District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Armed KidnappingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andre Allen, 21, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today for his role in an armed kidnapping and robbery that began in the District of Columbia and continued into Maryland, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Allen pled guilty before the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of kidnapping. He faces a sentence of up to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Friedrich on March 13, 2020.
The government’s evidence established that just before midnight on June 3, 2018, the victims were standing on a sidewalk located just south of Lincoln Park in Capitol Hill when the defendant, wearing a mask covering the lower half of his face, approached the victims brandishing a firearm. Allen demanded money from the victims and searched the victims and their luggage before forcing them at gunpoint into a stolen black Audi sedan.
After the victims were forced into the stolen Audi, Allen then drove into Maryland and forced them to withdraw money from an ATM located in Clinton, Maryland, in the early hours of June 4, 2018. After the victims had provided money to the defendant, he dropped them off in a dimly-lit area where they were able to run to a nearby laundromat and call for help.
Shortly after dropping the victims off, Allen then attempted to use one of the victim’s ATM cards at a gas station in Temple Hills, Maryland. Allen later contacted an electronics resale store attempting to sell a laptop belonging to one of the victims.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, the Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force and the Prince George’s County Police. The Violent Crime Task Force is charged with investigating and bringing to justice the most egregious violent criminal actors within the District of Columbia and is composed of FBI Agents working cooperatively with MPD and other Capital Region law enforcement agencies.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Chief Newsham, commended the work of the FBI Agents, MPD officers, and Prince George’s County police officers who investigated the armed kidnapping. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane, Paralegal Specialist Rommel, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.
Indian National Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse while Working as a U.S. Military Contractor in AfghanistanRead the Press Release
An Indian national arrived in the U.S. yesterday after being ordered detained and removed to the U.S. for the alleged sexual assault of a U.S. national on a military base in Afghanistan.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Ansuman Baral of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command's Bagram, Afghanistan Field Office and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
Lokesh Naik, 35, of India, was charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia on Nov. 6, 2019, with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact. U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan arrested Naik on Nov. 8, 2019, and his initial appearance was held before U.S. Magistrate Judge Harvey via video teleconference, at which time Naik was ordered detained and removed to the United States pursuant to the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA). Naik arrived at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurston by a military transport aircraft in the custody of Deputy U.S. Marshals.
According to the indictment, on Aug. 7, while working as an employee of a U.S. military contractor on Operating Base Fenty, Afghanistan, Naik allegedly entered the room of a 24-year-old U.S. national and sexually assaulted her by force.
Trial Attorney Jay Bauer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Hertzfeld of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the FBI’s Washington Field Office are investigating the case. Invaluable assistance with the defendant’s transfer to civilian custody and removal to the United States was provided by the Department of Defense, United States Central Command, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided valuable assistance.
The charges in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Roger Stone Found Guilty of Obstruction, False Statements, and Witness TamperingRead the Press Release
Roger J. Stone, Jr., of Florida, was found guilty by a jury today of obstructing a congressional investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and related offenses. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Stone was found guilty of obstruction of a congressional investigation, five counts of making false statements to Congress, and tampering with a witness. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Stone faces a prison sentence of up to five years for counts one to six and up to 20 years for count seven. He will be sentenced on February 6, 2020, by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson.
According to the government’s evidence, in January 2017, the United States House of Representatives Select Permanent Committee on Intelligence (“House Intelligence Committee”) announced an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, including allegations that Russia was involved in the publication of documents related to the presidential election by WikiLeaks in 2016. On September 26, 2017, in testimony to the Committee, Stone made a number of false statements relating to the identity of a person he had referred to in August 2016 as his “back-channel” or “intermediary” to the head of WikiLeaks; whether he had asked that person to do anything on his behalf; whether he had written communications with that person; whether he discussed that person with anyone involved with the Trump campaign; and whether he had written communications with third parties about the head of WikiLeaks. On October 13, 2017, Stone sent the House Intelligence Committee a letter falsely stating that the person he had referenced in August 2016 was an individual named Randy Credico. Stone then engaged in witness tampering by urging Credico either to corroborate this false account, or to tell the Committee that he could not remember the relevant events, or to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying before the Committee. Credico ultimately invoked his Fifth Amendment right in response to a Committee subpoena.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director Slater acknowledged the work of the FBI agents involved in the investigation and prosecution of Stone, as well as 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 Jonathan Kravis and Michael Marando, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Jed and Aaron Zelinsky, and Paralegal Specialist Amanda Rohde of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section.
Law Enforcement Leaders Announce Project Guardian-DMVRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A new illegal firearms initiative announced today, Project Guardian-DMV, is designed to reduce violent crime and further enforce federal firearms laws across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).
The new initiative builds on the Justice Department’s national effort, Project Guardian, announced by Attorney General William P. Barr on Wednesday.
“Gun crime remains a pervasive problem in too many communities across America,” said Attorney General Barr. “The Department of Justice is redoubling its commitment to tackling this issue through the launch of Project Guardian. Building on the success of past programs like Triggerlock, Project Guardian will strengthen our efforts to reduce gun violence by allowing the federal government and our state and local partners to better target offenders who use guns in crimes and those who try to buy guns illegally.”
Project Guardian-DMV will localize the effort to the DMV region, and expands upon the current partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, the ATF, and Metro Police Department, and now also includes the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Maryland and the Western District of Virginia, and the Virginia State Police.
“The public is on notice that we are deadly serious about illegal firearms offenses,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Now with leadership of Attorney General Barr, all the tentacles of the Department of Justice, including the ATF and its Crime Gun Intelligence capabilities, and the amazing men and women in blue on the beat, we are doubling down on illegal firearms with Project Guardian.”
Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws have always been among the Department’s highest priorities. In order to develop a new and robust effort to promote and ensure public safety, the Department reviewed and adapted some of the successes of past strategies to curb gun violence. Project Guardian draws on the Department’s earlier achievements, such as the “Triggerlock” program, and it serves as a complementary effort to the success of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In addition, the initiative emphasizes the importance of using all modern technologies available to law enforcement to promote gun crime intelligence.
“Working together with our federal and local partners is key to reducing gun violence and violent crime in the region,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Project Guardian will allow us to identify specific incidents and trends, thereby enabling us to move quickly in investigating and prosecuting violent crime in the most appropriate venue. The correlation between the availability and use of illegal guns and violent crime is undeniable, and we will continue to work closely with our partners in the law enforcement community in the promotion of public safety and the pursuit of justice. “
“Through this partnership, we hope to stanch the flow of illegal guns from the Commonwealth of Virginia to Washington, Baltimore, and other cities in the Northeast, where, too often, they are used to commit violent crimes,” said Thomas T. Cullen, U.S Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. “We will work closely with our U.S. attorney partners, the ATF, the MPD, and the Virginia State Police to identify individuals and groups in Western Virginia engaged in this deadly enterprise and put them in federal prison.”
“We are committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to get guns off of our streets, in order to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods,” said Rob K. Hur, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. “If you use a gun, you could face federal time, where there is no parole—ever. Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”
“Straw purchasers and firearms traffickers do more than commit paperwork violations or illegally sell a firearm – they knowingly put firearms in the hands of people who should not have them, including violent offenders. These traffickers have no regard for the safety of D.C.,
Maryland, and Virginia communities,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division. “As part of Project Guardian, ATF will continue to work alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and U.S. Attorney’s Officers to ensure anyone committing these crimes is held accountable. We are putting all gun traffickers on notice that we will find you; you will be held accountable; and you will be punished under the law.”
“Criminals do not concern themselves with state line or jurisdictions, so we have ensured that our efforts to stop the illegal flow of guns into Maryland involves working closely with our neighboring ATF Field Division in Washington, as well as neighboring U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Virginia and D.C.,” said Rob Cekada, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Baltimore Field Division. “Our focus is on identifying, investigating, and incarcerating anyone who uses firearms to commit violent crime, and those who traffic or straw purchase firearms are supplying these offenders. Project Guardian serves to further strengthen our multi-state and District partnerships with law enforcements and prosecutors so we can brings these criminals to justice.”
Project Guardian’s national and DMV implementation is based on five principles:
- Coordinated Prosecution. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement will coordinate with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to consider potential federal prosecution for new cases involving a defendant who: a) was arrested in possession of a firearm; b) is believed to have used a firearm in committing a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime prosecutable in federal court; or c) is suspected of actively committing violent crime(s) in the community on behalf of a criminal organization.
- Enforcing the Background Check System. United States Attorneys, in consultation with the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their district, will create new, or review existing, guidelines for intake and prosecution of federal cases involving false statements (including lie-and-try, lie-and-buy, and straw purchasers) made during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees.
Particular emphasis is placed on individuals convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, individuals subject to protective orders, and individuals who are fugitives where the underlying offense is a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; individuals suspected of involvement in criminal organizations or of providing firearms to criminal organizations; and individuals involved in repeat denials.
- Improved Information Sharing. On a regular basis, and as often as practicable given current technical limitations, ATF will provide to state law enforcement fusion centers a report listing individuals for whom the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has issued denials, including the basis for the denial, so that state and local law enforcement can take appropriate steps under their laws.
- Coordinated Response to Mental Health Denials. Each United States Attorney will ensure that whenever there is federal case information regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing a firearm under the mental health prohibition, such information continues to be entered timely and accurately into the United States Attorneys’ Offices’ case-management system for prompt submission to NICS. ATF should engage in additional outreach to state and local law enforcement on how to use this denial information to better assure public safety.
Additionally, United States Attorneys will consult with relevant district stakeholders to assess feasibility of adopting disruption of early engagement programs to address mental-health-prohibited individuals who attempt to acquire a firearm. United States Attorneys should consider, when appropriate, recommending court-ordered mental health treatment for any sentences issued to individuals prohibited based on mental health.
- Crime Gun Intelligence Coordination. Federal, state, local, and tribal prosecutors and law enforcement will work together to ensure effective use of the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), and all related resources, to maximize the use of modern intelligence tools and technology. These tools can greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness in identifying trigger-pullers and finding their guns, but the success depends in large part on state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners sharing ballistic evidence and firearm recovery data with the ATF.
Our sincere thanks to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for their tremendous support of this announcement.
Law Enforcement Leaders Announce Project Guardian-DMVRead the Press Release
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A new illegal firearms initiative announced today, Project Guardian-DMV, is designed to reduce violent crime and further enforce federal firearms laws across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV).
The new initiative builds on the Justice Department’s national effort, Project Guardian, announced by Attorney General William P. Barr on Wednesday.
“Gun crime remains a pervasive problem in too many communities across America,” said Attorney General Barr. “The Department of Justice is redoubling its commitment to tackling this issue through the launch of Project Guardian. Building on the success of past programs like Triggerlock, Project Guardian will strengthen our efforts to reduce gun violence by allowing the federal government and our state and local partners to better target offenders who use guns in crimes and those who try to buy guns illegally.”
Project Guardian-DMV will localize the effort to the DMV region, and expands upon the current partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, the ATF, and Metro Police Department, and now also includes the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Maryland and the Western District of Virginia, and the Virginia State Police.
“The public is on notice that we are deadly serious about illegal firearms offenses,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Now with leadership of Attorney General Barr, all the tentacles of the Department of Justice, including the ATF and its Crime Gun Intelligence capabilities, and the amazing men and women in blue on the beat, we are doubling down on illegal firearms with Project Guardian.”
Reducing gun violence and enforcing federal firearms laws have always been among the Department’s highest priorities. In order to develop a new and robust effort to promote and ensure public safety, the Department reviewed and adapted some of the successes of past strategies to curb gun violence. Project Guardian draws on the Department’s earlier achievements, such as the “Triggerlock” program, and it serves as a complementary effort to the success of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). In addition, the initiative emphasizes the importance of using all modern technologies available to law enforcement to promote gun crime intelligence.
“Working together with our federal and local partners is key to reducing gun violence and violent crime in the region,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “Project Guardian will allow us to identify specific incidents and trends, thereby enabling us to move quickly in investigating and prosecuting violent crime in the most appropriate venue. The correlation between the availability and use of illegal guns and violent crime is undeniable, and we will continue to work closely with our partners in the law enforcement community in the promotion of public safety and the pursuit of justice. “
“Through this partnership, we hope to stanch the flow of illegal guns from the Commonwealth of Virginia to Washington, Baltimore, and other cities in the Northeast, where, too often, they are used to commit violent crimes,” said Thomas T. Cullen, U.S Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. “We will work closely with our U.S. attorney partners, the ATF, the MPD, and the Virginia State Police to identify individuals and groups in Western Virginia engaged in this deadly enterprise and put them in federal prison.”
“We are committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to get guns off of our streets, in order to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods,” said Rob K. Hur, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. “If you use a gun, you could face federal time, where there is no parole—ever. Please, put down the guns and save a life—maybe even your own.”
“Straw purchasers and firearms traffickers do more than commit paperwork violations or illegally sell a firearm – they knowingly put firearms in the hands of people who should not have them, including violent offenders. These traffickers have no regard for the safety of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia communities,” said Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Washington Field Division. “As part of Project Guardian, ATF will continue to work alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and U.S. Attorney’s Officers to ensure anyone committing these crimes is held accountable. We are putting all gun traffickers on notice that we will find you; you will be held accountable; and you will be punished under the law.”
“Criminals do not concern themselves with state line or jurisdictions, so we have ensured that our efforts to stop the illegal flow of guns into Maryland involves working closely with our neighboring ATF Field Division in Washington, as well as neighboring U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Virginia and D.C.,” said Rob Cekada, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Baltimore Field Division. “Our focus is on identifying, investigating, and incarcerating anyone who uses firearms to commit violent crime, and those who traffic or straw purchase firearms are supplying these offenders. Project Guardian serves to further strengthen our multi-state and District partnerships with law enforcements and prosecutors so we can brings these criminals to justice.”
Project Guardian’s national and DMV implementation is based on five principles:
- Coordinated Prosecution. Federal prosecutors and law enforcement will coordinate with state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors to consider potential federal prosecution for new cases involving a defendant who: a) was arrested in possession of a firearm; b) is believed to have used a firearm in committing a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime prosecutable in federal court; or c) is suspected of actively committing violent crime(s) in the community on behalf of a criminal organization.
- Enforcing the Background Check System. United States Attorneys, in consultation with the Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in their district, will create new, or review existing, guidelines for intake and prosecution of federal cases involving false statements (including lie-and-try, lie-and-buy, and straw purchasers) made during the acquisition or attempted acquisition of firearms from Federal Firearms Licensees.
Particular emphasis is placed on individuals convicted of violent felonies or misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, individuals subject to protective orders, and individuals who are fugitives where the underlying offense is a felony or misdemeanor crime of domestic violence; individuals suspected of involvement in criminal organizations or of providing firearms to criminal organizations; and individuals involved in repeat denials.
- Improved Information Sharing. On a regular basis, and as often as practicable given current technical limitations, ATF will provide to state law enforcement fusion centers a report listing individuals for whom the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has issued denials, including the basis for the denial, so that state and local law enforcement can take appropriate steps under their laws.
- Coordinated Response to Mental Health Denials. Each United States Attorney will ensure that whenever there is federal case information regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing a firearm under the mental health prohibition, such information continues to be entered timely and accurately into the United States Attorneys’ Offices’ case-management system for prompt submission to NICS. ATF should engage in additional outreach to state and local law enforcement on how to use this denial information to better assure public safety.
Additionally, United States Attorneys will consult with relevant district stakeholders to assess feasibility of adopting disruption of early engagement programs to address mental-health-prohibited individuals who attempt to acquire a firearm. United States Attorneys should consider, when appropriate, recommending court-ordered mental health treatment for any sentences issued to individuals prohibited based on mental health.
- Crime Gun Intelligence Coordination. Federal, state, local, and tribal prosecutors and law enforcement will work together to ensure effective use of the ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), and all related resources, to maximize the use of modern intelligence tools and technology. These tools can greatly enhance the speed and effectiveness in identifying trigger-pullers and finding their guns, but the success depends in large part on state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners sharing ballistic evidence and firearm recovery data with the ATF.
Our sincere thanks to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund for their tremendous support of this announcement.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Federal Officials Close Investigation into the Death of Bijan GhaisarRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department will not pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against the United States Park Police (USPP) officers involved in the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar, the Department announced today.
Officials from the Civil Rights Division, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) informed representatives of Mr. Ghaisar’s family today of this determination. Based on the information available at this time, the Department cannot prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the two USPP officers committed willful violations of the applicable federal criminal civil rights statute when they shot Mr. Ghaisar.
