District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
District Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed in 2015 Slaying in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sean Green, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and other charges for killing a man in July 2015 in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), announced today.
Green also was found guilty of assault with intent to kill while armed and related firearms offenses. The verdict, on Aug. 9, 2018, followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Nov. 2, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 30, 2015, at approximately 9:25 p.m., Green encountered the victim, Derrick Black, 24, who had flashed a gun at him in the area of the 3300 block of Georgia Avenue NW. Green left the area and immediately retrieved his own gun for the purpose of killing Mr. Black. Green did just as he had intended. He returned to the area where he last saw Mr. Black and fired multiple shots at the fleeing victim, causing him to run into the street and collapse to the ground from gunshot wounds to his head and back. According to the government’s evidence, Mr. Black never fired a shot at Green. Moreover, an unknown individual safely escaped Green’s gunfire while running alongside the victim into the street.
Green was arrested on Oct. 19, 2015, 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 acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Pace, David Misler, Katherine Earnest, and Silvia Gonzalez Roman; Appellate Division Deputy Chiefs Nicholas Coleman and Suzanne Curt; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Supervisor Jeanie Latimore-Brown; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling and Paul Howell; Supervisory Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman and Michelle Wicker; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite, Kelly Blakeney, and D’Yvonne Key, and Law Clerk Alexa Perlmutter.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Akhi Johnson and Michelle D. Jackson, who prosecuted the case at trial, as well as Law Clerks Julie Bessler and Siri Palm, who handled all aspects of courtroom technology.
District Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Possession of Child PornographyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Cole Christian, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 37 months in prison after earlier pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, announced 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).
Christian pled guilty in May 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of possession of child pornography. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison term of 37 months. The Honorable Rudolph Contreras accepted the plea and sentenced Christian accordingly. Following his prison term, Christian will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for 15 years.
According to the government's evidence, on Dec. 23, 2016, Christian contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. Christian continued communications with the undercover officer over the next several months. In May 2017, he began sending images of child pornography to the undercover officer.
Christian was arrested on Aug. 4, 2017, and has been in custody ever since. Numerous electronic devices were seized by law enforcement during a search of his home, and the images of child pornography sent to the undercover were found on those devices.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD’s Youth Investigations Division. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brenda Johnson and Jason Park, Paralegal Specialist Michelle Wicker, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Offense Following Arrest During Traffic Stop in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Manulito Chambliss, 47, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal drug offense after a traffic stop by police for a broken headlight led to the discovery of cocaine in the car that he was driving, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Chambliss pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of unlawful possession with intent to distribute cocaine base. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of five years in prison. The Honorable Thomas F. Hogan scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 13, 2018. The judge ordered that Chambliss be detained pending the hearing.
According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 23, 2017, at approximately 7 p.m., MPD officers on patrol in the 200 block of 19th Street SE spotted a silver Infiniti that had only one headlight running. Officers lost sight of the vehicle, but then located it nearby, stopped in the 1700 block of Bay Street SE. Chambliss, who was alone in the vehicle, began to drive it. Using lights and sirens, officers tried to pull Chambliss over, but he did not stop and kept driving off. Eventually Chambliss became stuck in traffic in the 1500 block of Benning Road NE and came to a stop. After officers removed him from the driver’s seat, they found 346 small zip lock bags, containing 44 grams of cocaine base, on the driver’s seat and on Chambliss’s person.
The case marks the fourth time that Chambliss has been convicted in the District of Columbia of a felony drug offense.
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 expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys C.B. Buente and Vincent W. Caputy, who are prosecuting the matter.
Two Area Men Plead Guilty to Charges Related to Murder of Singer Outside Southeast Washington BarRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michael Jones, 22, of Bladensburg, Md., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder while armed stemming from the slaying of singer Omar Rogers last fall outside a bar and grill in Southeast Washington. A second man, Khalil Davis, 23, of Washington D.C., pled guilty today to a related charge of accessory after the fact.
The guilty pleas were announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Both men pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and are to be sentenced on Oct. 12, 2018, by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, the shooting took place at approximately 3:50 a.m. on Oct. 8, 2017. Mr. Rogers, 25, had been at Uniontown Bar and Grill earlier that night, where he had performed with his band, the “AJA Band.” Jones and Davis also were in the club that night. Once Mr. Rogers’s band had finished playing and as the club closed, Mr. Rogers went into a rear parking area behind the club to where his vehicle was parked. While in the parking lot, Mr. Rogers got into a brief verbal altercation with the two defendants.
After the verbal altercation had ended, Mr. Rogers attempted to pull his vehicle out of its parking spot. While doing so, he accidentally backed his car into the vehicle that Davis was driving that night, a 2001 red Oldsmobile Intrigue. The occupants of the Intrigue were the same group of individuals that had just gotten into a verbal altercation with Mr. Rogers, including Jones and Davis. Once that situation seemed to have de-escalated, Mr. Rogers pulled off and parked his vehicle behind Uniontown Bar and Grill, near the 1200 block of W Street SE.
As Mr. Rogers sat parked in his vehicle, the other individuals involved in the altercation and accident began approaching his vehicle. Jones walked up to where Mr. Rogers was parked, and pretended to mingle with a group of females while on the phone. As he did this, he watched Mr. Rogers have a conversation with another individual, who was standing at the driver’s side door of Mr. Rogers’s vehicle. During that time, Davis pulled up his vehicle immediately behind Mr. Rogers’s vehicle, where he parked, sat, and waited.
As soon as the individual who had been talking with Mr. Rogers walked away from the driver’s side door, Jones approached the vehicle. Jones then fired seven shots within close range into the driver’s side window of the vehicle. In total, Mr. Rogers was shot five times at close range by Jones and died from the injuries.
Jones then ran to where Davis was waiting and got into the rear passenger seat after Davis unlocked the car for him. Jones and Davis then fled the scene. Jones was arrested on Oct. 20, 2017, and Davis was arrested five days later. Both have been in custody since their arrests.
In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Bach, Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, and Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan.
District Men Indicted on Federal Charges in Heroin and Crack Cocaine ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Saint Vincent Harris, 22, and Anthony Dickey, 24, both of Washington, D.C., have been indicted on federal charges stemming from an alleged conspiracy to deal heroin and crack cocaine in Northwest and Southwest Washington. Harris also has been indicted on related federal firearms charges.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of the Fairfax County, Va. Police Department.
The indictment was returned on Aug. 7, 2018, by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Both men were arrested on the night of Aug. 7 during the execution of search warrants by law enforcement. Harris and Dickey were each indicted on one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine base. Harris also was indicted on four counts of unlawful distribution of heroin; four counts of unlawful distribution of cocaine base, and two related firearms offenses. The indictment includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be attributed to the crimes.
Both men were arraigned this afternoon at a hearing before the Honorable G. Michael Harvey. They pled not guilty and were ordered held pending a hearing set for Aug. 13, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, the drug conspiracy began in October 2017 and was still taking place. Harris and Dickey allegedly utilized a “stash house” in Northwest Washington, out of which crack cocaine and heroin were sold to members of the community. Drug customers from the District of Columbia and Virginia traveled to the location to purchase narcotics. During the course of the conspiracy, according to the evidence, multi-ounce quantities of both crack cocaine and heroin were sold. During one of the transactions, Harris also allegedly sold a firearm to a customer.
Harris faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison if convicted of the charges. Dickey faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison if convicted of the charge against him. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Fairfax County Police Department. It is being investigated and prosecuted by the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Teenage DaughterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 43-year-old man, formerly of Northwest Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing his teenage daughter, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in March 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of first-degree child sexual abuse and attempted second-degree sexual abuse of a minor. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson. Upon completion of his prison term, the defendant will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant sexually abused his daughter from age 12 to 16. On Sept. 25, 2017, he pressured his daughter into drinking so much alcohol that she became seriously ill and passed out. The next morning, he performed a sexual act on her. The victim reported the abuse shortly after this incident. On a call recorded by law enforcement between the defendant and the victim, the defendant admitted to surreptitiously giving the victim “Plan B” birth control medicine and instructed his daughter to lie to law enforcement about his actions.
The defendant was arrested on Sept. 29, 2017, and has been in custody ever since. At the time of this conduct, he was on supervised release after serving more than 11 years in prison on narcotics charges. He now will face revocation proceedings before the U.S. Parole Commission.
In announcing the sentence, 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 work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris and Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julianne Johnston and J. Matt Williams, who prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Six Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Russell Harrison, 40, of Temple Hills, Md., pled guilty today to possessing six firearms in furtherance of his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Harrison pled guilty before the Honorable Richard J. Leon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. The charge requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years of incarceration and up to life imprisonment. Judge Leon scheduled sentencing for Nov. 16, 2018.
Harrison was arrested with seven other individuals in March 2018 in relation to a conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and 280 grams or more of crack. Numerous defendants were also charged with possessing and distributing various narcotics, including crack, cocaine, PCP and fentanyl, during the period of the investigation. The charges followed an investigation into narcotics trafficking in the Washington, D.C. area.
Harrison’s guilty plea is based on the discovery of six firearms, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia at his residence when it was searched by law enforcement on March 15, 2018. During the execution of a search warrant, FBI agents and members of the U.S. Marshals Service recovered six separate firearms, multiple rounds of ammunition, a 50-round capacity drum, a firearm silencer, and drug paraphernalia. During his plea hearing, Harrison acknowledged that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
This represents Harrison’s fourth felony conviction. He earlier was convicted twice of trafficking narcotics and once of committing an assault with a firearm.
This case is part of an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF specializes in the investigation and prosecution of drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. Finally, they cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton, of the Asset Forfeiture & Money Laundering Section, who assisted with forfeiture related issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and Kevin Rosenberg of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who conducted the underlying investigation, indicted the case, and are prosecuting the remaining defendants.
Eight People Plead Guilty to Federal Charges Following Investigation into Drug Sales in Southwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Eight people, all from Washington, D.C., have pled guilty to federal charges following an investigation into the trafficking of PCP, crack cocaine and heroin in Southwest Washington.
The guilty pleas, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, were announced today 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).
The guilty pleas followed 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.
Those pleading guilty include:
-Antonio Spencer, 24. He pled guilty today to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute PCP, heroin, and crack cocaine. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a statutory maximum of 40 years in prison.
-Maurice Spencer, 19. He pled guilty on July 19, 2018 to conspiracy to distribute PCP and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. He is the younger brother of Antonio Spencer.
-Kione Banks, 20. He pled guilty on May 23, 2018, to one count of conspiring to distribute PCP and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.
-Raymond Boston 27. He pled guilty on May 16, 2018, to one count of conspiring to distribute PCP and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.
-Jerome Fuller, 33. He pled guilty on May 22, 2018, to one count of distribution of PCP and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.
-Damion Littman, 32. He pled guilty on May 21, 2018, to one count of distribution of PCP and also faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.
