District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Daquan Jackson, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for escaping from a halfway house in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Robert Turner, United States Marshal for the District of Columbia.

            Jackson pled guilty in September 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to escape from custody. He was sentenced by the Honorable Trevor N. McFadden. Following his prison term, Jackson will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            Jackson is the most recent defendant to be sentenced as a result of ongoing efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to arrest violent offenders who escape from halfway houses. The offenders were under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and were afforded an opportunity to complete the final portion of their sentences at halfway houses to assist in their reentry to the community. In 2017, the U.S. Marshals Service requested the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office with the investigation, prosecution, and disposition of an increased number of escape cases. To date, the collaborative effort has led to 23 felony convictions of defendants who either failed to report or absconded from the Hope Village Halfway House located in Southeast Washington.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 13, 2014, Jackson was convicted of armed robbery in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In that case, Jackson, armed with a handgun, approached two victims in an alley behind the 3500 block of B Street SE. He pointed his handgun at the victims and took their property, which included a cell phone and car keys. Jackson used the car keys to steal a 2006 Ford Mustang that belonged to one of the victims.

            After being sentenced for armed robbery, Jackson served the remainder of his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution-Gilmer in Glenville, West Virginia. Jackson was subsequently found eligible to complete the remainder of his sentence at Hope Village. This placement was voluntary and required Jackson’s consent. On May 3, 2017, Jackson signed a Furlough Application acknowledging his understanding of the terms of the furlough release conditions and transfer to Hope Village. Jackson’s Conditions of Furlough included Jackson’s agreement that while on furlough, he would be subject to prosecution for escape if he failed to return to the institution at the designated time.

            On Aug. 8, 2017, Jackson arrived at Hope Village. On Aug. 23, 2017, Jackson signed out of Hope Village and never returned. Twenty-four hours later, on Aug. 24, 2017, while on escape status, Jackson robbed a pedestrian, took his keys, and then drove away with the victim’s vehicle. The vehicle was subsequently located by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). When MPD officers attempted to stop Jackson in the victim’s vehicle, Jackson fled from law enforcement and crashed into a parked vehicle. Jackson was prosecuted for the crimes he committed on Aug. 24, 2017, and sentenced in February 2018 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to three years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on the felony offenses of attempted robbery and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

            As part of his sentence for escape from custody, Judge McFadden ordered Jackson’s 33-month sentence be consecutive to his Superior Court sentence for the two felony offenses that he committed after absconding from the halfway house.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Marshal Turner commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Scarpelli who coordinated the referral of escape cases, Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent Caputy, who indicted the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli, who prosecuted the case, and Paralegal Specialists Kim Hall, Teesha Tobias, and Candace Battle.

WASHINGTON – Ridge Jackson, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a nine-year prison term for a pair of armed robberies he committed within a 24-hour period last spring in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Jackson pled guilty in July 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of robbery and two counts of attempted possession of a prohibited weapon. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert A. Salerno. Following his prison term, Jackson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the first armed robbery took place on April 27, 2018, at approximately 10:30 p.m. The victim reported that he had met a woman on a dating app and that she told him to meet her in a building in the 2600 block of Wade Road SE. Once he got there, he called the woman, who said she would be arriving shortly. Instead, Jackson and another individual came into the hallway. Jackson, who was armed, told the man to empty his pockets. He took the victim’s cellphone, a laptop bag containing a machete-style knife, and jacket.

            The second armed robbery occurred on April 28, 2018, at approximately 4:30 p.m. This time, another victim reported that he met a woman on a dating app and that she had invited him to meet her in a building in the 2600 block of Wade Road SE. Once again, Jackson entered the building, this time with two other individuals. Jackson approached the victim with a machete-style knife before robbing him of his iPhone, wallet, cash, and headphones.

            Jackson was arrested on May 5, 2018, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He has been in custody ever since. At the time of the robberies, he was on supervised release for a 2016 conviction of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon.

            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 efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is launching an Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation Initiative to expand its response to criminal and civil violations targeting older adults, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

             The establishment of this initiative will enable the U.S. Attorney’s Office to further develop and coordinate its prosecution of these cases and enhance its overall support of older victims.  The team will consist of experienced prosecutors and victim advocates from across the Office, to include the Superior Court, Criminal, and Civil Divisions as well as the Victim Witness Assistance Unit.  The work coordinated through this initiative will reach victims of both local and federal offenses in the District of Columbia and across the country who have been affected by elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. This initiative is part of a larger effort by the Department of Justice to combat elder abuse and financial exploitation.

            “We must do everything we can to protect our older citizens from those predators who target them for physical, emotional and financial harm,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “This initiative sharpens our focus on this important mission. By bringing together all of those in our office who work on these issues in court and in the community, we hope to identify ways that we can better serve our vulnerable older adults and prevent them from becoming victims of crimes and abuse.”

            The initiative will coordinate and combine the work that is already being done throughout the Office on behalf of older victims. Many components of the Office work on such matters, and each will designate a representative to support the initiative’s mission to develop uniform strategies and best practices, track data and cases, share resources, enhance support of older victims, and facilitate further outreach with community and agency partners.  

            Nationally, the 2017 Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act mandated that each U.S. Attorney designate an Elder Justice Coordinator to serve as legal counsel on matters relating to elder abuse, assist with prosecution of elder abuse cases, conduct public outreach relating to elder abuse, and coordinate data collection. U.S. Attorney Liu has selected Sarah McClellan, a senior prosecutor and the chief of the Office’s Victim Witness Assistance Unit, to serve in that position for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

            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. In launching the initiative, the Office hopes to build on its work successfully prosecuting such cases.

            In one recent matter, for example, a former personal banker pled guilty to stealing money from an 88-year-old woman by ordering a debit card for his own use and linking it to her account.   He made 17 unauthorized transactions, totaling more than $4,000. In a similar case, another bank manager pled guilty to stealing more than $9,000 from the bank accounts of customers, including senior citizens, by issuing debit cards or changing PIN numbers linked to their bank accounts. In a third case, a woman pled guilty to using a stolen debit card to steal more than $25,000 from the checking and savings account of a 70-year-old man who was in failing health. All three defendants were ordered by the Court to pay full restitution as part of their sentences. 

            In another case last year, the office’s Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section prosecuted a woman who carried out a pair of attacks against her 64-year-old ex-boyfriend, including one with a knife and one with sulfuric acid. The defendant pled guilty to charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The victim suffered devastating injuries, including lifelong disfigurement – and spent nearly a month in a hospital burn unit.

            The Office’s Civil Division will pursue cases related to nursing home fraud and abuse, including quality of care cases and all forms of billing abuses. The Civil Division will collaborate with D.C. government agencies associated with elder care and oversight and the D.C. Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).  In addition, the Civil Division plans to work with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to identify elder financial abuse.

            In addition, the Office will continue its extensive community outreach efforts in hopes of increasing awareness to protect seniors. The Office regularly offers two important but distinctly different senior seminars in partnership with other agencies: “Financial Crimes Against Seniors” and “Elder Abuse and Exploitation of the Elderly.” Prosecutors and community outreach specialists present these seminars in senior dwellings and at senior programs throughout the District of Columbia. Participants are provided with resources about where they can find help in the event they become victims of financial scams, exploitation, or abuse.

            These efforts are part of the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, a multi-faceted nationwide program to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target senior citizens. According to the Justice Department, each year, an estimated $3 billion is stolen or defrauded from millions of American seniors.  Through “grandparent scams,” fake prizes, romance scams, fraudulent IRS refunds, and even outright extortion, criminals try to exploit some of the most vulnerable Americans and steal their life’s savings.

            With approximately 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, the population of potential targets continues to grow. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population of Americans over 65 years of age will increase to 83.7 million in 2050, nearly double the estimated population of 43.1 million as of the most recent census.

            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 – A former employee of the District of Columbia Public Schools and a business owner, her longtime friend, pled guilty today to a federal mail fraud charge stemming from a bid-rigging scheme involving a government contract valued at nearly $300,000.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

            Amber R. Crowder, 39, of Washington, D.C., also known as Amber Hines, and Shauna Marie Brumfield, 40, of Sacramento, Calif., also known as Shauna Snell, each pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The Honorable Senior Judge John D. Bates scheduled Brumfield’s sentencing for Feb. 5, 2019, and Crowder’s sentencing for Feb. 11, 2019.

            According to a Statement of Facts agreed to by both defendants as part of their plea, Crowder worked as a program manager in the Office of Special Education (OSE) of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS).  In the summer of 2012, Crowder was tasked with identifying and recommending a company to aid in the scheduling of meetings related to individual education plans for special education students.  Brumfield and Crowder agreed to work together to obtain the contract.  

            On Aug. 7, 2012, Brumfield created a company called A Simple Solution to bid on the contract.  Brumfield and Crowder were partners in A Simple Solution.  Crowder was not identified in any company filings or listed on any communications to DCPS in order to conceal her ownership interest in A Simple Solution.  At the time, Brumfield and Crowder were also partners in another company called Education Connection, which provided tutoring services to special education students.  Crowder was not identified in any Education Connection company filings or listed on any Education Connection communications to DCPS.  

            OSE chose A Simple Solution for the administrative assistant contract over several local qualified companies based on written documentation prepared by Crowder and her personal recommendation.  In that documentation, Crowder falsely stated that A Simple Solution was an experienced company.  Crowder falsely claimed that her contact person for A Simple Solution was “Marie Matthews,” which was an alias used by Brumfield.  Crowder did not disclose that she was on the payroll of Education Connection.  A Simple Solution bid $298,800 for the contract because Crowder disclosed to Brumfield that the expected budget for the contract was $300,000.  Two separate contracts were signed to cover the entire school year.  Crowder’s boyfriend signed the first contract as the purported A Simple Solution Chief Financial Officer, while Brumfield’s boyfriend signed the second contract as the purported A Simple Solution branch manager in order to make it appear that A Simple Solution was an established company with multiple employees.

            As a result of the fraud, from October 2012 through March 2014, the District of Columbia Public Schools paid approximately $222,000 to A Simple Solution.  Brumfield transferred approximately $19,164 of those funds from A Simple Solution’s bank account to Crowder’s personal bank account.

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, Paralegal Specialists Joshua Fein and Aisha Keys, and former Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi and Kristy Penny. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Saler and Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A 31-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to sexually abusing his 12-year-old biological daughter, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of second-degree child sexual abuse. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon five-year prison term. Following his prison term, the man will be required to register for 10 years as a sex offender and also complete a term of supervised release. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for Feb. 8, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 15, 2018, the victim was staying with her father at her uncle’s house. The victim was asleep on the bed with her brother. The defendant lay down behind her and sexually assaulted her. The victim “froze” while this was happening and tried to think of words to make it stop. She told the defendant to move, and she got off the bed and grabbed her phone and walked to the bathroom to call her mother. The defendant told her not to call her mother, but she called her and reported the abuse. The victim then called 911.

            The defendant was arrested the same day and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Children’s National Medical Center. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Tracey Hawkins, Paralegal Specialist Brenda Williams, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department today announced that it has settled a Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit against Defendants Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. and Mid-America Apartments, L.P. for $11.3 million to resolve allegations that these property owners failed to build 50 apartment complexes in six states and the District of Columbia with accessible features for persons with disabilities. 

            Under the agreement, the defendants must spend $8.7 million to retrofit 36 properties that they currently own.  This amount is in addition to $2.4 million in retrofits that had been made to many of the properties after the United States brought suit.  The defendants must also pay $175,000 to compensate victims and up to $25,000 for accessibility retrofits at 14 properties they no longer own.  The defendants also agreed to undergo training, to construct any new multifamily housing in accordance with the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, and to provide periodic reports to the Justice Department. 