The Department conducted an extensive investigation into the shooting of Mr. Ghaisar. The FBI interviewed more than 150 individuals, including law enforcement officers from USPP, Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, as well as civilian and medical witnesses. Additionally, federal investigators sent evidence recovered by USPP investigators to the FBI Laboratory at Quantico, Virginia, for testing and analysis.
The evidence developed during this investigation indicated that at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2017, Officers Amaya and Vinyard engaged in a vehicular pursuit involving Mr. Ghaisar on the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP). A FCPD Lieutenant joined the pursuit on the GWMP, and the dash camera in his squad car captured a portion of the pursuit on video. The pursuit ended at the intersection of Fort Hunt Road and Alexandria Avenue in Fairfax County, Virginia, where the two USPP officers shot Mr. Ghaisar multiple times while Mr. Ghaisar was in the driver’s seat of his vehicle. Emergency medical personnel transported Mr. Ghaisar to INOVA Hospital, where he died 10 days later.
The focus of the Department’s investigation was to determine whether federal prosecutors could prove that the officers violated any federal laws, concentrating on the possible application of 18 U.S.C. § 242, a federal criminal civil rights statute. In order to establish a violation of this statute, the government must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the USPP officers acted willfully to deprive Mr. Ghaisar of a right protected by the Constitution or other law, here the Fourth Amendment right not to be subjected to an unreasonable seizure. The Department would have to prove not only that the officers used force that was constitutionally unreasonable, but that they did so “willfully,” which the Supreme Court has interpreted to mean they acted with a bad purpose to disregard the law. As this requirement has been interpreted by the courts, evidence that an officer acted out of fear, mistake, panic, misperception, negligence, or even poor judgment cannot establish the high level of intent required under Section 242.
At this time, there is insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers willfully committed a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 242. Specifically, the Department is unable to disprove a claim of self-defense or defense of others by the officers. Accordingly, the Department has closed its investigation into this matter.
Former D.C. Firefighter Sentenced to 2 ½ Years in Prison for Street Drag Race That Killed Uninvolved MotoristRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ryan Thompson, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 2 ½ - year prison term on a charge of negligent homicide for a drag race with another driver on 16th Street NW, that resulted in a crash which caused the death of an uninvolved motorist. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) made the announcement.
Thompson pled guilty on June 17, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was agreed upon by the government and the defense and contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of between 6 months and 3 years in prison. The Honorable Milton C. Lee accepted the plea and sentenced Thompson to 2 ½-year prison term.
The fatal crash occurred at approximately 3:20 a.m. on Sunday, July 19, 2015. Thompson was stopped at a red light in the right northbound lane of 16th Street in Northwest Washington when he encountered another driver, Rasheed Murray, stopped next to him in the left northbound lane. When the light turned green both drivers, who did not know one another, began to race northbound on 16th Street, at speeds estimated by uninvolved eyewitnesses to approach 90 miles per hour in the 30 mile per hour zone. According to the eyewitnesses, both drivers veered through traffic and passed slower moving vehicles as they tried to out-maneuver one another. As Thompson and Murray approached a red light at Montague Street NW, Thompson, who had passed Murray, veered into the left lane forward of Murray. To avoid rear-ending Thompson, Murray veered sharply to his left, struck the raised median separating northbound from southbound traffic, went airborne, and collided with a southbound vehicle being driven by the victim, Matthew Roth.
Mr. Roth suffered fatal injuries and was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center where he was declared brain dead. Mr. Roth remained on a ventilator until his family came to Washington from New Jersey and his organs could be harvested. Life-sustaining efforts were later withdrawn and Mr. Roth died.
After the crash, Murray was also taken to a hospital where he was treated for minor injuries, released and immediately charged in the fatal crash. Thompson, who was at the time a DC Firefighter, remained on the scene and, along with his two passengers, rendered first aid to Murray. When first responders arrived, Thompson left the scene without admitting to officers that he had raced with Murray and caused the crash. After Thompson left, uninvolved eyewitnesses told responding MPD officers that Thompson, the man who stopped to render aid, had been the driver racing with Murray, causing the fatal crash. Further investigation by MPD’s Major Crash Investigations Unit led to Thompson being charged. Rasheed Murray had previously pled guilty and was prepared to testify against Thompson if he had proceeded to trial. Murray awaits sentencing scheduled for February of 2020.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from the Major Crash Investigations Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Siegerist and Lorce Applewhite, and Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Marcia Rinker.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for 2016 Murder in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Quincy Green aka Wayne Wright, 37, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced on Friday to 17 years in prison for killing a man in May 2016 as he walked down Southern Avenue in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Green pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of second-degree murder while armed and one count of solicitation of murder in August 2019. He was sentenced by the Honorable Craig Iscoe. Following the prison term, Green will be placed on five years of supervised release. The sentence also included a period of incarceration for another charge that Green pled guilty to in which he solicited the murder of the fiancée of a potential witness for the trial of the May 2016 murder. The sentences will run concurrently
According to the government’s evidence, during the early evening hours of May 19, 2016, in the 800 block of Southern Avenue, S.E., Green followed behind the decedent, Dana Hamilton, as he walked down the street. As he approached Mr. Hamilton, Green retrieved a firearm and shot him multiple times. Green then fled the area.
Members of the Metropolitan Police Department responded to the scene, and Mr. Hamilton was taken to a local hospital, where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead a short while later.
Following jury selection in the trial related to Green’s murder of Mr. Hamilton, on November 17, 2018, the Government disclosed the identity and plea and cooperation agreement of a witness expected to testify against Green. After learning this information. Green wrote a letter to another individual in which he solicited the murder of the cooperating witness’s fiancée.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives, officers, and mobile crime technicians who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Lashone Samuels; Victim Witness Specialist Jennifer Clark; M. Laverne Perry, Lesley Slade, Tanya Via and all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, and William Henderson.
Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles J. Willoughby, Jr. and Kevin Flynn, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Killing One Man and Injuring Another in Northeast ShootingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Malik Morris, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing one man and injuring another in a shooting in Northeast, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
On October 25, 2019, pursuant to Morris’ guilty plea, the Honorable Ronna L. Beck of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia sentenced Morris to 15 years in prison. Morris pled guilty to second degree murder while armed and assault with intent to kill at a prior proceeding on June 21, 2019. Upon completion of his sentencing, Morris will also be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on November 26, 2018, at approximately 1:49 p.m. in the 1800 block of Benning Road, Northeast, Morris observed several people, including the decedent in a convenience store. Morris did not enter the store, instead, he went to an adjacent parking lot where he adjusted his pants and moved an object consistent with a firearm around his waistband. Shortly thereafter Morris ran past the convenience store and toward the decedent and another individual who were walking on Benning Road. Morris fired several shots in the direction of the decedent striking him and injuring another victim. After the shooting, Morris fled the scene. He was subsequently arrested in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania on December 6, 2018, before he was extradited back to the District of Columbia to face charges.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department officers who investigated the case. She also acknowledge the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including, Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels, and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcey Rinker.
Finally, she commend the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Santiago, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 104 Months on Federal Firearm and Narcotics ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darrin Chase, Jr., 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 104 months in prison on federal firearm and narcotics charges tied to the robbery of a pharmacy in which he stole Oxycodone, OxyContin, and other controlled substance medications while armed with afirearm.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The charges against Chase followed a law enforcement investigation that showed that he robbed a pharmacy of Oxycodone, OxyContin, and other controlled substance medications while armed with a firearm. On October 8, 2019, the Honorable John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sentenced Chase to 84 months in prison on the firearms charge to be followed by 20 months in prison on the narcotics charge. Chase, Jr. pled guilty to using and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession with intent to distribute OxyCodone on June 5, 2019.
According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of December 4, 2018, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Chase, Jr. entered a pharmacy located in 5100 block of MacArthur Boulevard, N.W, Washington, D.C. Chase, Jr. pulled a firearm from a duffel bag that he had been carrying. He pointed the weapon at three pharmacy employees and demanded, “OxyContin! SubOxone! Oxycodone!” He walked behind the counter and continued to point the weapon at pharmacy employees while demanding the medications. The employees complied with Chase’s demands and gave him fourteen bottles of controlled substance medication.
Chase, Jr. left the pharmacy on foot. A pharmacy employee followed the defendant from a safe distance and saw the defendant get into the rear of a SUV. The employee called 911 and relayed this information to law enforcement. MPD officers with the Second District quickly located the SUV and learned that it was an Uber vehicle. The officers were then able to identify Chase as a suspect by speaking with the Uber account holder. Officers located Chase three days later in Washington, D.C. Within a few feet of where he was found, officers found pproximately $1, 160 in cash and five bottles of Oxycodone and OxyContin. FBI agents later determined that these bottles came from the pharmacy on MacArthur Blvd.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers and FBI agents from the Washington Field Office involved in the arrest and prosecution of Chase. 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 Sara Vanore and Nihar Mohanty of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Killing Two Men Sitting on Park Bench in Downtown Washington While Drunk DrivingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jeoffrey R. Williams, 57, of Southeast Washington, DC, pled guilty to two counts of voluntary manslaughter stemming from a traffic collision last July where he struck and killed two men who were sitting on a bench in James Monroe Park on Pennsylvania Avenue NW while driving drunk, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Gregory Monahan, Acting Chief of the United States Park Police (USPP).
Williams pled guilty on November 8, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea calls for a sentence of between three to five years in prison for causing each of the two deaths, for a total of between six and ten years. He will sentenced on February 14, 2020, by the Honorable Todd Edelman.
The fatal traffic collision occurred on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 at approximately 11:45 p.m. The victims, Dwight Thomas Spriggs and Jesus Llanes-Datil, were sitting on a park bench in James Monroe Park, in the 2000 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW. At the same time, Williams was driving a 2003 GMC Yukon SUV at a high rate of speed west bound on Pennsylvania Avenue on the wrong side of the street, and sped into the park, striking and killing Mr. Spriggs and Mr. Llanes-Datil. Officers arrived on the scene almost immediately and pulled Williams from the driver’s seat of the wrecked SUV. Both Mr. Spriggs and Mr. Llanes-Datil were killed instantly.
Williams was taken to George Washington University Hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries. While at the hospital, he admitted to police that he had been drinking alcohol earlier in the night, and he consented to have his blood drawn to determine if he was impaired. Hospital staff also drew Williams’ blood for diagnostic purposes and police obtained a search warrant for his blood drawn by hospital staff. Toxicology tests of both the blood drawn with the Williams’ consent and the blood drawn by hospital staff indicated that the he was intoxicated by alcohol when the fatal crash occurred.
Police also obtained a search warrant and recovered the crash data recorder from the GMC Yukon SUV that Williams was driving. Police downloaded the crash data recorder and the recovered data indicated that at 5 seconds before the crash, the defendant was driving the SUV at 63 miles per hour in the 25 mile per hour zone, without braking. Williams accelerated and at 1 second before the crash, he drove the SUV at 68 miles per hour without braking.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Acting Chief Monahan commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from both the United States Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. 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 Allen.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.
Two Charged in Gun Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kofi Appiah-Mainoo, 30, of Temple Hills, Maryland, and James Hutchings, Jr., 38, of Waldorf, Maryland, were arrested on November 5, 2019, on a federal charge stemming from an ongoing investigation into the trafficking of firearms into the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) made the announcement.
The charges were filed in an indictment unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The investigation began after law enforcement recovered multiple firearms in a residence located at 4215 Foote Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. on December 19, 2018. Along with the firearms, law enforcement seized more than 44 kilograms of heroin laced with fentanyl, more than 50 pounds of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia located throughout the home. Linwood Douglas Thorne, of Northeast, Washington, D.C. was arrested in connection with that incident and is charged by indictment in a separate case (18-cr-389) (BAH).
Law enforcement continued to investigate the source of the firearms and determined that three of the firearms were purchased earlier in 2018 in Columbus, Georgia. ATF and FBI determined that Appiah, a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army, purchased the firearms, coordinated their transfer to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and sold them to Hutchings, Jr., who acted as a courier once the firearms were brought north. Hutchings, Jr., a person previously convicted of a crime punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year, is considered a prohibited person and is legally prohibited from possessing any firearm.
“This investigation is another example of our determination to disrupt and prosecute the trafficking of guns and drugs into the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Through this coordinated law enforcement effort, we were able to remove deadly narcotics from the street and identify firearms traffickers who enable such dangerous conduct.”
This is another case 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.
The Office has partnered with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and ATF in an effort to address a significant source of illegal firearms in the District. This collaborative approach allows the Office to identify specific incidents and trends in the District, which provides an avenue to prevent and deter gun violence.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Special Agent in Charge Dunham commended the work of those who investigated the case, including ATF and FBI. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the 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 commended the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, who assisted in the arrest of Appiah.
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. Attorneys Gregory Rosen and Andrea Duvall of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, Kim Hall, Catherine O’Neal, and Legal Assistant Emma Atlas.
Insurance Broker Found Guilty of 22 Counts in $2 Million Scheme to Defraud Carefirst Bluecross BlueshieldRead the Press Release
A federal jury found a District of Columbia insurance broker guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield of more than $2 million.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office made the announcement.
Following a two-week trial, Tarek Abou-Khatwa, aka Dean Addem, 59, of the District of Columbia, a licensed insurance broker and the owner of Benefits Consulting Associates LLC, was found guilty of one count of health care fraud, three counts of making false statements related to health care matters, seven counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud and five counts of identity theft charged in a March 2018 indictment. Abou-Khatwa is expected to be sentenced on March 3, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the District of Columbia, who presided over the trial.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Abou-Khatwa was involved in a scheme to defraud CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield by creating fictitious employees and altering years of birth of actual employees to fraudulently obtain lower insurance premiums, inflate the rates charged to clients and pocket the difference, which was in excess of $2 million.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case with the help of the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. Trial Attorney Alexander Kramer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick Williams of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham of the District of Columbia previously handled the prosecution.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which maintains 15 strike forces operating in 24 districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for nearly $19 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Two Individuals Plead Guilty for Working on Behalf of IranRead the Press Release
Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, 39, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, and Majid Ghorbani, 60, an Iranian citizen and resident of California, have entered pleas of guilty to charges stemming from their conduct conducting surveillance of and collecting identifying information about American citizens and U.S. nationals who are members of the Iranian dissident group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
On Oct. 8, 2019, Doostdar entered a guilty plea 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 November 4, 2019, Ghorbani entered a guilty plea to one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 560.
“The defendants both have admitted to conducting surveillance and collecting identifying information on behalf of Iran about Americans, and in particular, individuals who were exercising their First Amendment rights to oppose the Iranian government,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “The Department of Justice is committed to holding accountable governments like Iran that would threaten and intimidate Americans who criticize them.”
“The Iranian government thought it could get away with conducting surveillance on individuals in the United States by sending one of its agents here to task a permanent resident with conducting and collecting that surveillance,” said Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. “This case highlights our efforts to pursue those who threaten national security and disrupt foreign governments that target U.S. persons.”
“This alleged activity demonstrates a continued interest in targeting the United States, as well as potential opposition groups located in the United States,” said Acting Executive Assistant Director Jay Tabb. “The FBI will continue to identify and disrupt those individuals who seek to engage in unlawful activity, on behalf of Iran, on US soil.”
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 an MEK rally in New York City. 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.
During Doostdar’s second trip to the United States as part of the conspiracy, in December 2017, 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. 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. 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.
In December 2017, Doostdar departed the United States for Iran with the photographs and the handwritten notes provided by Ghorbani. Doostdar paid Ghorbani $2,000 for his work, which Doostdar admitted had been provided by Doostdar’s Government of Iran handler.
In May 2018, Ghorbani traveled to another MEK rally 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 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 to the United States.
Doostdar is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2019, at 2:00 p.m., before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ghorbani is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Friedman on Jan. 15, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years; the maximum penalty for acting as an agent of a foreign power is 10 years; and the maximum penalty for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act is 20 years. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Los Angeles Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice.
Two Individuals Plead Guilty for Working on Behalf of IranRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ahmadreza Mohammadi-Doostdar, 39, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen, and Majid Ghorbani, 60, an Iranian citizen and resident of California, have entered pleas of guilty to charges stemming from their conduct conducting surveillance of and collecting identifying information about American citizens and U.S. nationals who are members of the Iranian dissident group Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
On Oct. 8, 2019, Doostdar entered a guilty plea 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 November 4, 2019, Ghorbani entered a guilty plea to one count of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. § 1705, and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 560.
