District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Marvin Parker, 61, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for paying more than $40,000 in bribes to two Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) employees, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

           In July 2019, Parker pled guilty to one count of bribery of a public official in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Emmett G. Sullivan sentenced him to 18 months in prison to be followed by 18 months of supervised release. Parker was also ordered to forfeit $40,001.00, the minimum dollar value of the bribes he paid to MPD officials. 

           According to Parker’s admissions made in connection with his plea, Parker was the owner and sole proprietor of RPM Associates, through which he solicited clients involved in traffic accidents to connect them with legal and medical services. Parker admitted to paying cash to two MPD employees to influence them to provide him with information about individuals who had been involved in traffic accidents in in the District. After receiving this information, Parker would contact those individuals by phone and offer to assist them with obtaining legal representation and medical services. MPD’s General Orders prohibits officers and employees from releasing Traffic Crash Reports except under limited circumstances.  D.C. Law prohibits the solicitation of traffic accident victims within 21 days of the accident when the solicitation is for financial gain and for the purpose of directing the victim to practitioners, such as attorneys or medical providers. Parker admitted that he solicited and entered into a scheme with two different MPD employees, whom he paid anywhere from $50 to $500 per week for the personal identifying information of recent traffic crash victims. During an approximately two-year span between 2015 and 2017, Parker paid more than $40,000 in cash bribes to the two employees.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who assisted the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD’s Internal Affairs Division.  She also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including paralegal specialist Mariela Andrade and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Floyd, Kathryn Rakoczy, and Colleen Kukowski along with former Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler, who investigated and prosecuted the case.  

WASHINGTON – The owner of a physical security school pleaded guilty today to defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with disabilities. 

           Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.

           Francis Engles, 63, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.  The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia.  Sentencing has been scheduled for April 2, 2020.

           According to admissions made in connection with Engles’s guilty plea, Engles was the owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles Security).  In August 2015, Engles Security became an approved vendor of the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program, which provides disabled U.S. military veterans with services.  Thereafter, Engles Security obtained over 80 percent of its total revenue from the VA in exchange for purporting to provide certain courses to disabled military veterans. 

           To further the scheme, Engles falsely represented to the VA that he was providing veterans with months-long courses for 40 hours per week and over 600 total hours.  In fact, Engles Security offered veterans far less than what Engles represented to the VA.  In some instances, he offered only a few hours of class per day for several weeks.  Some veterans did not attend more than one day of class.  Engles nevertheless sent to the VA “Certificates of Training” stating that veterans had completed courses that they had not completed or, in some instances, had not taken at all.  Similarly, Engles submitted letters to the VA falsely stating that the veterans were employed by Engles’ private security business.  Engles also instructed veterans to sign attendance sheets for classes that they did not in fact attend.  In total, Engles obtained $337,960 from the VA for the purported education of veterans. 

           Engles also attempted to obstruct the investigation into his fraud.  During an interview with federal agents, Engles lied about veteran students’ attendance at the school, among other things.  Later, when Engles Security was served with a grand jury subpoena, Engles prevented his employee from producing responsive documents that she had gathered.  Some of these documents were later discovered in the government’s search of Engles Security’s office.

           In February 2019, four other individuals were sentenced in related cases following their guilty pleas.  James King, a former VA employee, was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison for committing bribery, defrauding the VA, and obstructing justice.  Albert Poawui, the owner of Atius Technology Institute, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison for committing bribery.  Sombo Kanneh, Poawui’s employee, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery.  Michelle Stevens, the owner of Eelon Training School, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison for committing bribery. 

           The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.  Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo and Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

The owner of a physical security school pleaded guilty today to defrauding a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program dedicated to rehabilitating military veterans with disabilities. 

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Timothy R. Slater of the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Kim Lampkins of the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Mid-Atlantic Field Office made the announcement.

Francis Engles, 63, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.  The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia.  Sentencing has been scheduled for April 2, 2020.

According to admissions made in connection with Engles’s guilty plea, Engles was the owner and operator of Engles Security Training School (Engles Security).  In August 2015, Engles Security became an approved vendor of the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment (VR&E) program, which provides disabled U.S. military veterans with services.  Thereafter, Engles Security obtained over 80 percent of its total revenue from the VA in exchange for purporting to provide certain courses to disabled military veterans. 

To further the scheme, Engles falsely represented to the VA that he was providing veterans with months-long courses for 40 hours per week and over 600 total hours.  In fact, Engles Security offered veterans far less than what Engles represented to the VA.  In some instances, he offered only a few hours of class per day for several weeks.  Some veterans did not attend more than one day of class.  Engles nevertheless sent to the VA “Certificates of Training” stating that veterans had completed courses that they had not completed or, in some instances, had not taken at all.  Similarly, Engles submitted letters to the VA falsely stating that the veterans were employed by Engles’s private security business.  Engles also instructed veterans to sign attendance sheets for classes that they did not in fact attend.  In total, Engles obtained $337,960 from the VA for the purported education of veterans. 

Engles also attempted to obstruct the investigation into his fraud.  During an interview with federal agents, Engles lied about veteran students’ attendance at the school, among other things.  Later, when Engles Security was served with a grand jury subpoena, Engles prevented his employee from producing responsive documents that she had gathered.  Some of these documents were later discovered in the government’s search of Engles Security’s office.

In February 2019, four other individuals were sentenced in related cases following their guilty pleas.  James King, a former VA employee, was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison for committing bribery, defrauding the VA, and obstructing justice.  Albert Poawui, the owner of Atius Technology Institute, was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison for committing bribery.  Sombo Kanneh, Poawui’s employee, was sentenced to serve 20 months in prison for conspiracy to commit bribery.  Michelle Stevens, the owner of Eelon Training School, was sentenced to serve 30 months in prison for committing bribery. 