            “The Justice Department is committed to ensuring that new multifamily housing is built with the accessible features that are required by law,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division. “This comprehensive settlement will ensure that equal housing opportunities are afforded to persons with disabilities.”

            “The Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act ensure that persons with disabilities have access to housing, leasing offices, and related amenities,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to vigorously pursuing enforcement of the rights guaranteed by these laws. This settlement is an example of that commitment in the District of Columbia and elsewhere and serves to promote equal access to multi-family housing for persons with disabilities.”

            The Fair Housing Act requires that multifamily housing constructed for first occupancy after Mar. 13, 1991, have basic accessible features; the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that places of public accommodations, such as rental offices, at multifamily housing built for first occupancy after Jan. 26, 1993, have accessible features. 

            As alleged in the government’s complaint, the defendants built the properties at issue with significant barriers that inhibited access to the units and the associated public and common-use areas.  These barriers include routes to building entrances with steps and excessive slopes, units with electrical outlets and thermostats that are beyond the reach of persons who use wheelchairs, and kitchens and bathrooms with insufficient space for persons who use wheelchairs to maneuver.  The government filed the lawsuit in 2010 against Post Properties, Inc., Post Apartment Homes, L.P., and Post GP Holdings, Inc., which merged with the defendants in 2016.

            The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.usdoj.gov/crt.

            Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination may call the Justice Department’s Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at [email protected], or contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Adams, 20, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and related charges stemming from a killing that took place in 2016 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In addition to the murder charge, Adams was found guilty of a weapons offense related to the murder, as well as a robbery charge involving an earlier incident. The verdict was returned on Nov. 19, 2018, and followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Feb. 28, 2019.

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

            Then, on Feb. 19, 2016, at approximately 9:40 p.m., Adams armed himself with a .40-caliber revolver and walked a short distance from 21st and Maryland to the area of 19th Street and Benning Road NE. He was backed by several others from the neighborhood. He walked to the center of a 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 a convenience 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 verdict, 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. Marshals Service, the U.S. Park Police, the FBI, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (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, Rizwan Qureshi, and Thomas Saunders; 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 Advocate Diana Lim; 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 – Isaiah Green, 28, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from an investigation into a gun trafficking scheme in the District of Columbia, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Thomas L. Chittum III, 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).

            Green pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of interstate travel in connection with engaging in the business of illegally dealing in firearms. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. The Honorable Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for Feb. 14, 2019.

            The guilty plea followed an investigation by ATF, MPD, and the Virginia State Police into Green’s role in the purchase of significant quantities of firearms during the summer of 2018. Green and another individual were arrested on July 27, 2018, in the District of Columbia after allegedly purchasing four firearms at the Dulles Gun Show in Chantilly, Virginia. According to the government’s evidence, an additional five firearms, all with obliterated serial numbers, were recovered from an apartment where Green was living at the time.  

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in or around June 27, 2018, Green and the other individual began accepting orders for firearms purchases from people residing within the District of Columbia. To fulfill the orders, the two traveled to various gun stores and pawn shops throughout Virginia. The other individual would fill out ATF forms and falsely assert that she was the intended owner of the firearm. Green could not purchase the firearms himself because he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms due to a prior domestic violence conviction.         

            After purchasing the firearms, the two traveled back to an apartment in Southeast Washington, where Green used a sanding tool to remove the serial numbers from the firearms so that the firearms could not be traced back to them after they were sold. The two would then illegally sell the firearms for a profit within the District of Columbia.

            As part of the plea agreement, Green admitted that he and his co-defendant purchased 31 firearms for illegal resale in a one-month time period in 2018.  

            This case is being investigated by the ATF and MPD with the assistance of the Virginia State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON - David Sutton, 22, and Dacquan Gregory, 20, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced today to prison terms on charges stemming from a broad daylight, 100-minute crime spree that included the theft of a car and three armed robberies and that finally ended with a car crash that seriously injured a woman.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Both men were found guilty on Aug. 14, 2018, of one count each of conspiracy to commit robbery, theft, and unauthorized use of a vehicle to commit a crime of violence, two counts each of armed robbery and assault with a dangerous weapon, and related firearms offenses. Sutton also was found guilty of charges of aggravated assault while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            The Honorable Ronna L. Beck sentenced Sutton to a prison term of 18 years and Gregory to 11 years of incarceration. Following their prison terms, each defendant will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the chain of events began at about 3:55 p.m. on Aug. 30, 2016. At that time, Sutton and Gregory stole a running Nissan Rouge SUV in the 3400 block of Holmead Place NW. They then used that vehicle to approach three victims with a firearm, robbing them at gunpoint. The robberies took place within just 25 minutes in the 1400 block of Rock Creek Church Road NW, the 1400 block of Tuckerman Street NW, and the 700 block of Sheridan Street NW.

            Following these crimes, Sutton and Gregory drove into Maryland, where they tried to rob a former police officer in Mount Rainier at gunpoint.  He was able to disarm them and take the magazine out of the gun.  They then fled back into the District of Columbia, where they ran red lights and stop signs, and sped through a residential area. They finally crashed into another vehicle at about 5:35 p.m. in the 2600 block of 18th Street NE. The driver of the car they struck was a woman on her way home from work; she was transported to the hospital and had her spleen, gallbladder and part of her liver removed.  She was in the hospital for two weeks. 

            Gregory was found by police within minutes of the crash, crawling on the ground, with a gun on him.  Sutton was arrested three days later.  Both have been in custody ever since.

            Video surveillance captured the vehicle traveling throughout the city, and surveillance video showed defendant Sutton following one victim into his apartment building.  DNA evidence tied the defendants to the robberies and the Nissan Rogue.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department.

            They commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany Keil and Melissa Jackson, who investigated and prosecuted the case. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who provided assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Rosen and Ahmed Baset; Paralegal Specialist Antoinette Sakamsa; Litigation Technology Specialists Kimberly Smith and Anisha Bhatia, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames.

WASHINGTON – A 23-year-old man, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty today to sexually abusing a nine-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon 13-year prison term. Following his prison term, the man will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender and also complete a five-year term of supervised release. As part of the plea, the government agreed to dismiss a pending gun case. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for March 8, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 16, 2017, the victim was at her home in Northwest Washington with her 4-year-old brother. The defendant - the victim’s stepfather’s brother - came to the house. The defendant forced the victim into the bathroom. The victim asked her brother for help, but the defendant closed the door on her brother and sexually assaulted the girl. The victim began pushing the defendant off of her, and he got off of her and went back into the living room. The victim went back into the living room and the defendant kept apologizing to her. The defendant asked the victim if she was going to tell her mother, and said that if she told, the defendant would go to jail and she would never see him again. After initially informing the defendant she was going to call her parents, the victim told the defendant she wouldn’t so the defendant wouldn’t get mad at her. The defendant left the home, and the victim locked the door behind him. The victim then called her mother to report the assault.

            The defendant was arrested in October 2017 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Children’s Advocacy Center, and Children’s National Medical Center. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris and Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialists Brenda Williams, D’Yvonne Key, and T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A 39-year-old man, from Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison on a charge stemming from years of sexual abuse against his stepdaughter, beginning when she was only 10 years old, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.  

            The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty on Aug. 29, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee.  Following his prison term, the man will be placed on lifetime supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The man, a Honduran national, also will be subject to removal proceedings.

            According to the government’s evidence, the man sexually abused his stepdaughter beginning when she was 10 years old. The sexual abuse took place from 2010 until 2018. It was constant, occurring several times a week throughout the victim’s teenage years. It led to two pregnancies when the victim was 12 and 13 years old. The defendant told the victim that if she reported the abuse, the victim’s mother would side with him, and would kick the victim out of the house. She believed him, and so she kept silent for years. During that time, the defendant manipulated the victim into complying with his sexual demands through threats, bribes, and misleading promises that he loved her and would take care of her. The sexual abuse only came to light when a member of the victim’s family witnessed one of the sexual acts after the victim turned 18. The man was arrested on April 4, 2018, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigation Division. In addition, she commended the work of the Special Agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, who assisted in the investigation. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb, Jodi Lazarus, and Marisa West, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – Everett Purvis, 36, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 66 months in prison following his possession of a loaded firearm and packaged narcotics while on federal supervised release for convictions related to a 2008 shooting, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Purvis pled guilty in July 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm. On Nov. 13, 2018, the Honorable José M. López sentenced Purvis to a total term of 42 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of supervised release.

            Today, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell revoked Purvis’ supervised release and ordered him to serve 24 months of incarceration, to run consecutively to the Superior Court sentence.

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 11, 2018, members of MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations Division’s Criminal Interdiction Unit detained Purvis in front of his residence in the 4200 block of Fourth Street SE, after he was observed engaging in a hand-to-hand drug transaction. Purvis was apprehended in possession of a clear plastic bag containing a plastic twist with crack cocaine, 29 green ziploc bags each containing crack cocaine, and 10 clear ziploc bags each containing crack cocaine.

            Following a search warrant on Purvis’s residence, MPD recovered a semi-automatic handgun that was loaded with nine 9mm cartridges inside of the magazine and one 9mm cartridge in the chamber. His fingerprint was subsequently recovered from the firearm.

            At the time of his arrest, Purvis was on federal supervision for five separate felony convictions following a May 2008 shooting outside a residential apartment complex – in the same 4200 block of Fourth Street SE where the defendant was most recently arrested -- and assault of two separate victims. In that incident, Purvis opened fire across the courtyard of a busy apartment complex in broad daylight, striking a window of an apartment building and shattering glass that caused lacerations to a woman inside. He committed that offense after being released months earlier from a separate felony firearms conviction. In total, Purvis’s recent firearms conviction represents his fourth felony firearms conviction arising out of four separate events.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli, Monica Dolin, Brian B. Ganjei, and Cynthia Walicki-Chan.

WASHINGTON – Kevin L. Smith, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for killing a woman last December in her apartment in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Smith pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison sentence of 15 to 27 years. The Honorable Juliet McKenna accepted the plea and sentenced Smith accordingly. Following his prison term, Smith will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early hours of Dec. 2, 2017, the defendant had a fight with the mother of his child, inside their apartment in the 1700 block of 16th Street SE.  The fight ended with the woman kicking the defendant out of the apartment for good.  The woman’s mother, Valerie Coleman, who also lived there, supported her daughter’s decision.  Hours later, at approximately 8 a.m. the same day, Smith came back.  Inside the bedroom where the mother of his child and their young daughter were sleeping, he woke up the mother of his child by striking her face with a handgun.  He then went to Valerie Coleman’s bedroom and shot her twice in the head.  After the shooting, Smith left the apartment.  The Metropolitan Police Department arrived shortly afterward, and Ms. Coleman, 55, was pronounced dead on the scene.  Police found spent .380-caliber cartridge casings from the bedroom where Ms. Coleman was slain.

            Later that day, Smith was arrested in Northeast Washington. A search of his person resulted in the recovery of the .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun that was used to kill Ms. Coleman.  Smith has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker and Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jin Park and Ahmed Baset, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A 37-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for sexually abusing his children, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victims, pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of first-degree child sexual abuse, first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and second-degree cruelty to children. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 14-year prison term. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, the man will be required to register for the rest of his life as a sex offender and must also complete a term of 15 years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 14, 2018, the defendant, who had subjected his three biological sons and one stepson to repeated physical abuse over many years, forced his two oldest sons, who were then 14 and 16 years old, to smoke a marijuana cigarette laced with an unknown powdered substance. After the victims consumed the drugs, the defendant performed sexual acts on each of them. The defendant then forced the victims into a bedroom, instructed them to move a dresser to block the door, and performed additional sexual acts on the victims simultaneously. The victims reported the sexual abuse to their two younger brothers the next day, and one of the younger brothers reported the abuse to a social worker a few days later.