“The Iranian government thought it could get away with conducting surveillance on individuals in the United States by sending one of its agents here to task a permanent resident with conducting and collecting that surveillance,” said Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. “This case highlights our efforts to pursue those who threaten national security and disrupt foreign governments that target U.S. persons.”
“This alleged activity demonstrates a continued interest in targeting the United States, as well as potential opposition groups located in the United States,” said Executive Assistant Director Jay Tabb. “The FBI will continue to identify and disrupt those individuals who seek to engage in unlawful activity, on behalf of Iran, on US soil.”
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 an MEK rally in New York City. 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.
During Doostdar’s second trip to the United States as part of the conspiracy, in December 2017, 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. 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. 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.
In December 2017, Doostdar departed the United States for Iran with the photographs and the handwritten notes provided by Ghorbani. Doostdar paid Ghorbani $2,000 for his work, which Doostdar admitted had been provided by Doostdar’s Government of Iran handler.
In May 2018, Ghorbani traveled to another MEK rally 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 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 to the United States.
Doostdar is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 17, 2019, at 2:00 p.m., before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ghorbani is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Friedman on Jan. 15, 2020, at 10:00 a.m.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years; the maximum penalty for acting as an agent of a foreign power is 10 years; and the maximum penalty for violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act is 20 years. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. Each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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.
Justice Department Announces Procurement Collusion Strike Force: A Coordinated National Response to Combat Antitrust Crimes and Related Schemes in Government Procurement, Grant and Program FundingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today the formation of the new Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) focusing on deterring, detecting, investigating and prosecuting antitrust crimes, such as bid-rigging conspiracies and related fraudulent schemes, which undermine competition in government procurement, grant and program funding.
At a press conference today at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division explained that the PCSF will be an interagency partnership consisting of prosecutors from the Antitrust Division, prosecutors from 13 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and investigators from the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and other partner federal Offices of Inspector General.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen expressed the Department’s support for the initiative. “To protect taxpayer dollars, the Justice Department is doing its part to eliminate anticompetitive collusion, waste and abuse from government procurement,” said Deputy Attorney General Rosen. “To ensure taxpayers the full benefits of competitive bidding, experienced investigators and prosecutors with the necessary expertise will partner in this Strike Force to deter, detect and prosecute antitrust crimes and related schemes in government procurements.”
"The investigation and prosecution of individuals and organizations that cheat, collude and seek to undermine the integrity of government procurement are priorities for this administration,” said Assistant Attorney General Delrahim. “The PCSF will train and educate procurement officials nationwide to recognize and report suspicious conduct in procurement, grant and program funding processes. We will aggressively investigate and prosecute those who violate our antitrust laws to cheat the American taxpayer.”
The PCSF will lead a national effort to protect taxpayer-funded projects at the federal, state and local level from antitrust violations and related crimes, starting with a focus on 13 districts throughout the country. Prosecutors from the Antitrust Division and the participating U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with agents from the FBI and partner Offices of Inspector General, will work together to conduct outreach and training for procurement officials and government contractors on antitrust risks in the procurement process. In addition, the partnered prosecutors and investigators will jointly investigate and prosecute cases that result from their targeted outreach efforts.
“Inspectors General throughout the federal government have a long history of rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in government contracting,” said Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General of the Department of Justice and Chair of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. “We welcome the opportunity to contribute our expertise to the important work of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force. We look forward to partnering with the other participating members of the law enforcement community to hold accountable actors who seek to defraud the government and cheat taxpayers.”
“The FBI has a long history of working with our interagency and law enforcement partners to investigate public procurement crimes and ensure justice,” said FBI Criminal Intelligence Division Assistant Director Terry Wade. “We are committed to working closely with our DOJ colleagues and our federal, state and local partners as we continue to successfully combat these crimes.”
“Individuals and companies that participate in procurement collusion cause significant harm and losses to the Department of Defense and to American taxpayers,” said Glenn A. Fine, Principal Deputy Inspector General, Performing the Duties of the Inspector General, of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. “The DoD Office of Inspector General, and our criminal investigative component, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, are committed to aggressively investigating those individuals and companies who would attempt to compromise government procurement processes.”
"When competitors in any given industry collude and conspire to rig bids, fix prices, or allocate markets—that is, commit criminal antitrust violations—they distort the free market and harm customers with high prices and lower quality goods and services," said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. "We will continue to fight illegal collusion in government procurement to ensure that the taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately and efficiently."
The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners have a history of prosecuting criminal antitrust conspiracies that take advantage of government contracts. In late 2018 and early 2019, for instance, five South Korean oil companies agreed to plead guilty for their involvement in a decade-long bid-rigging conspiracy that targeted contracts to supply fuel to U.S. military bases in South Korea. The Antitrust Division also indicted seven individuals for conspiring to rig bids and to defraud the government, and one executive was also charged with obstruction of justice. In total, the companies have agreed to pay $156 million in criminal fines and over $205 million in separate civil settlements. This year, the Justice Department, in partnership with the GSA Office of Inspector General, also indicted individuals for involvement in rigging bids submitted to the GSA.
The PCSF’s 13 U.S. Attorney partners include:
- Nicola T. Hanna, Central District of California
- McGregor Scott, Eastern District of California
- Jason R. Dunn, District of Colorado
- Jessie K. Liu, District of Columbia
- Ariana Fajardo Orshan, Southern District of Florida
- Byung J. “BJay” Pak, Northern District of Georgia
- John R. Lausch, Jr., Northern District of Illinois
- Matthew Schneider, Eastern District of Michigan
- Geoffrey S. Berman, Southern District of New York
- David M. DeVillers, Southern District of Ohio
- William M. McSwain, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Erin Nealy Cox, Northern District of Texas
- G. Zachary Terwilliger, Eastern District of Virginia
The PCSF’s investigative partners include:
- Department of Defense Office of Inspector General
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- General Services Administration Office of Inspector General
- Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General
- U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General
The PCSF has launched a publicly available website at https://www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force, where government procurement officials and members of the public can review information about the federal antitrust laws and training programs, and report suspected criminal activity affecting public procurement.
Individuals and companies are encouraged to contact the PCSF if they have information concerning anticompetitive conduct involving federal taxpayer dollars by emailing [email protected].
Virginia Man Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Intoxicated WomanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Omar Afzali, 29, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was sentenced today to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman in July, 2016, and aiding his cousin in doing the same thing, at a hotel in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Afzali pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual abuse, one for his own sexual assault, and the other for aiding and abetting the sexual assault committed by his cousin. The Honorable Todd E. Edelman sentenced Afzali to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. Afzali will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
According to the government’s evidence, the victim first met Afzali after unsuccessfully attempting to hail a cab after leaving a D.C. nightclub in the early morning hours of July 9, 2016. The victim, who became intoxicated while socializing with her friends earlier that night, accepted Afzali’s offer of a ride. Afzali ended up taking the woman to a hotel on Rhode Island Avenue, N.W. Security camera video at the hotel showed that the victim was so incapacitated by alcohol and other substances upon arriving at the hotel that, even with Afzali’s assistance, she was stumbling and bumped, face first, into a hallway wall. When Afzali and the woman got to the hotel’s front desk, Afzali had to hold her up so she would not fall down while he filled out the hotel’s paperwork. While Afzali signed them into the hotel, security cam video shows that the victim put her head down on the desk and did not lift her head again until Afzali pulled her away toward the hotel’s elevators.
Afzali took the victim to a hotel room where, he admitted, he engaged her in sexual acts, including anal intercourse. Afzali further admitted that at the time he had sex with the victim, she was so incapacitated that she was unable to decline, or even to communicate her unwillingness, to engage in sex with Afzali.
When Afzali finished sexually assaulting the victim, he left the hotel and immediately contacted one of his male cousins, telling his cousin about the victim and how he had just had sex with her. Afzali drove to pick up his cousin, and then drove his cousin back to the hotel, giving his cousin the card key to the hotel room in which Afzali had left the incapacitated victim. Afzali told his cousin that he would find both the victim, and some unused condoms, in that hotel room. Afzali’s cousin then went to the hotel room and engaged the victim in multiple acts of vaginal intercourse. The cousin later testified that, during his encounter with the victim, she could barely function and was only partially conscious.
Afzali admitted at the plea hearing that he aided and abetted his cousin’s sexual assault of the victim. He further admitted that, during the time his cousin was sexually assaulting the victim, both Afzali and his cousin knew, or had reason to know, that the victim was too incapacitated to know what was happening, let alone to consent to having sex with them.
Although the victim had no recollection of the sexual assaults or of being with either Afzali or his cousin that night, DNA analysis showed that both men’s DNA was on swabs taken of the victim’s intimate body parts.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Sexual Assault Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation, and Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Elizabeth Marrero, who assisted with DNA issues; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Marcus-Kurn, Mark O’Brien, Amy Zubrensky and Sarah McClellan; Paralegal Specialists Brenda C. Williams and Tiffany Jones; Supervisory Victim Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; and Victim/ Witness Advocate Juanita Harris.
Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Matt Williams and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
District Man Sentenced to 80 Months in Prison for Unlawful Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON- Francis Bankins, 37, of the District, was sentenced to 80 months in prison yesterday for the unlawful possession of a firearm announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Bankins was previously found guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. He was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to 80 months in prison. Upon completion of hi prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on June 11, 2018, at approximately 5:05 P.M., officers of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Narcotics Special Investigations Division (NSID) were in the area of 3101 Naylor Road, S.E., Washington, D.C., conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle with heavily tinted windows. Bankins was seated in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Officers approached the vehicle, spoke with Bankins, and asked him to exit the vehicle. Bankins repeatedly refused but eventually got out of the vehicle. As he exited the vehicle, an officer observed that the right front pocket of Bankins’ jacket was weighed down with what he believed to be a weapon. Recovered from Bankin’s jacket pocket was a .357 Magnum revolver with five rounds in the cylinder.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham praised the work of the officers from MPD’s NSID Division. 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 Emory V. Cole of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who indicted and prosecuted the case, and Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, former Paralegal Specialist Jeannette Litz, and Legal Assistant Emma Atlas.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 90 Months in Prison for Participating in Drug ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Gregory Cook, 48, of Waldorf, Maryland, was sentenced today to seven and a half years in prison on four felony narcotics charges for his role in a conspiracy to traffic narcotics in Northeast, D.C. and Maryland. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Cook was found guilty in July 2019, following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Cook was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base, cocaine, and heroin, as well as standalone narcotics possession offenses. Judge Boasberg sentenced Cook to 90 months in prison to be followed by 48 months of supervised release.
As established at trial, on June 7, 2017, MPD received reliable information that Cook and his partner Cornelia Rice were trafficking narcotics in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Officers conducted surveillance of Rice, performed a stop on one of her vehicles, and recovered narcotics. During the stop, Rice asked an individual on the street to call “her mother,” to tell her that she had been arrested. Rice, in fact, called Cook. About six minutes after the call to Cook’s cellphone, with MPD officers surveilling Rice’s residence, Cook came to the front door and anxiously looked up and down the street outside of the apartment building. Immediately after Cook peered outside the door, Rice’s then 11-year-old son walked out the building with a backpack and headed down the street by himself. Officers ultimately stopped the child. Inside the backpack was a large quantity of narcotics, a pistol, and a large amount of U.S. currency. Officers then executed a search warrant at the apartment after finding Cook attempting to leave the location. In total, officers recovered approximately 50 grams of cocaine base, 270 grams of cocaine, 15 grams of heroin, 133 grams of marijuana, a .22 caliber pistol, $11,235.00, and extensive drug paraphernalia for the manufacturing and packaging of narcotics.
In a subsequent search of Cook’s Maryland residence following his arrest, law enforcement recovered extensive drug paraphernalia that contained drug residue, a commercial money counter, and an extensive amount of jewelry. At the time of the offense, Cook had multiple prior drug trafficking and firearms convictions. During the trial, in addition to MPD officers, officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office assisted and testified regarding the items recovered from Cook’s Maryland residence.
On July 3, 2019, Judge Boasberg sentenced Cook’s partner and coconspirator Rice to five years of in prison following her guilty plea to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of all of those involved in the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Rosenberg and Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, Paralegal Specialists Katie Thomas, Rommel Pachoca, and Teesha Tobias, and Legal Assistants Kate Abrey and Emma Atlas.
Former Office Manager Charged with Scheme to Defraud Law FirmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The former office manager of a Virginia law firm has been charged in an indictment unsealed today for her role in a scheme to have money sent to her personal bank accounts from the Law Firm’s bank account.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office.
Dionne Castro, aka Trinity Castro, 42, previously a resident of Virginia, was indicted by a grand jury on four counts of wire fraud. The four-count indictment was returned in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2016 and ordered unsealed today.
The indictment alleges that Castro, who was formerly employed as the office manager, was solely responsible for payroll administration and bank statement reconciliation, including submitting payroll requests to the Law Firm’s account at the bank. She was also responsible for the firm’s accounting books and records and made internal entries in the firm’s QuickBooks accounting software.
As alleged in the indictment, starting in 2009 and continuing through 2011, Castro devised a scheme to obtain money and property by false pretenses, representations, and promises, from the law firm by causing money to which she was not entitled to be sent to her personal bank account from the law firm’s bank account. Castro submitted fraudulent payroll requests to the law firm’s bank account, which caused funds to be dispersed by the law firm’s account to Castro’s bank accounts in Florida and Pennsylvania. Castro also falsified the law firm’s QuickBooks accounting records to conceal her fraud and embezzlement to enrich herself.
The charge of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties.
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.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is prosecuting the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Narcotics ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Edward Magruder, 49, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty yesterday to a federal narcotics charge for the unlawful possession and intent to distribute heroin. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office.
Magruder pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to the unlawful possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2020. The charges against Magruder arose from a law enforcement investigation that showed that he regularly traveled to New York City to obtain large amounts of heroin that he would later redistribute in Washington, D.C.
The investigation began in the summer of 2018. FBI agents learned through their investigation that, between December 2018 and May 31, 2019, Magruder traveled to New York from Washington, D.C. on at least seven separate occasions. On each trip, he stayed in New York for only a short period (a few hours) and then returned to Washington, D.C.
On June 7, 2019, FBI agents learned that Magruder had traveled from Washington, D.C. to New York via Greyhound bus. Agents observed him at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan at approximately 2:30 PM. They also observed him as he stood outside of the bus terminal for approximately one hour and made several calls using a flip phone. Magruder was carrying a bright blue backpack.
The following day, on June 8, 2019, Magruder departed the Port Authority Bus Terminal and began traveling towards Washington, D.C. He arrived at Union Station in Washington, D.C. at approximately 4:30 PM. He walked off the bus carrying the same bright blue backpack that he was observed with in New York. Agents approached Magruder, stopped him, and searched his backpack. At the bottom of the backpack, underneath several items of clothing, were two blocks of compressed tan powder, wrapped in duct tape and several plastic bags. Each block weighed approximately 600 grams. A chemist with the DEA Mid-Atlantic Laboratory examined the blocks. She concluded that together they weighed approximately 1,200 grams (1.2 kilograms), and that they consisted of a mixture and substance containing heroin. The estimated street value of the heroin is approximately $400,000. Sentencing is scheduled for January 16, 2020, and Magruder is expected to be sentenced to a term of 12 to 15 years of imprisonment.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Special Agent in Charge Dunham commended the work of the FBI agents involved in the arrest and prosecution of Magruder. 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 Nihar Mohanty of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.
Wisconsin Woman Sentenced for Role in Office Burglary of a U.S. SenatorRead the Press Release
A former staff member who worked in an office of a United States Senator was sentenced today to two years of supervised probation with 200 hours of community service for burglary of the office of a U.S. Senator.
The announcement was made by Alessio D. Evangelista, the Acting U.S. Attorney in this case, and Steven A. Sund, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police.
Samantha DeForest Davis, 24, of Beloit, Wisconsin, pled guilty to the federal charge of aiding and abetting computer fraud, and to the District of Columbia charge of attempted tampering with evidence on July 30, 2019. DeForest Davis was sentenced today on two separate counts to a total of 180 days in prison, execution of sentence suspended, and placed on two years of supervised probation. As part of her conditions of probation, she was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service, stay away from the Senator’s office to include current and former staff, and to not use TOR or anonymized computer applications.
According to the government’s evidence, DeForest Davis was a staffer employed by a U.S. Senator, and was also friends with Jackson Cosko, a former staffer for that same U.S. Senator who had been fired in May 2018. Between July and October 2018, Cosko began burglarizing the Senator’s office, illegally accessing Senate computers, and stealing information from those computers. By August 2018, DeForest Davis started to suspect that Cosko was breaking into the Senator’s office and stealing information from Senate computers, but DeForest Davis did not report Cosko. Finally, on the night of October 2, 2018, DeForest Davis agreed to lend Cosko her keys to the Senator’s office. When she provided her keys, DeForest Davis understood that Cosko needed the keys to unlawfully enter the Senator’s office to access Senate computers.