The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.  Trial Attorneys Simon J. Cataldo and Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Lallas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.

Sunarko Kuntjoro, 68, a citizen of Indonesia, and three Indonesian-based companies, PT MS Aero Support (PTMS), PT Kandiyasa Energi Utama (PTKEU), and PT Antasena Kreasi (PTAK), were charged today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on Dec. 10, 2019, with violating U.S. export laws related to U.S. sanctions against Iran.  

The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Nick Annan, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations San Diego.

An eight-count indictment returned today charges Kuntjoro and PTMS, PTKEU, and PTAK, with conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S.-origin goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States.  Kuntjoro and PTMS also face charges for unlawful export and attempted export to an embargoed country, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and false statements. As set forth in the indictment, the U.S.-origin goods were destined for an Iranian aviation business end user, Mahan Air, and the defendants conspired to make a financial profit for themselves and other conspirators, and to evade export regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), the Export Administration Regulations, and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (GTSR).   The United States Department of Treasury designated Mahan Air as Specially Designated National and Blocked Person (SDN) under the GTSR on Oct. 12, 2011.

According to the indictment, between March 2011 and July 2018, Kuntjoro, the majority owner and President Director of PTMS, conspired with Mahan Air; Mustafa Oveici, an Iranian executive for Mahan Air; and others, including an American person and company.  Mahan Air was designated an SDN for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.  The United States Department of Commerce has placed Mahan on its Denied Parties List and Mustafa Oveici on the Entity List.  The conspiracy involved transporting goods owned by Mahan through PTMS, PTKEU and PTAK to the United States for repair and re-export to Mahan in Iran and elsewhere.  The conspirators caused the U.S.-origin goods to be exported from the United States without obtaining valid licenses from the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control and the United States Department of Commerce. 

On March 15, 1995, the President, pursuant to IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 12957, finding that “the actions and policies of the Government of Iran constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” and declaring “a national emergency to deal with the threat.”  In subsequent Executive Orders, the President imposed economic sanctions, including a trade embargo, on Iran.  The Executive Orders and the ITSR prohibit the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Iran of any goods, technology, or services from the United States or by a United States person without prior authorization or license from the United States Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, located in Washington, D.C.

Kuntjoro faces statutory maximum sentences of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and defraud the U.S. government; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each of the individual charges of violating IEEPA; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statement charge.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. 

The investigation was conducted by special agents from the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, with assistance from special agents from Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego and Miami.

The details contained in an indictment are mere allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. 

WASHINGTON – Sunarko Kuntjoro, 68, a citizen of Indonesia, and three Indonesian-based companies, PT MS Aero Support (PTMS), PT Kandiyasa Energi Utama (PTKEU), and PT Antasena Kreasi (PTAK), were charged today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on December 10, 2019, with violating U.S. export laws related to U.S. sanctions against Iran. 

           The charges were announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Nasir Khan, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Nick Annan, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations San Diego.

           An eight-count indictment returned today charges Kuntjoro and PTMS, PTKEU, and PTAK, with conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S.-origin goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States.  Kuntjoro and PTMS also face charges for unlawful export and attempted export to an embargoed country, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and false statements. As set forth in the indictment, the U.S.-origin goods were destined for an Iranian aviation business end user, Mahan Air, and the defendants conspired to make a financial profit for themselves and other conspirators, and to evade export regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), the Export Administration Regulations, and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations (GTSR).   The United States Department of Treasury designated Mahan Air as Specially Designated National and Blocked Person (SDN) under the GTSR on Oct. 12, 2011.

           According to the indictment, between March 2011 and July 2018, Kuntjoro the majority owner and President Director of PTMS, conspired with Mahan Air; Mustafa Oveici, an Iranian executive for Mahan Air; and others, including an American person and company.  Mahan Air was designated an SDN for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.  The United States Department of Commerce has placed Mahan on its Denied Parties List and Mustafa Oveici on the Entity List.  The conspiracy involved transporting goods owned by Mahan through PTMS, PTKEU and PTAK to the United States for repair and re-export to Mahan in Iran and elsewhere.  The conspirators caused the U.S.-origin goods to be exported from the United States without obtaining valid licenses from the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control and the United States Department of Commerce. 

           On March 15, 1995, the President, pursuant to IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 12957, finding that “the actions and policies of the Government of Iran constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” and declaring “a national emergency to deal with the threat.”  In subsequent Executive Orders, the President imposed economic sanctions, including a trade embargo, on Iran.  The Executive Orders and the ITSR prohibit the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Iran of any goods, technology, or services from the United States or by a United States person without prior authorization or license from the United States Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, located in Washington, D.C.

            Kuntjoro faces statutory maximum sentences of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and defraud the U.S. government; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each of the individual charges of violating IEEPA; a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine on the charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; and a maximum of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statement charge.  The maximum potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge. 

           The investigation was conducted by special agents from the United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Export Enforcement, with assistance from special agents from Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego and Miami.

           The details contained in an indictment are mere allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. 