            The defendant, who was on pretrial release in an unrelated case alleging misdemeanor sexual abuse against an adult victim occurring just one week earlier, was arrested on April 20, 2018, and has been in custody ever since.

            The day before the sexual abuse, the defendant had strangled his 11-year-old stepson by putting his hands around the victim’s throat until the victim could not breathe and his face turned red.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigation Division. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katie Kern and Jennifer Loeb, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Cordell Brockington, 25, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from an armed robbery that he committed earlier this year at a convenience store in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Brockington pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2019, by the Honorable Senior Judge Rosemary M. Collyer. Brockington faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 9, 2018, at approximately 1:10 a.m., Brockington, while masked, entered a 7-Eleven store in the 1600 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. After entering the store, he approached two store clerks who were working at the time. Brockington stated to the clerks “Give me the money” several times, during which he lifted his jacket area to expose, show, and display a firearm that was located in his waistband.

            Brockington then directed one of the clerks to the area of the store where two cash registers were located and instructed the clerk to open both registers. Brockington removed a total of approximately $210 from the registers. He then left the 7-Eleven store.

            Brockington was arrested on Jan. 12, 2018, and has been in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, Brockington was on supervised release following his release from prison eight months earlier for a different armed robbery. He now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration separate and apart from the sentence that he faces for brandishing the loaded firearm on Jan. 9, 2018.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler, Ethan Carroll, and Gregory Rosen, as well as Paralegal Jeannette Litz.

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Arash Sepehri, 38, a citizen of Iran, pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, to a federal charge stemming from his role in a conspiracy to cause the export of controlled goods and technology to Iran, in violation of U.S. Department of Commerce and military controls, as well as in contravention of sanctions imposed against Iran. 

The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

Sepehri pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S. goods to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, and to defraud the United States.

According to court documents filed in this case, Sepehri was an employee and a member of the board of directors of an Iranian company, Tajhiz Sanat Shayan, or Tajhiz Sanat Company (TSS).  TSS and other companies involved in the conspiracy were listed by the European Union on May 23, 2011, as entities being sanctioned for their involvement in the procurement of components for the Iranian nuclear program.  Through TSS and associated companies, Sepehri and others conspired to obtain high-resolution sonar equipment, data input boards, rugged laptops, acoustic transducers and other controlled technology from the United States without obtaining proper licenses and in violation of economic sanctions.

As stated in the court documents, Sepehri and his co-conspirators sought to evade legal controls through a variety of means, including the use of a variety of aliases, United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based front companies and an intermediary shipping company based in Hong Kong.  Payments for the goods were arranged through the UAE.

The conspiracy charge in this case is a felony punishable by a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer scheduled sentencing for Jan. 16, 2019.

This investigation was conducted jointly by agents from FBI’s Washington Field Office and HSI Washington, D.C.

The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Dewar for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Trial Attorney Patrick T. Murphy of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  Additional assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Matthew Ruggiero of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Arash Sepehri, 38, a citizen of Iran, pleaded guilty on Nov. 7, to a federal charge stemming from his role in a conspiracy to cause the export of controlled goods and technology to Iran, in violation of U.S. Department of Commerce and military controls, as well as in contravention of sanctions imposed against Iran. 

            The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Lechleitner of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.

            Sepehri pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to conspiracy to unlawfully export U.S. goods to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations, and to defraud the United States.

            According to court documents filed in this case, Sepehri was an employee and a member of the board of directors of an Iranian company, Tajhiz Sanat Shayan, or Tajhiz Sanat Company (TSS).  TSS and other companies involved in the conspiracy were listed by the European Union on May 23, 2011, as entities being sanctioned for their involvement in the procurement of components for the Iranian nuclear program.  Through TSS and associated companies, Sepehri and others conspired to obtain high-resolution sonar equipment, data input boards, rugged laptops, acoustic transducers and other controlled technology from the United States without obtaining proper licenses and in violation of economic sanctions.

            As stated in the court documents, Sepehri and his co-conspirators sought to evade legal controls through a variety of means, including the use of a variety of aliases, United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based front companies and an intermediary shipping company based in Hong Kong. Payments for the goods were arranged through the UAE.

            The conspiracy charge in this case is a felony punishable by a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer scheduled sentencing for Jan. 16, 2019.

            This investigation was conducted jointly by agents from FBI’s Washington Field Office and HSI Washington, D.C.

            The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Dewar for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Trial Attorney Patrick T. Murphy of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.  Additional assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Matthew Ruggiero of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Briana Barnes, 20, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to six months of incarceration on a charge stemming from an investigation into the sales of synthetic cannabinoids in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Barnes pled guilty in August 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a District of Columbia offense. She was sentenced on Nov. 6, 2018 by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Following her jail term, she will be placed on two years of supervised release.

            According to the government's evidence, on Saturday Dec. 31, 2016, at about 3:30 p.m., members of MPD’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit were observing the 2200 Block of S Street NE, looking for narcotics transactions in the area. An undercover MPD officer, while parked in front of 2210 Adams Place NE, observed a black four-door Mercedes sedan bearing the State of Virginia tags with a male in the driver’s seat and Barnes seated on the passenger side.

            The officer observed both people making what appeared to be illegal drug transactions from the driver and passenger-side windows of the vehicle. In addition, the officer witnessed, on several occasions, an unknown amount of currency exchanged between pedestrians and the people in the car; in return, Barnes and the man would hand those persons a black unknown package out of both sides of the vehicle’s windows. The undercover officer broadcast an in-depth lookout for the vehicle and driver to the MPD arrest team and gave a signal for the team to move in and stop the vehicle. At that point, the man fled the scene at a high rate of speed and sped past traffic stop signs or posted speed limits. He and Barnes were subsequently caught in the rear of a building in the 2200 block of Rand Place NE and taken into custody.

            Recovered from the vehicle on the rear floorboard, behind the front passenger seat, was a large black garbage bag containing 64 black pouches and a large metric scale.  Contained within each black pouch was plant material consistent with a synthetic cannabinoid product.  The contents of the pouches collectively totaled approximately 2,949.5 grams of a synthetic cannabinoid, FUB-AMB, also commonly called synthetic marijuana.

            In her plea, Barnes admitted that she voluntarily and purposely possessed the controlled substance and did so with the intent to distribute the controlled substance to others. The case against the man remains pending in the U.S. District Court.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked in the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias and Legal Intern Nikeesha D. Nath. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Austin Boykins, 35, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, after law enforcement discovered a loaded firearm and packaged narcotics in his vehicle following a street sale of drugs during an undercover operation, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Boykins pled guilty before the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to life imprisonment. Judge Huvelle scheduled sentencing for Jan. 23, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 10, 2018, members of MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations Unit were conducting undercover operations in the 1200 to 1300 block of Rock Creek Ford Road NW. During the operation, a plainclothes undercover officer observed Boykins engage in a hand-to-hand drug transaction. Arrest teams moved in and obtained crack cocaine from the purchaser and stopped Boykins, who had $587.48 in cash on his person and a key to a Porsche that was only a few feet away from him. After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, law enforcement recovered the defendant’s wallet, which had two photo identifications from two separate jurisdictions, 14 grams of crack cocaine, and a loaded firearm. The firearm was subsequently found to contain his DNA.

            Boykins has prior convictions in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia  for  firearms and narcotics offenses.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli, Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle, and Legal Assistant Aiesha Bynum.

WASHINGTON – Bijon Brown, 23, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to federal charges stemming from his escape from a halfway house and his subsequent arrest in possession of a loaded semi-automatic pistol, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

             Brown pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to charges of escape from custody and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of five years in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release.  The Honorable Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled sentencing for May 17, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Feb. 27, 2018, Brown was residing in a halfway house and completing his sentence in an earlier case. That day, staff from the Piedmont, Va. Regional Jail arrived at the halfway house, expecting to return Brown to incarceration because he was having disciplinary issues. Instead, Brown exited through a window and fled.

            Brown was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on April 17, 2018. That day, officers responded to the 2400 block of Elvans Road SE for a report of a man with a gun. They found Brown inside the entryway of an apartment building. Brown ran from police, down multiple flights of stairs, and tossed a handgun as he fled. He was caught and arrested. His handgun, a Glock 17 9mm pistol, loaded with one round in the chamber and 29 rounds in an extended clip, was recovered from the floor.

            Since 2015, Brown has been convicted of charges in three separate cases in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In March 2015, Brown pled guilty to a charge of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon for a shooting that took place on Feb. 16, 2015, in the 2500 block of Pomeroy Road SE. Brown fired approximately four or five shots in the direction of two juvenile brothers, hitting one in the leg. He was sentenced to six months of incarceration, but the time was suspended on the condition that he complete 12 months of supervised probation. While on probation, on Aug. 21, 2015, Brown exchanged gunfire with another individual while onboard a D.C. Metrobus in Southeast Washington. Brown was convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and sentenced to 18 months in prison, with all but a year and a day suspended. Brown was released from jail on Aug. 16, 2016 and was arrested again in a third case just eight days later. In that case, he pled guilty to unlawful use of a motor vehicle, and was sentenced to 14 months in prison. After sentencing on the latter charge, Brown remained incarcerated until he was transferred to the halfway house and subsequently escaped. 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including detectives and officers from the Seventh Police District.  She also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen D’Angelo and William Schurmann, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu today announced the appointment of Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick Williams to lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day program for the Nov. 6, 2018 general election.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams, a prosecutor in the Office’s Fraud and Public Corruption Section, will serve as the District Election Officer for the District of Columbia. In that capacity, he is responsible for overseeing the handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights abuses in the District of Columbia, in consultation with Justice Department headquarters.

            The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring election fraud and discrimination at the polls, and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur.  The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible election fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open on Election Day.

            Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from acts that intimidate or harass them.  For example, actions of persons designed to interrupt or intimidate voters at polling places by questioning or challenging them, or by photographing or videotaping them, under the pretext that these are actions to uncover illegal voting may violate federal voting rights law.  Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy).

            The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. In order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights abuses, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams will be on duty in the District of Columbia while the polls are open. Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams can be reached by the public at 202-252-7898. 

            Nationally, the FBI has Special Agents in each Field Office and Resident Agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses. In the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office can be reached at 202-278-2000.

            Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section in Washington, DC by phone at 1-800-253-3931 or (202) 307-2767, by fax at (202) 307-3961, by email to [email protected] or by complaint form at http://www.justice.gov/crt/complaint/votintake/index.php.

WASHINGTON – Shadashia Gillis, also known as Shadashia Warren, 27, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to one count perjury for lying to a grand jury during a homicide investigation, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            Gillis pled guilty on Oct. 26, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She is to be sentenced on Feb. 1, 2019, by the Honorable Milton C. Lee.

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, a Superior Court grand jury was investigating the Aug. 21, 2016 killing of Dante Miller, 24, after a cook-out and fish fry in 1200 block of 18th Place NE. Witnesses had identified Gillis as being present when Mr. Miller was shot by Montez Warren, and also identified her as leaving the scene with Warren.

            However, during her grand jury testimony, Gillis stated that she did not know Warren. She also testified that she never was contacted by or met with a defense attorney or defense investigator for Warren. According to the proffer, prior to her testimony on Dec. 14, 2016, she had spoken with a defense attorney for Warren, exchanged text messages with the attorney, met the attorney in person, and spoke with a defense investigator for Warren.