Cosko used DeForest Davis’s keys to break into the Senator’s office that night, and during the break-in, Cosko illegally accessed a Senate computer for the purpose of obtaining information. However, during the break-in, a witness noticed and recognized Cosko in the office. Cosko fled, but the witness reported the break-in to U.S. Capitol Police.
The following morning, on October 3, 2018, Cosko returned DeForest Davis’s keys and asked DeForest Davis to “wipe down” the computers, keyboards, and computer mice in the Senator’s office, in the hope that DeForest Davis could thereby destroy any latent fingerprints and other evidence of Cosko’s burglary. DeForest Davis, knowing that Cosko had unlawfully entered the office the night before, did attempt to wipe down the computers, but was unsuccessful because another employee entered the office early.
As part of her plea, DeForest Davis acknowledged that she lied to her employer and the U.S. Capitol Police on several occasions during the investigation.
Cosko pled guilty to his role in the criminal activity on April 5, 2019. On June 27, 2019, he was sentenced by Judge Thomas F. Hogan to 48 months in prison.
In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Evangelista and Chief Sund commended the work of those who worked on the case. The U.S. Capitol Police investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Diane Brashears and Donna Galindo and Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal S. Chawla, Demian S. Ahn, and Youli Lee who prosecuted the case.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Trafficking in Large-Scale Narcotics and Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Amir Gibreel, 30, of Northern Virginia, was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison for his role in a large-scale marijuana distribution enterprise, 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 Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division.
On July 23, 2019, Gibreel pled guilty before the Honorable Rudolph Contreras in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possessing with intent to distribute marijuana and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person previously under felony indictment. As part of his plea, Gibreel accepted responsibility for running a marijuana business and possessing with intent to distribute over 80 pounds of marijuana. Gibreel’s conviction represents his third marijuana-related conviction.
According to the Government’s evidence, in the summer of 2018, law enforcement associated with the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force began investigating Gibreel for the illegal distribution of marijuana. Specifically, FBI learned that Gibreel was operating a website called JetpackDC. JetpackDC is a website that specifically sells marijuana through an online distribution system. Much like Uber Eats or other internet delivery services, a user would obtain contact information from the internet, and then contact a telephone number to coordinate the sale and drop-off of various packages of marijuana, ranging from small sales in the low-dollar amount, or high sales in the hundreds of dollars. FBI had learned that Gibreel operated stash houses to prepare and market his product. Specifically, FBI learned that Gibreel utilized Airbnb, a housing internet rental company, to store his marijuana. Gibreel and his associates were making $80,000 to $100,000 monthly.
In September and October of 2018, FBI conducted three separate controlled purchases to try to identify Gibreel’s Airbnb safe house. In each of those controlled purchases, the FBI utilized an undercover agent, posing as a marijuana consumer, to go to JetpackDC, contact the JetpackDC dispatcher, and order marijuana. Based on the controlled purchases and coordinated surveillance, FBI was able to identify two locations as possible premises associated with the distribution of marijuana: an Airbnb apartment used by Gibreel within D.C. and 230 Rhode Island Avenue N.E. (Gibreel’s leased apartment).
On October 30, 2018, FBI executed search warrants at both locations. Gibreel was present at the 18 N Street apartment, along with four other subjects who stated that they did not reside at the location. Law enforcement identified one of the persons present as one of the delivery drivers from the earlier controlled purchases.
During the search of the Airbnb., law enforcement found several of Gibreel’s personal belongings in an upstairs bedroom, including a blue backpack with the JetpackDC label. Inside of the backpack, law enforcement found several documents, mail matter, and notebooks belonging to Gibreel. In the same bedroom, law enforcement found approximately $17,230 in cash on the closet shelf, and another $1,939 in cash in the front right pocket of a pair of blue jeans that Gibreel identified as his own. On a folding table in the same room, law enforcement found Gibreel’s bankcard and $352 in cash. On the bed, law enforcement found two ledger books containing information pertaining to the sale of marijuana. In a second upstairs bedroom, law enforcement located multiple bins, cardboard boxes, and canisters containing various amounts of marijuana, a suitcase containing marijuana vape cartridges, and marijuana packaging materials, such as a label maker and heat-sealing equipment. In total, the approximate weight of the marijuana found in the second bedroom was 80 pounds, with a street value of over $100,000.
During the search of 230 Rhode Island Avenue N.E.—no one was present during the warrant’s execution—law enforcement found a black 9mm Springfield XD semi-automatic pistol (Serial No. US8499099), which contained 16 rounds of ammunition, in the sole bedroom. Underneath the firearm was mail matter addressed to Gibreel, $15,000 in cash, and medical cannabis stickers. In the kitchen, law enforcement also seized an extended magazine, marijuana packaging materials, grinders, four ledgers (containing information pertaining to marijuana sales in the thousands of dollars per day), bank statements, nine cell phones, additional mail matter, four laptops, a money counter, three tablets, and a bag containing JetpackDC paraphernalia. Law enforcement also recovered approximately 900 grams of marijuana from the kitchen and living room.
Both the firearm and ammunition possessed by Gibreel had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce and in fact, Gibreel had purchased the firearm through an intermediary in Northern Virginia.
Finally, on October 30, 2018,Gibreel was aware that on April 30, 2018, he had been indicted by a grand jury in Arlington County, Commonwealth of Virginia, in case number CR18000582 (Sale/Distribute Marijuana) and CR18000583 (Possession of a Controlled Substance). Both of the indicted charges are felony offenses in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and are punishable by a term of imprisonment exceeding one year.
This matter was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force, which is composed of FBI and ATF Special Agents, along with detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Park Police, and the Prince George’s County Police. The Task Force is charged with investigating, disrupting and dismantling the most egregious and violent gangs operating in the District of Columbia and National Capital Region.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Special Agent in Charge Dunham commended the assistance provided by our joint law enforcement partners, as well as the Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.
Former Personal Care Aide Sentenced 13 Months in Prison for Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Mobolaji Tina Stewart, 58, of Laurel, Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to 13 months in prison for engaging in a scheme to defraud the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C., and Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia Inspector General.
Stewart pled guilty in August 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of health care fraud. She was sentenced by the Honorable John D. Bates. Following her prison term, Stewart will be placed on three years of supervised release. In addition, she was ordered to pay $534,073 in restitution and $302,414 in a forfeiture money judgment.
Stewart worked as a personal care aide for twelve home health agencies at various times between January 2014 and December 2018. The home health agencies employed Stewart to assist D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating. Stewart was supposed to document the care she provided to the Medicaid beneficiaries on timesheets and then submit the timesheets to the home health agencies, which would in turn bill Medicaid for the services that she rendered.
Between January 2014 and November 2018, Stewart caused the D.C. Medicaid Program to issue payments totaling $534,073 for services that she did not render. As part of her fraud scheme, she paid kickbacks to beneficiaries and submitted false timesheets to different home health agencies claiming that she provided 24 hours or more of personal care aide services. She also submitted false timesheets claiming to have provided personal care aide services while she was out of the country. She also submitted false timesheets claiming to have provided personal care aide services to a beneficiary while he was hospitalized. Stewart fraudulently earned more than $300,000 in wages as a result of the healthcare fraud scheme.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Special Agent in Charge Dixon of U.S. HHS-OIG, and District of Columbia Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialist Mariela Andrade, and former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Robert Fishman. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Personal Care Aide Pleads Guilty to Health Care FraudRead the Press Release
Rose Asang Gana, also known as Rose Nebangu, 40, of Greenbelt, Maryland, pled guilty on Wednesday, to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which she caused the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program to be defrauded out of more than $400,000.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, 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, District of Columbia Inspector General.
Gana pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Gana faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $40,000. The plea agreement calls for Gana to pay $441,234.64 in restitution and at least $257,503.31 in a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Carl J. Nichols scheduled sentencing for February 5, 2020.
According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court, Gana worked as a personal care aide for nine home health agencies at various times between October 1, 2013 and December 28, 2018. The home health agencies employed 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. Gana was supposed to document the care she provided to the Medicaid beneficiaries on timesheets and then submit the timesheets to the home health agencies, which would in turn bill Medicaid for the services that she rendered.
Between October 1, 2013, and December 28, 2018, Gana caused D.C. Medicaid to issue payments totaling $441,234.64 for services that she did not perform or that were tainted by the payment of illegal cash kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries in exchange for signing false timesheets. Gana earned approximately $257,503 in wages from the health care fraud scheme.
In announcing the plea, 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, 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 former Paralegal Specialist Brittany Phillips. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi J. Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Simmonds, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Five Years for Trafficking Crack Cocaine and Maintaining a Northeast, D.C. Stash Residence and ArsenalRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Tobias, 37 of Southeast D.C., was sentenced to five years in prison today for trafficking crack cocaine and maintaining a stash residence and arsenal, 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).
Tobias pled guilty in August 2019 before the Honorable Beryl A. Howell in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base. Chief Judge Howell sentenced Tobias to five years of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, in June 2018, ATF agents and MPD officers began investigating the trafficking of narcotics from the 5200 block of Sheriff Road, Northeast, by narcotics traffickers that included Tobias. That block intersects the 900 block of 52nd Street, Northeast. During the investigation, law enforcement purchased 75 grams of crack cocaine from Tobias.
During some of the drug purchases, Tobias would utilize a laundry room in the basement of 927 52nd Street, Northeast, to conduct his drug transactions. Video from the controlled purchases showed Tobias laying crack cocaine on the washer/dryer while counting the money provided by law enforcement for the drug purchases. As part of his plea, Tobias also acknowledged to using an apartment inside of 927 52nd Street, Northeast, to store, prepare, and package narcotics.
On May 21, 2019, during a search of the apartment pursuant to a warrant, ATF and MPD officers recovered eight digital scales, approximately $4,000 in U.S. currency, numerous forms of packaging material consistent with drug trafficking, such as, sandwich bags and unused ziplocs, three BB guns (two in pistol format, one in rifle format), and extensive quantities of marijuana and marijuana edibles for distribution. Tobias used the apartment to traffic narcotics with the assistance of another occupant, who was present at the residence during the search warrant. The occupant also had keys that led to an electrical closet in the basement laundry room, where a firearm and a small arsenal was recovered. In a ceiling crawl space, ATF and MPD officers recovered: (i) a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber pistol; (ii) eleven magazines, with a number of extended magazines, some of which were loaded; (iii) 862 rounds of ammunition in eight different calibers; (iv) a digital scale; (v) empty ziplocs for the packaging of narcotics; and (vi) firearm and ammunition boxes. The occupant, who assisted Tobias in the trafficking of narcotics from the stash residence, was murdered on July 9, 2019 while sitting in a vehicle two blocks away from the stash residence.
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.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case, and acknowledged the assistance of the Uniform Division of the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s laboratory, who assisted with the recovery of evidence and the fingerprint and DNA analysis of that evidence. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and prosecuted Tobias.
District Man Sentenced to 52 Years for Killing Two Men - Including a Government WitnessRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Terik McLeod, 33, of Northeast, Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 52 years in prison for the fatal shooting of two men in Northeast Washington, one of which was a government witness, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Earlier today, the Honorable Ronna L. Beck of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia sentenced McLeod to 52 years in prison. On July 26, 2019, McLeod was found guilty by jury verdict after a retrial of Second Degree Murder while Armed in the killing of Devaun Drayton in 2004 and First Degree Murder while Armed in the killing of a government witness – Carlton Fisher in 2006. The first trial ended with a hung jury in April. McLeod will also be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, Devaun Drayton was shot one time in the back of the head on March 10, 2004 behind the Phelps School in the Langston Terrace/21st & Maryland NE neighborhood. Shortly before his murder, Drayton borrowed a gun from David Warren, who in turn was going to sell the gun to the defendant. When Drayton did not return the gun to Warren as agreed upon, McLeod shot Drayton in the head. Shortly after Drayton’s murder, McLeod admitted to Carlton Fisher that he killed Drayton. A few weeks after Drayton’s murder, Carlton Fisher was arrested on gun and drug charges and began cooperating with the government and shared McLeod’s confession to the Drayton murder. McLeod learned of Mr. Fisher’s cooperation and murdered him with the assistance of Lovell Harris on October 1, 2006 by shooting Fisher 7 times, once in the back of the head, on Fisher’s front porch with his family and baby daughter inside.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the work of Supervisor/IT Specialist Leif Hickling and IT Specialist Jeanie Lattimore-Brown; paralegals Meridith McGarrity and Lashone Samuels; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; CSO (and former MPD Officer) Michael Derian; the U.S. Marshall’s Service; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jean Sexton and Glenn Kirschner for their efforts in investigating the cases.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen D’Angelo and John Giovannelli who also investigated and tried the case, not once, but twice while successfully overcoming the challenges inherent in a cold case homicide investigation that involved murders that occurred well over 13 years prior to trial.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Attacking Woman in Her Apartment’s Stairwell, Intending to Rape HerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ratek Bogan, 45, of the District, pleaded guilty today to assaulting a woman on August 26, 2019, in the stairwell of her apartment building, intending to rape her, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Bogan pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit first degree sexual abuse. The Honorable Craig Iscoe scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2020. Bogan faces up to 15 years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, the victim encountered Bogan on Minnesota Avenue, S.E. She asked Bogan if he would help carry her groceries into her apartment building, and he followed the victim into her building. Once inside the building, Bogan grabbed the woman, intending to rape her. At that point, however, one of the victim’s neighbor’s opened his door, asked Bogan what he was doing and told Bogan that he was going to call 911. Responding to the neighbor’s 911 call, officers of the Metropolitan Police Department arrived on the scene, confronted Bogan there and arrested him.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Sexual Assault Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department, and officers of MPD’s Sixth District. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/ Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
Statement by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu on D.C. Council Hearing Regarding Hate Crimes in the District of ColumbiaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, issued the following statement regarding today’s hearing before the Council of the District of Columbia, Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety, entitled “Hate Crimes in the District of Columbia and the Failure to Prosecute by the Office of the United States Attorney.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia believes that prosecuting bias-related crimes is critical to keeping our community safe. When one member of a group is the victim of a bias-related crime, all members carry with them a fear that they, too, may be targeted because of who they are. The Office, in partnership with law enforcement, uses all appropriate prosecutorial tools to hold perpetrators of such crimes accountable. We also work constructively with the community to understand their concerns and to find ways to address those concerns.
This morning, I sent the Committee a letter regarding the Office’s investigation and prosecution of potential bias-related crimes. Among other things, the letter explains that the Office brings criminal charges in the vast majority of cases presented to us by our law enforcement partners as potential bias-related crimes. Of the 204 potentially bias-related incidents flagged by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in 2018, only 59 resulted in arrests that were presented to the Office for prosecution. Similarly, of the 178 alleged bias-related incidents flagged by MPD in 2017, only 55 were presented for prosecution. In 2018, the Office brought charges for the underlying criminal offense in 52 of the 59 incidents. In 2017, the Office brought charges for the underlying criminal offense in 49 of the 55 incidents. As of June 30, 2019, MPD flagged 23 incidents resulting in arrests as potential bias-related crimes. The Office brought charges for the underlying criminal offense in 19 of the 23 incidents.
We also continue to engage energetically with the community on this issue, including hosting quarterly meetings of the Hate-Bias Task Force, a collaboration of agency and community partners in the District of Columbia who focus on addressing the needs of affinity groups in the city and combating bias-related crimes. In response to feedback from the community, we also have made several changes to our procedures for reviewing potential bias-related crimes, such as appointing an additional hate-crimes coordinator within the Office to review potential bias-related crimes and assist in their investigation and prosecution.
We regularly participate in open dialogue about combating bias-related crimes, and we will continue to have those conversations. But we will not testify in person at today’s hearing, as its title shows that the Committee has reached a conclusion – that the Office is failing to prosecute potential bias-related offenses – before a full and fair consideration of the facts. This unjustly maligns the Office’s dedicated career prosecutors, who carefully review every arrest identified as a potential bias-related crime and make principled charging decisions based solely on the law and the facts. We remain eager to work with all of our community partners to seek justice in potential bias-related crimes and to enhance public safety, and we look forward to doing so in a collaborative and open-minded fashion.
Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Renata Cooper Delivers Testimony Before the D.C. Council on Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019Read the Press Release
Chairman Allen and Members of the Council:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear today, on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, to share the Office’s views regarding Bill 23-318, the Community Safety and Health Amendment Act of 2019.