WASHINGTON - Issam Shammout of Jordan, 48, and Ali Abdullah Alhay of Saudi Arabia, 61, were charged with violating U.S. export laws and sanctions against Iran in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.  The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Special Agent in Charge Jill Sanborn of FBI Minneapolis, and Acting Director of the Office of Export Enforcement John Sonderman of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

           A 17-count indictment returned on Tuesday December 16, 2019 charges Shammout and Alhay with conspiracy to acquire U.S. origin aircrafts and parts to supply to end-users in Iran, specifically Mahan Air, a specially designated national.  The indictment alleges that the defendants concealed from companies, financial institutions that clear U.S. dollar transactions, and the U.S. government that the U.S.-origin goods were destined for Mahan Air, all as part of a scheme to enrich the defendants and other conspirators, and to evade the regulations, prohibitions, and licensing requirements of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

           A related verified civil complaint in rem filed in July 2017 in the District of Columbia against $17,035,935 in funds for benefit of Al Naser airlines has also been unsealed. These funds were allegedly involved in this scheme to launder funds in to the United States to illicitly procure airplanes destined for Mahan Air. A criminal forfeiture allegation against the funds and nine airplanes was also included in the indictment against Shammout and Alhay.

            “We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who violate our export control laws and use every measure available under the law, to include civil forfeiture, to recover funds for the victims of terrorism,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “These laws serve to prevent hostile countries from obtaining and proliferating goods that could be used to harm our nation.”

           "Today's indictment underscores an important fact that those who support this type of procurement effort by Mahan Air will be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Jill Sanborn. "We applaud the efforts of our agents and other partners for their outstanding work on this significant case," Sanborn added.

           “The Department of Commerce and our interagency partners will relentlessly pursue any commercial entity which flagrantly disregards American laws to support the spread of terrorism," said Acting Director of the Office of Export Enforcement John Sonderman. “This is just the latest in a string of actions dating back to 2008 to end Mahan Air's systematic violation of U.S. export controls.”

           According to the indictment, beginning around August 2012 through May 2015, Shammout and Alhay conspired to purchase and deliver U.S.-made engine parts valued at over ten percent of the value of the aircraft, subjecting them to the strictures of IEEPA and the Iran Sanction Regulations. The conspiracy utilized the U.S. correspondent banking system to process the illicit transactions as they were in U.S. Dollars, and at no time were U.S. financial institutions alerted that they were financing Mahan Air’s aircraft supply.

           Mahan Air has been designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury since October  12, 2011 as a Specially Designated National for providing financial, material and technological support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.  The Department of Commerce has placed Mahan on its Denied Parties List.

           On March 15, 1995, the President, pursuant to IEEPA, issued Executive Order No. 12957, finding that “the actions and policies of the Government of Iran constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” and declaring “a national emergency to deal with the threat.”  In subsequent Executive Orders, the President imposed economic sanctions, including a trade embargo, on Iran.  The Executive Orders and the ITSR prohibit the exportation, re-exportation, sale, or supply, directly or indirectly, to Iran of any goods, technology, or services from the United States or by a United States person without prior authorization or license from the United States Department of the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, located in Washington, D.C.

           If convicted, Shammout and Alhway would face a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

           The investigation was conducted by special agents from the FBI Minneapolis Field Office and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security Office of Export Enforcement Washington D.C. Field Office. 

           The details contained in an indictment are mere allegations.  All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

           Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Chris Brown, and Arvind Lal, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kaltsas, National Security Division Trial Attorney Dave Recker, and Paralegal Specialist Rosalind Pressley, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, are representing the government.  Former Intelligence Analyst Lia Anter also provided support of this investigation.

WASHINGTON – Ethan Moye-Gordon, 23, of Maryland, was sentenced yesterday to 84 months in prison for his participation in an armed kidnapping and robbery that began in the District of Columbia and continued into Maryland.

           U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division, Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department, and Chief Henry P. Stawinski, Prince George’s County Police Department made the announcement.

           The defendant entered a guilty plea in July of 2019, before the Honorable Judge Amy Berman Jackson. In addition to the period of incarceration, Judge Jackson imposed a 60-month period of supervised release and required the defendant to complete 250 hours of community service.

           According to the government’s evidence, late in the evening on November 10, 2018, and into the early morning hours of November 11, 2018, Moye-Gordon, along with two other men, abducted the victim at gunpoint near Logan Circle and forced the victim into their vehicle.  The victim had been in Washington to attend the annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer at the Convention Center. 

           During the course of the abduction, the victim was forced into the trunk of the defendant’s vehicle; he ultimately was able to pull the latch in the trunk and attempted to escape, but was unable to obtain help before he was recaptured by his captors and forced back into the vehicle.

           During the abduction, Moye-Gordon and his associates forced the victim at gunpoint to provide his ATM PIN code and made physical withdrawals from numerous ATMs in D.C. and Maryland.  Moye-Gordon and his associates also withdrew funds from the victim’s accounts using online banking applications on the victim’s phone.

           In a statement provided to the court, the victim advised that “words cannot convey the horror and the shock I experienced” during the kidnapping. The victim praised everyone who worked on the case and “diligently assembled evidence and facts, and then diligently and expertly conducted their criminal case and investigation.” 

           This matter was investigated by the Washington Field Office’s Violent Crime Task Force, which is composed of FBI Special Agents, along with Detectives of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police, in conjunction with the Prince George’s County Police. This task force, working with local, state and federal partners, is charged with investigating and arresting the most egregious and violent criminal actors within the Capital Region.   

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Chief Newsham, and Chief Stawinski commended the work of the FBI Agents, MPD officers, Prince George’s County police officers, and Arlington County police officers who investigated the armed kidnapping. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane, former Assistant United States Attorney Jillian Willis, Paralegal Specialist Rommel, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Adams, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 32 years in prison stemming from a killing of a man that took place outside of a convenience store in 2016 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Adams was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed and a weapons offense related to the murder, as well as a robbery charge involving an earlier incident following a 4-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, on the night of February 15, 2016, Adams and two others robbed a woman near the intersection of 21st and Maryland NE and threatened that her brother would be next. The woman told her brother what happened, and he confronted Adams and the others.

