District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – John King Lionell, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to rob banks in the District of Columbia and Maryland. A co-defendant, Steve Jamal Smith, also known as Jabrail Love, 23, of Hyattsville, Md., earlier also was sentenced to a 42-month prison term.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), J. Thomas Manger, Chief of the Montgomery County, Md., Police Department, and Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police.

            Lionell and Smith were found guilty by a jury in November 2017 of conspiracy to commit bank robbery, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Upon completion of their prison terms, each defendant will be placed on three years of supervised release. Smith was sentenced on Feb. 2, 2018, by the Honorable Randolph D. Moss and Lionell was sentenced today.

            According to the evidence at trial, on Jan. 26, 2016, at approximately 1:50 p.m., Lionell and Smith entered a BB&T Bank in the 3100 block of 14th Street NW. While inside, they inquired about opening a bank account. A bank employee provided them with a brochure. Both defendants were observed in possession of the brochure. They then walked to a bank teller, and Lionell presented a demand note for money. He also instructed the teller not to press the silent alarm. The teller did not provide the defendants with any money.  After not receiving any cash, Lionell told Smith: “Hurry up let’s go! Let’s go!” 

            At that time, the two men exited the bank together. They then entered the Columbia Heights Metro station and rode Metrorail to the Silver Spring stop. 

            After exiting the subway station, at approximately 2:40 p.m., Lionell and Smith entered a Capital One Bank in the 8600 block of Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring and approached the teller’s window.  This time, Smith displayed a demand note for money to the teller, while Lionell stood next to him. Smith told the teller: “Put your hands up ... Don’t put your hands down.”  They did not receive any money at this bank, either, and left the branch.

            During the course of the investigation by law enforcement of the bank robbery at the BB&T Bank, the FBI retrieved the bank brochure that the defendants had possessed, and sent it to be further examined for possible fingerprints. A subsequent forensic examination by an FBI fingerprint examiner determined that Smith’s fingerprint were on the brochure.  After the identification of Smith from his fingerprint on the BB&T brochure, agents from the FBI were able to identify several witnesses who identified both defendants from bank surveillance photos.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, Chief Newsham, Chief Manger, and Chief Pavlik commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI Laboratory.

            Additionally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Walters, Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias; Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton and Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kamilah O. House and Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jahmar Thaxter, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 10-year prison term on charges stemming from a pistol-whipping assault of a man that took place behind a market in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Thaxter was found guilty by a jury in September 2017 of charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, conspiracy, and related firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles. Following his prison term, Thaxter will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Oct. 23, 2016, Thaxter and a second man walked into the back yard of Move and Groove, a Caribbean market in the 5100 block of Georgia Avenue NW. The victim, who was at the market, did not know Thaxter, but he did know the man who was with him. That man accused the victim of talking about his potential involvement in a shooting in Northwest Washington. He and Thaxter then assaulted the victim, pointing guns at him and pistol-whipping him, causing lacerations to the victim’s head. During this attack, Thaxter’s eyeglasses fell off. Thaxter continued to kick and pistol-whip the victim while his accomplice took and then discarded the victim’s wallet.

            The eyeglasses were recovered and tested for DNA, and the major contributor profile matched the defendant’s DNA profile. An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) led to Thaxter’s arrest on Jan. 16, 2017, and he has remained in custody ever since. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the other man who is believed to have participated in the attack, but he remains at large at this time.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, particularly the detectives from the Fourth Police District. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Romano and Alyse Constantinide; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Paralegal Specialist Debra McPherson; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, and Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren N. Bressack and Ethan Carroll, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – David Bright, 31, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to two counts of second-degree murder while armed in the slayings of two of his housemates at their rooming house in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Bright pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 33 years in prison. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck scheduled sentencing for May 11, 2018. 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at today’s plea hearing, on Feb. 18, 2016, Bright was staying in a rooming house in the 500 block of 58th Street NE. The victims, Clifton Francis and David Watkins, were Bright’s housemates.  Two other individuals were also staying in the home at the time, one permanently and one temporarily. 

            At approximately 12:55 p.m., Bright entered the house, where Mr. Francis and Mr. Watkins were sitting in the living room watching television; one of the other housemates was in the kitchen.  Bright went upstairs, where his bedroom was located, and then came running down the stairs.  He pointed a gun in the direction of Mr. Francis and began firing at close range. 