The issue regarding whether to decriminalize prostitution and related criminal statutes is not new. Indeed, lawmakers and human rights organizations across this country and the world have been considering this issue for some time. Thus, the United States Attorney’s Office, whose mission is to help ensure public safety, lauds the Council’s efforts to address this issue through a proposal for which the primary stated purpose is “to promote public health and safety.” However, given the strong interest of our Office and the U.S. Department of Justice in prosecuting sex trafficking and preventing the exploitation of vulnerable persons, we have serious concerns that full decriminalization of prostitution and related offenses would adversely affect the ability of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute sex traffickers and thereby adversely affect the public health and safety of some of the most vulnerable members of our community: sex trafficking survivors.
To understand why Bill 23-318 would make it more difficult to prosecute human trafficking, it is important to understand the difficulties of detecting human trafficking and obtaining sufficient evidence to charge and successfully prosecute the trafficker as well to understand how the trafficker’s influence on the victim thwarts law enforcement anti-trafficking efforts.
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 prosecutors and advocates are highly skilled at working with trafficking victims, investigating these crimes, and prosecuting traffickers. Based on our experience, it is difficult to uncover evidence of human trafficking, primarily because most victims are extremely reluctant to cooperate in the government’s investigation of their trafficker. As a result, law enforcement must develop evidence of trafficking through other means, including initially investigating and prosecuting the potential trafficker for lesser offenses.
The control that traffickers exert over their victims is well known. Traffickers of both adults and children frequently employ extensive “grooming” techniques with the goal of making their victims dependent on the traffickers. These grooming techniques include, among other things, targeting vulnerable individuals (who may have a history of sexual abuse); seeking to create a relationship of dependency; punishing the victim for violating the rules of the trafficker; buying gifts for trafficking victims or employing other means to create the illusion of a friendship or caregiving role; and pitting one victim against another. Once the trafficker has created isolation and dependency, abuse will begin, often with a trafficker demanding that the victim engage in sex with others to obtain money to repay some debt allegedly owed to the trafficker. The trafficker’s goal is to maintain control of the victim, often through physical, sexual, and/or verbal abuse. Because of the control and dependency dynamic, victims may be loyal to their traffickers and abusers, and may be unwilling to cooperate with law enforcement, including being unwilling to provide information about the scope, manner, and means of the trafficker’s operation.
As introduced, the Bill would decriminalize the offense of procuring so long as “the arrangement involves no force, fraud, coercion, or any violation of the Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Amendment Act of 2010.” But as we have indicated, the government may rely on an array of offenses for its trafficking investigation, including relying on potential lesser charges as a basis to obtain search warrants for items yielding information regarding social media platforms used to perpetuate trafficking and information regarding locations where trafficking may occur.
In addition to affecting investigations and prosecutions of violent traffickers of adults, full decriminalization will affect child trafficking investigations and prosecutions. As with evidence of violent trafficking of adults, it is similarly extremely difficult to identify and locate child trafficking victims and to develop sufficient evidence to prosecute their traffickers successfully. Traffickers in children frequently do not promote their victims to potential buyers as children. Rather, traffickers often advertise these child victims as adults, and some buyers may even believe them to be adults. Law enforcement may have suspicions that a child is being trafficked, but may not have sufficient proof. In such scenarios, it is also common for law enforcement to rely on search warrants for offenses other than trafficking. This is because in order to obtain a search warrant, law enforcement must have probable cause to believe that a perpetrator has committed an offense, and at an early stage of an investigation, the evidence of child sex trafficking may not rise to that level. Such search warrants allow law enforcement to investigate the charge contemplated by the search warrant, as well as to conduct appropriate additional investigation to ascertain if the perpetrator is procuring a child, or if the perpetrator is involved in trafficking. The proposed Bill, therefore, would remove an anti-trafficking law enforcement tool.
The Bill as introduced would decriminalize both the sale and purchase of sex, which likely will increase the demand for commercial sex in the District of Columbia. If the purchasers of sex can go unpunished and unchecked, the sex marketplace will grow, as will its profits – thereby making the District of Columbia more attractive to traffickers looking to exploit the newly created market. To support the higher demand, traffickers will need to acquire more supply and exploit new victims. To meet that demand, traffickers will likely recruit children and adults by use of force, fraud, and coercion. Further, some victims of sex trafficking report that the buyers of sex can be just as violent and cruel as traffickers. Normalizing the purchase of sex will convey the message that the purchase of sex is acceptable in the District and embolden sex buyers.
Other jurisdictions’ experiences with the decriminalization of prostitution counsel against the approach in the Bill as introduced. There has been discussion of an alternative approach, often called the “Nordic model,” in which the sale, but not the purchase, of sex would be decriminalized. The theory underpinning this approach is that individuals have a right to sell their own body, but no right to exploit someone else’s body. Although the U.S. Attorney’s Office believes that the Nordic model is preferable to full decriminalization, we have concerns about the practical impact of that model as well. If the sale of sex is decriminalized, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is concerned that more individuals who want to engage in commercial sex will come to the District, which will increase the demand for commercial sex here. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is concerned that as both supply and demand for commercial sex grow, trafficking will increase steadily as well. Traffickers will continue to seek out vulnerable individuals and recruit them, and the more people engage in commercial sex work in the District, the more individuals traffickers will recruit. Again, reducing the demand for the purchase of sex is essential to any strategy to prevent sex trafficking.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is concerned foremost about public safety and the wellbeing of all individuals in our community. We believe that this Bill will undermine public safety, and will significantly impede our ability to investigate and prosecute those who traffic vulnerable members of our community. We appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Committee, and look forward to working with the Committee, and the various stakeholders who have appeared here today, as we continue to discuss this important issue of public safety in the District.
Former CBP Employee Sentenced for Using OPM Data Breach to Falsely Claim Identity Theft to Charge-Off Legitimate DebtsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ronda M. Young, 49, a former Management & Program Analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection (CBP), was sentenced to a two-year probation term for using OPM data breach to falsely claim identity theft to charge-off legitimate debts.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Anthony Triplett, Special Agent in Charge of U. S. Customs and Border Protection, Washington Field Office made the announcement.
Young pled guilty in August 2019 to one count of making a false statement, and one count of second-degree felony fraud. On October 16, 2019, the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle sentenced Young to a two-year term of probation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The probationary sentences were ordered to run concurrently. Young was also ordered to pay $14,734.48 in restitution to the victim financial institutions, a $2,000 fine, $200 in special assessment fees, and perform 150 hours of community service.
According to court papers, from April 2010, through November 2017, Young obtained and used credit from J.P. Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Barclays Bank and FedChoice Federal Credit Union, for, among other things, personal domestic and international travel, furniture, and to register for the CBP Trusted Traveler/Global Entry Program. Young then used the 2015 Office of Personnel Management data breach to submit a false complaint and affidavit claiming that she was the victim of identity theft and that she neither applied for, obtained, nor used, the credit for her personal benefit, which in turn caused the financial institutions to charge-off approximately $34,664 in legitimate debts. Young admitted to engaging in the scheme to defraud the financial institutions to improve her credit history in anticipation of an upcoming background investigation.
When CBP conducted Young’s five-year background investigation in March 2018, she made false statements to the agents conducting the interviews on two occasions. First, Young falsely claimed that she paid the debts in full and would provide documentation reflecting the payments. At a subsequent interview, Young claimed that she misspoke and said that she was the victim of identity theft from the OPM breach, the debts were not hers, and that she had disputed the debts, which should have been removed from her credit report. Young made the false statements to the agents knowing that she had lawfully incurred the debts and that the claims of identity theft were false. She also knew that her financial background and credit history were material to her background investigation.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Special Agent in Charge Triplett praised the work of Special Agents from Customs and Border Protection, Office of Prodessional Responsibility, who led the investigation. They also acknowledge the work of Assistant United States Attorney Diane Lucas and former Assistant United States Attorney Denise A. Simmonds of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, who investigated and prosecuted this matter, and former Paralegal Specialist Brittany Phillips, who worked on the investigation.
Two Real Estate Professionals Indicted for Fraud and ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Shaun Miller, 39, of Bethesda, Maryland, and Thomas Randolph, 49, of Oakton, Virginia, were charged in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in a seven-count indictment today. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division made the announcement.
The seven-count indictment was returned by a federal grand jury charging Miller and Randolph with conspiracy, mail fraud, and monetary transactions involving criminally derived proceeds; the indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation.
According to the indictment, from at least October 2014 to June 2015, Shaun Miller was a loan broker earning money by coordinating loans for real estate investors from private mortgage lenders; Thomas Randolph was a settlement agent for a settlement company located in the District of Columbia. The indictment alleges that Miller and Marlon Meade, as well as others, submitted inflated Personal Financial Statements, altered bank account statements, and false IRS Forms 1040 Tax Returns to private mortgage lenders in an attempt to trick the lenders into loaning in excess of $5.6 million in loans for the purchase of multiple real estate properties in the District of Columbia. The indictment further alleges that the conspirators, including Randolph and Meade, also falsely inflated the sales price to obtain excess lender funds in order to illegally recycle the lender’s own money as the borrower’s down-payment and to siphon off funds for their own enrichment. The conspirators and others generally failed to repay the loans and the properties fell into foreclosure for a loss to the lenders.
U.S. Attorney Liu and Special Agent in Charge Dunham also announced the plea of Marlon Meade, 40, of northeast Washington, D.C. on September 4, 2019. Meade pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and monetary transactions involving criminally derived proceeds; his case is currently pending before the Honorable James E. Boasberg, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
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.
U.S. Attorney Liu and Special Agent in Charge Dunham commended the work performed by Special Agents from the FBI. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including: Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; Paralegal Specialist Amanda Rohde; Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham who is investigating the case.
South Korean National and Hundreds of Others Charged Worldwide in the Takedown of the Largest Darknet Child Pornography Website, Which was Funded by BitcoinRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child sexual exploitation market by volume of content. The nine-count indictment was unsealed today along with a parallel civil forfeiture action. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea. An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington State and Washington, D.C. as well as the United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Brazil and Australia have been arrested and charged.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Chief Don Fort of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa Erichs of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
“Darknet sites that profit from the sexual exploitation of children are among the most vile and reprehensible forms of criminal behavior,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This Administration will not allow child predators to use lawless online spaces as a shield. Today’s announcement demonstrates that the Department of Justice remains firmly committed to working closely with our partners in South Korea and around the world to rescue child victims and bring to justice the perpetrators of these abhorrent crimes.”
“Children around the world are safer because of the actions taken by U.S. and foreign law enforcement to prosecute this case and recover funds for victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We will continue to pursue such criminals on and off the darknet in the United States and abroad, to ensure they receive the punishment their terrible crimes deserve.”
“Through the sophisticated tracing of bitcoin transactions, IRS-CI special agents were able to determine the location of the Darknet server, identify the administrator of the website and ultimately track down the website server’s physical location in South Korea,” said IRS-CI Chief Don Fort. “This largescale criminal enterprise that endangered the safety of children around the world is no more. Regardless of the illicit scheme, and whether the proceeds are virtual or tangible, we will continue to work with our federal and international partners to track down these disgusting organizations and bring them to justice.”
“Children are our most vulnerable population, and crimes such as these are unthinkable,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa Erichs. “Sadly, advances in technology have enabled child predators to hide behind the dark web and cryptocurrency to further their criminal activity. However, today’s indictment sends a strong message to criminals that no matter how sophisticated the technology or how widespread the network, child exploitation will not be tolerated in the United States. Our entire justice system will stop at nothing to prevent these heinous crimes, safeguard our children, and bring justice to all.”
According to the indictment, on March 5, 2018, agents from the IRS-CI, HSI, National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom, and Korean National Police in South Korea arrested Son and seized the server that he used to operate a Darknet market that exclusively advertised child sexual exploitation videos available for download by members of the site. The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately eight terabytes of child sexual exploitation videos, which is one of the largest seizures of its kind. The images, which are currently being analyzed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), contained over 250,000 unique videos, and 45 percent of the videos currently analyzed contain new images that have not been previously known to exist.
Welcome To Video offered these videos for sale using the cryptocurrency bitcoin. Typically, sites of this kind give users a forum to trade in these depictions. This Darknet website is among the first of its kind to monetize child exploitation videos using bitcoin. In fact, the site itself boasted over one million downloads of child exploitation videos by users. Each user received a unique bitcoin address when the user created an account on the website. An analysis of the server revealed that the website had more than one million bitcoin addresses, signifying that the website had capacity for at least one million users.
The agencies have shared data from the seized server with law enforcement around the world to assist in identifying and prosecuting customers of the site. This has resulted in leads sent to 38 countries and yielded arrests of 337 subjects around the world. The operation has resulted in searches of residences and businesses of approximately 92 individuals in the United States. Notably, the operation is responsible for the rescue of at least 23 minor victims residing in the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom, who were being actively abused by the users of the site.
In the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area, the operation has led to the execution of five search warrants and eight arrests of individuals who both conspired with the administrator of the site and were themselves, users of the website. Two users of the Darknet market committed suicide subsequent to the execution of search warrants.
Amongst the sites users charged are:
•Charles Wunderlich, 34, of Hot Springs, California, was charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
•Brian James LaPrath, 34, of San Diego, California, was arrested in the District of Columbia, for international money laundering; and was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release;
•Ernest Wagner, 70, of Federal Way, Washington, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
•Vincent Galarzo, 28, of Glendale, New York, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
•Michael Ezeagbor, 22, of Pflugerville, Texas, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
•Nicholas Stengel, 45, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and money laundering and was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release;
•Eryk Mark Chamberlin, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and is pending sentencing;
•Jairo Flores, 30, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts to receipt and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release;
•Billy Penaloza, 29, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts to possession and receipt of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2019;
•Michael Armstrong, 35, of Randolph, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts, to receipt and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Restitution will be determined at a future date;
•Al Ramadhanu Soedomo, 28, of Lynn, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced in the District of Massachusetts (Boston), to serve 12 months and one day followed by five years of supervised release;
•Phillip Sungmin Hong, 24, of Sharon, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts (Boston), to receipt and possession of child pornography and is pending sentencing;
•Eliseo Arteaga Jr., 28, of Mesquite, Texas, pleaded guilty in the Northern District of Texas to possession of prepubescent child pornography. He is pending sentencing;
•Richard Nikolai Gratkowski, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, a former HSI special agent, was arrested in the Western District of Texas. Gratkowski pleaded guilty to the indictment charging one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of access with intent to view child pornography. Gratkowski was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution to seven victims and a $10,000 assessment;
•Paul Casey Whipple, 35, of Hondo, Texas, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent, was arrested in the Western District of Texas, on charges of sexual exploitation of children/minors, production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. Whipple remains in custody awaiting trial in San Antonio;
•Michael Lawson, 36, of Midland, Georgia, was arrested in the Middle District of Georgia on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release following his plea to a superseding information charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography;
•Kevin Christopher Eagan, 39, of Brookhaven, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in the Northern District of Georgia;
•Casey Santioius Head, 37, of Griffin, Georgia, was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography;
•Andrew C. Chu, 28, of Garwood, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with receipt of child pornography. Those charges remain pending;
•Nader Hamdi Ahmed, 29 of Jersey City, New Jersey, was arrested in the District of New Jersey, for sexual exploitation or other abuse of children. Ahmed pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1, 2019;
•Jeffrey Lee Harris, 32, of Pickens, South Carolina, pleaded guilty in the District of South Carolina for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography;
•Laine Ormand Clark Jr., 27, of Conway, South Carolina, was arrested and charged in U.S. District Court in South Carolina Division for sexual possession of child pornography;
•Jack R. Dove III, 38, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested in the Middle District of Florida for knowingly receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct;
•Michael Matthew White, 39, of Miami Beach, Florida, was arrested in the Southern District of Florida for coercion and enticement;
•Nikolas Bennion Bradshaw, 24, of Bountiful, Utah, was arrested in the State of Utah, and charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and was sentenced to time served with 91 days in jail followed by probation;
•Michael Don Gibbs, 37, of Holladay, Utah, was charged in the District of Utah with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography;
•Ammar Atef H. Alahdali, 22, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution;
•Mark Lindsay Rohrer, 38, of West Hartford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release;
•Eugene Edward Jung, 47, of San Francisco, California, was indicted in the Northern District of California on possession of child pornography and receipt of child pornography;
•James Daosaeng, 25, of Springdale, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas (Fayetteville) to serve 97 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release;
•Alex Daniel Paxton, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, was arrested and indicted in Franklin County Ohio Court of Common Pleas for pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor;
•Don Edward Pannell, 32, of Harvey, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Louisiana for receipt of child pornography. He is pending sentencing;
•Ryan Thomas Carver, 29, of Huntsville, Alabama, was arrested and charged under Alabama State Law. He was charged federally in the Northern District of Alabama with possession of child pornography. His case is pending in Huntsville, Alabama;
•Andrew Buckley, 28, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to 10 offences in the UK of possession and distribution of indecent images of children, possession of extreme and prohibited images and possession of a class A drug. He was sentenced to serve 40 months in prison for the distribution of indecent images and possession of class A drugs. Buckley is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order;
•Kyle Fox, 26, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to 22 counts including rape, sexual assault, and sharing indecent images, and was sentenced to serve 22 years in prison; and
•Mohammed Almaker, 26, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was arrested in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), charged with KSA Law involving the endangerment of children. He is awaiting judicial proceedings in furtherance of criminal charges.