           On February 19, 2016, at approximately 9:40 p.m., Adams armed with a .40-caliber revolver, walked a short distance from 21st Street and Maryland Avenue NE to the convenience store at 19th Street and Benning Road NE. He was backed by several others from the neighborhood. He walked to the center of the parking lot, raised his left arm, and pointed his firearm at the woman’s brother, firing multiple times. The man was in a group that included Dante Kinard. The gunfire did not hit the intended target, but did hit Mr. Kinard, 21, who was standing in front of the store at the time. He was shot in the back and right thigh and died a short time later.

           Adams was arrested on June 15, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.

           In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by U.S. Marshal Service, U.S. Park Police, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the ATF. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan, Chrisellen Kolb, Daniel Lenerz, John Mannarino, David Misler, and Rizwan Qureshi; Paralegal Specialists Debra Joyner, Alesha Matthews, Lornce Applewhite, Meridith McGarrity, and Sharon Newman; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Anisha Bhatia, and Thomas “Ron” Royal; Victim/Witness Advocates Diana Lim and Jennifer Allen; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Lesley Slade and M. LaVerne Perry, and Intern Tia Kerkhof.

           Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Baset and Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Cleophat Tanis, 52, of Naples, Florida, pled guilty today to one count of mail fraud for his role in a scheme that caused the District of Columbia’s Department of Disability Services to be defrauded out of more than $880,000. Tanis conspired with Eugenia Rapp, 50, of Woodbridge, Virginia, a former D.C. government employee, who pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in July.

           The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division; Aaron R. Jordan, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, Department of Education; and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

           Tanis and Rapp pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Tanis faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Rapp faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in prison. Both face potential financial penalties. Judge Trevor N. McFadden scheduled Tanis’ sentencing for March 13, 2020. Judge McFadden is expected to set a sentencing date for Rapp at her status hearing tomorrow morning.

           According to the statement of offense submitted to the Court in Tanis’ case, Rapp worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the District of Columbia’s Department of Disability Services, Rehabilitation Services Administration (“DCRSA”). The DCRSA Vocational Rehabilitation program provides vocational rehabilitation benefits, like college tuition, to qualified individuals with disabilities to help them prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Individuals must be D.C. residents to be eligible for the benefits.

           From 2012 through 2016, Rapp conspired with others to defraud the D.C. government by having benefits awarded to individuals who weren’t eligible to receive them. In her role as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, Rapp was responsible for determining whether an individual was eligible to receive the benefits. Notwithstanding D.C. government policy regarding conflicts of interest, Rapp served as the vocational rehabilitation counselor for more than 20 individuals whom she described as being related to her. She knew these individuals were not eligible to receive benefits, but ensured that she was assigned to be their vocational rehabilitation counselor, so she could process and approve their applications. As a result, the D.C. government awarded vocational rehabilitation benefits totaling approximately $834,536 to Rapp’s family members and friends.

           When one of Rapp’s family members wanted to attend Tanis’ nursing school, Rapp worked with Tanis to get his school added as an approved vendor with the D.C. government. During that process, Tanis told Rapp that his school was struggling financially and asked her to use her position to help pay tuition for students at his school. Tanis knew that students had to be D.C. residents in order to be eligible to receive benefits, but worked with Rapp to get $47,895 in benefits awarded to five students at his school who were not D.C. residents and who had no familial relationship to Rapp. During the scheme, Tanis provided one of Rapp’s relatives with a full scholarship to attend his school. Rapp also asked him to provide money to that relative, which he did.

           In announcing Tanis’ plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Assistant Inspector General Jordan, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia’s Officer of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialist Mariela Andrade, and former Paralegal Specialists Brittany Phillips and Jessica Mundi. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who is prosecuting the case. 

WASHINGTON – Vivian Marion Hairston, 37, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today for setting fire to her grandmother’s home in the Kingman Park neighborhood of Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

           Hairston was found guilty of arson with a senior citizen enhancement and destruction of property following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for February 21, 2020.

           According to the government’s evidence, on May 2, 2019, Hairston went to her 78-year-old grandmother’s house and got into an argument with her mother about not being let inside the house due to her PCP use. Hairston told her mother that she would “be back,” and 15 minutes later she returned holding a gallon jug of yellow liquid and poured the liquid all over the enclosed front porch. She set a fire and left while her grandmother was asleep in the basement and her mother and other family members, including a 1-year-old, were inside. A few minutes later, family members saw smoke and ran out to see the porch on fire. The family was able to put the fire out before there was any major damage. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) determined that gasoline was used as an accelerant to light the fire. The jug was never recovered. A doorbell camera captured Hairston pouring a liquid onto the porch but unfortunately cut out before she set the fire. 

           In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vivian Kim, who initially investigated the case, Dana Joseph, and Eric Nguyen. She also praised Victim Witness Advocates Tracy Owusu and Elsa Maltese and Paralegals TJ McPhail and ReShawn Johnson.  

           The U.S. Attorney’s Office works with the Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and other law enforcement partners on investigations of crimes targeting older victims. The Office hopes to build on its work successfully prosecuting such cases and in addition, the Office will continue its extensive community outreach efforts in hopes of increasing awareness to protect seniors.

           More information about the Department of Justice’s elder justice efforts can be found on its Elder Justice Website at https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice

WASHINGTON – Victor A. Brown, Jr., 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 210 months in prison for his unlawful possession of a loaded firearm with an extended magazine, as well as his possession of distribution-level quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base, Jessie K. Liu, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department announced.