-Davon Warren, 22. He pled guilty on July 19, 2018 to one count of conspiring to distribute PCP and faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.
-Morriko Washington, 24. He pled guilty on May 22, 2018, to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He faces a mandatory sentence of five years and a statutory maximum of life in prison.
This case is being 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.District Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Fraud and Theft Schemes Targeting BusinessesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kevin Cole, 26, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to charges stemming from a pair of schemes in which he stole nearly $80,000 in checks intended for local businesses, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Cole pled guilty on July 31, 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. Cole is in custody pending his sentencing on Oct. 19, 2018, by the Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles.
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 plea, 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.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Firearms Offense Committed After Release from Prison in Shooting CaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Vincenzo Lomax, 23, of Temple Hills, Md., was sentenced today to 42 months in prison on a federal firearms charge stemming from his possession of a loaded firearm on July 4, 2017, in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Lomax pled guilty in January 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper. Following his prison term, Lomax will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 4, 2017, just after 2 a.m., MPD officers were in full uniform patrolling the 3200 block of Buena Vista Terrace SE, when they observed a small group of individuals —including Lomax— in the middle of the street. Lomax was wearing a backpack strapped to the front of his chest. Approximately 10 seconds after officers stopped their car to make contact with the group, Lomax took off in a full sprint. While he ran from officers, Lomax tossed his backpack, which contained a loaded firearm, to the ground.
After tossing the backpack, Lomax jumped a fence, continued running, and hid from officers at the bottom of an exterior stairwell leading to a residence. MPD officers set up a perimeter in an attempt to ensure that Lomax did not escape. Within several minutes, police located him crouched in a fetal position hiding at the bottom of the stairwell and sweating profusely. The cellphone that he was holding was subsequently searched pursuant to a search warrant and contained several photographs of Lomax holding numerous firearms. Lomax was arrested and has remained in custody ever since.
At the time of his arrest, Lomax was on supervision with the U.S. Parole Commission in connection with a March 20, 2015 shooting that took place in broad daylight aboard a Metrobus in Southeast Washington. As the bus traveled in the 2200 block of Good Hope Road SE, Lomax and a male passenger were involved in an altercation that prompted Lomax to pull out a loaded pistol. While Lomax and the male passenger physically struggled with each other, Lomax ended up shooting a wholly uninvolved innocent woman. Fortunately, the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening. Lomax pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two felony offenses related to the shooting and was sentenced in June 2015 to two years in prison. He faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration separate and apart from the sentence that he faces for possessing a firearm on July 4, 2017.
In announcing the sentence, 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 Christopher Macchiaroli and Kondi Kleinman, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.
District Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for OfferUp Armed Robbery SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Derkwon Johnson, 18, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for a pair of armed robberies committed in March 2016 in which he lured unsuspecting victims to his neighborhood in Southeast Washington and robbed them at gunpoint or knifepoint, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Johnson pled guilty in September 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to seven charges, including, conspiracy to commit robbery, robbery while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery while armed, possession with the intent to distribute PCP, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. He was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas J. Motley. Upon completion of his prison term, Johnson will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Johnson and several unidentified individuals created fake accounts on OfferUp, an online marketplace to buy and sell goods. They did so for the purpose of luring unsuspecting victims to their neighborhood and robbing them at gunpoint. Johnson and at least one other individual began posting items for sale in March 2016. Throughout the course of the scheme, Johnson posted items for sale, including, but not limited to, iPhones, expensive shoes, dirt bikes, and high-end cars such as an Audi A6.
On March 3, 2016, one victim believed he was traveling to the 1200 block of Easton Road SE in order to buy an iPhone from an individual using the OfferUp screen name “Larry.” When the victim arrived on the block, Johnson came to his car with a bag, sat in the car, and immediately pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the victim’s head, declaring, “Give me the --- money or I’m gonna --- kill you.” Johnson stole $300 and cut the victim’s hand with a knife during a brief struggle.
Three days later, Johnson lured another victim to the same block for the purpose of buying a dirt bike. This victim arrived at the location, exited his truck, and was quickly grabbed by two individuals, one of whom stuck a knife to his chest. They dragged him back to his pick-up truck where a third individual approached and broke the passenger side window. One of the individuals stated, “Where’s the money, don’t lie to me or I’ll kill you.” The victim told the assailants where the money was hidden inside of his truck, and they escaped with $1,000.
Johnson was soon identified through fingerprints that he left at both crime scenes. Additionally, he used his mother’s Internet IP address to set up the OfferUp accounts.
MPD officers attempted to arrest Johnson for these robberies on July 31, 2016. Johnson attempted to flee but was apprehended. Upon arrest, he had PCP in his pocket, and a loaded firearm tucked in his compression shorts. He has been in custody since his arrest.
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. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg and Brittany Keil, who prosecuted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura A. Bach, who supervised the prosecution.
Man Extradited from El Salvador to Face 1995 Murder ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Raul Rodriguez, also known as Ricardo Vidaurre Chicas, 45, has been extradited from El Salvador on a charge of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated) for allegedly killing a man in a drive-by shooting in May 1995 in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Michael Hughes, U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Rodriguez, aka Chicas, is accused of killing Charles Wilkins, a 31-year-old accountant with the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 27, 1995. He was arrested within minutes of the shooting and made his first appearance on May 29, 1995, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. However, he was released a week later after posting a $5,000 cash or surety bond set by the judge and he then failed to appear for a court hearing that had been set for June 8, 1995. At the time of his arrest in 1995, Rodriguez, aka Chicas, had been residing in Alexandria, Va.
The defendant, a Salvadoran citizen, subsequently moved to El Salvador, where he was found by law enforcement in 2015 working as a teacher. Rodriguez, aka Chicas, was arrested in November 2016 in El Salvador on the United States extradition request and extradited to the United States on July 13, 2018, at which time he was arraigned in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was ordered held without bond by the Honorable Judge Danya A. Dayson pending further court proceedings, including a status hearing set for Sept. 7, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, Rodriguez, aka Chicas, shot Mr. Wilkins multiple times. Mr. Wilkins had been at a nightclub celebrating his brother’s birthday. Rodriguez, aka Chicas, allegedly shot him from inside a vehicle as Mr. Wilkins walked to his car in the 100 block of M Street SE. An eyewitness immediately relayed information to the Metropolitan Police Department. Police pursued the vehicle and apprehended its occupants, including the defendant, within five minutes of the shooting. Police also recovered the gun used in the shooting, which had been thrown out of the vehicle during the police pursuit.
According to the evidence, the defendant was determined to be a member of the Vatos Locos gang. Mr. Wilkins had no gang affiliations and no known ties to the defendant.
Rodriguez, aka Chicas, was initially indicted in July 1996 on the murder and related weapons charges. A grand jury returned a superseding indictment in February 2016, adding a charge of violating the Bail Reform Act, stemming from his failure to appear in court.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department, and the defendant’s whereabouts were investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Department of State provided substantial assistance in securing extradition.
Assistance has been provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the U.S. Marshals Service International Investigations Branch, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, FBI (Central Americas Division) and the Salvadoran National Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Macey of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy and Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark.
District Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Robbing Northwest Washington BankRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Steven Davis, 40, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for robbing a bank in Northwest Washington last fall, announced 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).
Davis pled guilty in April 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to bank robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly. Following his prison term, Davis will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Nov. 7, 2017, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Davis entered a branch of TD Bank in Dupont Circle, wearing a baseball hat and one latex glove. Davis approached the teller counter and handed the teller a handwritten note that stated “I have a bag full of explosives hand over the $ now or die.” The teller pulled $500 from the cash register and handed it over. Davis placed the money in his canvas bag and left the bank branch.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department arrived immediately after the robbery and searched the area. Davis attempted to flee by entering the DuPont Circle Metro station. MPD Officers arrested Davis on the lower level platform of the station while he was waiting for a Metro train. He possessed $490 of the $500 he stole from the TD Bank branch.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON –Tyrone Hopkins, 25, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal firearms charge stemming from his arrest last fall in a narcotics investigation, 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).
Hopkins pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He is to be sentenced on Aug. 10, 2018, by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Hopkins faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. He remains in custody pending sentencing.
According to the government’s evidence, Hopkins was arrested on Oct. 16, 2017, in the 1900 block of West Virginia Avenue NE after he and another man sold crack cocaine to an undercover MPD officer. When MPD officers arrested Hopkins, they discovered an additional amount of crack cocaine in his pocket and a loaded firearm tucked in his waistband. Hopkins had previously been convicted of a felony offense and was, at the time of his arrest, on pre-trial release for a pending drug charge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
The firearm recovered from Hopkins was linked to a broader investigation into a firearms ring that acquired guns in Atlanta, Ga., and transported weapons into the District of Columbia for resale. According to the evidence, the gun in Hopkins’s possession was purchased by Jeremy Carr at a store in Smyrna, Ga. Carr, 34, of Marietta, Ga., has been indicted along with two co-defendants on federal charges in a separate case in the District of Columbia, including a charge of taking part in a conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing in firearms without a license. All three defendants have pled not guilty to charges and are awaiting further court proceedings.
According to court documents filed in the case against Carr, more than 20 firearms that Carr purchased have already been recovered in the District of Columbia.
These cases are being investigated by ATF and MPD. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin L. Rosenberg and Gregory Rosen of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Medicaid of More Than $9 MillionRead the Press Release
The owner of a company that provided durable medical equipment pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of health care fraud for carrying out a scheme in which she fraudulently obtained more than $9.4 million in District of Columbia Medicaid payments.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.
Waveney Blackman, 72, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Her sentencing is scheduled on Oct. 18 before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan.
Blackman was the sole owner and chief executive officer of WaveCare Health Services LLC, also known as WaveCare Healthcare Services LLC. The company, based in the District of Columbia, was a provider of durable medical equipment, including wound care and incontinence supplies, to Medicaid beneficiaries and others. It became a Medicaid provider in 2008.
According to the plea documents, Blackman devised and executed a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid for durable medical equipment, including incontinence and wound care supplies, which she knew were not purchased or provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. From January 2010 through approximately June 2016, Blackman sent and caused employees to send false and fraudulent invoices to a biller engaged by the company, which were then submitted to Medicaid. All told, she submitted and caused the submission of at least $9.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid. Blackman, through WaveCare, fraudulently obtained $9,431,979 from Medicaid.
According to the plea documents, Blackman used the fraudulent proceeds to obtain properties, including three in Florida and four in Maryland, as well as a Mercedes Benz.
Blackman was charged in a criminal information filed on June 26. The charges were filed as part of the nation’s largest ever health care fraud enforcement action. On June 28, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex M. Azar III, announced results of the nationwide effort. The various enforcement actions involved 601 charged defendants across 58 federal districts, including 165 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving more than $2 billion in false billings. Of those charged, 162 defendants, including 76 doctors, were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, HHS-OIG and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. Assistance has been provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker Tobin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Assistance with forfeiture issues was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marina Stevenson and Sean Welsh. Assistance also has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Simmonds, Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Robert Fishman, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa A. Howie, Lionel André, and Angela Saffoe also assisted with the investigation of the case.
Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Company Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Medicaid of More Than $9 MillionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The owner of a company that provided durable medical equipment pleaded guilty today to a federal charge of health care fraud for carrying out a scheme in which she fraudulently obtained more than $9.4 million in District of Columbia Medicaid payments.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Philadelphia Regional Office and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.
Waveney Blackman, 72, of Bowie, Maryland, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Her sentencing is scheduled on October 18, 2018, before the Honorable Thomas F. Hogan.
Blackman was the sole owner and chief executive officer of WaveCare Health Services LLC, also known as WaveCare Healthcare Services LLC. The company, based in the District of Columbia, was a provider of durable medical equipment, including wound care and incontinence supplies, to Medicaid beneficiaries and others. It became a Medicaid provider in 2008.
According to the plea documents, Blackman devised and executed a scheme to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid for durable medical equipment, including incontinence and wound care supplies, which she knew were not purchased or provided to Medicaid beneficiaries. From January 2010 through approximately June 2016, Blackman sent and caused employees to send false and fraudulent invoices to a biller engaged by the company, which were then submitted to Medicaid. All told, she submitted and caused the submission of at least $9.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicaid. Blackman, through WaveCare, fraudulently obtained $9,431,979 from Medicaid.
According to the plea documents, Blackman used the fraudulent proceeds to obtain properties, including three in Florida and four in Maryland, as well as a Mercedes Benz.
Blackman was charged in a criminal information filed on June 26. The charges were filed as part of the nation’s largest ever health care fraud enforcement action. On June 28, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex M. Azar III, announced results of the nationwide effort. The various enforcement actions involved 601 charged defendants across 58 federal districts, including 165 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving more than $2 billion in false billings. Of those charged, 162 defendants, including 76 doctors, were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, HHS-OIG and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. Assistance has been provided by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Parker Tobin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Assistance with forfeiture issues was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marina Stevenson and Sean Welsh. Assistance also has been provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Simmonds, Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Robert Fishman, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones. Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa A. Howie, Lionel André, and Angela Saffoe also assisted with the investigation of the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Role in Scam Targeting Companies in U.S. and AbroadRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Emeka Ndukwu, 46, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was sentenced today to four years in prison for conspiring to launder the proceeds of scams that tricked seven companies in the United States and abroad into wiring more than $900,000 into accounts controlled by various co-conspirators.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Ndukwu, a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, pled guilty in April 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of money laundering conspiracy. He was sentenced by the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Ndukwu to pay $791,870 in restitution to the companies. Additionally, Judge Kelly ordered Ndukwu to forfeit a 2014 Mercedes-Benz GL450 and to pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $429,848, representing the share of the criminal proceeds that Ndukwu personally obtained.
According to documents filed at the time of the plea, Ndukwu participated in an ongoing conspiracy from 2013 through 2017 to receive and launder the proceeds of various cyber frauds, primarily arising from business e-mail (“BEC”) compromise schemes. In a typical BEC scheme, a co-conspirator tricks a company into transferring large sums of money into accounts controlled by others participating in the scheme. Using fake e-mails, often containing forged sender addresses, co-conspirators impersonate someone connected to the victim company and deceive an employee of that company into wiring funds. Soon after the wire transfers are completed, the co-conspirators drain the bank accounts and launder the criminal proceeds.
This particular conspiracy targeted at least seven companies in the United States and overseas, including victims in Texas, Illinois, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, India, Japan, and China. The victims were fraudulently induced into sending $916,056 in wire transfers to accounts controlled by Ndukwu and other co-conspirators. The funds were then laundered through transactions conducted in Washington, D.C. and other jurisdictions, including layering through shell company accounts and accounts controlled by co-conspirators.
According to the court documents, Ndukwu used false aliases and forged Nigerian passports to facilitate these schemes, and he used encrypted messaging to communicate with co-conspirators. Ndukwu was indicted in December 2017 and has been in custody since his arrest that month. A co-defendant, Chuka Mbonu, 33, of Nigeria, remains at large.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher B. Brown and Michael J. Marando are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist C. Rosalind Pressley. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalia Medina participated in investigating the case.
District Men Indicted on Murder and Other Charges in August 10, 2017 Slaying of Jamahri SydnorRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert Moses, 19, and James Mayfield, 18, both of Washington, D.C., were indicted today on murder and other charges stemming from the Aug. 10, 2017, slaying of 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced. Moses and Mayfield also were indicted on charges involving the wounding of three other innocent bystanders.
Moses and Mayfield were indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), with aggravating circumstances; assault with intent to kill while armed, and aggravated assault while armed. Moses was also charged with obstructing justice and committing offenses while on release in another criminal matter.
Both men are to be arraigned on July 27, 2018, at a hearing before the Honorable Craig Iscoe. They each face a maximum of life in prison if convicted of the charges.
According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 10, 2017, at about 3:30 p.m., Moses and Mayfield, each armed with firearms, approached on foot the intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues NE. Numerous people were outside at the time, in and around the busy neighborhood intersection. Both Moses and Mayfield are accused of opening fire across Montana Avenue towards the people on Saratoga Avenue, collectively firing over ten rounds. As they did, Jamahri Sydnor, 17 years-old, was driving through the intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues with a 12 year-old passenger. Ms. Sydnor, who was days away from beginning her college education, was struck in the head by a bullet. Incapacitated, she lost control of the car, and it crashed into another parked car. The 12-year-old, who was in the front passenger seat, was injured by the impact of the collision, as well as the shattering glass when the bullet traveled through the front passenger window before striking Ms. Sydnor. A third victim was shot as he stood on the corner speaking with friends, while yet another innocent bystander shattered his leg attempting to take cover from the hail of gunfire.
Following the attacks, Moses and Mayfield fled the scene. Moses was arrested on Oct. 26, 2017, and Mayfield was arrested on Dec. 27, 2017. Both have been in custody since their respective arrests.
At the time of the alleged offenses, Moses was on release in a pending gun case in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Security Specialist Wanda M. Queen; Paralegal Specialists Alesha Matthews-Yette, Meridith McGarrity, Stephanie Gilbert, and Lashone Samuels. Finally, they commended the work of former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines and Glenn Kirschner, along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Santiago and Kimberley Nielsen, who are investigating and prosecuting the case.
District Man Found Guilty of Murder in Shooting That Killed Innocent BystanderRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kelby Gordon, 32, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related firearms offenses for killing an innocent bystander and firing into an occupied bedroom during a broad-daylight shooting in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Gordon was found guilty on July 23, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on Sept. 21, 2018, by the Honorable Milton C. Lee.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 24, 2016, at approximately 11:15 a.m., the victim, Gabriel Turner, was walking in a cut-through behind the 2600 block of Birney Place SE, headed to a nearby bus stop. Mr. Turner, 46, who had intellectual disabilities and who was working at the FBI as a janitor, had just finished having breakfast with his mother – as he had every morning. Gordon, meanwhile, was in the area and, after seeing another man pull out a large amount of money, decided to rob that man near the mouth of the cut-through.
However, as Gordon attempted to rob the man, the man began to pull out his own firearm. Gordon, in his own words, gave the man no chance, and pulled his gun out first. The two men began running down the cut-through behind Mr. Turner.
Unbeknownst to Mr. Turner, Gordon planted his feet and began firing towards the man, who fled in the same direction that Mr. Turner was walking. The man who Gordon was targeting weaved around Mr. Turner and escaped, but a single bullet struck Mr. Turner in the upper back as he ducked. The bullet lodged itself in Mr. Turner’s sinus – killing him almost instantly. Two other bullets flew into an occupied apartment across the street, just missing the head of a second victim as he returned to bed.
An investigation led to Gordon’s arrest on April 17, 2016, by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Newsham, and Assistant Director in Charge McNamara commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), as well as the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, which helped identify Mr. Turner’s assailant. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the United States Park Police, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, the United States Marshals Service, and the District of Columbia Department of Corrections.
They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Service Coordinators La June Thames and Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Administrative Services Specialist Sallie Rynas; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite and Jeffrey Bloom; Litigation Technology Specialist Thomas “Ron” Royal, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller, who initially investigated the case.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Merikas and Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 49 1/2 Years in Prison for 2016 Slaying of His Ex-GirlfriendRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donald R. Hairston, 51, of District Heights, Md., was sentenced today to a 49 ½-year prison term for the June 2016 slaying of his ex-girlfriend at her home in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Hairston was found guilty by a jury in May 2018 of first-degree murder while armed, first-degree felony murder while armed, first-degree burglary while armed, temporary protection order violation, stalking, and related firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson.
According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, June 18, 2016, at approximately 1 a.m., the victim, Stephanie Goodloe, was in bed in her three-bedroom rowhouse in the 700 block of Kentucky Avenue SE. Her 11-year-old daughter, who was asleep in a nearby bedroom, awoke to her mother’s cry and the sound of “Pop… pop, pop, pop.” She then then saw a man walk by her open bedroom door. The man she observed was Hairston, her mother’s ex-boyfriend. Terrified, the girl waited a few minutes before checking on her mother because she was afraid the defendant would come after her next. When she finally gained the courage to go into her mother’s room, she found her 39-year-old mother dead, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Frantic, she called 911.
Prior to the murder, according to the government’s evidence, Hairston had engaged in a pattern of domestic violence against Ms. Goodloe. She had filed for a temporary protection order against him approximately two weeks earlier after he had slashed her tires and showed up at her house pounding on the door at all hours of the night. Additionally, in the weeks leading up to the murder, he stole her house keys from her front door, threatened to kill her, and generally stalked and harassed her. They were scheduled to go to court regarding the temporary protection order on Monday, June 20, 2016, just two days after the murder.
Hairston was arrested on the day of the murder and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by 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 Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle D. Jackson, David Gorman, and Laura R. Bach; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Forensic Child Interview Specialists Karen Giannakoulias and Tracy Owusu; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Contract Specialist Marquetta Little; Lead Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Stephanie Gilbert; Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long and John Timmer, who investigated, indicted, and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison for Shooting Man in Broad Daylight in Southwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Delonte Mack, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison on charges stemming from a brazen shooting that took place in broad daylight last year in Southwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The victim was shot numerous times at close range and, but for the quick medical attention of a responding Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, could have died.
Mack was found guilty by a jury on April 17, 2018, of charges of aggravated assault while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, at approximately 12:45 p.m., the victim was standing in front of a carry-out restaurant in the unit block of N Street SW, a short distance from Nationals Park. Without warning, Mack came from an alley running alongside the carry-out and approached the victim from behind. He then opened fire.
The victim was hit five times, including in the groin, back and arm. During the trial, the surgeon who treated the victim testified how emergency surgery was needed to prevent him from bleeding to death on the operating table. The victim continues to suffer pain and limited mobility as a result of his gunshot wounds, and lost a toe in the attack.