A forfeiture complaint was also unsealed today. The complaint alleges that law enforcement was able to trace payments of bitcoin to the Darknet site by following the flow of funds on the blockchain. The virtual currency accounts identified in the complaint were allegedly used by 24 individuals in five countries to fund the website and promote the exploitation of children. The forfeiture complaint seeks to recover these funds and, ultimately through the restoration process, return the illicit funds to victims of the crime.
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 international investigations were led by the IRS-CI, HSI and the NCA. The Korean National Police of the Republic of Korea, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and the German Federal Criminal Police (the Bundeskriminalamt), provided assistance and coordinated with their parallel investigations. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division provided significant assistance.
The cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Lindsay Suttenberg, and Youli Lee, Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Diane Brashears, Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, and Records Examiner Chad Byron of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Additional assistance has been provided by Deputy Chief Keith Becker and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and former U.S. Attorney’s Office Paralegal Specialists Toni Anne Donato and Ty Eaton.
South Korean National and Hundreds of Others Charged Worldwide in the Takedown of the Largest Darknet Child Pornography Website, Which was Funded by BitcoinRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child sexual exploitation market by volume of content. The nine-count indictment was unsealed today along with a parallel civil forfeiture action. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea. An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington State and Washington, D.C. as well as the United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Brazil and Australia have been arrested and charged.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Chief Don Fort of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa Erichs of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
“Darknet sites that profit from the sexual exploitation of children are among the most vile and reprehensible forms of criminal behavior,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This Administration will not allow child predators to use lawless online spaces as a shield. Today’s takedown demonstrates that the Department of Justice remains firmly committed to working closely with our partners in South Korea and around the world to rescue child victims and bring to justice the perpetrators of these abhorrent crimes.”
“Children around the world are safer because of the actions taken by U.S. and foreign law enforcement to prosecute this case and recover funds for victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We will continue to pursue such criminals on and off the darknet in the United States and abroad, to ensure they receive the punishment their terrible crimes deserve.”
Through the sophisticated tracing of bitcoin transactions, IRS-CI special agents were able to determine the location of the Darknet server, identify the administrator of the website and ultimately track down the website server’s physical location in South Korea,” said IRS-CI Chief Don Fort. “This largescale criminal enterprise that endangered the safety of children around the world is no more. Regardless of the illicit scheme, and whether the proceeds are virtual or tangible, we will continue to work with our federal and international partners to track down these disgusting organizations and bring them to justice.”
“Children are our most vulnerable population, and crimes such as these are unthinkable,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa Erichs. “Sadly, advances in technology have enabled child predators to hide behind the dark web and cryptocurrency to further their criminal activity. However, today’s indictment sends a strong message to criminals that no matter how sophisticated the technology or how widespread the network, child exploitation will not be tolerated in the United States. Our entire justice system will stop at nothing to prevent these heinous crimes, safeguard our children, and bring justice to all.”
According to the indictment, on March 5, 2018, agents from the IRS-CI, HSI, National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom, and Korean National Police in South Korea arrested Son and seized the server that he used to operate a Darknet market that exclusively advertised child sexual exploitation videos available for download by members of the site. The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately eight terabytes of child sexual exploitation videos, which is one of the largest seizures of its kind. The images, which are currently being analyzed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), contained over 250,000 unique videos, and 45 percent of the videos currently analyzed contain new images that have not been previously known to exist.
Welcome To Video offered these videos for sale using the cryptocurrency bitcoin. Typically, sites of this kind give users a forum to trade in these depictions. This Darknet website is among the first of its kind to monetize child exploitation videos using bitcoin. In fact, the site itself boasted over one million downloads of child exploitation videos by users. Each user received a unique bitcoin address when the user created an account on the website. An analysis of the server revealed that the website had more than one million bitcoin addresses, signifying that the website had capacity for at least one million users.
The agencies have shared data from the seized server with law enforcement around the world to assist in identifying and prosecuting customers of the site. This has resulted in leads sent to 38 countries and yielded arrests of 337 subjects around the world. The operation has resulted in searches of residences and businesses of approximately 92 individuals in the United States. Notably, the operation is responsible for the rescue of at least 23 minor victims residing in the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom, who were being actively abused by the users of the site.
In the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area, the operation has led to the execution of five search warrants and eight arrests of individuals who both conspired with the administrator of the site and were themselves, users of the website. Two users of the Darknet market committed suicide subsequent to the execution of search warrants.
Amongst the sites users charged are:
- Charles Wunderlich, 34, of Hot Springs, California, was charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Brian James LaPrath, 34, of San Diego, California, was arrested in the District of Columbia, for international money laundering; and was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release;
- Ernest Wagner, 70, of Federal Way, Washington, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Vincent Galarzo, 28, of Glendale, New York, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Michael Ezeagbor, 22, of Pflugerville, Texas, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Nicholas Stengel, 45, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and money laundering and was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release;
- Eryk Mark Chamberlin, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and is pending sentencing;
- Jairo Flores, 30, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts to receipt and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release;
- Billy Penaloza, 29, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts to possession and receipt of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2019;
- Michael Armstrong, 35, of Randolph, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts, to receipt and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Restitution will be determined at a future date;
- Al Ramadhanu Soedomo, 28, of Lynn, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced in the District of Massachusetts (Boston), to serve 12 months and one day followed by five years of supervised release;
- Phillip Sungmin Hong, 24, of Sharon, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts (Boston), to receipt and possession of child pornography and is pending sentencing;
- Eliseo Arteaga Jr., 28, of Mesquite, Texas, pleaded guilty in the Northern District of Texas to possession of prepubescent child pornography. He is pending sentencing;
- Richard Nikolai Gratkowski, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, a former HSI special agent, was arrested in the Western District of Texas. Gratkowski pleaded guilty to the indictment charging one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of access with intent to view child pornography. Gratkowski was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution to seven victims and a $10,000 assessment;
- Paul Casey Whipple, 35, of Hondo, Texas, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent, was arrested in the Western District of Texas, on charges of sexual exploitation of children/minors, production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. Whipple remains in custody awaiting trial in San Antonio;
- Michael Lawson, 36, of Midland, Georgia, was arrested in the Middle District of Georgia on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release following his plea to a superseding information charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography;
- Kevin Christopher Eagan, 39, of Brookhaven, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in the Northern District of Georgia;
- Casey Santioius Head, 37, of Griffin, Georgia, was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography;
- Andrew C. Chu, 28, of Garwood, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with receipt of child pornography. Those charges remain pending;
- Nader Hamdi Ahmed, 29 of Jersey City, New Jersey, was arrested in the District of New Jersey, for sexual exploitation or other abuse of children. Ahmed pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1, 2019;
- Jeffrey Lee Harris, 32, of Pickens, South Carolina, pleaded guilty in the District of South Carolina for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography;
- Laine Ormand Clark Jr., 27, of Conway, South Carolina, was arrested and charged in U.S. District Court in South Carolina Division for sexual possession of child pornography;
- Jack R. Dove III, 37, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested in the District of Florida for knowingly receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct;
- Michael Matthew White, 39, of Miami Beach, Florida, was arrested in the Southern District of Florida for coercion and enticement;
- Nikolas Bennion Bradshaw, 24, of Bountiful, Utah, was arrested in the State of Utah, and charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and was sentenced to time served with 91 days in jail followed by probation;
- Michael Don Gibbs, 37, of Holladay, Utah, was charged in the District of Utah with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography;
- Ammar Atef H. Alahdali, 22, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution;
- Mark Lindsay Rohrer, 38, of West Hartford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release;
- Eugene Edward Jung, 47, of San Francisco, California, was indicted in the Northern District of California on possession of child pornography and receipt of child pornography;
- James Daosaeng, 25, of Springdale, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas (Fayetteville) to serve 97 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release;
- Alex Daniel Paxton, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, was arrested and indicted in Franklin County Ohio Court of Common Pleas for pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor;
- Don Edward Pannell, 32, of Harvey, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Louisiana for receipt of child pornography. He is pending sentencing;
- Ryan Thomas Carver, 29, of Huntsville, Alabama, was arrested and charged under Alabama State Law. He was charged federally in the Northern District of Alabama with possession of child pornography. His case is pending in Huntsville, Alabama;
- Alexander Buckley, 28, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to 10 offences in the UK of possession and distribution of indecent images of children, possession of extreme and prohibited images and possession of a class A drug. He was sentenced to serve 40 months in prison for the distribution of indecent images and possession of class A drugs. Buckley is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order;
- Kyle Fox, 26, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to 22 counts including rape, sexual assault, and sharing indecent images, and was sentenced to serve 22 years in prison; and
- Mohammed Almaker, 26, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was arrested in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), charged with KSA Law involving the endangerment of children. He is awaiting judicial proceedings in furtherance of criminal charges.
A forfeiture complaint was also unsealed today. The complaint alleges that law enforcement was able to trace payments of bitcoin to the Darknet site by following the flow of funds on the blockchain. The virtual currency accounts identified in the complaint were allegedly used by 24 individuals in five countries to fund the website and promote the exploitation of children. The forfeiture complaint seeks to recover these funds and, ultimately through the restoration process, return the illicit funds to victims of the crime.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 international investigations were led by the IRS-CI, HSI and the NCA. The Korean National Police of the Republic of Korea, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and the German Federal Criminal Police (the Bundeskriminalamt), provided assistance and coordinated with their parallel investigations. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division provided significant assistance.
The cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Lindsay Suttenberg, and Youli Lee, Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Diane Brashears, Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, and Records Examiner Chad Byron of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Additional assistance has been provided by Deputy Chief Keith Becker and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and former U.S. Attorney’s Office Paralegal Specialists Toni Anne Donato and Ty Eaton.
****View press conference here.
South Korean National and Hundreds of Others Charged Worldwide in the Takedown of the Largest Darknet Child Pornography Website, Which was Funded by BitcoinRead the Press Release
Jong Woo Son, 23, a South Korean national, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for his operation of Welcome To Video, the largest child sexual exploitation market by volume of content. The nine-count indictment was unsealed today along with a parallel civil forfeiture action. Son has also been charged and convicted in South Korea and is currently in custody serving his sentence in South Korea. An additional 337 site users residing in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington State and Washington, D.C. as well as the United Kingdom, South Korea, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Canada, Ireland, Spain, Brazil and Australia have been arrested and charged.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Chief Don Fort of IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa Erichs of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), made the announcement.
“Darknet sites that profit from the sexual exploitation of children are among the most vile and reprehensible forms of criminal behavior,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This Administration will not allow child predators to use lawless online spaces as a shield. Today’s announcement demonstrates that the Department of Justice remains firmly committed to working closely with our partners in South Korea and around the world to rescue child victims and bring to justice the perpetrators of these abhorrent crimes.”
“Children around the world are safer because of the actions taken by U.S. and foreign law enforcement to prosecute this case and recover funds for victims,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We will continue to pursue such criminals on and off the darknet in the United States and abroad, to ensure they receive the punishment their terrible crimes deserve.”
“Through the sophisticated tracing of bitcoin transactions, IRS-CI special agents were able to determine the location of the Darknet server, identify the administrator of the website and ultimately track down the website server’s physical location in South Korea,” said IRS-CI Chief Don Fort. “This large-scale criminal enterprise that endangered the safety of children around the world is no more. Regardless of the illicit scheme, and whether the proceeds are virtual or tangible, we will continue to work with our federal and international partners to track down these disgusting organizations and bring them to justice.”
“Children are our most vulnerable population, and crimes such as these are unthinkable,” said HSI Acting Executive Associate Director Alysa Erichs. “Sadly, advances in technology have enabled child predators to hide behind the dark web and cryptocurrency to further their criminal activity. However, today’s indictment sends a strong message to criminals that no matter how sophisticated the technology or how widespread the network, child exploitation will not be tolerated in the United States. Our entire justice system will stop at nothing to prevent these heinous crimes, safeguard our children, and bring justice to all.”
According to the indictment, on March 5, 2018, agents from the IRS-CI, HSI, National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom, and Korean National Police in South Korea arrested Son and seized the server that he used to operate a Darknet market that exclusively advertised child sexual exploitation videos available for download by members of the site. The operation resulted in the seizure of approximately eight terabytes of child sexual exploitation videos, which is one of the largest seizures of its kind. The images, which are currently being analyzed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), contained over 250,000 unique videos, and 45 percent of the videos currently analyzed contain new images that have not been previously known to exist.
Welcome To Video offered these videos for sale using the cryptocurrency bitcoin. Typically, sites of this kind give users a forum to trade in these depictions. This Darknet website is among the first of its kind to monetize child exploitation videos using bitcoin. In fact, the site itself boasted over one million downloads of child exploitation videos by users. Each user received a unique bitcoin address when the user created an account on the website. An analysis of the server revealed that the website had more than one million bitcoin addresses, signifying that the website had capacity for at least one million users.
The agencies have shared data from the seized server with law enforcement around the world to assist in identifying and prosecuting customers of the site. This has resulted in leads sent to 38 countries and yielded arrests of 337 subjects around the world. The operation has resulted in searches of residences and businesses of approximately 92 individuals in the United States. Notably, the operation is responsible for the rescue of at least 23 minor victims residing in the United States, Spain and the United Kingdom, who were being actively abused by the users of the site.
In the Washington, D.C.-metropolitan area, the operation has led to the execution of five search warrants and eight arrests of individuals who both conspired with the administrator of the site and were themselves, users of the website. Two users of the Darknet market committed suicide subsequent to the execution of search warrants.