           The sentence followed a jury trial in September in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan. Due to two prior qualifying convictions – one for a crime of violence and one for a drug trafficking offense – Judge Hogan sentenced the defendant to enhanced sentencing penalties as a Career Offender.

           According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of March 22, 2019, officers of MPD’s Fourth District Crime Suppression Team executed a search warrant at a rowhouse in the Petworth neighborhood.  Inside of Brown’s bedroom, officers located a 9 millimeter pistol with an extended magazine in his night stand.  Officers recovered fentanyl and cocaine base from on top of his bed and recovered various items used for drug distribution throughout Brown’s bedroom (including digital scales, ziplocks, a tray with residue, cutting agents, and razor blades).  Officers also recovered more than $2,800 in U.S. currency from Brown’s person.

           At the time of his arrest this spring, Brown was under supervision for a robbery charge to which he had pled guilty in Howard County, Maryland.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Fourth District Crime Suppression Team who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the fingerprint analysts from the D.C. Department of Forensic Science.  She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Rommel Pachoca, Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lenerz.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Wasserman and Laura Crane, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

           The United States has filed a civil complaint seeking the forfeiture of an Attic Etruscan votive statuette that was recovered by the FBI and HSI years after it was illegally excavated and smuggled out of Italy. The United States intends to return the artwork to its rightful owner.

           The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of HSI’s Washington Field Office.

           The artwork, an unusually detailed bronze statuette of a young woman, measures approximately 4.5 inches tall. The figurine’s features are believed to be reminiscent of the fifth century B.C.E., when historical Etruria covered what is now Tuscany, in Northern Italy.  The statuette has been described as “among the best known examples of small scale Etruscan bronze sculpture.” 

           The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and seeks forfeiture of the sculpture on the basis that it represents the proceeds of the interstate transportation of stolen property and possession of stolen goods.

           “The recovery of this artwork stolen from Italy and its people reflects our commitment to pursue justice for victims of crime here and abroad,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “The looting of cultural heritage for profit is unacceptable, and we will continue to assist in the efforts to return such items to their rightful owners.”

           “The FBI works to return stolen art to preserve the culture and history of countries around the world,” said Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge FBI Washington Field Office. “This action sends a clear message to art dealers and galleries that trafficking in stolen art ultimately does not pay. We encourage those who suspect that a piece of art is stolen to report it to law enforcement so we can return it to its rightful owners. The FBI worked closely with our HSI partners to recover this important piece, and will continue to aggressively investigate theft of cultural property.”

           According to the complaint, the statuette is allegedly part of a trove of objects discovered during an illegal excavation in the Tuscan region of Italy.  It was allegedly smuggled out of Italy in violation of Italian law to a prominent art gallery in Switzerland that allegedly dealt in antiquities trafficking. In approximately 1989, an American art gallery purchased the statuette and later sold it to a private collector. The statuette resurfaced when the collector tried to sell it using another American art gallery in New York. The offering price for the sculpture was $95,000.

           HSI obtained custody of the statuette, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office commenced forfeiture proceedings. The government plans to return the statuette to the Italian Republic upon its filing of a claim of ownership.

           The lawsuit is captioned United States v. One Attic Etruscan Votive Statuette of a Female Figure.

           This case is being investigated by HSI’s Washington Field Office, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui and Arvind Lal, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Williamson, and Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Elizabeth Swienc, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, are representing the government. 

The United States has intervened in a whistleblower suit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Navistar Defense LLC.  Navistar Defense manufactured armored vehicles for the United States military and is a subsidiary of Navistar International LLC, headquartered in Melrose Park, Illinois.  The suit alleges that Navistar Defense violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent invoices to support inflated prices for commercial parts under its contract to supply Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

“The Department of Justice will hold accountable those contractors who falsify information and thereby cause the military to pay inflated prices,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Civil Division.  “We will take steps necessary to protect the military’s procurement process from abuse.”

“Through rigorous enforcement of the False Claims Act, we protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia.  “We expect the utmost integrity and reliability from the contractors that design and build equipment that is meant to ensure that our men and women in uniform are adequately protected as they serve our country.”

In 2007, the United States Marine Corps awarded Navistar Defense a contract to build several hundred MRAP vehicles to replace the Humvee, which proved to be vulnerable to roadside explosive devices.  Navistar Defense ultimately provided nearly 4,000 MRAPs under the contract.  In 2009, as the focus of the war effort transitioned from the paved roads and flat terrain of the Iraqi deserts to Afghanistan’s rocky terrain, the Marine Corps sought to upgrade its MRAP vehicles with a modified Independent Suspension System (ISS).  During the course of negotiations for the ISS, the Marine Corps asked Navistar Defense to provide evidence of prior commercial sales of the various parts that made up the ISS to ensure that the prices paid were fair and reasonable.  The lawsuit alleges that Navistar Defense knowingly submitted fraudulent invoices that falsely purported to show prior, comparable commercial sales to conceal the inflated prices it was charging the Marine Corps.  In reality, the lawsuit alleges, those sales never occurred. 

The lawsuit was originally filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Duquoin Burgess, a former government contracts manager for Navistar Defense.  Under the acts, a private party, known as a relator, can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery.  The act permits the United States to intervene in and take over the action, as it has done here.  If a defendant is found liable for violating the act, the United States may recover three times the amount of its losses plus applicable penalties.

The lawsuit is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  Investigative support is being provided by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

The case is captioned United States ex rel. Burgess v. Navistar Defense, LLC (D.D.C).  The claims alleged in the lawsuit are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. 