            Warren, 37, of Washington, D.C. pled guilty in February 2018 to a charge of second-degree murder while armed and was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the killing.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Bates of the Appellate Division. Finally, she commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Glenn Kirschner, who investigated and prosecuted the perjury and murder cases.

WASHINGTON – Eric Singletary, 36, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to five years in prison for assaulting his former girlfriend with a firearm, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            Singletary pled guilty in July 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on Oct. 30, 2018, by the Honorable Ronna L Beck. Following his prison term, Singletary will be placed on three years of supervised release and subject to gun-offender registration requirements.

            According to the government’s evidence, Singletary and the victim were involved in a romantic relationship. One day during the fall of 2017, Singletary was significantly intoxicated. He began arguing with the victim and, during the argument, grabbed his semi-automatic pistol and placed the barrel of the weapon in her mouth. He repeatedly told the victim that her body belonged to him and not to anyone else.

            On Dec. 23, 2017, the victim called 911 to report an additional incident involving the defendant. After this second incident, police located and recovered Singletary’s pistol at the victim’s residence in Southeast Washington. Forensic testing revealed the presence of his DNA on the firearm. At the time of the firearm recovery, Singletary was on probation for a 2016 domestic violence assault relating to a separate victim and could not lawfully possess a firearm.

            Singletary was arrested on Jan. 10, 2018 pursuant to an arrest warrant, and has been in custody since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit. She also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Meshall Thomas, Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bianca Forde and J. Matt Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Tijuan Arrington, 41, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm with an extended magazine, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            At the time of his arrest by MPD officers in Southeast Washington, Arrington was on federal supervised release following his release from incarceration after being sentenced in 2016 for his role in a large-scale narcotics conspiracy.

            Arrington pled guilty on Oct. 29, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces an estimated range of 37 to 46 months in prison.  He is to be sentenced on Jan. 24, 2019 by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 15, 2018, at approximately 9 p.m., MPD officers were on routine patrol in the 1300 block of Barnaby Terrace SE when they observed Arrington and other men with open containers of alcohol. When officers went to make contact with the individuals, Arrington immediately ran from the police; in the process, he dropped a loaded firearm. Arrington was detained after he was pursued running into his residence that was located up the block. In the middle of the street and in Arrington’s flight path, officers recovered a semiautomatic Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun with an extended magazine. There were 20 bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber.

            At the time of his arrest, Arrington was on federal supervised release following his release from prison three months earlier for trafficking hundreds of grams of heroin. That case involved an FBI drug trafficking investigation that began in the Barnaby Terrace area and extended into Maryland. Arrington was one of 16 people to plead guilty in the investigation. He now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration separate and apart from the sentence that he faces for possessing the loaded firearm on June 15, 2018.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Legal Assistant Emma Atlas and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Rosen and Christopher Macchiaroli, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office honored 140 law enforcement officers, agents, and investigators for their outstanding work on dozens of cases that led to the convictions of murderers, drug traffickers, sexual predators, fraudsters, and other criminals. The event took place at the Great Hall of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building.

            U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu said the Office’s 36th Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony recognized the exceptional work performed by honorees on a wide variety of investigations, including those involving violent crimes, narcotics trafficking, fraud and public corruption, and terrorism and other national security matters. Their efforts led to convictions in 38 cases that had an impact locally, nationally, and internationally. The ceremony took place on Oct. 25, 2018.

            “These awards are a way to recognize the outstanding work that takes place every day to protect the citizens of the District of Columbia from threats at home and abroad,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “As prosecutors, we are inspired by the commitment shown by our law enforcement partners, who work around the clock to keep us safe.”

            The ceremony honored the achievements of people from 23 agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S, Marshals Service, and other partners.

            Among cases highlighted at the ceremony, the U.S. Attorney’s Office recognized the work of more than 20 members of a team from the FBI, the U.S. State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency for their investigation into the attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. The attack led to the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty. The investigation resulted in the capture and eventual trial of Libyan militia leader Ahmed Abu Khatallah, who was found guilty by a jury last year of federal charges for his role in the crimes.

            The Office also recognized a team from the MPD, the ATF, and the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, for work leading to the conviction of Jerome Lewis on murder and other charges for setting a house fire in Northeast Washington in 2013 that caused the death of a four-year-old child, Samauri Michelle Jenkins. She was among tenants in his home. In addition to being sentenced to prison, Lewis was ordered to pay more than $200,000 to the estate of the child, based on an insurance pay-out he received after the fire.

            In another murder case, an MPD detective was honored for his investigation into the death of Tricia McCauley, who was slain on Christmas Day 2016 while on her way to a gathering with friends. The work led to conviction of Duane Johnson, a stranger to the victim who was arrested a day after the murder. Johnson is serving a 30-year prison term.

            Two detectives from MPD and an FBI Special Agent were honored for their investigation of Daraya Marshall, who persuaded four girls, ages 14 to 17, to prostitute for him in a sex trafficking operation out of an apartment in Southeast Washington. Marshall later pled guilty to federal charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. 

            The U.S. Marshals Service, MPD, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Cook County, Illinois Sheriff’s Office were recognized for work leading to the conviction of Bilal Ahmed, a dentist who sexually assaulted five former dental patients and one former employee and improperly touched another former employee. Ahmed was sentenced last year to a 16 ½-year prison term for the crimes.

            The ceremony reflected the wide variety of cases that are investigated by law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia. Many honorees were recognized for work in cases involving money laundering, bank fraud and other white-collar crimes, including teams from the FBI’s Washington Field Office that identified fraudsters who cheated non-profits, including one who stole nearly $150,000 from a foundation for veterans.

WASHINGTON – A man with a history of drug and firearms convictions has been sentenced to 51 months in prison on a federal gun charge, marking the latest success of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a coordinated law enforcement effort to identify and address the most violent locations and offenders in the District of Columbia. 

            Jimmy Lee Johnson, Jr., 38, of Washington, D.C., earlier pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to unlawful possession of a firearm. He was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2018. Johnson was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on March 11, 2018, after officers recovered a loaded 9-mm pistol from his waistband. The arrest took place in an alleyway off the 1600 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE, in the Sixth Police District. That area has been a focus of the Project Safe Neighborhoods effort. Johnson had four prior convictions for drug and gun offenses and was on probation at the time of his arrest.

            Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a Justice Department program that was revitalized and enhanced a year ago by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. In the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is working with federal and local partners in a multi-pronged approach that includes enforcement, crime prevention, re-entry programs, and community outreach.

            “In just a year, Project Safe Neighborhoods already is making a difference in the District of Columbia,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We are working with the Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and other partners on investigations to get violent criminals, drug traffickers, and people with illegal guns off the streets. At the same time, we are working with the schools, social service agencies, and the community to break the cycle of violence.”

            “Project Safe Neighborhoods is a proven program with demonstrated results,” Attorney General Sessions said. “We know that the most effective strategy to reduce violent crime is based on sound policing policies that have proven effective over many years, which includes being targeted and responsive to community needs.”

            In the District of Columbia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office leads a Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force that includes a wide array of representatives, including members from the Mayor’s Office; the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia; the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General; the District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department; the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for the District of Columbia;  the District of Columbia Child and Family Services Agency; the District of Columbia Public Schools; federal law enforcement agencies; the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA); the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services System; community-based victim’s services; health care, mental health, and substance abuse providers; community groups; faith-based organizations, and public service agencies.

            The task force meets on a monthly basis.  In its first year, the task force identified two target enforcement areas in the Sixth and Seventh Police Districts. This work is led by the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section (VCNT) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, a group of dedicated veteran prosecutors. The collaboration has produced an increased number of federal firearms cases filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 

            VCNT prosecutors also are working with the Crime Gun Intelligence Center of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to identify firearms forensic evidence exposing linkages among various violent crimes committed in the target enforcement areas. Additionally, they are teaming up with the Violent and Repeat Offender Unit (VROU) in the Superior Court Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  The overall enforcement strategy draws on comprehensive crime gun tracing, field interrogations, social network analysis, violent offender lists, probation/parole sweeps, violent fugitive round-ups, criminal incident reviews, case screening protocols, and drug courts. 

            As part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, the U.S. Marshals Service, together with partner task force agencies, last spring pursued offenders in targeted neighborhoods from a list of approximately 100 cases.  Throughout the initiative, U.S. Marshals from District Court and Superior Court worked alongside federal and local task force partners to arrest violent fugitives while strengthening relationships in the community.  The efforts resulted in the closure of more than 80 federal felony warrants and several state criminal warrants. 

            The task force also has a subcommittee that focuses on crime prevention, re-entry, and community engagement. This subcommittee manages large-scale outreach events such as the annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence” Youth Summit held annually in Wards 7 and 8, and Project Safe Neighborhoods grant awards.  This year’s award is approximately $176,000 and will be directed to Ward 7 and Ward 8 through an upcoming competitive award process.

            In addition, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as part of its Project Safe Neighborhoods efforts, has instituted a broad-based prevention, reentry, and community engagement strategy that draws on re-entry programs, clergy outreach, community engagement and outreach; community-building and crime awareness programs; juvenile outreach and school-based prevention, substance-abuse programs, and senior citizen outreach.  The Office will be holding a Project Safe Neighborhoods Community Awareness Day at the Southern Avenue Metro Station from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2018. For more information, please contact External Affairs Specialist Melanie Howard at 202-252-6930.

WASHINGTON – Keniel Thomas, 29, a Jamaican national, pled guilty today to trying to extort money from a couple in Washington D.C., who he tried to trick into believing they won the Mega Millions lottery, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Thomas, also known as “David Morgan,” pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of interstate communication with the intent to extort. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Thomas faces a likely range of 33 to 41 months in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. Following completion of his prison term, he will face deportation proceedings. The Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell scheduled sentencing for Jan. 11, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, Thomas, posing as “David Morgan,” placed a call on June 9, 2014 to a man who lived and worked in the District of Columbia. Thomas told the man that he was the head of Mega Millions and that the man was the winner of $15.5 million and a 2014 Mercedes Benz. Thomas told the man that the man needed to pay $50,000 to cover the taxes before the award was provided to him. He also told the man that he had information about his employment history. Shortly after the call, the man contacted the FBI.

            The following day, the man placed a call to “David Morgan” that was recorded by the FBI. In it, Thomas again told the man that he worked for Mega Millions. This time, he said the man was the first-place winner of a prize valued at $72 million and that included a 2014 Mercedes Benz with a year of free insurance. Once again, Thomas said that the man needed to send $50,000 to him to cover the taxes on the prizes.

            Over the course of the next month, Thomas made numerous calls to the man in attempts to get the money. He also reached the man’s wife and threatened violence if the money was not paid. Among other things, he claimed that he had done surveillance on the couple’s home.

            An FBI investigation led to the identification of Thomas. A criminal complaint was filed against Thomas in July 2014. He was arrested on Dec. 18, 2017, after he traveled by plane from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. He has remained in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ephraim (Fry) Wernick. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Gorman and Kathryn L. Rakoczy, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Kadeem Quarles, 27, formerly of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the murder of man during a carjacking in November 2007 at the Anacostia Metro station, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Quarles pled guilty in April 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison term of 16 to 20 years. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced Quarles accordingly on Oct. 25, 2018.  Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            Quarles is among four people who pled guilty to charges related to the slaying of Timothy Spicer, 25, on Nov. 17, 2007 near the Anacostia Metro station in Southeast Washington. All four defendants are from Washington, D.C.