After the shooting, Mack ran back into the alley and toward the back yard of his nearby home on Carrollsburg Place SW. Minutes later, he sped away in his car, headed into Maryland. An investigation led to his arrest on March 17, 2017, and he has been in custody ever since.
Mack was linked to the crime through video from the alley, cell site data, and Internet searches he conducted about the shooting and about “boots for missing toes.” At the time of his arrest, Mack was on supervised release stemming from an earlier firearms case.
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 FBI’s Cellular Survey Analysis Team. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle and Lornce Applewhite; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Criminal Investigators Durand Odom, Tommy Miller, Mark Crawford, and John Marsh.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John B. Timmer and Laura Crane, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
U.S. Files Complaint to Forfeit $500,000 in EB-5 Visa Investment Funds and over $140,000 from Sanctioned Chinese Individual Accused of Procuring U.S. Origin Items for Sanctioned Iranian EntitiesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The United States filed a civil complaint today to forfeit more than $640,000 in funds from Wang Wei, a/k/a Jack Wang, whose companies allegedly were procuring U.S.-origin items and illegally supplying them to sanctioned entities in Iran.
The announcement was made by Jessie K. Liu, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Jill Sanborn, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Division.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and seeks the civil forfeiture of one ownership unit in the EB-5 Investment Program Cleveland International Fund - Medical Mart Hotel, set to mature in 2020 and pay out $500,000, and $141,086 allegedly laundered into the United States to Reekay Technology, one of Wang’s sanctioned companies.
According to the complaint, a law enforcement investigation into an Iranian procurement network revealed that Wang was the Beijing-based owner of several Iranian procurement front companies. On November 12, 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce sanctioned Wang and his affiliated companies, Sky Rise Technology Ltd, TiMi Technologies Co Ltd, 32 Group China Ltd., Caprice Group Ltd, and Reekay Technology, for supplying U.S.-origin items to an Iranian party associated with the Iranian defense industry and to an Iranian party whose customers include companies designated by the Department of Treasury as Specially Designated Nationals.
Additionally, on March 21, 2017, the U.S. Department of State sanctioned Wang and his affiliated companies for transfers to Iran’s missile program.
The complaint alleges that at Wang’s direction, front companies, located in mainland China and Hong Kong, purchased sensitive U.S. origin technology on behalf of Iranian end users without the licenses required by the U.S. government. According to the complaint, Wang and his companies conducted more than 100 wire transfers from offshore U.S. dollar accounts worth more than $1.1 million as part of this scheme. The complaint alleges that at least $641,086 of these wires related to illegal procurements from companies that exported U.S. origin items to Wang, which he failed to disclose were going to Iran. The remaining approximately $533,063 in transactions reflect Wang conducting U.S. dollar wire transfers between overseas electronics manufacturers, distributors and telecommunications companies to procure items for sanctioned Iranian entities, the complaint alleges. As part of this scheme, a Chinese front company allegedly wired $141,086 to Reekay Technology. These funds were seized as they transited through the United States for Iranian sanctions violations, and represent one of the defendant properties.
The EB-5 visa program provides a method for eligible immigrant investors to become lawful permanent residents (i.e., “green card holders”) by investing at least $500,000 to finance a business in a targeted employment area in the United States that will employ at least 10 American workers. The Cleveland International Fund (“CiF”) is an Ohio-based regional center offering foreign nationals the opportunity to make investments in the United States for the ultimate purpose of obtaining U.S. citizenship through the EB-5 investment visa program. Wang is an investor in CiF’s Medical Mart Hotel project, whose members consist of CiF as managing member, as well as individual overseas members who purchase their membership unit for $500,000, pursuant to EB-5 program. As alleged in the complaint, Wang laundered $500,000 into the United States in support of his EB-5 application, which was converted into one ownership unit in the Cleveland International Fund - Medical Mart Hotel, Ltd. These funds have been invested in a bond which will mature in 2020, and will result in a pay out at that time to Wang. The government seeks to forfeit Wang’s interest in the bond.
The complaint also seeks a civil monetary penalty against Wang for these sanctions and money laundering violations related to this scheme.
The claims made in the complaint are only allegations and do not constitute a determination of liability.
The FBI’s Minneapolis Divison, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St. Paul, Minnesota, Office, and Department of Commerce are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S Attorneys Zia M. Faruqui, Ari Redbord, and Brian P. Hudak, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Department of Justice Trial Attorney David Recker, of the National Security Division. Assistance is being provided by Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Former Background Investigator for Federal Government Pleads Guilty to Making a False StatementRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Rose Gross, 62, a former background investigator who did work under contract for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), pled guilty today to a charge stemming from her falsification of work on background investigations of federal employees and contractors, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management.
Gross, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to making a false statement. The Honorable Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for Oct. 22, 2018. The charge carries a statutory penalty of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Gross faces a range of 12 to 18 months in prison. She also has agreed to pay $189,042 in restitution to the federal government.
According to a statement of offense submitted to the Court, Gross was employed by USIS and KeyPoint Government Solutions as an investigator under contract to conduct background investigations on behalf of OPM’s Federal Investigative Services, which now is known as OPM’s National Background Investigations Bureau. All of the criminal conduct in this case took place while Gross worked under contract on behalf of Federal Investigative Services.
Between April 2014 and February 2015, in more than two dozen Reports of Investigations on background investigations, Gross represented that she had interviewed a source or reviewed a record regarding the subject of the background investigation. In fact, she had not conducted the interviews or obtained the records of interest. These reports were utilized and relied upon by the agencies requesting the background investigations to determine whether the subjects were suitable for positions having access to classified information, for positions impacting national security, for receiving or retaining security clearances, or for positions of public trust.
The false representations by Gross have required OPM to reopen and rework numerous background investigations that were assigned to her during the time period of her falsifications, at an estimated cost of at least $189,092 to the U.S. government.
OPM has a robust integrity assurance program which utilizes a variety of methods to ensure the accuracy of reported information. The falsification of investigative case work by the defendant was detected through the program.
This is one of numerous cases prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia since 2008 involving false representations by background investigators and record checkers working on federal background investigations. In addition to Gross, 24 other background investigators and two record checkers have been convicted of charges.
With a staff of more than 9,900 federal and contract employees, the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) conducts approximately 95 percent of all personnel background investigations for the federal government. NBIB processed over 2.5 million background investigations in the 2017 fiscal year.
In performing background investigations, the investigators conduct interviews of individuals who have information about the person who is the subject of the review. In addition, the investigators seek out, obtain, and review documentary evidence, such as employment records, to verify and corroborate information provided by either the subject of the background investigation or by persons interviewed during the investigation. After conducting interviews and obtaining documentary evidence, the investigators prepare a Report of Investigation containing the results of the interviews and document reviews, and electronically submit the material to OPM in Washington, D.C. OPM then provides a copy of the investigative file to the requesting agency, which can use the information to determine an individual’s eligibility for employment or a security clearance.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Acting Inspector General Vint praised the efforts of Special Agent Christopher J. Sulhoff, OPM, Office of the Inspector General, and Philip Kroop and Kevin Cassidy, OPM, NBIB. They also acknowledged the work of Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Joshua Fein of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein, who investigated and prosecuted this matter.
District Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison on Federal Narcotics and Firearms ChargesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Keith Young, 46, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges, after a search by law enforcement last year recovered from his residence more than two kilograms of heroin laced with fentanyl, a loaded firearm, 170 rounds of ammunition, and multiple extended magazines.
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).
Young was found guilty by a jury on April 27, 2018, of one count of possession with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin and one count of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person previously convicted of a crime punishable by in excess of 12 months in prison. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Following his prison term, Young will be placed on 10 years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on April 25, 2017, the ATF executed a search warrant in the 500 block of Newcomb Street SE, and was assisted by agents and officers of MPD’s Narcotics and Special Investigations Unit, the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, and the Uniformed Division of the U.S. Secret Service.
Young was present at the residence when the search was executed. In Young’s bed, agents located a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic firearm with an extended magazine under a pillow. Throughout the residence, law enforcement recovered 170 rounds of ammunition in four calibers, and five ammunition magazines, including multiple extended magazines. In the living room, law enforcement found two large plastic bins that were filled with drug manufacturing paraphernalia, such as, sifters, blenders, digital scales, playing cards, cutting agents, masks, gloves, and various sized storage bags. Additionally, hidden inside a section of the basement ceiling, law enforcement found a blue box and black bag. When agents opened the box and bag, they found in excess of two kilograms of heroin, valued at approximately $180,000. The Secret Service examined evidence for fingerprints and suspected DNA. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) later confirmed that the heroin contained fentanyl.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Chittum, and Chief Newsham commended the work and collaboration of those who investigated the case from the ATF and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Secret Service, and the DEA.
They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Jeannette Litz, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane, who assisted with the investigation. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli and David Misler of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Section, who tried the case.
Three Area Men Found Guilty of Felony Murder in 2015 Slaying in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Three men have been found guilty by a jury of felony murder and other charges stemming from the slaying of a man during a home invasion in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Joseph Barbour, 38, Willie Glover, Jr., 40, and Charles McRae, 66, were found guilty on July 17, 2018, of murder, first-degree burglary while armed and related offenses following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Barbour and McRae are from Washington, D.C., and Glover is from Forestville, Md. They remain held pending sentencing on Sept. 14, 2018, by the Honorable Craig Iscoe.
According to the government’s evidence, on the night of the killing, Dec. 21, 2015, the victim, Lenard Wills, was with a group of people in an apartment in the 700 block of 24th Street NE. His girlfriend was making dinner for the group when she got into a verbal argument with McRae. McRae left the apartment and came back a short time later with Barbour and Glover. One of the occupants let McRae into the apartment and, as he entered, Barbour and Glover came in behind him, wearing masks and carrying guns.
All three told the people in the apartment to get down and shut up. Barbour and Glover immediately went to Mr. Wills, who was seated at a table in the living room, and started pistol-whipping him, demanding money and drugs. McRae held down one of the occupants and punched another who tried to flee. He then pounded on the bathroom door demanding that Mr. Wills’ girlfriend come out, and punched her when she did. A struggle between Mr. Wills, Barbour and Glover ensued, during which one of the guns went off and broke apart. At some point during the struggle, Mr. Wills stabbed Barbour and Glover. McRae then came over to assist. Mr. Wills, 50, was stabbed multiple times and all three defendants fled the apartment. Mr. Wills was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital.
Bleeding heavily, Barbour fled across the courtyard and a basketball court to his girlfriend’s apartment building. Later, while canvassing along the blood trail, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department recovered a knife in a trash can as well as Barbour’s cell phone on the basketball court. Glover, meanwhile, drove himself to an area hospital. McRae met up with several of the apartment’s occupants at a bus stop while police were canvassing the scene and told them, among other things, that what happened in the apartment was not meant for them and that if he had the gun, he would have shot Mr. Wills.