WASHINGTON – The United States has intervened in a multimillion dollar whistleblower suit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Navistar Defense, LLC.  Navistar Defense manufactured large and armored vehicles for the United States military and is a subsidiary of Navistar International, LLC, headquartered in Melrose Park, Illinois.  The suit alleges that Navistar Defense violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting fraudulent invoices to support inflated prices for commercial parts on the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.

           “Contractors who falsify information to induce the military to pay inflated prices will be held accountable,” said Jody H. Hunt, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division.  “We will continue to protect the military’s procurement process from such abuse.”

           “Through rigorous enforcement of the False Claims Act, we protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.  “We expect the utmost integrity and reliability from the contractors that design and build equipment that is meant to ensure that our men and women in uniform are adequately protected as they serve our country.”

           In 2007, the United States Marine Corps awarded Navistar Defense a contract to build several hundred MRAP vehicles to replace the Humvee, which proved to be vulnerable to roadside bombs.  Navistar Defense ultimately provided nearly 4,000 MRAPs under the contract.  In 2009, as the focus of the war effort transitioned from the paved roads and flat terrain of the Iraqi deserts to Afghanistan’s rocky terrain, the Marine Corps sought to upgrade its MRAP vehicles with a modified (?) Independent Suspension System (ISS).  During the course of negotiations for the ISS, the Marine Corps asked Navistar Defense to provide evidence of prior commercial sales of the various parts that made up the ISS to ensure that the prices paid were fair and reasonable.  The government alleges that Navistar Defense knowingly submitted forged documents of prior, comparable commercial sales to conceal the inflated prices it was charging the Marine Corps.  In reality, those sales never occurred. 

           The suit was filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the FCA by Duquoin Burgess, a former government contracts manager for Navistar Defense.  Under those FCA provisions, a private party, known as a relator, can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery.  Under the FCA, the United States may recover three times the amount of its losses plus civil penalties.

           The government’s complaint alleges claims under the FCA, which prohibits knowingly submitting false claims for federal funds, and other common law claims.  The lawsuit is being handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.  Investigative support is being provided by the Defense Contract Audit Agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

           The case is captioned United States ex rel. Burgess v. Navistar Defense, LLC (D.D.C).  The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability. 

 

WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Navy Contractor, Canada-based OceanWorks International Cooperation (“OceanWorks”) was sentenced on December 2, 2019, for a scheme to falsify facts in a disclosure to the Department of Commerce and the company’s president, Glen Omer Viau, 52, of British Columbia, Canada, was sentenced for unauthorized use of government property.

           U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Perrye K. Turner, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Houston, and Douglas R. Hassebrock, Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement, U.S. Department of Commerce made the announcement.

           On September 10, 2019, OceanWorks pled guilty to a one-count information charging it with knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing, and covering up a material fact, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1001, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. OceanWorks’ President, Glen Omer Viau, pleaded guilty to conveying, without authority, U.S. Navy technical data to an unauthorized party. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced OceanWorks to a fine of $84,000 and Viau to time served and a $25,000 fine.

           According to the government’s evidence, the OceanWorks scheme, which started in 2016, involved misrepresenting to and concealing from, the Office of Export Enforcement within the Department of Commerce, the true nature and extent of the transfer of U.S. Navy technical data to China. The scheme was performed in connection with a proposal by OceanWorks and an unindicted company based in China (“the Chinese Company”) to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy for the design and construction of remotely-operated submarine rescue vehicles.

           OceanWorks was the prime contractor for the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System (“SRDRS”). One component of the SRDRS was the submarine rescue system, a tethered, remotely-operated vehicle that included a Pressurized Rescue Module (“PRM”). The Department of Commerce issued a formal determination that the PRM and its technical data could not be exported to China without a license and were controlled under U.S. regulations.

           In 2016, OceanWorks was sold to the Chinese Company. Viau was hired as President of OceanWorks soon thereafter.

           After Viau was hired as President, from approximately November 2016 to February 2017, OceanWorks sent U.S. Navy technical data, including multi-page technical drawings, on the PRM, a component of the U.S. Navy’s submarine rescue system, to an employee of OceanWorks and the Chinese Company. OceanWorks transferred this data to assist with a proposal to develop a similar submarine rescue vehicle system for the PLA Navy. At least one of the multi-page technical drawings was export-controlled and required a license before being sent to China.

           In 2017, the Canadian Government ordered the divestiture of the OceanWorks acquisition. Following the divesture, in March 2018, OceanWorks filed with the Department of Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement a Voluntary Self Disclosure (“VSD”) identifying export violations that had occurred before Viau became President of OceanWorks. However, in the VSD, OceanWorks omitted that the Chinese Company sought to enter the same industry as the U.S. Navy and that OceanWorks worked on a proposal to design a submarine rescue system for the PLA Navy.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Turner, and Assistant Secretary Hassebrock acknowledged the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Commerce’s Office of Export Enforcement, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. They also praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Pearlman, Jolie F. Zimmerman, and Thomas Gillice of the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David Recker of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Astriane Horton, 37, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for the 2008 murder of his best friend, Deon Coleman, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Horton pled guilty in August 2019 to second-degree murder while armed and two counts of obstructing justice, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya Dayson sentenced him to 20 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. The sentence on the obstruction counts will run concurrently with the sentence for murder. Horton was also ordered to stay away from witnesses after his release from prison.

           According to the government’s evidence, Horton kept a gun behind his grandmother’s house, on Halley Terrace, SE, the location of which was known only to Horton, Coleman, and a mutual friend.  When the gun went missing, on June 19, 2008, Horton became upset and believed that Coleman had stolen the gun, and in so doing, had disrespected him.  At that point, Horton began searching for Deon Coleman, eventually tracking him to Brandywine Street, SW, where Coleman lived.