            According to the government’s evidence, Mr. Spicer went to the Metro station to meet a young woman at approximately 9:15 p.m. He was driving a Chevrolet Caprice with specially equipped chrome rims. Mr. Spicer briefly parked at the station, and the young woman got into the vehicle and directed him to drive a very short distance onto nearby Shannon Place SE.

            The young woman had previously entered into an agreement with Quarles and three other people to rob Mr. Spicer of his vehicle and personal belongings. Quarles was the alleged mastermind of the scheme. The plan called for the woman to lure Mr. Spicer to the station and then direct him to Shannon Place. Two of the other people were to take up a position at a bus stop near the station to keep a look-out for Mr. Spicer and for the police. The plan called for Quarles and accomplice Maurice Blakey to rob Mr. Spicer. Blakey was armed with a gun.

            Once Mr. Spicer’s car moved onto Shannon Place, the young woman exited the vehicle and Quarles and Blakey forced their way inside, with Quarles in the back seat and Blakey in the front passenger seat.  When Mr. Spicer resisted the carjacking and began to struggle, Blakey shot him in the back. Mr. Spicer exited the vehicle and ran past the two look-outs into the Metro station. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injures.

            Blakey, 27, pled guilty to second degree murder while armed and was sentenced in February 2018 to a 22-year prison term. The two look-outs – Joseph Minor and Randolph Williams – also pled guilty. Minor, 27, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and was sentenced in June 2018 to an 8 ½-year prison term, to run consecutively to a 47-year prison term that he is serving for another murder. Williams, 27, pled guilty to a charge of second-degree murder and will be sentenced next year.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.  They acknowledged the work of those who assisted with the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and San Lane

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kendra Briggs, Melissa Price and Michael T. Truscott, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A former U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) official pled guilty today to demanding and receiving bribes from three for-profit schools in exchange for enrolling disabled military veterans in those schools and facilitating over $2 million in payments from the VA using the veterans’ federal benefits. 

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

            James King, 63, of Baltimore, Maryland, pled guilty to an Information alleging one count of honest services and money/property wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of falsifying records to obstruct an administrative investigation.  The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia, who set sentencing for Jan. 15, 2019. 

            King is the fourth individual to plead guilty as part of this investigation.  In April, Albert Poawui and Sombo Kanneh pleaded guilty to bribing and conspiring to bribe King, respectively.  In July, Michelle Stevens pleaded guilty to bribing King. 

            “For years, James King and his criminal associates defrauded an important VA program that provides education services to military veterans who served our country,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who seek to illegally enrich themselves at the expense of programs intended to help our brave servicemembers.” 

            “James King took advantage of his position with the VA by participating in a scam that took money from programs meant to help our disabled military veterans find jobs and enhance their education,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “This investigation shows that we will do everything we can to ensure that taxpayer money intended for our veterans is put to its proper use, not siphoned off by the people and organizations who are entrusted with helping them.”

            “King tried to use his position to enrich himself at the expense of veterans who have honorably served our country,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge DeSarno. “This guilty plea makes it perfectly clear that such activity by anyone affiliated with the U.S. government will not be tolerated. The FBI will work closely with our partners to continue to aggressively investigate allegations of corruption.”

            “King’s plea is a win for VA and our veterans,” said Special Agent in Charge Lampkins of the VA-OIG Mid-Atlantic Field Office.  “It sends a clear message that VA OIG is dedicated to prosecuting those that take advantage of VA programs that are intended to help our veterans and their families.”

            According to King’s admissions made in connection with his plea, the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) provides disabled U.S. military veterans with education and employment-related services.  VR&E program counselors advise veterans under their supervision which schools to attend and facilitate payments to those schools for veterans’ tuition and necessary supplies.

            From 2015 through 2017, King, using his position as a VR&E program counselor, demanded and received cash bribes from the owners of Atius Technology Institute (Atius), Eelon Training Academy (Eelon), and a school identified in documents as “School A,” a school purporting to specialize in physical security classes.  King facilitated over $2 million in payments to Atius, over $83,000 to Eelon, and over $340,000 to “School A,” all in furtherance of King’s separate agreements with the respective school owners to commit bribery and defraud the VA.  King agreed with Poawui and Stevens that they would each pay him, in cash, seven percent of the money they received from the VA in exchange for King steering veterans to their schools and facilitating VA payments.  King similarly accepted cash payments from the owner of School A, who is identified as Person A in the Information, in exchange for the same official acts.

             In order to maximize the profits from their fraud, all three school owners sent King and other VA officials false information about the education being provided to veterans, and King facilitated payments to all three schools knowing this information was false.  King also admitted to repeatedly lying to veterans under his supervision in order to convince them to attend Atius, Eelon, or School A.  For example, King falsely instructed one veteran that, unless he attended School A, his VR&E program benefits would “lapse.”  King insisted that this veteran enroll in School A despite the veteran’s protests that he could not engage in physical security work due to a physical disability, and despite the fact that the veteran had enrolled in the VR&E program to pursue his dream of becoming a baker.

            In early 2017, the VA initiated a fact-finding inquiry into Atius based on complaints by students as to the quality of education at the school.  In August 2017, after King became aware of the inquiry, he created a falsified site visit report and instructed Poawui to send it to another VA official, all in an effort to obstruct the VA’s inquiry into Atius.  In January 2018, after Poawui had begun to cooperate with the government in its investigation, King attempted to convince Poawui to lie to the grand jury about the purpose of the bribe payments.

            King’s plea is the result of an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General.  Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and current Fraud Section Trial Attorney Sonali D. Patel, and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.  Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou and Paralegal Josh Fein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia also assisted with the investigation.

WASHINGTON – Jamel Carelock, 28, the former pastor of a Baltimore church, was sentenced today to three years in prison for setting fire to an apartment he rented in Southeast Washington in a plan to collect insurance money.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Thomas L. Chittum III, 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).

            Carelock, who was pastor of Lead Church, pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of arson, felony destruction of property, and second-degree insurance fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Jennifer A. Di Toro. Following his prison term, he will be placed on two years of probation.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 17, 2017, at approximately 1 a.m., Carelock intentionally set fire to his apartment unit in a complex in the 2500 block of R Street SE. Carelock soaked his mattress with gasoline and lit the mattress on fire, causing the fire to burn and causing extensive damage to his unit and the surrounding apartments.

            The apartment complex includes 94 units, and the residents included small children and elderly individuals, who were home at the time of the fire and forced to evacuate. The fire caused more than $40,000 worth of damage and rendered at least one of the neighboring apartments uninhabitable. A law enforcement investigation revealed that Carelock had applied for an insurance policy eight days prior to the fire. He later filed a claim for more than $11,000 in damage to his property, with the intent to defraud the insurance company.

            In making the insurance claim, the evidence showed, Carelock presented materially false information. He misrepresented that he was not responsible for the fire, falsely claimed that he was in Georgia at the time of the blaze, and falsely claimed that he lost personal items, to include suits and a television. In fact, Carelock had removed those items from the unit before the fire and he still had them at the time that he made the insurance claim.

            The investigation also determined that Carelock’s cell phone was one mile away from the fire, five minutes after the fire alarm was pulled. Carelock was arrested on Jan. 19, 2018 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Chittum, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the ATF and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Elizabeth Trosman, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb, Julianne Johnston, John Hill, and Veronica Sanchez; Librarian Lisa Kosow, and Paralegal Specialist Debra McPherson.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kristina Wolf, Alissa Kempler and Melissa Price, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Anthony Brooks, 29, of Indian Head, Md., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison on federal charges of transporting a minor across state lines with intent to sexually abuse her. The minor was a 14-year-old girl whom Brooks tutored as part of an afterschool program the child was ordered to attend by a family court.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Brooks pled guilty in June 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two counts of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 25 years.

            The minor had been ordered by the Family Court of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to attend the Balanced and Restorative Justice (BARJ) program, an afterschool diversion program through which at-risk youth are provided tutoring and mentoring. Brooks, then 28, a college graduate, was employed as one of her tutors.

           According to the government’s evidence, in late spring of 2017, the minor was transferred to a different BARJ location and, from that time forward, should have had no additional contact with Brooks. Brooks had previously been admonished by staff not to have contact with female students outside of the program. Brooks, however, continued to have contact with her. By July 2017, he was exchanging sexually explicit text messages with the girl, who had just completed the 8th grade.  On July 11, 2017, Brooks contacted the girl’s father and asked the father’s permission to “tutor” the child. According to the evidence, Brooks then drove nearly an hour from his home in Maryland to Southeast Washington, where he picked up the girl, brought her to his home, and had sexual intercourse with her.

            Between July 11 and July 12, 2017, Brooks discussed with the girl over text message coming to pick her up again. Brooks advised the girl in text messages written on July 11 that he did not want to come get her on back to back days because her father might become suspicious. Instead, on July 13, 2017, Brooks again drove nearly an hour from his home in Maryland to Southeast Washington to pick up the child. He arrived at 6:30 a.m., at a time when the child’s father, the girl’s sole guardian and the only adult in the house, was at work at his construction job. According to the government’s evidence, he transported the child back to his house in Maryland, where he again engaged in sexual acts with her.

            Through September 2017, Brooks continued to communicate with the girl, exchanging sexually explicit text messages with her. On Sept. 19, 2017, the child’s father discovered the text messages between Brooks and his daughter while reviewing the messages on his daughter’s phone. He promptly contacted the MPD Youth and Family Services Division, which commenced an investigation. The FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation Task Force immediately joined the investigation. Brooks was arrested on Sept. 20, 2017 and has been in custody ever since. On Feb. 14, 2018, Brooks was indicted on two counts of transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge DeSarno, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and FBI Special Agents in the Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Pennsylvania, and the District of Maryland, as well as the U.S. Marshals Service.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Park and Jodi Lazarus, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – John James, 26, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from a September 2015 shooting in Southeast Washington in which one man was killed and another was wounded, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            James pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of voluntary manslaughter while armed and aggravated assault. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence between 12 and 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Milton C. Lee scheduled sentencing for Jan. 25, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 28, 2015, at approximately 7:30 p.m., James was playing a craps (or dice) game with several people in the 1100 block of Eaton Road SE, part of the Barry Farm neighborhood.  Included in that game were Ernest Massenberg-Bey, 21, and the surviving victim.  Following an argument at the game, James fired a pistol at Mr. Massenberg-Bey and the surviving victim, hitting each of them multiple times.

            The gunshot wounds caused the death of Mr. Massenberg-Bey later that day. The gunshot wounds on the surviving victim caused multiple serious bodily injuries, including loss of a testicle and permanent nerve damage to his left hand and right foot. Following the shooting, James fled the scene. He was arrested in April 2016 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), including detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, and officers from the Seventh Police District. She also expressed appreciation for the work of the U.S. Marshal’s Service.  She also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Aziz and Silvia Gonzalez-Roman, who assisted with competency issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bruckmann and Emily Miller, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Darron Wint, 37, also known as Daron Wint, formerly of Lanham, Md., was found guilty by a jury today of 20 felony charges, including multiple counts of first-degree murder while armed, for the May 2015 slayings of Savvas Savopoulos, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, their son, Philip Savopoulos, and a household employee, Veralicia Figueroa.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Thomas L. Chittum III, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

            The jury’s verdict came on the third day of deliberations and followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Wint, who has been in custody since his arrest a week after the murders, is to be sentenced on Feb. 1, 2019 by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. He faces a potential sentence of life in prison with no possibility of release.

