Advocates Lorraine Chase, Karen Giannakoulias, Juanita Harris, and Tracy Owusu. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Creighton and Jocelyn Bond, who investigated and prosecuted the case, and Grace Richards, who assisted in investigating the case.

            WASHINGTON - United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Timothy J. Shea, and Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Lamont Ruffin, of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), announced that Kyle Piunti, 31, of Arizona, pled guilty on Friday, January 31, 2020, to Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers or Employees, before United States District Court Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell.

            Chief Judge Howell will sentence Piunti, on April 10, 2020. At sentencing, Piunti faces a term of incarceration and up to three years of supervised release for the charge. The Court ordered that Piunti be held without bond pending his sentencing.

            According to the government’s evidence, on August 21, 2019, at approximately 7:40 p.m., an on-duty Court Security Officer, who is designated a federal officer, observed the defendant inside of a USMS vehicle located inside the restricted parking lot of the United States District Court. The Court Security Officer told the defendant to get out of the vehicle and the restricted parking lot area. The defendant became aggressive, and began to assault the Court Security Officer.  During the assault, the defendant pushed the Officer to the ground; the Officer was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment for a severe ankle injury which subsequently required surgical treatment to repair the damage caused by the defendant.  The defendant ran from the restricted area before he was ultimately apprehended several blocks away.

        In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Shea and Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Ruffin commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Marshals Service. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Rommel Pachoca, and Legal Assistant Kate Abrey. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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.

 

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.           

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.