Barbour and Glover were arrested within days of the murder, and McRae was arrested in March 2016. All have 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 the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who assisted with the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chrisellen Kolb and Daniel Lenerz; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity, Alesha Matthews, Stephanie Gilbert, and Kelly Blakeney; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia, Leif Hickling, and Jeanie Latimore-Brown; Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan, and Witness Security Specialist Debra Cannon. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Earnest and Richard Barker, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison for Federal Offenses Stemming from Attack of 15-Year-OldRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles Morgan, 57, a registered sex offender who is formerly of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison on child exploitation charges and other offenses stemming from his sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl he picked up at a bus stop.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Michael Hughes, U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Morgan was found guilty by a jury on May 2, 2018, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was found guilty that day of two federal charges, including one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of attempted production of child pornography. On May 5, 2018, the Court found him guilty of two additional federal counts of commission of a crime of violence against a minor while being required to register as a sex offender.
Morgan was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Ellen S. Huvelle. Following completion of his prison term, he is to be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant, a convicted rapist, sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl on May 23, 2016. The victim had left home after dark without telling her family and was trying to catch a bus to a friend’s house. Morgan, who was in a car, pulled over near the bus stop at Minnesota Avenue and Randall Circle SE and offered the victim a ride. Given that it was nearly midnight, there was no bus in sight, and the victim’s cellular phone was dead, she reluctantly accepted because Morgan showed her a business card and an identification badge to reassure her of his identity. Instead of taking the victim to her friend’s home, Morgan drove the victim to his basement apartment in Capitol Heights, Maryland, and anally sodomized her. Morgan told the victim to wash off in the bathroom, gave her a pair of his underwear to put on, then drove her back into the District of Columbia and dropped her off along the street near where he had picked her up. Morgan told the victim that he was going to pick her up again the following weekend so that he and his roommate could engage in sexual acts with her.
The victim immediately reported the rape. An undercover officer assumed the victim’s identity and engaged in a text conversation with Morgan in which the defendant insisted that he was going to pick up the victim the following weekend to assault her again. Morgan also demanded that the victim take naked photos of genitals and send them to him. He was arrested shortly thereafter and charged in the District of Columbia on the charges for which he stands convicted. Morgan has also been charged in Maryland with rape charges stemming from the sexual assault of the victim that occurred in his residence there.
Morgan was already registering as a sex offender as a result of an armed rape of a woman that he committed in 1989. He was released from prison in that case in 2009.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Marshal Hughes, Assistant Director in Charge McNamara, and Chief Newsham commended the work of Senior Inspector Floriano Whitwell and other members of the D.C. Superior Court Sex Offender Investigations Section of the U.S. Marshals Service, who investigated the case, as well as those who worked on the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department.
They acknowledged those who assisted with the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Suttenberg, of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section; Elizabeth Trosman, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Bates and Nicholas Coleman, of the Appellate Division, and Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation. They also acknowledged the assistance provided by Criminal Investigator John Marsh; Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant; Witness Security Specialist Debra Cannon; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Paralegal Supervisor Michelle Wicker; Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones; former Paralegal Specialist Donhue Troy Griffith; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and former Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea L. Hertzfeld and Jason Park, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
This case was part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and was, along with the U.S. Marshals Service Sex Offender Investigations Section, investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov
Maryland Man Sentenced to Jail Term for Fraudulent Billing Scheme Targeting D.C. Public SchoolsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Charles E. Scott, Jr., a vendor who claimed to be providing tutoring and mentoring services for students with special needs, was sentenced today to 26 weekends in jail, to be followed by 180 days of home confinement, for a scheme in which he collected more than $75,000 from the District of Columbia Public Schools for work that never was performed.
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.
Scott, 38, of Baltimore, Md., pled guilty in April 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to mail fraud and identity theft. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras. The judge sentenced him to five years of probation, during which he must serve the jail term and complete the home confinement, as well as perform 100 hours of community service. He also is required to pay $75,398 in restitution to the District of Columbia Public Schools and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to a statement of offense filed as part of the plea, the scheme took place from approximately February 2013 through December 2013. During that time, Scott submitted invoices, timesheets and other documents to the Office of Special Education, a component of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). The Office of Special Education manages the school system’s Compensatory Education Program.
The Compensatory Education Program awards services to eligible students to assist with their educational needs and development. Students awarded compensatory education services have learning, mental, and/or behavioral disabilities that create an educational barrier that prevents them from reaping the full benefits of education. Services consist of tutoring, individualized education, monitoring, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral and psychological analysis. Once DCPS approves specific services, parents or guardians receive letters specifying the services that can be provided and it is up to the parent or guardian to identify an independent provider to perform the authorized services.
Scott’s invoices included the names and dates of birth for 10 minor children for whom he claimed to have performed services. The accompanying timesheets included what purported to be the signatures of the parents or guardians whose children had purportedly received the services as well as the signatures of the tutors who supposedly did the work. Nearly all of what purported to be signatures of the parents and guardians were forged. Tutors’ signatures also were forged.
Scott did not have permission to use the names and dates of the children listed on his invoices and did not have approval from parents or guardians to sign their names.
All told, Scott obtained a total of $75,398 for services that were never performed. In addition, the District of Columbia disputed and never paid him for $20,314 worth of invoices and timesheets that he submitted for services that never were performed.
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 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, who is handling forfeiture issues, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou, and Paralegal Specialists Joshua Fein, Aisha Keys, and Kristy Penny. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who is prosecuting the case.
School Owner Pleads Guilty to Bribing Public Official at VA Program for Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
The owner of Eelon Training Academy (“Eelon”), a privately owned, non-accredited school purporting to specialize in digital media courses, pleaded guilty today to bribing a public official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in exchange for the public official’s facilitation of payments to Eelon that were supposed to be dedicated to providing vocational training for military veterans with service-connected disabilities. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia made the announcement.
Michelle Stevens, 57, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of bribing a public official. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia. In April 2018, two other individuals, Albert Poawui and Sombo Kanneh, pleaded guilty in related cases to bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, respectively.
The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program is a VA program that 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.
According to admissions made in connection with Stevens’ plea, she created Eelon Training Academy after learning about the VR&E program from a VR&E program counselor. In or about September 2016, the VR&E program counselor facilitated the first tuition payment from the VA to Eelon. Shortly after receiving this payment, the VR&E program counselor told Stevens that she should give him seven percent of the monies paid by the VA to Eelon.
Stevens admitted to later making two cash payments of $1,500 to the VR&E program counselor in furtherance of her scheme to bribe the VR&E program counselor in exchange for the VR&E program counselor sending veterans under his supervision to Eelon and facilitating the VA’s payments to Stevens. In total, Stevens received approximately $83,000 from the VA for education that she purported to provide to veteran students. Stevens submitted invoices to the VA amounting to no less than $300,000 for the tuition and equipment of seven students, but was not paid the balance of the invoice amount due to the VA’s ongoing investigation into Eelon following complaints by students about the poor quality of education.
In an effort to procure the outstanding payments from the VA, Stevens made numerous fraudulent misrepresentations to the VA, and maintained fraudulent student files in the event of an audit by the VA. For example, Stevens emailed to the VA an “attendance” sheet for eight students. The attendance sheet was created by Stevens and included handwritten check marks purporting to represent the dates that the students attended class. In fact, as Stevens well knew, the students had not attended class on many of those dates nor was class even held on many of those dates.
Stevens’ plea is the third guilty plea in an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonali D. Patel of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou and Paralegal Specialist Joshua Fein also assisted in the prosecution of this case.
School Owner Pleads Guilty to Bribing Public Official at VA Program for Disabled Military VeteransRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The owner of Eelon Training Academy (“Eelon”), a privately owned, non-accredited school purporting to specialize in digital media courses, pleaded guilty today to bribing a public official at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in exchange for the public official’s facilitation of payments to Eelon that were supposed to be dedicated to providing vocational training for military veterans with service-connected disabilities. Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia made the announcement.
Michelle Stevens, 57, of Waldorf, Maryland, pleaded guilty to one count of bribing a public official. The plea was entered before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates of the District of Columbia. In April 2018, two other individuals, Albert Poawui and Sombo Kanneh, pleaded guilty in related cases to bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery, respectively.
The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program is a VA program that 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.
According to admissions made in connection with Stevens’ plea, she created Eelon Training Academy after learning about the VR&E program from a VR&E program counselor. In or about September 2016, the VR&E program counselor facilitated the first tuition payment from the VA to Eelon. Shortly after receiving this payment, the VR&E program counselor told Stevens that she should give him seven percent of the monies paid by the VA to Eelon.
Stevens admitted to later making two cash payments of $1,500 to the VR&E program counselor in furtherance of her scheme to bribe the VR&E program counselor in exchange for the VR&E program counselor sending veterans under his supervision to Eelon and facilitating the VA’s payments to Stevens. In total, Stevens received approximately $83,000 from the VA for education that she purported to provide to veteran students. Stevens submitted invoices to the VA amounting to no less than $300,000 for the tuition and equipment of seven students, but was not paid the balance of the invoice amount due to the VA’s ongoing investigation into Eelon following complaints by students about the poor quality of education.
In an effort to procure the outstanding payments from the VA, Stevens made numerous fraudulent misrepresentations to the VA, and maintained fraudulent student files in the event of an audit by the VA. For example, Stevens emailed to the VA an “attendance” sheet for eight students. The attendance sheet was created by Stevens and included handwritten check marks purporting to represent the dates that the students attended class. In fact, as Stevens well knew, the students had not attended class on many of those dates nor was class even held on many of those dates.
Stevens’ plea is the third guilty plea in an ongoing investigation by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the VA Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sonali D. Patel of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Simon J. Cataldo of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrienne Dedjinou and Paralegal Specialist Joshua Fein also assisted in the prosecution of this case.
Former District of Columbia Government Employee Sentenced to 56 Months in Prison for Bribery SchemesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former management analyst for the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) was sentenced today to 56 months in prison on charges stemming from schemes in which she accepted bribes in return for clearing the way for payments to be made on fraudulent invoices that cost the D.C. government more than $480,000.
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.
Shauntell Harley, 48, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in March 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery. She was sentenced by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss. Following her prison term, Harley will be placed on three years of supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement, Harley must pay $488,311 in restitution to the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education. She also was ordered to pay 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.
According to a statement of offense submitted at the plea hearing, Harley took part in two separate schemes involving fraudulent invoices paid by the D.C. government.
In one scheme, which began in or about June of 2012, she and business owner Vashawn Strader 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 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.