            “Today’s verdict holds Darron Wint accountable for the cold-blooded murders of four innocent people, including a 10-year-old child, in a senseless home invasion that ended with him setting fire to the crime scene,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “While this defendant was searching for places to hide, a coordinated law enforcement effort was tracking him down and brought him to justice. We hope that the verdict will bring some comfort to the families of the victims.”

            “I know District residents were particularly outraged by this case because of the extreme atrocities that were inflicted on the Savopoulos family and Ms. Figueroa,” said Chief Newsham. “Acts of violence such as this are unacceptable and not welcomed in our city. As promised, the individual who committed this heinous crime was brought to justice today."

            “ATF is grateful to see that justice has been served today by this guilty verdict,” said Special Agent in Charge Chittum. “We hope this conviction brings a measure of comfort to the Savopoulos and Figueroa families, and to the community that suffered and mourned with them. ATF is proud we could contribute to the successful prosecution of Darron Wint and his unspeakably violent crime. I commend ATF’s Forensic Laboratory and the ATF/DC Arson and Explosives Task Force for their role in bringing him to justice, and admire the effort that our partners from so many federal, state, and local law enforcement organizations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office put into this case.”

            During nearly six weeks of testimony, the government presented testimony from more than 60 witnesses, including some that linked him to the crime scene through DNA on a pizza crust and other items. The jury found Wint guilty of all charges that were filed against him in an indictment, including the murder counts and kidnapping, burglary, extortion and theft.

            The charges involved a series of crimes that took place May 13 and May 14, 2015, during a home invasion of the Savopoulos family residence in Northwest Washington.

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 13, 2015, Wint entered the Savopoulos home and seized and kidnapped the four victims. The following day, he stole $40,000 through means of extortion, murdered the victims, and set fire to the house.

            After responding to reports of the fire, authorities discovered the bodies of Savvas Savopoulos, 46, Amy Savopoulos, 47, Philip Savopoulos, 10, and Veralicia Figueroa, 57.

            In the aftermath of the murders, Wint performed a series of Internet searches for subjects such as how to beat a lie detector test, 10 hideout cities for fugitives, and five countries with no U.S. extradition treaty. According to the government’s evidence, he fled to New York after he was publicly identified as a person of interest in the case and hid in a hotel. He eventually returned to the area and was arrested on May 21, 2015. He has been in custody ever since.

            All told, Wint was found guilty of a total of 12 counts of first-degree murder while armed, all with aggravating circumstances. The charges include four counts of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) in the course of a kidnapping; four counts of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) in the course of a burglary, and four counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed.  In addition, Wint was found guilty of four counts of kidnapping and one count each of first-degree burglary, extortion, arson, and first-degree theft.

           In addition to the various substantive crimes specified in the indictment, the jury found the offenses carried specified “aggravating circumstances,” including one finding that the murders were especially heinous, atrocious or cruel. Wint could face a maximum of life imprisonment without the possibility of release on each of the 12 murder charges. Each of the murder charges carries a mandatory minimum prison term of 30 years.

            Additionally, each of the kidnapping counts involving the three adult victims carries a maximum sentence of 30 years; the kidnapping count involving Philip Savopoulos carries up to 45 years. First-degree burglary also carries a 30-year maximum prison sentence, and arson, extortion, and first-degree theft have maximum prison terms of 10 years each.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistance was provided by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Prince George’s County, Md., Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.

            The case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura R. Bach, Christopher Bruckmann, and Emily A. Miller, and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bach and Bruckmann.

            Assistance was provided by a team at the U.S. Attorney’s Office that included Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; Deputy Chiefs Chrisellen Kolb, John Mannarino, and Elizabeth Danello, of the Appellate Division; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite and Meridith McGarrity; former Paralegal Specialist Kendra Johnson; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator John Marsh;, Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; former Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Law Clerks Siri Palm and Julie Bessler, and former Law Clerk Jim McNally.

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recognized two teams from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and their partners in the FBI for outstanding achievements in national security cases involving attacks on American citizens abroad.

            The team members were among 244 Justice Department employees and 36 individuals outside the Department to receive Attorney General Awards on October 24, 2018, at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The 66th annual ceremony recognized employees and other individuals who have demonstrated exceptional achievements, leadership, and service to the Department of Justice and the American people. 

             “Service in the Department of Justice is more than a normal job; it is a calling to the highest standards of professionalism,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “That is true for all of the 115,000 Department of Justice employees.  But it is especially true for these award winners. And so I want to thank them and their families for their exemplary service to this Department and to the American people. They have made this Department proud.”

            “These awards reflect the unwavering commitment of our office to achieving justice,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “The honorees showed extraordinary skill and perseverance in investigating horrific crimes against Americans that occurred thousands of miles away and then bringing those responsible for the attacks to face charges in our courtrooms. Their achievements in these cases inspire all of us in our work.”

            The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service, the second-highest award for employee performance, was awarded to a team from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the FBI that worked on the investigation and prosecution of Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a Libyan militia leader who played a key role in the deadly attack on the U.S. Mission and Central Intelligence Agency Annex in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11-12, 2012, which killed four Americans, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens.

            The honorees from the U.S. Attorney’s Office were Assistant U.S. Attorneys John D. Crabb, Jr., Michael C. DiLorenzo, and Kenneth C. Kohl; Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julieanne Himelstein, David Mudd, and Opher Shweiki; and former Paralegal Specialist Rayneisha Booth.

            The John Marshall Award, the Department’s highest award for attorneys for contributions and excellence in specialized areas of legal performance, was awarded for participation in litigation resulting in the successful prosecution of violent members of the Los Zetas Mexican cartel who brutally murdered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and wounded ICE HSI Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.

            Honorees from the U.S. Attorney’s Office were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballantine, Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez, and Karen Seifert.

            The program honored individuals across the Justice Department and federal, state, local, and tribal partners for their selfless efforts protecting national security and civil rights, addressing rising violent crime in our communities, and investigating and prosecuting gangs and those trafficking in dangerous narcotics and human beings.  The awards also honored the work of civil and environmental litigation, which enforces the rule of law and upholds our Constitution. They also recognized employees whose ideas and efforts save taxpayer dollars and help our government operate more effectively and efficiently, among other contributions to public safety and good governance.

            The ceremony included an award for exceptional heroism to U.S. Marshal Senior Inspector Basilio S. Perez, Jr., for his courageous actions to protect and aid victims of the October 1, 2017, mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

WASHINGTON – Two Maryland women who were employed as personal care aides were arrested today on separate federal charges.  Both are charged with engaging in a scheme in which they allegedly submitted a combined $1.7 million in false claims to the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program.

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

            Temitope “Deborah” or “Temi” Oluwa-Bakare Ogunbiyi, 48, of Bowie, Maryland, and Nkiru “Nikki” Uduji, 48, of Lanham, Maryland, were arrested on two separate criminal complaints charging them each with health care fraud and health care fraud conspiracy. They made their first appearances this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. They were released on personal recognizance pending preliminary hearings next month. 

            According to the complaints, Ogunbiyi and Uduji were employed as personal care aides from approximately January 2013 through the present. Under the Medicaid program, personal care aides perform services intended to assist Medicaid beneficiaries in carrying out the activities of daily living. These can include helping beneficiaries get in and out of bed, bathe, dress, eat out, take medication, and engage in toileting. To receive personal care services under Medicaid, a beneficiary must obtain a prescription from a doctor.

            Last year, both Ogunbiyi’s and Uduji’s billing practices drew the attention of the District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance, and that led to an investigation.

            According to the complaints, the investigation determined that Ogunbiyi submitted approximately $1,071,247 in false claims between 2013 and the present, and Uduji submitted approximately $568,830, during the same time. The complaints allege that these claims fall into three categories: claims purporting that they provided services in excess of 24 hours in a given day; claims purporting that they provided services to Medicaid beneficiaries to whom they provided no care at all; and claims purporting that they provided services to Medicaid beneficiaries to whom they paid illegal kickbacks.  Ogunbiyi is also alleged to have submitted claims for services purportedly provided to Medicaid beneficiaries while she was on international travel.   

            The charges in a criminal complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the District of Columbia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

            The cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Simmonds, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Robert Fishman and Brittany Phillips of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. 

WASHINGTON – 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 are launching a hotline and e-mail address for survivors to report child sexual abuse by clergy, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            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.       

**

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office is deeply committed to the prosecution of those who commit sexual assaults in the District of Columbia, particularly those who commit such crimes against children.  The Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section in the Superior Court Division is a specialized unit staffed by highly trained and committed prosecutors who investigate and prosecute individuals who commit sexual assaults against children and adults in the District of Columbia, including abuse committed by individuals in a position of trust with the victim.  The Victim Witness Assistance Unit provides comprehensive assistance to survivors of sexual abuse and their families. The Office’s victim advocates are highly trained professionals with specialized knowledge of the court system and experience with trauma resulting from sexual assault. 

WASHINGTON – Vashawn Strader, 40, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for bribing an employee of the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to get favorable action on government contracts.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

            Strader pled guilty in July 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. During that time, he must perform 100 hours of community service. He also will be required to pay $308,311 in restitution to OSSE and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

            Strader’s co-conspirator, government employee Shauntell Harley, was sentenced in July 2018 to 56 months in prison. She pled guilty to carrying out two schemes, one with Strader and one with someone else, that caused the D.C. government to pay more than $480,000 on fraudulent invoices. Harley, 48, of Washington, D.C., must pay $488,311 in restitution to OSSE and a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $100,400.

            OSSE is an agency of the District of Columbia government. Harley was a management analyst for fiscal policy and grant management in OSSE’s Division of Special Education. From 2009 through 2014, her responsibilities included issuing requests for services through the government’s procurement process and then reviewing invoices from those who supposedly provided the services.

            Strader was the sole owner of a company that provided tutoring and mentoring services to public school students in the District of Columbia and elsewhere. In addition, he co-owned a company that owned and managed real estate in the District of Columbia.

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning in or about June of 2012, Strader and Harley agreed that Harley would receive money and other things of value in exchange for favorable official action for Strader’s companies. They agreed that Strader would create fraudulent invoices purporting to reflect work that his companies did not actually perform. This work purportedly included early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays and professional development training.

            Harley used her official position at OSSE to provide Strader with non-public information about OSSE contracts, assist him in creating fraudulent invoices, and submit these fraudulent invoices and other documents as necessary in order to cause OSSE to make the payments for services the companies never performed. In total, this led to $308,311 in payments in 2012 and 2013 to the two companies for services that never were provided. In return for her actions, Harley personally obtained a total of $43,900 in proceeds traceable to the scheme.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Office of the Inspector General of the District of Columbia. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Paralegal Specialists Joshua Fein and Kristy Penny. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who is investigating and prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON – Robert McCloud, 39, most recently of Warrenville, S.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison on a federal wire fraud charge stemming from a real estate scheme in which he and others used forged deeds and fake driver’s licenses to fraudulently transfer ownership of District of Columbia homes from the rightful owners.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            McCloud pled guilty in June 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta. In addition to his prison term, McCloud must pay restitution in an amount to be set later by the Court, as well as a forfeiture money judgment of $57,965. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release, the first six months of which is to be spent in home confinement. McCloud also will be required to perform 150 hours of community service. .

            According to the government’s evidence, McCloud and others identified vacant or seemingly abandoned residential properties in the District of Columbia, and then prepared and filed forged deeds with the District of Columbia’s Recorder of Deeds transferring the properties into fictitious names. Next, they agreed to sell these properties to legitimate purchasers and arranged with unsuspecting title and escrow companies to finalize the sale and transfer ownership. Finally, they shared the fraudulently-obtained sales proceeds amongst themselves. 