           Shortly before 10pm that night, Astriane Horton arrived at the Coleman’s home and confronted him in the street about the missing gun. After initially appearing to part on good terms, the two men had a brief exchange of words, during which, Horton accused Coleman of taking the gun, and Coleman denied taking it. Horton then reached through the driver’s side window of the car in which Coleman sat, threw punches, then pulled out a gun and fired four (4) close range shots, striking Coleman in the face, neck, back and forearm, injuries from which Deon Coleman would not survive. 

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, and also expressed appreciation for the assistance of law enforcement in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. 

           They further expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman, Paralegal Specialists Alesha Matthews Yette, Meridith McGarrity, and Kelly Blakeney; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator LaJune Thames; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Supervisory Budget Analyst Nikiya Burnette, Budget Officer Natalie Hope; Litigation Technology Specialists Paul Howell, and William Henderson; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and  Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

           Finally, they praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney S. Vinét Bryant, who investigated and indicted the case and secured the guilty plea. 

           Saddiq Muhammad, 24, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for his role in two armed robberies that occurred on May 8 and May 9, 2019.  The incidents were part of a crime spree perpetrated by Muhammad on innocent civilians over the course of three days announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.  

           Muhammad pled guilty to two counts of assault with intent to rob while armed on October 4, 2019, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe sentenced Muhammad to 12 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence, on May 8, 2019, at about 11:16 p.m., Muhammad entered a 7-11 convenience store at 1344 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., in Washington, DC. He approached the store counter, where the victim was working as a cashier. Muhammad leapt over the counter, brandishing what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun. Muhammad pointed the handgun at the victim and demanded that he open the cash register. The victim complied. Muhammad then reached into the drawer and stole $100. Muhammad exited the store and fled South on Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., in a car he had stolen the day before.

           On May 9, 2019, at 12:30 a.m., two victims were sitting in front of an apartment building at 2517 25th Street, N.W., waiting for an Uber. Muhammad approached the victims on foot. He pulled out what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun and pointed the gun in one of the victim’s face. Muhammad demanded the victim’s cellphone. The victim had his hands up and Muhammad grabbed the victim’s cellphone from his hand. Muhammad then pointed the handgun at the other victim and grabbed her purse. The victim held onto her purse and would not let go.  Muhammad tried to pull the purse away and in the process dragged the victim several yards down the sidewalk before she surrendered her purse to Muhammad.

           Several hours later, at about 7:34 a.m., another victim was standing near 950 Division Avenue, N.E. Muhammad pulled up in the stolen car and approached the victim. Muhammad said something to the victim but the victim could not understand him because the victim did not speak English. Muhammad hit the victim in the head with a gun and took his wallet and car keys.  On that same day, Muhammad also robbed an Exxon gas station in Silver Spring, Maryland, at gunpoint.

           After an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, obtaining surveillance video and talking to witnesses, law enforcement identified Saddiq Muhammad as the perpetrator of the armed robbery spree. Muhammad was arrested on May 10, 2019, and subsequently charged. 

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hobel and Beth Kelley who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON – Hope Falowo, 53, of Bowie, Maryland, pled guilty today to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which she caused the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program to be defrauded out of approximately $400,000.

           The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu; Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Washington Field Office, Criminal Division; Maureen R. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.; and Daniel W. Lucas, District of Columbia Inspector General.

           Falowo pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of health care fraud. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Falowo faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The plea agreement calls for Falowo to pay $316,887 in restitution and $316,887 in a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly scheduled sentencing for March 20, 2020.

           Falowo worked as a personal care aide for twelve home health agencies at various times between January 2013 and March 2017. The home health agencies employed Falowo to assist D.C. Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, such as getting in and out of bed, bathing, dressing, and eating. Falowo was supposed to document the care she provided to the Medicaid beneficiaries on timesheets and then submit the timesheets to the home health agencies, which would in turn bill Medicaid for the services that she rendered.

           Between January 2013 and March 2017, Falowo caused the D.C. Medicaid Program to issue payments totaling $399,000 for services that she did not render. As part of her fraud scheme, she paid kickbacks to beneficiaries and submitted false timesheets to different home health agencies claiming that she provided 24 hours or more of personal care aide services. She also submitted false timesheets claiming to have provided personal care aide services while she was out of the country. Falowo fraudulently earned more than $300,000 in wages as a result of the healthcare fraud scheme.

           In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski, Special Agent in Charge Dunham, Special Agent in Charge Dixon of U.S. HHS-OIG, and District of Columbia Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the District of Columbia Office of Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Paralegal Specialist Lauren Fernandez. Finally, they commended the work of Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos, who investigated and prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON – Urbano Vazquez, 47 of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for abusing two children in his parish from 2015 to 2017, in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

           A jury found Vazquez guilty of committing four counts of child sexual abuse against two children in his parish on August 15, 2019, following a nine-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Juliet McKenna sentenced Vazquez to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release. As part of his sentence, Vazquez will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender. At sentencing, Judge McKenna noted a substantial sentence was necessary to protect against Vazquez’s “predatory and manipulative behavior” that had a “devastating impact on the victims.”

           The government’s evidence established that between on or about April 1, 2015 and May 31, 2015, Vazquez molested a 13-year-old girl while speaking with her in a parish office. In addition, between June 2016 and August 2017, Vazquez kissed and molested a separate 9-to-10-year-old girl in various places on church grounds, including near the church confessionals, in the church basement, and in the church sacristy. The jury also heard testimony from an additional teenage girl who Vazquez kissed in a church conference room.