Strader, 39, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in October 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. He is awaiting sentencing. Under his plea agreement, Strader is required to pay $308,311 in restitution to OSSE and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
In the second scheme, which unfolded in 2013 and 2014, Harley admitted conspiring with the owner of another company to have that firm invoice OSSE for work that was not performed. Harley used her official position to create and submit fraudulent purchase orders and otherwise caused OSSE to pay the company. In exchange, the company owner provided Harley with a portion of the proceeds. According to the statement of offense, in this scheme Harley used her official position to cause OSSE to pay $179,999 for services that the company never provided. The company owner made approximately $53,000 in payments to Harley.
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.
District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for 2016 Attack on Postal Carrier in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jerome A. Proctor, Jr., 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for discharging a firearm during an armed robbery of a United States Postal Service (USPS) Letter Carrier who was delivering mail, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Acting Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Proctor pled guilty in April 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of 10 years in prison. The Honorable Christopher R. Cooper accepted the plea and sentenced Proctor accordingly. Following his prison term, Proctor will be placed on five years of supervised release. Judge Cooper also ordered Proctor to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim.
The government’s evidence established that on Nov. 26, 2016, at approximately 6 p.m., Proctor and an associate attacked the victim in the 2300 block of 2nd Street NE. The victim was completing mail deliveries on his route and Proctor brandished a black semi-automatic handgun and pointed it towards the letter carrier’s head. Proctor then kicked and pistol-whipped the victim while he was on the ground and his associate went through the victim’s pockets, taking the victim’s cell phone, personal keys, and wallet, containing identification and debit cards. Property of the U.S. Postal Service was also taken, including a mail satchel and scanner.
A vehicle drove up during the assault and robbery, at which point Proctor fired a single shot into the air in an attempt to scare off the driver of the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle heard the gunshot, and fearing for her safety, sped away, with the letter carrier chasing after the vehicle. Shortly after the assault and robbery, Proctor and his associate could be seen together on video footage from the Fashion Centre mall at Pentagon City in Arlington, Va., where Proctor’s associate attempted to use a debit card stolen from the letter carrier at the food court.
Proctor was arrested in December 2016 in Prince George’s County, Md. and he has been in custody ever since. He was indicted in this case in May 2017.
During the assault on the letter carrier, Proctor commented that the victim got “blood on his new Timberlands.” During the course of the investigation, the victim’s blood was identified on a stain on a pair of jeans recovered from the residence where Proctor was arrested.
“Today’s sentence holds Jerome Proctor, Jr. accountable for a brazen armed robbery of a Postal Service Letter Carrier who was completing deliveries on his route,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “The community is safer now that this dangerous offender is off the streets.”
“Protection of Postal employees is one of the Postal Inspection Service's highest priorities,” said Acting Inspector in Charge Shen. “We greatly appreciate the assistance of our law enforcement partners in bringing justice for this violent crime and improving the safety of our employees and community.”
At the time of his arrest in Maryland, Proctor was on probation in Maryland for a firearms conviction. Proctor’s probation was revoked by Maryland and he was re-sentenced to serve the three-year sentence that had previously been suspended. That sentence must run consecutive to the sentence in this case.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Acting Inspector in Charge Shen, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and MPD officers in the Fifth District in quickly investigating and arresting Proctor. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, Paralegal Specialist Rommel Pachoca, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton.
Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United StatesRead the Press Release
A criminal complaint was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Russian national with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Maria Butina, 29, a Russian citizen residing in Washington D.C., was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and made her initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was ordered held pending a hearing set for July 18, 2018.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, from as early as 2015 and continuing through at least February 2017, Butina worked at the direction of a high-level official in the Russian government who was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian Federation and later became a top official at the Russian Central Bank. This Russian official was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2018.
The court filings detail the Russian official’s and Butina’s efforts for Butina to act as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with U.S. persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation. The filings also describe certain actions taken by Butina to further this effort during multiple visits from Russia and, later, when she entered and resided in the United States on a student visa. The filings allege that she undertook her activities without officially disclosing the fact that she was acting as an agent of Russian government, as required by law.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Russian National Charged in Conspiracy to Act as an Agent of the Russian Federation Within the United StatesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint was unsealed today in the District of Columbia charging a Russian national with conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian Federation within the United States without prior notification to the Attorney General.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Mariia Butina, 29, a Russian citizen residing in Washington D.C., was arrested on July 15, 2018, in Washington, D.C., and made her initial appearance this afternoon before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was ordered held pending a hearing set for July 18, 2018.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, from as early as 2015 and continuing through at least February 2017, Butina worked at the direction of a high-level official in the Russian government who was previously a member of the legislature of the Russian Federation and later became a top official at the Russian Central Bank. This Russian official was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2018.
The court filings detail the Russian official’s and Butina’s efforts for Butina to act as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with U.S. persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation. The filings also describe certain actions taken by Butina to further this effort during multiple visits from Russia and, later, when she entered and resided in the United States on a student visa. The filings allege that she undertook her activities without officially disclosing the fact that she was acting as an agent of Russian government, as required by law.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for conspiracy is five years. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Two Men Plead Guilty to Federal Charges in Attack on ATM EmployeeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Richard Reid, 43, of Washington, D.C. and Dwonne Washington, 43, of Silver Spring, Md., have pled guilty to federal charges for robbing and beating a man who was servicing ATM machines last fall in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Both men pled guilty to a charge of interference with interstate commerce by robbery as well as a related federal firearms offense. Reid entered his guilty plea on July 11, 2018, in the U.S District Court for the District of Columbia, and Washington entered his plea on the following day. Both men face mandatory minimum sentences of seven years in prison for brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence and additional time for the robbery offense. Under sentencing guidelines, Reid faces a likely total range of 125 to 135 months in prison and Washington faces an estimated 117 to 125 months. The Honorable Rudolph Contreras scheduled sentencing for Oct. 2, 2018. Both men remain held pending sentencing.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 15, 2017, the victim was refilling ATM machines owned by his company throughout the Washington, D.C. area. The attack took place after the victim had refilled an ATM machine located inside a market in the 300 block of P Street NW. At 1:45 p.m., as the victim was walking to his car with a backpack filled with cash, he was attacked from behind by two assailants.
The first assailant, Washington, pistol-whipped the victim with a firearm while the second assailant, Reid, beat the victim with his fists. Both Washington and Reid wrestled the backpack off the victim’s back and fled the area in a vehicle. During the attack, which was captured on surveillance video, the victim’s nose was broken.
An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department revealed that the getaway vehicle used by the assailants was registered to Washington. Witnesses then identified Washington in the surveillance video and he was arrested the day after the crime. He has been held ever since. Subsequent investigation by MPD and the FBI’s Washington Field Office identified a phone dropped on scene as belonging to Reid, and a witness identified him in the surveillance video. He was arrested on Feb. 23, 2018 and has been held since that time.
In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu, Special Agent in Charge DeSarno, and Chief Newsham commended the work of MPD’s Fifth District detectives and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara Vanore and Sumit Mallick, who successfully prosecuted the defendants.
Ride-Sharing Driver Sentenced to 19 Months in Prison for Sexual Assault of PassengerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Selvin Chocooj, 32, a former driver with a national ride-sharing company, was sentenced today to 19 months in prison for sexually assaulting a passenger last year in Northeast Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Chocooj, who is from Guatemala and had been living in Oxon Hill, Md., pled guilty in April 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to third-degree sexual abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison sentence of 12 to 24 months, to be followed by a period of supervised release and sex offender registration. The Honorable Craig Iscoe accepted the plea and sentenced Chocooj accordingly. Chocooj will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his prison term.
According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on Dec. 10, 2017, at approximately 4 a.m., near the 400 block of East Capitol Street NE, Chocooj and the victim were seated in the front of the defendant’s Toyota Prius. While in the car, Chocooj touched the victim’s breast by force and against her will. She resisted and a physical struggle ensued. During this struggle, the victim sustained injuries to her neck and shoulder, and Chocooj sustained injuries to his face. As the struggle continued, Chocooj physically forced the victim out of the vehicle, got back into the car, and drove away. The victim remained on the scene and called 911.
The day after the incident, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department went to an apartment building in Oxon Hill, Md., and attempted to speak with Chocooj about the allegations. Chocooj jumped out of a third-story window and fled. He was eventually located by the U.S. Marshals Service in the Pikeville, Ky. area and arrested on Dec. 22, 2017.
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 assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. She acknowledged work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Tracy Hawkins, Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones, and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Matt Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 64 Months in Prison for Sexually Assaulting Niece in 2004Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 58-year-old man, from Clinton, Md., was sentenced today to 64 months in prison for sexually abusing his niece in 2004, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in May 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of attempted first-degree child sexual abuse. He was sentenced today by the Honorable Craig Iscoe. Upon completion of his prison term, the man will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant was visiting the girl’s home in Northwest Washington to watch a football game while her mother was at church services on the date of the assault. He asked the girl to go into her mother’s bedroom and then performed oral sex on her. At the time, the girl was 10 years old.
The victim reported the abuse in February 2018, and an investigation led to the man’s arrest. He has been in custody since April 2018.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division (MPD). She also commended those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Tracey Hawkins and Lezlie Richardson, Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Tennessee Man Indicted on Federal Charges in Cyberstalking and Identity Theft CaseRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Andrew T. Maliska, 27, of Nashville, Tennessee, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia following an investigation into the creation and circulation of doctored images, related postings, and the personal information of the victim.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Maliska was indicted by a grand jury on one count of cyberstalking and indicted on two counts of identity theft. The indictment, which was unsealed today, was returned on May 24, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the indictment, Maliska resided in the District of Columbia from September 2009 until June 2013, where he studied at a local university and met the victim. The indictment alleges that in 2013 and 2015, during the course of his friendship with the victim, Maliska without authorization, accessed and obtained non-sexual images from the victim’s social media accounts. According to the indictment, Maliska then doctored those images to sexualize them and posted them on various online forums.
The indictment alleges that Maliska also posted the victim’s name, phone number, and address on an escort website in May of 2015. This posting resulted in the victim receiving multiple inquiries from individuals seeking escort services from her. The indictment further alleges that the nature of the other postings were pornographic, racist, and defamatory.
The victim and her family filed a civil suit against Maliska in October of 2015. The following year, the victim and her family obtained a civil settlement in which Maliska acknowledged the postings and content were authored by him, stated he would remove the content, and agreed that he would refrain from engaging in further defamatory postings of the victim.
As alleged in the indictment, in August 2017, after Maliska entered into the civil settlement, he continued to commission sexual images of the victim, posted about the victim, and reactivated a fake social media account in her name. The indictment alleges that Maliska used the victim’s name, biographical information, and images to create the fake social media account. Maliska used the fake social media account to befriend and communicate with others online.
Maliska was arrested on May 31, 2018. He made his first appearance on May 31, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He pled not guilty to the charges and was detained pending his initial appearance in the District of Columbia. He made his initial appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was released pending further court proceedings.