Amongst the sites users charged are:
- Charles Wunderlich, 34, of Hot Springs, California, was charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Brian James LaPrath, 34, of San Diego, California, was arrested in the District of Columbia, for international money laundering; and was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release;
- Ernest Wagner, 70, of Federal Way, Washington, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Vincent Galarzo, 28, of Glendale, New York, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Michael Ezeagbor, 22, of Pflugerville, Texas, was arrested and charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
- Nicholas Stengel, 45, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography and money laundering and was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release;
- Eryk Mark Chamberlin, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and is pending sentencing;
- Jairo Flores, 30, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts to receipt and possession of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release;
- Billy Penaloza, 29, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts to possession and receipt of child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2019;
- Michael Armstrong, 35, of Randolph, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts, to receipt and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve five years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Restitution will be determined at a future date;
- Al Ramadhanu Soedomo, 28, of Lynn, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced in the District of Massachusetts (Boston), to serve 12 months and one day followed by five years of supervised release;
- Phillip Sungmin Hong, 24, of Sharon, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Massachusetts (Boston), to receipt and possession of child pornography and is pending sentencing;
- Eliseo Arteaga Jr., 28, of Mesquite, Texas, pleaded guilty in the Northern District of Texas to possession of prepubescent child pornography. He is pending sentencing;
- Richard Nikolai Gratkowski, 40, of San Antonio, Texas, a former HSI special agent, was arrested in the Western District of Texas. Gratkowski pleaded guilty to the indictment charging one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of access with intent to view child pornography. Gratkowski was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $35,000 in restitution to seven victims and a $10,000 assessment;
- Paul Casey Whipple, 35, of Hondo, Texas, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent, was arrested in the Western District of Texas, on charges of sexual exploitation of children/minors, production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. Whipple remains in custody awaiting trial in San Antonio;
- Michael Lawson, 36, of Midland, Georgia, was arrested in the Middle District of Georgia on charges of attempted sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to serve 121 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release following his plea to a superseding information charging him with one count of receipt of child pornography;
- Kevin Christopher Eagan, 39, of Brookhaven, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in the Northern District of Georgia;
- Casey Santioius Head, 37, of Griffin, Georgia, was indicted in the Northern District of Georgia for distribution, receipt, and possession of child pornography;
- Andrew C. Chu, 28, of Garwood, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with receipt of child pornography. Those charges remain pending;
- Nader Hamdi Ahmed, 29 of Jersey City, New Jersey, was arrested in the District of New Jersey, for sexual exploitation or other abuse of children. Ahmed pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of distribution of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1, 2019;
- Jeffrey Lee Harris, 32, of Pickens, South Carolina, pleaded guilty in the District of South Carolina for producing, distributing, and possessing child pornography;
- Laine Ormand Clark Jr., 27, of Conway, South Carolina, was arrested and charged in U.S. District Court in South Carolina Division for sexual possession of child pornography;
- Jack R. Dove III, 38, of Lakeland, Florida, was arrested in the Middle District of Florida for knowingly receiving and possessing visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct;
- Michael Matthew White, 39, of Miami Beach, Florida, was arrested in the Southern District of Florida for coercion and enticement;
- Nikolas Bennion Bradshaw, 24, of Bountiful, Utah, was arrested in the State of Utah, and charged with five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and was sentenced to time served with 91 days in jail followed by probation;
- Michael Don Gibbs, 37, of Holladay, Utah, was charged in the District of Utah with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography;
- Ammar Atef H. Alahdali, 22, of Arlington, Virginia, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Virginia to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve five years in prison and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution;
- Mark Lindsay Rohrer, 38, of West Hartford, Connecticut, pleaded guilty in the District of Connecticut to receipt of child pornography and was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release;
- Eugene Edward Jung, 47, of San Francisco, California, was indicted in the Northern District of California on possession of child pornography and receipt of child pornography;
- James Daosaeng, 25, of Springdale, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and was sentenced in the Western District of Arkansas (Fayetteville) to serve 97 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release;
- Alex Daniel Paxton, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, was arrested and indicted in Franklin County Ohio Court of Common Pleas for pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor;
- Don Edward Pannell, 32, of Harvey, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Louisiana for receipt of child pornography. He is pending sentencing;
- Ryan Thomas Carver, 29, of Huntsville, Alabama, was arrested and charged under Alabama State Law. He was charged federally in the Northern District of Alabama with possession of child pornography. His case is pending in Huntsville, Alabama;
- Alexander Buckley, 28, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to 10 offences in the UK of possession and distribution of indecent images of children, possession of extreme and prohibited images and possession of a class A drug. He was sentenced to serve 40 months in prison for the distribution of indecent images and possession of class A drugs. Buckley is also subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order;
- Kyle Fox, 26, of the United Kingdom, pleaded guilty to 22 counts including rape, sexual assault, and sharing indecent images, and was sentenced to serve 22 years in prison; and
- Mohammed Almaker, 26, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was arrested in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), charged with KSA Law involving the endangerment of children. He is awaiting judicial proceedings in furtherance of criminal charges.
A forfeiture complaint was also unsealed today. The complaint alleges that law enforcement was able to trace payments of bitcoin to the Darknet site by following the flow of funds on the blockchain. The virtual currency accounts identified in the complaint were allegedly used by 24 individuals in five countries to fund the website and promote the exploitation of children. The forfeiture complaint seeks to recover these funds and, ultimately through the restoration process, return the illicit funds to victims of the crime.
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 international investigations were led by the IRS-CI, HSI and the NCA. The Korean National Police of the Republic of Korea, the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom and the German Federal Criminal Police (the Bundeskriminalamt), provided assistance and coordinated with their parallel investigations. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs of the Criminal Division provided significant assistance.
The cases are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Lindsay Suttenberg, and Youli Lee, Paralegal Specialists Brian Rickers and Diane Brashears, Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick, and Records Examiner Chad Byron of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney C. Alden Pelker of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section. Additional assistance has been provided by Deputy Chief Keith Becker and Trial Attorney James E. Burke IV of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, and former U.S. Attorney’s Office Paralegal Specialists Toni Anne Donato and Ty Eaton.
- Charles Wunderlich, 34, of Hot Springs, California, was charged in the District of Columbia with conspiracy to distribute child pornography;
District Man Sentenced to 80 Months in Prison for 2017 Shooting in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Derrick Watson, 42, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 80 months in prison for his role in a three person shooting that took place in Northeast, Washington in July 2017, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Watson was found guilty by a jury of five counts assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, six counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, felon in possession by a jury on July 24, 2019 following a one-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Craig Iscoe.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 10, 2017, at approximately 8:54pm, Watson engaged in a gun battle with Saheed Salu and Kevin Williams in a small courtyard behind 1341 I Street NE, Washington, DC. During the shooting at least 15 innocent adults and children were in the immediate area and a one-year-old was struck in the crossfire requiring medical attention. Earlier in the evening, Watson was involved in a verbal altercation with Saheed Salu over gambling. Saheed Salu left the area and returned with Kevin Williams both armed. Once Watson noticed Kevin Williams was armed, he walked to his car, retrieved his own firearm, and returned closer to Salu and Williams. Soon after, at least 13 gunshots were fired by the three shooters. Saheed Salu and Kevin Williams pleaded guilty and were sentenced in January 2019.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez, former Victim-Witness Advocate Diana Lim, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sabrina Turner, Paralegals Tiffany Fogle and Antoinette Sakamsa, former Criminal Investigator John Marsh, intern Elizabeth Brown, former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Louis Manzo.
Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen who prosecuted the case and Monica Trigoso who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing a Loaded Firearm While Trafficking NarcoticsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Thomas Washington, 66, of Northeast, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Washington pled guilty in July 2019 before the Honorable Randolph D. Moss in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Judge Moss sentenced Washington to 10 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 8, 2018, members of MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations Division observed Washington conducting hand-to-hand drug transactions. After arresting Washington, who had a stun gun and $3,067, MPD officers executed a search warrant at Washington’s residence that was located in the 4900 block of Nash Street, Northeast. During the execution of the search warrant, MPD officers recovered a High-Point model CF380 semi-automatic handgun in the dresser of the bedroom. The firearm was loaded with nine rounds of ammunition. Officers also recovered 6.5 grams of crack, a plate with residue, empty ziploc baggies, a digital scale, and $13,253.00.
When Washington was arrested for trafficking narcotics and possessing a firearm in the present case, he was on supervision with the U.S. Parole Commission following a 2012 D.C. Superior Court felony drug trafficking conviction. Washington now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and an additional sentence, separate from the above-referenced sentence, from the U.S. Parole Commission. Washington also had two additional prior drug trafficking convictions and a prior involuntary manslaughter conviction.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who prosecuted the Defendant.
U.S. Attorney Liu Written Statement to the D.C. Council on Firearms Trafficking in the Washington Metropolitan RegionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia submitted written comments for the record to the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety of the D.C. Council in response to the Committee’s invitation to testify or submit written testimony on the topic of Firearms Trafficking in the Washington Metropolitan Region and Legislative Strategies to Respond to Firearm Violence. In particular, the Office responded to the Committee’s solicitation of comments on interagency efforts to combat gun trafficking.
The Office looks forward to partnering with D.C. community leaders and its law enforcement partners to enhance public safety in the District of Columbia. Full text of the Office’s comments follows:
The United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (USAO-DC) commends the Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety for its efforts to convene a discussion on combatting firearms violence in the District of Columbia. As you know, illicit firearms play a role in most forms of the violent crimes that we see here in the District and serve to empower organized criminal groups. Firearms violence, often committed at the hands of repeat offenders, too often shakes our community to its core as innocent bystanders lose their lives. To tackle this intractable issue, we must all work together to devise a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, and multi-jurisdictional set of effective solutions. As a result, my Office has partnered with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in an effort to address a significant source of illegal firearms in the District. As we have indicated previously (most recently in the October 2, 2019, letter of Renata Cooper to the Committee), the ATF stands ready to meet with the Committee and staffers to discuss further the nexus between firearms access and firearms trafficking as well as trends important to trafficking and violent crime reduction.
Firearms make their way into the District in a variety of ways. Most firearms are produced legally and then diverted into the illicit market. They are frequently stolen and trafficked. Some unlicensed firearms sellers purchase firearms in one state, then transport them to their state of residence and sell, trade, or distribute the firearms, which can end up in the hands of those who commit crimes. Some prohibited purchasers (such as convicted felons) also use "straw purchasers," individuals who buy firearms on behalf of persons who would otherwise be precluded from buying guns themselves. Gun traffickers have also found ways to exploit the loopholes in federal law by purposefully purchasing guns through sales that do not require background checks or sale records.
Our challenge, therefore, is to determine how can we reduce the number of firearms-related incidents and keep guns out of the hands of those who should not have them. One effective strategy is to address the problems of unscrupulous gun dealers, stolen weapons, and illegal purchasers and suppliers. We have sought to do this through increased information sharing and coordination with our federal and local law enforcement partners. This allows us to identify specific incidents and trends, thereby enabling us to move quickly in investigating and prosecuting these offenses in the most appropriate venue.
Further, our partnership with the ATF, the federal agency tasked with investigating firearms trafficking, has hammered home how essential the ability to track firearms is to the reduction of trafficking and the successful investigation of firearms-related crimes. In fact, through ATF's firearms tracing capabilities and the use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), our collective partnership has been able to gain intelligence regarding specific recovered firearms that assists not only in identifying the firearm's source, but its connection to other shootings, crimes, and violent offenders.
Working side by side with our partners on this issue has allowed us to prosecute individuals involved in the illegal trafficking of firearms. For example, as recently as April 2019, Isaiah Green of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 50 months in prison for his role in drug trafficking schemes in which he illegally trafficked 31 guns, and Stephon Jeter of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 63 months for his role in a multi-state firearms trafficking conspiracy in which 25 firearms were recovered.
USAO-DC will continue to prosecute aggressively those who commit criminal offenses using firearms, those who illegally traffic in firearms, and those who illegally possess firearms in our city. The correlation between violent crime and the availability and use of illegal guns is undeniable, and we will continue to work closely with our partners in the law enforcement community in the promotion of public safety and the pursuit of justice. We stand by our message to those who traffic in illegal firearms: You will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. And we stand by each and every one of our partners in the District without whose invaluable partnerships we cannot find solutions to the illegal flow of firearms.
Seven Individuals Charged in Federal Narcotics and Firearms InvestigationRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Seven people have been arrested on federal charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into the distribution of narcotics and the possession of firearms in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. To date, large quantities of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base (crack) have been seized as a result of the investigation, along with six firearms.
The charges are contained in three indictments and a complaint unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charges were announced by 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).
Seven defendants were charged with narcotics and firearm offenses: Vontate Talley, 48; Marcus Stackhouse, 37; Kevin Stackhouse, 31; Bayney Pinard Parker, 39; Michael Thomas, 50; Alonzo Weatherspoon, 56; and Dayron Wright, 27, all of Washington, D.C.
Two sets of defendants were charged in conspiracies to traffic large quantities of narcotics, and all of the defendants were charged with separate offenses of distributing narcotics or possessing narcotics with the intent to distribute them. During the execution of nine search warrants, law enforcement seized packaged narcotics for distribution, drug paraphernalia, U.S. currency, six firearms, multiple replica firearms, magazines, and a large quantity of ammunition.
Three of the seven defendants had pending narcotics and firearms charges when committing the offenses alleged in the indictments unsealed today.
“Through this coordinated law enforcement effort, we were able to remove significant quantities of drugs and firearms from the streets,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “This investigation is another example of our determination to target drug trafficking organizations that bring crack, heroin, fentanyl, and firearms into the District and to make our neighborhoods safer.
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 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
An indictment or a complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. Every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, 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. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section; Paralegal Specialists Teesha Tobias, Kim Hall, and Candace Battle; and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.
District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possessing Multiple Firearms While Trafficking NarcoticsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Fields, 38, of Southeast, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison for possessing multiple firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office.
Fields pled guilty in July 2019 before the Honorable Paul L. Friedman in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Judge Friedman sentenced Fields to ten years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on February 9, 2019, MPD officers executed a search warrant at Fields’ residence located in the 1900 block of Naylor Road, Southeast. After entering the apartment, MPD officers located Fields in the back bedroom. In that same room, officers located three loaded firearms, a Glock 21 .45 caliber firearm, a Ruger LC95 9mm caliber firearm, and an Intratec AB-10 firearm. An additional magazine with ammunition was also recovered. Law enforcement also discovered crack cocaine, heroin, multiple digital scales, razor blades, extensive drug packaging material, and U.S. currency in the residence. As part of his plea agreement, Fields acknowledged that all three firearms belonged to him and that he possessed them in furtherance of his drug trafficking. As part of the government’s investigation, the FBI assisted law enforcement by investigating the history of the firearms and their connection to other crimes committed in the District.
When Fields was arrested for trafficking narcotics and possessing firearms in the present case, he was on supervision with the U.S. Parole Commission following a 2012 D.C. Superior Court felony drug trafficking conviction. Fields now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration, separate from the above-referenced sentence, from the U.S. Parole Commission. Fields also had a prior 2002 D.C. Superior Court conviction for assault with intent to kill, where he was incarcerated for twelve years.
This case was investigated in support of the Felon in Possession initiative, a joint partnership between MPD and federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI Washington Field Office, ATF, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, in an effort to reduce gun violence within the District of Columbia.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Newsham, and Special Agent in Charge Dunham, commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and prosecuted the defendant.
Washington Man Pleads Guilty to Advertising Videos and Images of Children Being Sexually AbusedRead the Press Release
A Washington, D.C., man pleaded guilty today to advertising child pornography.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
Simon Walker, 33, was charged in July 2018 with one count of advertising child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography.
According to admissions made in connection with his plea agreement, Walker was the creator and administrator of online chat groups devoted to the trading of child pornography. In addition to uploading images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, Walker encouraged other members of the groups to distribute child pornography, warning them that they would be removed from the groups if they did not contribute to the online community of offenders. Forensic examination of his electronic devices, pursuant to a federal search warrant executed at his residence in May 2018, uncovered hundreds of videos and images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Walker was arrested by the FBI on July 12, 2018, was ordered detained by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and has remained in custody since that time.
U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols scheduled sentencing for Jan. 23, 2020.
The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of FBI agents and local, state and federal partners, investigated the case. Trial Attorney Jessica Urban of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jodi Lazarus of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
This investigation was a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Felony Drug Trafficking and Firearm Possession ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Abdul Samuels, 45, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to seven years in prison stemming from drug trafficking and gun possession charges, 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).
Samuels, Anthony Fields, 45, of Washington, D.C., and Lonnell Tucker, 42, of Temple Hills, Md., were found guilty on March 21, 2019, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Amit P. Mehta. Samuels was convicted of conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine base (crack), and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Judge Mehta sentenced Samuels on October 2, 2019 to seven years in prison. Following his prison term, Samuels will be placed on three years of supervised release.
In June 2017, ATF began investigating the trafficking of narcotics from the Next Level Cuts barbershop located in the 2400 block of MLK, Jr., Avenue, SE and adjoining property above. Through surveillance, controlled purchases from inside and outside the barbershop, residential search warrants, cellphone searches, arrests, jailhouse calls, pleas, and cooperating witnesses, law enforcement discovered a coordinated drug trafficking operation that was centered at the barbershop and extended into Maryland. The investigation established that drug traffickers used the barbershop and adjoining property as a stash location.
The investigation led to a series of arrests beginning in February 2018 which led to the recovery of three firearms from the barbershop and one firearm in a residence, the seizure of more than $7,000 in cash, and without packaging, the seizure of more than 300 grams of PCP, more than 150 grams of heroin, more than 100 grams of fentanyl, boxes of suboxone strips, and more than 100 grams of a cutting agents.
In addition to being convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin and fentanyl from the barbershop, Samuels was also convicted of narcotics trafficking and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition relating to a search of his residence in Southeast, D.C. on May 10, 2018, where ATF recovered a firearm, ammunition, extensive drug paraphernalia, and crack cocaine.
During the trial, officers from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority testified regarding a separate arrest of Samuels in 2018 in Virginia, in which crack cocaine packaged for distribution was recovered from his vehicle. Samuels’ charges in Virginia for that arrest are still pending and on those charges, he is presumed innocent.
The Defendant was previously convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon in D.C. Superior Court, following the shooting of a victim in the neck at the victim’s residence. While serving his sentence for that offense, Samuels was subsequently prosecuted and convicted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for his role in the murder of a fellow inmate.