           "Urbano Vazquez used his trusted position as a clergy member to abuse innocent children,” said Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. “We will not tolerate abhorrent conduct against our children. Survivors of abuse need to know that they can come forward with information and we will seek justice on their behalf.”

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Forensic Sciences Leica Team. She also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, Victim/Witness Program Specialist Juanita Harris Tracy Owusu, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Lynda Randolph, Paralegal Tiffany Jones, Appellate Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Trosman, Chrisellen Kolb, and  Elizabeth Danello, Deputy Chief Mark O’Brien, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Creighton, and interns Aquila Maliyekkal, Rustin Armknecht, and Sharon Foster. Finally, she also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Matt Williams and Sharon Marcus-Kurn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

           Ms. Liu also notes that on October 22, 2018, the Superior Court Division’s Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia launched a hotline and e-mail address for survivors to report child sexual abuse by clergy.  She continues to encourage survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy who wish to share their experiences and/or those who have knowledge of such abuse are encouraged to report these incidents to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for potential criminal investigation and prosecution, as a part of the Office’s Superior Court Division intake process.

           Survivors of child sexual abuse by a clergy member that took place in a house of worship, school, or other location in the District of Columbia can call the Clergy Abuse Reporting Line at 202-252-7008 or send an e-mail to [email protected].  Survivors can access further information by visiting the following website: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance/report-clergy-abuse

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

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

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

WASHINGTON – Nakym Sheffield, 41, of Germantown, MD was found guilty of burglarizing four separate elementary schools in the District of Columbia between March and May 2018, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

           On November 20, 2019, Sheffield was found guilty of four counts of second-degree burglary, six counts of second-degree theft, and three counts of credit card fraud, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Michael O’Keefe scheduled sentencing for January 28, 2020.

           According to the government’s evidence at trial, on March 20, 2018, Sheffield entered Bridges Elementary School located at 100 Gallatin St. NE at dismissal and wandered the halls of the school until finding an empty classroom stealing a teacher’s wallet from inside. The teacher was unaware of the theft until she received an alert from her bank notifying her that her card was being used at a local Safeway store.  

           On April 11, 2018, Sheffield entered two more elementary schools in the Anacostia area of D.C., Ketcham Elementary School at 1919 15th St SE and D.C. Prep Public Charter School at 1409 V St SE during dismissal. Sheffield wandered the halls of the school until finding empty classrooms and stole credit cards and money from teachers who were assisting students during parent pick up. Sheffield again charged the teachers credit cards for over $500.00 in VISA gift cards and other purchases at local Safeway stores.

           On May 3, 2018, Sheffield entered Stanton Elementary School at 2701 Naylor Road SE, at morning drop-off and stole credit cards and cash from a school administrator and a teacher. He then went to a Target Store in District Heights, MD where he attempted to purchase $400.00 in VISA gift cards.

           After an extensive investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, obtaining surveillance video and financial records evidencing the very distinct Modus Operandi, law enforcement identified Nakym Sheffield as the perpetrator of the burglary spree. Sheffield was arrested on a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant on May 17, 2018, and subsequently charged. After a six-day trial, the jury convicted Sheffield on each count of the indictment.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including paralegal specialists Crystal Waddy and Allison Daniels, Leif Hickling and Taylor Davis from the Litigation Technology Unit, Assistant U.S. Attorney Chrisellen Kolb from the Appellate Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Emile Thompson and Janani Iyengar who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Nicole McClain and Andrea Coronado who presented the case at trial. Finally, she expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Public Schools for their cooperation with the case.

WASHINGTON – Michael Jenkins, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for brandishing a firearm during a robbery over the July 4th weekend of 2019, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

           Jenkins pled guilty in September 2019, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia to one count of armed robbery, which carries a mandatory-minimum sentence of five years in prison. The Honorable Robert Okun sentenced Jenkins. Upon release, he will be placed on supervised release for five years.

           According to the government’s evidence, on July 6, 2019, Jenkins approached the victim outside of a gas station in the 900 block of Florida Avenue, Northwest. He brandished a firearm while demanding the victim’s belongings. The victim dropped his keys, which Jenkins picked up before driving away in the victim’s car. When Jenkins committed the armed robbery, he was on supervised release for a 2015 firearms-related conviction, and now will face revocation of his supervised release in that case.

           In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Carroll, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Asa Lea, 28, of Washington, D.C. was found guilty by a jury today on charges related to his unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition after he had previously been convicted of a felony. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Ronald A. Pavlik, Jr., Chief of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD).

           Lea was convicted following a jury trial in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Lea faces a prison sentence of up to ten years of imprisonment. Sentencing is scheduled for February 6, 2020, before the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper.

           According to the government’s evidence, in March 2019, MTPD officers attempted to write Lea a citation for public consumption of marijuana.  After Lea provided a false identification to the officers and attempted to flee, officers located a .25 caliber semi-automatic firearm in his front jacket pocket.  The firearm, which was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition, had an obliterated serial number.

           This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program (“PSN”) and Project Guardian, which are nationwide crime-reduction strategies aimed at reducing violent crime and gun crime. PSN and Project Guardian involve a comprehensive approach to public safety that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the District of Columbia, U.S. Attorney Liu coordinates PSN and Project Guardian efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

           In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu expressed her appreciation to the Metro Transit Police Department for their work on the case. She also acknowledged the work of Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, AUSA Vincent Caputy, who investigated and indicted the case, and AUSAs Andrea Duvall and Nicole Battle, who prosecuted and tried the case.

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.

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 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.

           

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

1. 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.

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. 

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

 

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.

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.

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.

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].

 

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. 

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.

  

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.

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.

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.

           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.

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.

 

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. 

           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.

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.

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.

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.