            In his guilty plea, McCloud admitted taking part in two such fraudulent transactions within a two-month period of 2015, which generated a total of $580,482 in proceeds.

            In the first, in April 2015, McCloud filed a forged Intra-Family deed with the District of Columbia’s Recorder of Deeds purporting to show that a home in the unit block of K Street NW was transferred from the true owners to a fictitious person.  The true owners, who owned the home outright without any mortgage liens, did not sign the deed and did not give anyone permission to transfer their home. McCloud then appeared at the title company pretending to be the owner in order to close the transaction, presenting a California driver’s license with his photograph but in the name of the fictitious person, signing the settlement documents and selling the property. The title company sent by wire transfer $195,527 to a bank account opened in the name of the fictitious person. McCloud withdrew approximately $43,000 of the funds before the crime was discovered; the rest of the funds were returned to the title company.

            In the second transaction, in May 2015, a conspirator arranged for a forged deed with respect to another home, in the 6400 block of 16th Street NW, to be filed with the Recorder of Deeds. As with the other property, the true owners, who owned the home outright without any mortgage liens, did not sign the deed and did not give anyone permission to sell the residence. In June 2015, McCloud appeared at the title company pretending to be the owner and using another fake California driver’s license with his photograph.  He again signed the settlement documents in the fictitious name. The title company sent by wire transfer $384,955 to a bank account opened in the name of the fictitious person. McCloud was arrested the following day.

            The true owners of the homes, who are elderly, have faced difficult and lengthy proceedings in order to retitle the properties in their own names. Unwinding the fraudulent transfer is merely the first step for the victims to reclaim their ownership and interest in the properties and each must now settle various outstanding bills.

            Although McCloud received $580,482 in proceeds from his wire fraud scheme regarding both real properties, law enforcement seized a total of $369,990, which was later administratively forfeited.  These forfeited funds, and the partial return of funds to the title company from the K Street transaction, reduced the amount owed in forfeiture to $57,965, which is the amount of the forfeiture money judgment.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas and Stephanie Miller, former Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms, Paralegal Specialist Aisha Keys, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Robert Wilson Leach, 33, a former teacher at a public charter school in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 11 years and 10 months in prison for sexually abusing four middle school students between 2010 and 2013. Leach fled the country after he was confronted by one of the victims’ parents.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Michael Hughes, U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            “No matter how much time had elapsed, or how many miles he traveled, Robert Leach could not escape responsibility for the crimes he committed against four vulnerable children entrusted to his care,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Because of the dedicated efforts of law enforcement in the United States and abroad, he now is paying the price for his predatory acts.”

            Leach, formerly of Silver Spring, Md., was arrested in the United Kingdom in July 2015 and extradited to the United States in January 2018. He pled guilty on June 8, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to first-degree child sexual abuse, sexual performance of a minor, and two counts of attempted second degree child sexual abuse, with aggravating circumstances as to one count.

            Leach was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Following his prison term, Leach must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He also will be placed on a period of 25 years of supervised release.

            Leach was a teacher at Meridian Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. throughout the period when the offenses took place. He taught seventh and eighth grade math classes. Starting in his first year teaching, and continuing until he fled the country, Leach groomed and sexually abused female students. The abuse, which varied by each of the four victims, included kissing in school stairwells, sexual touching in Leach’s classroom, the solicitation and receipt of nude photos, and sexual intercourse. With one victim, Leach engaged in sexual intercourse dozens of times. Leach would pick up this victim from school and drive her to his apartment in Maryland or to secluded parts of the District of Columbia, where he would sexually abuse her.

            The sexual abuse stopped only when a parent caught Leach on December 31, 2013. That same day, Leach, a United States citizen, bought a plane ticket with cash, went to the airport, and fled first to the Cayman Islands and then to Cuba.

            After a brief return to the United States, during which Leach resumed romantic communications with one of his victims, Leach departed again, this time for the United Arab Emirates, where he continued teaching. Leach remained there until July 2015, when he took a short trip to the United Kingdom. UK officers from the Metropolitan Police Service arrested Leach on a provisional arrest warrant. Leach remained incarcerated in the UK contesting extradition until he was extradited to the United States on January 5, 2018.

            A second defendant, Laurren Ebony Walker, 33, Leach’s co-teacher and friend, is awaiting sentencing on Oct. 22, 2018, for committing perjury before the grand jury investigating the crimes. Walker, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in June 2018 to one count of perjury.

            On July 22, 2015, near the time of Leach’s UK arrest, Walker testified before a D.C. Superior Court grand jury that was investigating Leach’s sexual abuse of students. Aware of the focus of the investigation and of the importance of truthful testimony, Walker chose to lie under oath about material facts relevant to the grand jury’s investigation. Among other things, she denied any communications with Leach or knowledge of his whereabouts after he fled the country, even though Walker in fact frequently spoke with him and had even visited him in the United Arab Emirates a few months before her grand jury testimony.

            Walker also denied giving Leach periodic access to her car, even though one of the victims testified that Leach sexually abused her in that car.

            This case was investigated by the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigations Division. In addition, significant assistance in locating and securing Leach was provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, including Associate Directors Jason Carter and Tracey Lankler and Trial Attorneys Linda McKinney and Natalya Savransky; INTERPOL Washington; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John L. Hill and Julianne C. Johnston. Assistance was provided by a team from the U.S. Attorney’s Office that included Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Resendiz; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialists Jessica Moffatt, Angelina Slagle, and Joyce Arthur; Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown; Intern Hannah Dier, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler and Christopher Bruckmann.

WASHINGTON – Kevin Cole, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for a pair of schemes in which he stole nearly $80,000 in checks intended for local businesses, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Cole pled guilty in July 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of first-degree theft, including one with an enhancement for violating terms of his pretrial release, and one count each of first-degree fraud and violating the Bail Reform Act. He was sentenced by the Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles. Following his prison term, Cole will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, from September through December of 2014, Cole targeted a privately owned swimming pool business in a fraud scheme. He stole checks that were being mailed to a mailbox the company kept at a copy and print shop in Northwest Washington. He also created a bank account in a name that mimicked that of the company’s. In total, he stole at least 21 checks from the company, totaling $64,794. In addition, he obtained access to checkbooks belonging to two other people, and attempted to deposit checks into accounts he had created. The pool company discovered the fraud and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) began an investigation that led to Cole’s arrest in June 2016.

            In 2017, while on pretrial release for the earlier fraud, Cole carried out essentially the same scheme again: this time, he got access to business mailboxes by signing up for an account at a virtual office space in Northwest Washington. Once there, he stole a number of checks from different companies, including a check in the amount of about $15,000 that was paid from a church to a musician for a Christmastime concert and recording. Again, Cole created a fraudulent bank account in the name of the musician’s company and tried to pass the check off as his own; however, the scheme was detected and the church stopped payment on the stolen check.

            Cole was once again arrested in May 2017. He failed to appear for a court hearing on July 13, 2018, leading to the Bail Reform Act charge against him.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives who investigated the crimes from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Arlington County, Va. Police Department. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Miller and Michael Christin; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa A. Howie; Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Angelia Slagle; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and Intern David Seidman and former Intern Tessa Tilton. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Romano and Jason Feldman, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON –Marco F. Williams, 25, and Barry J. Giles, 22, also known as “Juany,” both of Washington, D.C., have pled guilty to charges in the October 2016 shooting death of a man in the Fort Lincoln neighborhood of Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Williams pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed.  Giles pled guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of carrying a pistol without a license. Both pleas took place on Oct. 17, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The pleas, which are contingent upon the Court’s final approval, call for a prison sentence for Williams of 186 months, or 15 ½ years, and a prison sentence for Giles of 102 months, or 8 ½ years.  The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Dec 18, 2018.

            The evidence in support of the guilty pleas showed that on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016, Williams and Giles were in the Fort Lincoln neighborhood, where each of them had ties.  Specifically, they were in the area of the 3100 block of Berry Road NE, where they spent time and drank alcohol with the victim, Timothy Lassiter, and others. 

            Both Williams and Giles had pistols. In the course of the evening, Williams and Giles resolved to shoot and kill Mr. Lassiter, 36. At 11:42 p.m., Williams, armed with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, fired four shots at Mr. Lassiter, striking him twice.  Four 9mm cartridge cases fired from the same gun were recovered in the area where Mr. Lassiter’s body was found by responding medics and police officers.

            The evidence established that after Mr. Lassiter was shot by Williams, Giles went through Mr. Lassiter’s pockets and removed items of personal property.

            Mr. Lassiter was transported by ambulance to a hospital and was pronounced dead early on Oct. 6, 2016. Following Mr. Lassiter’s funeral on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, Giles went on social media and posted a video of himself talking about the shooting of Mr. Lassiter. In the video, which was soon thereafter deleted, Giles boasted and bragged about his role in the shooting.

            Warrants for the arrest of the two defendants were issued on March 1, 2018.  Giles was arrested on March 5, 2018, and Williams, who was otherwise serving a sentence, was arrested on March 29, 2018.   Both have been held without bond since their arrests.

            In announcing the guilty pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division’s Homicide Branch, forensic scientists from the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, who processed the crime scene, and officers of MPD’s Fifth Police District, who responded to the shooting. They also expressed appreciation for those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler and Michael D. Brittin; Criminal Investigators Durand Odom and Mark Crawford; Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner; and Investigative Analysts Shannon Alexis and Zachary McMenamin. 

WASHINGTON – Clark Calloway, 39, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to possession of a firearm and to acquiring that firearm with the intent to commit assault, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Calloway pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to charges of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and illegal possession of a machine gun. Each of the charges carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan scheduled sentencing for Jan. 31, 2019.

            During the plea colloquy, Calloway admitted that while a subject of an undercover investigation, he agreed to purchase a fully automatic AK-47 for $250. At the time, Calloway stated that he wanted to use the AK-47 on white people. He acknowledged making numerous statements expressing support against non-Muslims, police officers, and white people.  He also acknowledged that he was a former Marine and a felon previously convicted of a felony.

            Calloway was arrested by the FBI on May 4, 2017 when he took delivery of the AK-47.  He has been in custody ever since.

            This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialist Donna Galindo and former Paralegal Specialist Jorge Casillas of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal S. Chawla and Jeffrey Pearlman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and Benita Corlett of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

WASHINGTON – Michael Sang Han, 47, formerly of Palm Beach, Fla., was sentenced today to four years in prison following his conviction in a multi-million dollar tax evasion scheme.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, Matthew J. DeSarno Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kelly R Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office.

            Han was found guilty by a jury on May 9, 2018, of two counts of tax evasion for evading paying millions of dollars in taxes in 2010 and 2011. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. In addition to the prison term, Han was ordered to pay $4,954,027 to the IRS. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the evidence introduced at trial and statements made in court, Han owned and operated Envion, a company that he claimed held the patents on technology used to convert plastics into fuel oil.  Beginning as early as 2004, Han convinced two individuals to invest nearly $40 million in his company, then used more than $17 million of that money to fund a lavish personal lifestyle.  Between 2004 and 2011, Han used millions of dollars of investors’ money for personal expenditures, including flying in private jets, enjoying lavish meals and adult entertainment, and purchasing luxury cars.  Specifically, in 2010 and 2011, Han used $3 million to purchase a West Palm Beach home, paid $2 million for extravagant renovations and internal decorations, and spent over $440,000 on multiple luxury cars, including BMWs, a Range Rover, and a Ferrari.  Han also used millions of dollars of the investors’ money to replace money he took from Envion in previous years. 