On June 13, 2019, Fields was sentenced to 16 years of incarceration to be followed by eight years of supervised release. On June 14, 2019, Tucker was sentenced to five years of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release. On September 25, 2019, Artinis Winston, who was a fugitive for approximately nine months, was sentenced to five years of incarceration to be followed by four years of supervised release for his role in the narcotics conspiracy.
Three other defendants – Darryl Smith, 41, of Washington, D.C., James Venable, 47, of Fort Washington, Md., and Lacy Hamilton, 42, of Suitland, Md. – pled guilty earlier to federal charges. Smith managed the barbershop and was sentenced to 80 months in prison relating to his possession of narcotics in the barbershop on February 1, 2018, and for his possession of packaged fentanyl and a loaded firearm following an arrest by MPD in December 2017 outside of the barbershop. Venable, another conspirator, was sentenced to a 37-month prison term following his possession of narcotics and a firearm in both Washington, D.C. during a December 2017 arrest by MPD and at his residence in Maryland on February 1, 2018. Venable also acknowledged selling narcotics to an ATF confidential informant in July 2017. Hamilton was sentenced to a 15-month prison term for selling narcotics outside the barbershop and in Maryland as part of the charged narcotics conspiracy.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the assistance provided by officers and agents of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.
District Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for 2016 Murder on Sidewalk in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andre Becton, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison stemming from a shooting that took place in Southeast Washington in September 2016, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Becton was found guilty of second-degree murder while armed and related firearms offenses by a jury on April 4, 2019, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Judge Juliet McKenna.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Sept. 15, 2016, the victim, Darnell “Kirk” Peoples, Sr., agreed to help a woman buy drugs. They encountered a group of young men who were playing craps in the 600 block of Mellon Street SE, in front of a neighborhood market. Mr. Peoples made a remark that offended the group, leading to a confrontation with Becton. Mr. Peoples tried to quash the trouble, but Becton pulled out a gun and started counting down. Mr. Peoples unsuccessfully tried to get the gun. Becton shot him two times in front of numerous people and fled the scene. Mr. Peoples, 35, stumbled across the street and collapsed, shot in the neck and the left hip.
The Metropolitan Police Department arrived within minutes and Mr. Peoples managed to mumble before he died that he was shot by “Dre from Trenton Park.” Becton was arrested on Oct. 21, 2016, and has been 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 assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite, Stephanie Siegerist, Meridith McGarrity, Alesha Matthews, and Richard Cheatham; Witness Security Specialists Lesley Slade and Tanya Via; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and interns Jeremy Kelly and Madison Jansky.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Trigoso and Lindsey Merikas, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 36 Months for Possession of Stolen Loaded FirearmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Delonte Bridges, 28, of Northwest, D.C., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison for his possession of a stolen loaded firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Bridges pled guilty in July 2019 before the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. Judge Jackson sentenced Bridges to 36 months in prison to be followed by 36 months of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on October 21, 2018, at approximately 4:30 p.m., officers of MPD’s Gun Recovery Unit were on patrol in two vehicles in the First Police District. As officers turned south onto the 1100 block of First Place, Northwest, an area known for narcotics and firearms offenses, individuals standing in the street made an announcement that law enforcement was entering the area. In response to the announcement, Bridges initially walked away from law enforcement and then started to run unprovoked. In response, law enforcement officers exited their vehicle, activated their body camera video, and followed in pursuit. Body camera video of responding officers showed that a firearm was visible on the waistband of Bridges after he gave up running from law enforcement and was on the ground. Upon his arrest, officers recovered from Bridges’ waistband a Glock 27 .40 caliber firearm with one round of .40 caliber ammunition in the chamber and five rounds of .40 caliber ammunition in the magazine. MPD officers learned that the firearm was reported stolen during a theft that occurred on July 23, 2018 in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue, Northeast.
In 2011, Bridges was convicted in the D.C. Superior Court of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine at the same location that he was found with the stolen loaded firearm in this case.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham, commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 102 Months in Prison for Traffic Fatality in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert E. Little, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight and a half years in prison on a charge of voluntary manslaughter in a crash that killed bicyclist, David Salovesh in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Little pled guilty on July 23, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for the eight and a half years prison sentence, which was agreed upon by the government and the defense. The Honorable Craig Iscoe accepted the plea and sentenced Little accordingly.
According to the government’s evidence, the fatal crash occurred on Friday, April 19, 2019, at approximately 10:15 a.m. Uniformed MPD officers in a marked cruiser attempted to stop the van that Little was driving earlier near the intersection of Bladensburg Road and Benning Road NE, because the van was reported stolen from Maryland the day before. When officers activated their emergency lights behind Little’s van, he fled from police, turning west onto Florida Avenue NE. For safety concerns, officers discontinued their attempt to stop the van, after realizing that the van was not going to stop.
Continuing to flee, Little drove at a high rate of speed west in the 1200 block of Florida Avenue NE. He ran a red light at the intersection of Florida Avenue, 12th Street and Montello Avenue, and struck a vehicle that was driving through the intersection with the green light. The collision caused Little’s van to be redirected, and it struck the victim, David Salovesh, who had been riding a bicycle and was stopped at the red light waiting to continue east bound on Florida Avenue. During the crash, Little’s van dragged Mr. Salovesh’s body, struck a tree, a trash can and came to a rest, pinning Mr. Salovesh against a second tree, killing him.
The pursuing officers came upon the crash scene while Little was still behind the wheel of the stolen van. Little, who was injured, was taken to a hospital and treated. His blood taken at the hospital was later analyzed and found to contain PCP. The crash data recorder of the van was downloaded and showed that the Little was driving at speeds up to 78 miles per hour, in a 25 mile per hour zone, leading up to the crash.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case from the Major Crash Investigations Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Siegerist and Lorce Applewhite, and Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward A. O’Connell, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 15 Years for Fatal Stabbing in SoutheastRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – David A. Hackney, 60, of Southeast, Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of a man in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
On September 27, 2019, pursuant to Hackney’s guilty plea, the Honorable Milton C. Lee of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia sentenced Hackney to 15 years in prison. Hackney pled guilty to second-degree murder while armed in the killing of Chester Belfield at a prior proceeding on July 11, 2019. Upon completion of his sentence, Hackney will also be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 13, 2019, at approximately 2:30 p.m., members of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were dispatched to 1039 Southern Avenue, Southeast for a stabbing incident. Upon arrival at the scene, MPD located an adult male victim – later identified as Chester Belfield – unresponsive suffering from stab wounds to the body. Mr. Belfield was then transported to the District’s United Medical Center where he later died from his injuries.
According to multiple witnesses, Hackney and Mr. Belfield engaged in a verbal confrontation. Witnesses then observed Hackney escalating the verbal fight by chasing Mr. Belfield across Southern Avenue, SE with a knife in his right hand. Mr. Belfield was not armed and tried to run away from Hackney. The witnesses then observed Hackney stab Mr. Belfield at least three times. Hackney fled the scene after killing Mr. Belfield. The witness’s testimony was further confirmed by a cellular telephone video that captured the entire incident from start to finish.
Hackney was arrested on April 22, 2019, where he remains in custody until his sentencing.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the work of Supervisory Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark and Paralegal Specialist Debra Forte. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nebiyu Feleke and Laura Bach who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of Corrina MehielRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – El Hadji Toure, 30, formerly of Laurel, Md., was sentenced today to life in prison for murder and other charges stemming from the March 2017 murder of artist Corrina Mehiel, whose body was found in a rowhouse in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
In March 2019 Toure was found guilty by a jury of a total of 13 charges, including first-degree murder while armed (premeditated and felony), with aggravating circumstances; first-degree sexual abuse while armed, also with aggravating circumstances; kidnapping while armed; first-degree burglary while armed; robbery while armed; first-degree theft; unauthorized use of a vehicle; credit card fraud, and first-degree identity theft. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Juliet McKenna sentenced Toure to life in prison without the possibility of release.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 21, 2017, at approximately 4:34 p.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) found Ms. Mehiel’s body in a rowhouse in the 600 block of 14th Street NE. Ms. Mehiel’s body, which had been bound, showed multiple stab wounds to her neck and side. Ms. Mehiel, 34, of Burnsville, N.C., had been staying in the sublet basement apartment while in Washington for a couple of weeks while working on an art show at the Corcoran Gallery at George Washington University.
On the morning of Monday, March 20, 2017, Ms. Mehiel was packing up her few belongings from the apartment. Toure broke into the residence, kidnapping and sexually assaulting her, stabbing her, and stealing her belongings, including her car and her debit card. Toure later used her debit card to withdraw cash at several ATMs in nearby Maryland and Virginia from March 20 through March 24, 2017.
On the afternoon of March 21, 2017, when no one had heard from Ms. Mehiel, her co-workers entered her apartment and found her body, face down in her bedroom.
The defendant, who was a stranger to Ms. Mehiel, was arrested on March 27, 2017, in Northeast Washington, and has been in custody ever since.
The government’s evidence in the case included surveillance video showing Toure using Ms. Mehiel’s debit card at ATMs; he is also visible on surveillance video on Ms. Mehiel’s block shortly before the attack. Additionally, DNA evidence linked him to the crime.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metro Transit Police Department, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and Signature Science LLC. They acknowledged the efforts of those worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Elizabeth Trosman, Chief of the Appellate Division; Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Stephen R. Prest, Special Counsel for Discovery Policy and Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julianne Johnston, Silvia Gonzalez Roman, and Lauren Bates; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator LaJune Thames; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Supervisory Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Tijuana McPhail and Richard Cheatham; Senior Paralegal Specialist Kathryn Hoey; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Elizabeth Marrero.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler and Jessi Brooks, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Role in Large-Scale Narcotics Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Artinis Winston, 43, of Northeast, D.C. was sentenced today to five years in prison for his role in a large-scale narcotics trafficking conspiracy. 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) made the announcement.
Winston pled guilty in July 2019 before the Honorable Amit P. Mehta in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Judge Mehta sentenced Winston to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. As part of his guilty plea to engaging in the conspiracy, Winston accepted responsibility for trafficking 360 grams of heroin and 40 grams of buprenorphine (commonly referred to as suboxone). Winston’s conviction in the case represents his fourth felony conviction.
According to the Government’s evidence, in June 2017, ATF began investigating the trafficking of narcotics from the Next Level Cuts barbershop located in the 2400 block of MLK, Jr., Avenue, SE and adjoining property above. Law enforcement discovered a coordinated drug trafficking operation that was centered at the barbershop and extended into Maryland through surveillance, controlled purchases from inside and outside the barbershop, residential search warrants, cellphone searches, arrests, jailhouse calls, pleas, and cooperating witnesses. The investigation established that drug traffickers used the barbershop and adjoining property as a stash location.
The investigation led to a series of arrests beginning in February 2018. These arrests led to the recovery of three firearms from the barbershop, one firearm in a residence, the seizure of more than $7,000 in cash, and without packaging, the seizure of more than 300 grams of PCP, more than 150 grams of heroin, more than 100 grams of fentanyl, boxes of suboxone strips, and more than 100 grams of a cutting agents.
While multiple conspirators had been arrested in 2018, Winston was a fugitive for approximately nine months. Coconspirators Lonnell Tucker, 42, of Temple Hills, Md., Anthony Fields, 45, of Washington, D.C., and Abdul Samuels, 45, of Washington, D.C., were found guilty on March 21, 2019, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge Mehta.
During the trial, officers and agents of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, and the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor, testified regarding separate arrests of coconspirators during the course of ATF’s investigation, which resulted in the seizure of narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and U.S. currency.
On June 13, 2019, Fields was sentenced to 16 years in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release. On June 14, 2019, Tucker was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Samuels is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2019 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Three other defendants – Darryl Smith, 41, of Washington, D.C., James Venable, 47, of Fort Washington, Md., and Lacy Hamilton, 42, of Suitland, Md. – pled guilty earlier to federal charges. Smith managed the barbershop and was sentenced to 80 months in prison relating to his possession of narcotics in the barbershop on February 1, 2018, and for his possession of packaged fentanyl and a loaded firearm following an arrest by MPD in December 2017 outside of the barbershop. Venable, another conspirator, was sentenced to a 37-month prison term following his possession of narcotics and a firearm in both Washington, D.C. during a December 2017 arrest by MPD and at his residence in Maryland on February 1, 2018. Venable also acknowledged selling narcotics to an ATF confidential informant in July 2017. Hamilton was sentenced to a 15-month prison term for selling narcotics outside the barbershop and in Maryland as part of the charged narcotics conspiracy.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Benedict, and Chief Newsham commended the assistance provided by officers and agents of the Prince George’s County Police Department, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, the Maryland Office of the State Prosecutor, and the United States Marshal Service who assisted in trying to apprehend Winston. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for His Part in Three Separate KidnappingsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON- Jesse Nunn, 24, of Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to 120 months in prison for his part in three separate kidnappings over the course of three weeks in Northwest Washington.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) made the announcement.
Nunn pled guilty on May 10, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to three counts of kidnapping. The Honorable Trevor N. McFadden sentenced Nunn on September 19, 2019, to a 10-year prison term, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 15, 2018, Nunn and his co-defendant lured Complaining Witness (“CW”) #1 into his car in the 1300 block of U Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., with the promise of selling him narcotics. When CW #1 entered the car, Nunn produced a handgun and pointed it at CW #1, demanding the victim’s debit/credit card, cellphone, and U.S. Currency. During the course of the kidnapping, the defendants drove to various financial institutions and other store locations, crossing state lines, in an attempt to use CW #1’s debit/credit cards to obtain U.S. Currency. At one point, Nunn also punched CW #1, causing minor injuries. CW #1 was eventually able to escape from the vehicle and flag-down a passing driver.
On July 27, 2018, in the 600 block of U Street, N.W., Nunn and two co-defendants lured CW #2 into their car with the promise of selling him narcotics. CW #2 willingly got into the defendants’ vehicle so that the defendants could take him to an ATM to get money for the purchase of the narcotics. The defendants drove CW #2 to a 7-Eleven ATM located in Bladensburg, MD, so that CW #2 could use the ATM machine to withdraw U.S. currency to purchase narcotics from the defendants. When CW #2 and one of the co-defendants returned to the vehicle, Nunn produced a handgun and pointed the weapon at CW #2. The defendants demanded CW #2’s debit/credit card, cellphone, and U.S. currency. The defendants forcibly took CW #2 to various locations, including locations outside of the District of Columbia, to use or attempt to use CW #2’s debit/credit cards for money or other personal property. CW #2 was eventually able to escape from the vehicle in Virginia.
On August 4, 2018, at approximately 2:30 am, CW #3 left a nightclub located in the 1300 block of U Street, N.W. to catch an Uber home. Believing Nunn’s vehicle to be his Uber, CW #3 entered the vehicle, in which Nunn was seated in the rear seat. Within minutes of CW #3 getting into the vehicle for his ride home, Nunn demanded CW #3’s phone and wallet and then produced and pointed a handgun at CW #3. Nunn and his co-defendant drove CW #3 around and demanded that CW #3 give them his PIN number for his debit/credit card. CW #3 was eventually able to escape from the vehicle in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the FBI Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force, which is charged with investigating the most egregious acts of violent crime impacting the Capital Region Task Force, which involved members from the FBI and MPD. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, former Paralegal Specialist Jeannette Litz, and Victim/Witness Specialist Yvonne Bryant. Finally, they commended the outstanding work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who indicted and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 18-Month Prison Term for Sexually Assaulting Fellow Passenger After Getting Off a MetrobusRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Justin Quentin Taylor, 20, of the District, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for sexually assaulting a stranger after the two got off a Metrobus, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Taylor pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in March 2019, to attempted third degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson to 18 months in prison. Following his prison term, he will be placed on supervised release for seven years and will have to register as a sex offender for ten years.
According to the government’s evidence at the plea hearing, in the early morning hours of December 10, 2018, both Taylor and the victim were passengers on the same city bus. They did not know one another. They both got off the bus on 48th Street, N.E. in the District. While in the 1300 block of 48th Street N.E., the Taylor walked past the victim, then stopped directly in front of her and asked her for directions, asked whether he could use her phone and asked the woman whether she could help him with his “button.” Taylor then grabbed the woman, took down his pants and attempted to sexually assault her. She escaped and immediately notified the police. Taylor was stopped by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers nearby a short while later, where they arrested him.
After his arrest, Taylor told detectives from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit that he had intended to rape the victim. Taylor told the detective that he had done something similar in Prince George’s County, Maryland, when he was 18-years-old, and that he had served time in Maryland for that other incident.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Assistance Unit Supervisor Dr. Lorraine Chase. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.