The charge of cyberstalking carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. The charge of identity theft carries a statutory maximum of five years’ incarceration and potential financial penalties.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Youli Lee and Sumit Mallick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron Jones of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Middle District of Tennessee and Bianca Evans, formerly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Maryland Man Found Guilty of Stalking Former Co-Worker, Now Accused of Fleeing U.S. to IcelandRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ranjith Keerikkattil, 30, of Catonsville, Md., has been found guilty by a jury of stalking a junior co-worker, starting while they were both employed at a consulting firm, and continuing after he was fired, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.
Keerikkattil was found guilty of the stalking charge on July 9, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Robert A. Salerno released Keerikkattil following the verdict, pending sentencing. The judge ordered him to appear the next morning to have a GPS monitoring device installed. However, he failed to appear, and fled the United States to Iceland. A grand jury subsequently indicted him on July 11, 2018, on a charge of violating the Bail Reform Act. He will be re-arrested upon his return to the United States.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, the criminal conduct began in May 2015, while Keerikkattil was a senior consultant at a consulting firm in Rosslyn, Va. The victim, who resided at the time in the District of Columbia, had begun her first job out of college in 2015 as a business technology analyst for the firm. Keerikkattil was her first mentor on her first project. After the victim performed countless evening and weekend hours on the project, Keerikkattil, told her that he only brought her onto the project to get close to her and that he was merely giving her busy work. He ignored her wishes to keep their relationship strictly professional and continued to pursue her. After she repeatedly tried to resolve the matter herself, she reported Keerikkattil, on June 1, 2015, to her human resources counselor.
Keerikkattil was fired on June 19, 2015, for not being forthcoming about his conduct, which was captured on texts between the two, during the firm’s internal investigation of the matter. He blamed the victim for his termination and then began a stalking campaign in retaliation. His stalking acts included publishing false allegations about the victim on the Internet and through mass e-mails to the victim and former company employees in order to seriously frighten and defame her. When ignored, he escalated his actions. Almost two months after being fired, he sat in a café that was frequented by company employees, including the victim. He was able to obtain eye contact with the victim on one occasion inside this café, frightening her even more. The victim’s attorney notified Keerikkattil, instructing him not to have any further contact with her, but he continued to text her statements like, “Every morning I wake up thinking about you and go to bed thinking about you.”
With the victim continuing to ignore him, Keerikkattil decided to take a plane almost 3,000 miles to Seattle and then rent a car and travel an additional three hours to pay an unannounced visit to the victim’s parents in a remote suburb of Portland, Ore. On Oct. 24, 2015, he knocked on the door to the victim’s childhood home, which was at the bottom of a long driveway, and asked her father for directions to the nearby parks. It took a moment for the father to piece things together. Once he was able to figure out whom the defendant was, he slammed and locked the door and called 911. Keerikkattil texted the victim shortly thereafter, “Was nice meeting your dad today.” An arrest warrant was obtained shortly thereafter, and Keerikkattil was arrested on Dec. 19, 2015, and charged with stalking.
Before fleeing to Iceland, the defendant was scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14, 2018, facing 12 months of incarceration for the stalking charge. He now also faces an additional maximum of five years of incarceration if convicted of the felony Bail Reform Act charge. The charge in the indictment is merely an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
In announcing the stalking verdict, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Lynda Randolph and Stephanie Siegerist, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ethan Carroll and Kristina Wolf, who assisted in investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Giovannelli who prosecuted and tried the case to verdict.
Area Man Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing His Cousin, Beginning When She Was 12 Years OldRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – An area man, 32, was found guilty today of first-degree sexual abuse, first-degree child sexual abuse, and other charges for sexually abusing his cousin, beginning when she was 12 and continuing until she was 14, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, recently lived in both Silver Spring, Md., and Alexandria, Va. He was found guilty by a jury following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck ordered that he be held without bond until sentencing on Nov. 2, 2018. He faces up to decades in prison.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, the victim and her younger sister would spend weekends at the Northeast Washington home of their adult sister. The man lived in that same home and, before his abuse became known, and was beloved by the victim’s parents and her adult siblings, who viewed him like a son or brother, rather than as a nephew and cousin.
In the summer of 2014, when the victim was 12 years old, the defendant began sexually abusing her during her weekend visits. The nature of his abuse escalated over time, and each time he abused the girl, he told her not to tell anyone about what he was doing. He also told her that if she told, nobody would believe her, and that she would be the one to get in trouble, not him. The victim confided in her 10-year old sister when the abuse began, but the younger sister did not understand the sexual abuse, and therefore, did not believe the victim and told her so. This caused the victim to fear that just as the defendant had warned, nobody would believe her if she told. Thus, she kept the abuse bottled up inside for the next couple of years.
In early 2017, however, the victim began refusing to visit her adult sister’s home. The victim’s mother and her adult sister found that odd. After church one Sunday in April 2017, the older sister began pressing the victim as to why she had quit coming over to the sister’s home on weekends. It was at that point that the victim finally reported the sexual abuse to which the defendant had been subjecting her. Contrary to the defendant’s threats that no one would believe the victim, the victim’s family immediately reported the abuse to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the defendant was later arrested.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of members of the Youth and Family Services Division of the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mannarino, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section; Paralegal Specialists Brenda C. Williams and Tiffany Jones; Victim/Witness Advocates Juanita Harris, Elsa Maltese and Karen Giannakoulias; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Jeanie Latimore-Brown, and Interns Megan Hughes, John Bedecarre, Marianne Aguilar, Demia Lee, and Leon Stern. Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer B. Loeb and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to 6 ½-Year Prison Term for Sexually Assaulting Boy Who Was in His CareRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 28-year-old man, from Laurel, Md., was sentenced today to a 6 ½-prison term for sexually abusing a young boy whose mother entrusted him to his care, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in April 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances. The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for a prison term of five to seven years. The Honorable Craig Iscoe accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, the man will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.
According to the government’s evidence, the defendant was residing with the boy and the boy’s mother at an apartment in Southeast Washington at the time of the incidents in the District of Columbia, which took place between late October 2014 and late December 2015. At the time, the boy was four or five years old. The defendant was a significant caregiver to the boy during this time period because the mother worked one or two jobs or was attending school.
According to the evidence, the man rubbed his penis between the boy’s buttocks while the mother was out of the house. The victim disclosed the abuse in the summer of 2017, and an investigation led to the man’s arrest. He has been in custody since August 2017.
The victim also disclosed that the defendant’s abuse continued when the family moved to Prince George’s County, Md. Following the defendant’s sentencing by Judge Iscoe, the man pled guilty to a charge of sex abuse of a minor in that jurisdiction. He was sentenced to a concurrent sentence to the sentence imposed today in the District of Columbia.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the work of the Children’s Advocacy Center and Children’s National Medical Center. Finally, she acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica A. Vaughan, Forensic Interviewer Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Apartment Break-in in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Floyd Sellers, 55, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to three years in prison after earlier pleading guilty to a charge stemming from a break-in of an apartment in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Sellers pled guilty in March 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of attempted burglary. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert A. Salerno. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government evidence, on July 24, 2016, at approximately 1 a.m., Sellers smashed the rear window of an apartment in the 1500 block of Church Street NW. He entered the apartment and stole some electronic devices, including an iPad, iPhone, laptop, and camera. No one was home at the time. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) later linked Sellers to the crime through fingerprints and other evidence and he was arrested in December 2016.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives from MPD’s Second District, who investigated the case. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. Finally, she acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nurudeen Elias, who investigated and prosecuted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez.
Trinidadian Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Involving Numerous Home Equity Line of Credit LoansRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Garth Anthony Gardner, 49, a citizen of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, has pled guilty to charges involving a scheme in which he made misrepresentations to apply for and obtain more than $3 million in multiple home equity line of credit loans.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Acting Special Agent in Charge Kelly R. Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office.
Gardner pled guilty on July 2, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to two counts of bank fraud. Each charge carries a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces an estimated range of 51 to 63 months in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The plea agreement calls for him to pay $3,165,294 in restitution to 24 financial institutions. It also calls for him to pay a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $2,048,446. The Honorable Christopher R. Cooper scheduled sentencing for Sept. 24, 2018.
According to the government’s evidence, in October 2003, Gardner purchased a property in the 5100 block of 13th Street NW, using the Social Security number of another person and falsely representing himself as a U.S. citizen. In May 2005, he used a corporation that he owned to purchase a second property in the 1300 block of Dexter Terrace SE. Gardner transferred ownership of the second property from the company to himself for $10. Next, Gardner applied for a series of home equity line of credit loans using the two properties as collateral.
By settling these loans in close proximity to each other, Gardner minimized the banks’ ability to learn about the other loans. From August to October 2004, Gardner obtained 12 home equity line of credit loans from 12 different banks secured by the 13th Street property, totaling approximately $1.4 million. Between March and April 2006, Gardner applied for 13, and obtained 12, such loans from 12 banks, secured by the Dexter Terrace property, totaling approximately $1.9 million.
In approximately February 2008, Gardner stopped making payments and defaulted on all of the loans. The banks discovered Gardner’s fraudulent conduct after initiating foreclosure proceedings on the properties.
Gardner admitted that he used a portion of the proceeds from the fraudulent scheme to purchase 15 silver bars, which the government recovered and liquidated for about $1.1 million.
Gardner was arrested in Frankfurt, Germany in May 2017, and was extradited to the District in February 2018, to face the charges that had been pending since 2014. He remains in custody pending his sentencing.
The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in the extradition of Gardner from Germany to the United States.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jackson commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Washington Field Office of the U.S. Secret Service and the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Bradford, Diane Lucas, and Denise A. Simmonds, former Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Last, and Paralegal Specialist Aisha Keys.
Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Firearms Offense Following Discovery of Weapons in Car in Downtown WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Bryan D. Moles, 44, of Edinboro, Pa., pled guilty today to a firearms offense stemming from the discovery of a semi-automatic pistol and an AR-15-style rifle in the car he parked last year at the Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, ), 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.
Moles pled guilty in the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia to carrying a pistol without a license, a District of Columbia offense. As part of the plea, the government has agreed to dismiss a federal firearms charge that was included in an indictment returned in June 2017. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $12,500, Based on the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Moles faces a possible range of six to 24 months in prison. The Honorable Richard J. Leon scheduled sentencing for Sept. 7, 2018.
The plea agreement also calls for Moles to forfeit various firearms recovered from the car as well as from his home in Pennsylvania.
According to a factual proffer submitted for the plea, Moles traveled by car from Pennsylvania to the District of Columbia, leaving on May 30, 2017 and arriving on May 31. Prior to heading off, he placed a Glock 23 .40-caiber pistol and a Bushmaster Carbon-15 .223-5.56mm caliber rifle in the car. The pistol was in an unlocked glove compartment and the rifle was in an unlocked rifle case in the rear hatchback. At the time of his trip, Moles had been a regular user of marijuana for at least the prior month.