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, Han also took steps to conceal his personal use of the investors’ money from his bookkeepers and tax preparers.  As a result, he did not report any of the money he converted for his personal use on his 2010 and 2011 income tax returns, thereby evading more than $4 million in tax liability.

            U.S. Attorney Liu, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman, Special Agent in Charge DeSarno, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jackson commended the work of those who investigated the case from IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derrick Williams and Denise Simmonds, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Tax Division Trial Attorney Sarah Ranney, who prosecuted the case, as well as Paralegal Specialist Brittany Phillips, who provided assistance during the trial.

            WASHINGTON –Antonio Spencer, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a five-year prison term after pleading guilty to a federal drug offense stemming from an investigation into the trafficking of PCP, crack cocaine and heroin in Southwest Washington. Six co-defendants previously were sentenced to prison terms in the case.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Thomas L. Chittum III, 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).

            Spencer is among eight people to plead guilty to federal charges as a result of an investigation by ATF and the MPD targeting the area near the King Greenleaf Recreation Center, in the 200 block of N Street SW. The investigation began after authorities noticed an increase in drug sales and violent activity in the area, which is in MPD’s First Police District.  

            According to the government’s evidence, in addition to the area near the recreation center, drug sales took place in various alleys and corners, including near a church in the 1300 block of First Street SW, near a food market in the 1300 block of Half Street SW, and near a convenience store in the 1100 block of South Capitol Street SW.

            All eight defendants are from Washington, D.C.

            Spencer pled guilty in August 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute PCP, heroin, and crack cocaine. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan.

            The six defendants who previously were sentenced include:

            -Maurice Spencer, 20. He pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute PCP and was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison. He is the younger brother of Antonio Spencer.

            -Kione Banks, 21. He pled guilty to conspiring to distribute PCP and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

            -Raymond Boston 27. He pled guilty to conspiring to distribute PCP and was sentenced to two years in prison.

            -Jerome Fuller, 33. He pled guilty to distribution of PCP and was sentenced to five years and three months in prison.

            -Damion Littman, 32. He pled guilty to distribution of PCP and was sentenced to 37 months in prison.

            -Morriko Washington, 24. He pled guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and was sentenced to five years in prison.

            Following their prison terms, the defendants will be placed on periods of supervised release.

            The eighth defendant, Davon Warren, 22, is to be sentenced on Nov. 28, 2018.

            This case was investigated by ATF and MPD. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg and William Schurmann, of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – James A. Wolfe, 57, of Ellicott City, Maryland, a former staff employee of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false statement to special agents of the FBI during the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified national security information. 

            The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy M. Dunham of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Wolfe was indicted in June 2018 on three false statements charges. Under the plea agreement, the government will move to dismiss the remaining counts at sentencing.

            At the time Wolfe made the false statement to the FBI, he was the Director of Security for the SSCI, a position he held for more than 28 years. As SSCI Director of Security, Wolfe was entrusted with receiving, maintaining, and managing classified national security information provided to the SSCI by the Executive Branch of the United States.

            According to a statement of offense filed at the hearing, the FBI opened an investigation in April 2017 into the unauthorized disclosure of classified national security information that had appeared in a specific article published by a national news organization.  In December 2017, during the course of the investigation, Wolfe was interviewed.  Wolfe was asked specifically about whether he had been in contact with any reporters and, if so, who those reporters were, and what were the nature and extent of those contacts and the means by which those contacts occurred.

            By his guilty plea, Wolfe admitted making false statements to the FBI concerning whether he had provided unclassified, but not otherwise publicly-available, information to reporters.  Specifically, on Oct. 16, 2017, and again on Oct. 24, 2017, Wolfe provided a particular reporter with non-public information concerning a witness who had been subpoenaed to testify before the SSCI. Wolfe also admitted making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with three additional reporters, including one of the authors of the aforementioned article.

            The charge of making a false statement is a felony punishable by a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for Dec. 20, 2018.

            The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballantine and Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Ingersoll of the District of Columbia, with assistance from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

James A. Wolfe, 57, of Ellicott City, Maryland, a former staff employee of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), pleaded guilty today to one count of making a false statement to special agents of the FBI during the course of an investigation into the unlawful disclosure of classified national security information. 

The guilty plea was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy M. Dunham of the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

Wolfe was indicted in June 2018 on three false statements charges. Under the plea agreement, the government will move to dismiss the remaining counts at sentencing.

At the time Wolfe made the false statement to the FBI, he was the Director of Security for the SSCI, a position he held for more than 28 years. As SSCI Director of Security, Wolfe was entrusted with receiving, maintaining, and managing classified national security information provided to the SSCI by the Executive Branch of the United States.

According to a statement of offense filed at the hearing, the FBI opened an investigation in April 2017 into the unauthorized disclosure of classified national security information that had appeared in a specific article published by a national news organization.  In December 2017, during the course of the investigation, Wolfe was interviewed.  Wolfe was asked specifically about whether he had been in contact with any reporters and, if so, who those reporters were, and what were the nature and extent of those contacts and the means by which those contacts occurred.

By his guilty plea, Wolfe admitted making false statements to the FBI concerning whether he had provided unclassified, but not otherwise publicly-available, information to reporters.  Specifically, on Oct. 16, 2017, and again on Oct. 24, 2017, Wolfe provided a particular reporter with non-public information concerning a witness who had been subpoenaed to testify before the SSCI. Wolfe also admitted making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with three additional reporters, including one of the authors of the aforementioned article.

The charge of making a false statement to special agents of the FBI is a felony punishable by a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties.  The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes.  The sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for Dec. 20.

The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jocelyn Ballantine and Tejpal S. Chawla and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Ingersoll of the District of Columbia, with assistance from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON – Cedric Carr, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for robbing a downtown Washington liquor store at gunpoint in a daytime attack.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Thomas L. Chittum III, 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).

            Carr pled guilty in July 2018, in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Richard J. Leon. Following his prison term, Carr will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to court documents, on Oct. 30, 2017, at approximately 2 p.m., Carr walked into a liquor store in the 600 block of 12th Street NW and picked-up a bottle of champagne. He then replaced the champagne and selected a bottle of tequila.  As the store employee was ringing up the sale, Carr pulled out a 9mm pistol from his front pants pocket. He threatened to kill the employee as he pointed the gun at him, demanding all the store’s money.  He then reached over the counter and grabbed cash from the register drawer. 

            Carr fled with the money and the tequila.  Crime scene officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) processed the scene and recovered the champagne bottle.  Four fingerprints were lifted from the bottle; the fingerprints were later positively matched to the defendant.  Carr was arrested the next day and still had the pistol in his possession. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Chittum, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the First District Detectives Division, crime scene officers, and the patrol officers in MPD’s First Police District, as well as agents from the ATF. They also expressed appreciation for the work of the fingerprint analysts at the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.  They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones of the Victim Witness Unit, and Paralegal Peter Gaboton. 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dineen A. Baker and Andrew Floyd, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A 39-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to sexually abusing his teenage daughter, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty on Oct. 11, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon 17-year prison term. Following his prison term, the man will be required to register for 10 years as a sex offender and also complete a term of supervised release. The Honorable Milton C. Lee scheduled sentencing for Jan. 18, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, in October 2017, the man sexually abused the girl at the family’s residence in Northwest Washington. After that time, he sexually abused her on two additional occasions. The victim later said that she never told anyone because she did not want to be the cause of the family breaking up. However, she became pregnant and gave birth to the defendant’s child. Once she learned that she was pregnant, the girl disclosed the abuse. The man was arrested in August 2018 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and the Children’s Advocacy Center. Finally, she acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris, Paralegal Specialist Brenda Williams, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A former employee of the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources pled guilty today to a federal bribery charge for accepting more than $140,000 in bribes from a consultant and independent contractor who did business with the government.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

            Latasha Moore, 38, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty before the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge of bribery carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Moore faces a possible range of 70 to 87 months in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

            According to a statement of offense submitted at the plea hearing, Moore started work in 2002 for the D.C. Department of Human Resources; in 2012, she was promoted to the position of resource allocation analyst. In that role, among other duties, she was the main point of contact for a government contractor that had agreements with the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources to provide organizational skills training courses and human resources consulting to various D.C. government agencies.

            As noted in the statement of offense, Moore and a consultant employed by the company engaged in a scheme in which Moore agreed to protect the government contracts held by the company and ensure that no complaints about its performance reached others in the District of Columbia government. The scheme began in approximately July 2014 and ran through August 2017. In return for her actions, according to the statement of offense, Moore accepted more than $140,000 from the consultant in checks and a PayPal money transfer.

            According to the statement of offense, Moore had suspicions about more than $1 million in invoices that the consultant submitted from March 2015 through June 2017.  Nonetheless, in return for the money the consultant paid her, Moore advised other D.C. government officials to approve the invoices for payment. As the scheme continued, according to the statement of offense, the company discovered that the consultant was acting on his own and retaining the profits for himself.  Although Moore knew of the company’s concerns, she did not relay them to her supervisors and continued to advise other government officials to approve the consultant’s invoices.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Office of the Inspector General of the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Marando, who is prosecuting the matter.

            WASHINGTON –The United States has secured a judgment in a civil action seeking the forfeiture of $396,589 associated with a United Arab Emirates-based company, Royal Pearls General Trading, that allegedly engaged in illegal business dealings involving a company in Iran, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Sean M. Cox, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Springfield, Illinois Field Office.

            The judgment was entered on Oct. 4, 2018 by Judge Reggie B. Walton in a lawsuit filed in March 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In its complaint, the United States alleged that Royal Pearls General Trading (Royal Pearls) and its co-conspirators engaged in a scheme to illegally export specialized petroleum parts to end users in Iran, in violation of U.S. laws.

            According to the complaint and pleadings in the case, the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Pearls is Iranian national Kambiz Rostamian, who is also the CEO of the Iranian company MKS International Group.  The pleadings alleged that the products Royal Pearls attempted to procure with the forfeited funds -- highly specialized pieces of equipment used by large-scale petroleum operations -- were intended for an Iranian subsidiary of MKS International.

            These transactions would have required a license from the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).  The international wiring of U.S. dollars into the United States to promote this sale violated U.S. money laundering laws.  OFAC designated Royal Pearls in February 2017 for acting on behalf of MKS International. According to the designation, MKS has procured components for Iran’s ballistic missile program.

            The complaint alleged that Royal Pearls laundered $396,589 in 2014 and 2015 to a U.S. company, through an intermediary company that was acting on behalf of Royal Pearls, in an attempt to procure the specialized equipment. The pleadings highlight multiple indications that Royal Pearls was a shell company operating on behalf of MKS International.  For example, the complaint notes that the registration information of one of the Royal Pearls websites indicates that its address was “4th Floor, N014 Tehran, Tehran, IR 19937, Dubai, AE 1116,” which appears to be an Iranian address falsely made to look like an address in the United Arab Emirates.  The pleadings also state that a MKS International subsidiary in Iran indicated that it was selling items similar to those Royal Pearls attempted to illegally procure with the forfeited funds. 

            “The judgment in this case shows there will be consequences for those who scheme to violate our nation’s export laws,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Working with our law enforcement partners, we will use every tool at our disposal to enforce these laws and protect our nation’s security.”

            “This case is an outstanding example of how law enforcement works throughout the United States to bring justice against a foreign business operation that violates our nation’s export laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Cox.

            The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is captioned United States of America v. $396,589 In U.S. Funds Associated With Royal Pearls General Trading.

            This case has been investigated by the FBI’s Springfield, Ill. Field Office. Assistance has been provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Brian P. Hudak, and Ari B. Redbord, former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, and Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato, all from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, represented the government.