Moles parked the car at the Trump International Hotel early in the morning of May 31. He reported to hotel staff that he had firearms in the car and checked in as a hotel guest. Law enforcement agents later knocked on the door to his hotel room. Moles let them inside, He told the agents that he had brought the two firearms to the District of Columbia, and said that he self-medicated with marijuana. Agents found marijuana and a vaporizer smoking device in the bathroom of the hotel room.
Moles was released from custody on June 2, 2017, but his pretrial release was revoked on June 15, 2017, after the judge determined he had violated his release conditions. He has been in custody ever since.
Under District of Columbia law, Moles would have been ineligible to obtain a license to carry a firearm due to his use of marijuana.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Friedman.
District Man Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Abusing, Threatening 12-Year-Old GirlRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tauheed Wheeler, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 months in prison on charges of misdemeanor child sexual abuse and felony threats stemming from an incident in which he tried to entice a young girl into the back seat of his car, and then threatened to beat her if she told anyone what happened, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.
Wheeler pled guilty in March 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Following his prison term, he must register as a sex offender for a 10-year period; he will be on supervised release during that time.
According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 10, 2016, the victim was 12 years old. Wheeler was a friend of the girl’s mother at the time, and he offered to drive the victim to a relative’s home. The relative was not home, and Wheeler drove the girl into an alley in Southeast Washington, where he parked near some trees. Wheeler got into the back seat of the car and, while touching his genitalia, asked the girl to get into the back seat with him so that he could engage in sexual contact with her. The girl refused. Wheeler kept encouraging the girl to get into the back seat with him, but she continued resisting. Eventually, Wheeler gave up but told that victim that if she told anyone about what he had tried to do, he would beat her. Afraid, the victim did not initially tell her mother. However, in June of 2017, she finally told her mother what Wheeler had done. Her mother immediately called the police. Wheeler was arrested and indicted in January 2018 and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended members of the Youth and Family Services Division of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to 51-Month Prison Term for Stabbing Girlfriend’s Father in ChestRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Justin Wray, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 51 months in prison on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon for stabbing the father of his then-girlfriend in the chest, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Under what is known as the Alford doctrine, Wray pled guilty in March 2018 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction. Wray was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, Wray and his girlfriend argued in the early morning of May 4, 2016 at the girlfriend’s apartment in the unit block of Galveston Street SW. Wray then left the residence, but returned a short while later, at approximately 6:40 a.m., to obtain his possessions. The girlfriend’s father let Wray back into the apartment and led Wray to his girlfriend’s bedroom. Soon thereafter, the girlfriend’s father attempted to lead Wray out of the apartment. Wray became extremely agitated. From behind, he reached over the top of his girlfriend’s father’s back and stabbed the father in the chest with a knife. He fled the scene.
The girlfriend’s father suffered a punctured lung. Wray was arrested on Sept. 10, 2016 and has been in custody ever since. In his plea, Wray said that he had no memory of events but acknowledged that the government had sufficient evidence to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists T.J. McPhail and Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Maltese.
Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Manzo, who investigated, indicted and prosecuted the case.
Maryland Woman Arrested on Federal Charges Alleging She Defrauded D.C. Medicaid ProgramRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Maryland woman who was employed as a personal care aide was arrested today on federal charges stemming from a scheme in which she allegedly submitted nearly $400,000 in false claims to the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division, 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.
Hope Omone Falowo, 42, of Bowie, Md., was arrested on a criminal complaint charging her with health care fraud and making health care false statements. She made her first appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was released on personal recognizance pending a hearing set for July 19, 2018.
According to the complaint, Falowo was employed as a personal care aide from approximately January 2013 through March 2017. 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, Falowo’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 complaint, the investigation determined that Falowo submitted approximately $399,165 in false claims between 2013 and 2017. The complaint alleges that these claims fall into three categories: claims purporting that she provided services in excess of 24 hours in a given day; claims purporting that she provided services when she was in fact on international travel; and claims purporting that she provided services to Medicaid beneficiaries to whom she provided no care at all.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The statutory maximum penalty for a charge of health care fraud is 10 years of incarceration. The statutory maximum for health care false statements is five years of incarceration. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
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 case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Amy Markopoulos of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Robert Fishman.
The arrest this morning was among the results of the nation’s largest ever health care fraud enforcement action. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex M. Azar III, announced results of the nationwide effort earlier today. All told, the enforcement action involves 601 charged defendants across 58 federal districts, including 165 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving more than $2 billion in false billings. Of those charged, 162 defendants, including 76 doctors, were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.
Former Office Manager Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Embezzling More Than $1.5 Million from EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – The former office manager of a trade association management company was sentenced today to 51 months in prison on a federal charge of wire fraud for embezzling more than $1.5 million from the firm, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Nancy McNamara, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Leunea D. Myers, 39, of Clinton, Md., pled guilty in March 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper. Following her prison term, she will be placed on three years of supervised release. She also must pay $1,550,075 in restitution to her former employer and two of its clients, and the Court issued a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.
According to a statement of offense filed as part of the plea, Myers worked from February 2015 to November 2017 as the office manager and bookkeeper for a company identified in court documents as “Company A.” This company is a professional trade association management company in the District of Columbia that has been in business for more than 40 years. It has two primary clients. Myers’s responsibilities included tracking client billings and receipts, depositing money, and reconciling clients’ bank accounts, drafting checks, and preparing financial statements.
From April 2015 through November 2017, Myers embezzled funds by making unauthorized charges on company credit cards and by writing fraudulent checks directly to herself or to pay third parties to pay bills that she owed.
In announcing the sentence, 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 efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Caruso and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Welsh and Parker Tobin, who assisted with forfeiture issues; Paralegal Specialist Brittany Phillips; former Paralegal Specialist Kate Abrey, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Marston. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Derrick L. Williams, who handled the sentencing phase of the case.
U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu to Host Youth Summit on June 29 at Friendship Collegiate Academy in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and numerous local and federal law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations are teaming up to host the Eighth Annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence Youth Summit” on Friday, June 29, 2018, at Friendship Collegiate Academy.
The focuses this year will be gun violence, sexual assault, and bullying prevention. The event will feature dynamic speakers, entertainment, and invaluable information and resources.
For the past seven years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has joined its many partners to host the Youth Summit. The Youth Summits have kicked off with plenary sessions that highlighted subjects such as the causes and consequences of youth violence, challenged youth participants to make better decisions, and emphasized the importance of cooperating with law enforcement. The plenary sessions have been followed by breakout sessions that have focused on public safety issues facing our youth, such as teen domestic violence, heroin and opiate abuse, and human trafficking. The summits have concluded with an educational entertainment segment, which reinforced the positive messages of the Youth Summit.
Additionally, the summits have included a youth informational fair in which numerous non-profits have provided information on youth development programs, mentoring programs, and educational youth activities. More than 500 youths participated in the event last year, and thousands have participated in the activities since the first event in 2011.
The eighth annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence Summit” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., east of the Anacostia River, at Friendship Collegiate Public Charter Senior High School, 4095 Minnesota Avenue NE. The location is directly across the street from the Minnesota Avenue Metro station.
The Summit is a part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhood Program, a nationwide effort to reduce violent crime.
The many collaborative partners include East of the River Family Collaborative, Collaborative Solutions for Communities, Men Can Stop Rape, the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, Hillcrest Children and Family Services, Howard University Hospital, the District of Columbia Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, Go-Go Fitness and a Foundation for a Drug-Free World. People with questions may contact Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for External Affairs, Wendy Pohlhaus at (202)-252-6930 or [email protected].
South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Wire Fraud Charge, Admits Using Forged Deeds to Steal HomesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert McCloud, 39, most recently of Warrenville, S.C., pled guilty today to 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 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. Under federal sentencing guidelines, McCloud faces a likely range of 27 to 33 months in prison and a fine of up to $60,000. He also has agreed to pay $200,488 in restitution to two title insurance companies, as well as a forfeiture money judgment of $57,965. The Honorable Amit P. Mehta scheduled sentencing for Oct. 19, 2018.
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.
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.
The harm caused to the owners, buyers, and title companies was covered by title insurance; the restitution amount of $200,488 is the amount due and owing to the title insurance companies after giving credit to the forfeited funds, which were returned to the victims.
In announcing the plea, 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 is prosecuting the case.
Ahmed Abu Khatallah Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for September 2012 Attack in Benghazi, LibyaRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Ahmed Abu Khatallah, aka Ahmed Mukatallah, 47, a Libyan national, was sentenced today to 22 years in prison on federal terrorism charges and other offenses stemming from the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty died in the attack at the Mission and the nearby Annex in Benghazi.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jessie K. Liu, Assistant Director Michael McGarrity of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, and Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr. of the FBI’s New York Field Office.
Khatallah was captured in Libya on June 15, 2014, and brought to the United States to face trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was found guilty by a jury on November 28, 2017, following seven weeks of trial, of one count of conspiracy to provide material support or resources to terrorists, one count of providing material support or resources to terrorists, one count of maliciously destroying and injuring dwellings and property, and placing lives in jeopardy within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, and one count of using and carrying a semiautomatic assault rifle during a crime of violence. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper.
According to the government’s evidence, Khatallah was a leader of an extremist militia named Ubaydah bin Jarrah, which operated outside the law, and in the months prior to the attacks, he sought to incite violence by his and other militia groups against the presence of the United States in Libya. In early September of 2012, he and other members of his group mobilized for an attack by stockpiling truckloads of weaponry.
On the night of September 11, 2012, according to the government’s evidence, Khatallah directed his group to carry out the violence, striking first at the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi. A group of men, armed with AK-47 rifles, grenades, and other weapons, swept into the Mission compound, setting fires and breaking into buildings. During that violence, Ambassador Stevens and Mr. Smith valiantly tried to protect themselves when the attackers stormed into a villa, but they were fatally overcome by thick, black smoke when the attackers set a fire. A State Department employee, who tried to guide them to safety, was injured.
Before, during and after the attack, Khatallah maintained contact with his group in a series of cellphone calls. Also, according to the government’s evidence, for much of the attack, he positioned himself on the perimeter of the compound and kept others, including emergency responders, from getting to the scene. The government’s evidence also showed that Khatallah made calls to leaders of other militia groups warning them not to interfere with the attack.
Following the attack at the Mission, in the early hours of September 12, 2012, the violence continued at a nearby CIA annex, first with gunfire and then with a precision mortar attack. Mr. Woods and Mr. Doherty died in the mortar attack, and a State Department employee and U.S. government security specialist were seriously wounded.
This case was investigated by the FBI New York Field Office’s Joint Terrorism Task Force with substantial assistance from various other government agencies, including the two victim agencies, the CIA, and the Department of State.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Crabb, Jr., Michael C. DiLorenzo, and Julieanne Himelstein, all of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Opher Shweiki. Assistance was provided by Trial Attorney C. Alexandria Bogle of the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Kohl and David Mudd of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Assistance also was provided by Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, Paralegal Specialists Rayneisha Booth and Jessica Moffatt, Legal Assistant Matthew Ruggiero, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.