            Mr. Francis, who received multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and head, immediately slumped over the arm of the couch and fell to the floor.  Mr. Watkins started yelling words to the effect of “what are doing, are you crazy?” Bright then turned the gun towards Mr. Watkins and began firing, hitting him in the chest. Mr. Watkins managed to crawl to his bedroom, and yelled for the remaining housemate to call the police. Bright ran into the kitchen and came face-to-face with this housemate. He pointed the gun at his face, but the housemate was able to run into a bedroom and closed the door. Bright then fled the house. 

            The next day, Feb. 19, 2016, at approximately 10:40 a.m., Bright was arrested by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force as he walked out of a barbershop in Seat Pleasant, Maryland.  Bright was exiting the barbershop after having shaved off his dreadlocks.  He has remained in custody since his arrest.

            Bright had driven a Mitsubishi Galant to the barber shop. Officers searched the car and recovered the murder weapon, a Glock 22 .40 caliber firearm, as well as 91 rounds of ammunition and three firearm magazines (two full, one empty). 

            Mr. Watkins, 45, and Mr. Francis, 51, both died as a result of the gunshot wounds.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Magdalena Acevedo, Victim/Witness Advocate Jim Brennan, and former Paralegal Specialist Kendra Johnson. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley C. Nielsen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Davon Payton, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of charges stemming from the killing of a man in a dispute that took place in 2015 in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Payton was found guilty by a jury on Feb. 16, 2018 of involuntary manslaughter and related weapons charges. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for April 13, 2018.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 13, 2015, the victim, Ray Harrison, along with his fiancée and her female friend from Texas, drove unannounced to Payton’s apartment at 2:30 a.m.  Mr. Harrison and his fiancée were friends with Payton and his girlfriend.

            When Mr. Harrison and the two women arrived in the 1300 block of Adams Street NE, the two women stayed in the car while he walked up the steps and knocked on the front window of Payton’s apartment.  In response, Payton pulled a gun from his waistband and went to the front door.  He confronted Mr. Harrison on the front steps of the building, demanding to know why he there at that hour of night.  A tussle ensued, and, during the fight, Payton shot Mr. Harrison in the chest.  Mr. Harrison, 21, staggered to the curb, where he collapsed and died. 

            Payton was arrested on Nov. 20, 2015, after a warrant was issued for his arrest, by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. She acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Mannarino and Nicholas Coleman; Criminal Investigator Zachary McMenamin; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Stephanie Gilbert; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Leif Hickling; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Marcia Rinker, Katina Adams-Washington, and LaJune Thames, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, and Intern Shani Brown.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Silvia Gonzalez Roman, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katherine Earnest and Jennifer Fischer, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Benito Valdez, 47, formerly of Arlington, Va., was found guilty by a jury today of multiple counts of first-degree murder while armed and other charges for killing three people in 1991 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            In addition to the murder charges, the jury found Valdez guilty of three counts of kidnapping while armed and one count of sodomy while armed. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Valdez is to be sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff on April 13, 2018. He remains in custody pending that hearing.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of April 23, 1991, Curtis Pixley, Keith Simmons, and Samantha Gillard went to Langdon Park in the 1800 block of Franklin Street NE to purchase crack cocaine. Mr. Pixley, 29, and Mr. Simmons, 26, approached Valdez while Ms. Gilliard, 23, waited at a distance. The drug deal went bad very quickly when Valdez accused Mr. Pixley of stealing drugs from him. Valdez threatened Mr. Pixley that he was going to pay for the drugs one way or another.  When Mr. Pixley could not pay with cash, Valdez raped Ms. Gillard at gunpoint.  Then, according to the government’s evidence, Valdez forced all three to lie on the ground and shot each one execution-style.

            Valdez was charged with the crimes in February 2016.

            In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Cold Case Unit as well as the U.S. Park Police. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Siegerist, Alesha Matthews, Meridith McGarrity, and Sharon Newman; Criminal Investigator Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura A. Bach and Lindsey Merikas, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Habtamu Gebreslassie, 24, a former massage therapist, was sentenced today to five years in prison for a series of sex offenses involving clients at two massage establishments in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Gebreslassie, of Silver Spring, Md., pled guilty in December 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree sexual abuse of a patient or client, attempted first-degree sexual abuse of a patient or client, and misdemeanor sexual abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison sentence of 19 to 60 months, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, upon completion of his prison term, Gebreslassie will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly.

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, all three victims were women who were getting massages from the defendant, who was licensed to practice massage therapy in the District of Columbia.

            The first incident took place on June 21, 2017, at a massage establishment in the Dupont Circle area. That day, Gebreslassie engageed in unwanted sexual contact with a client. The second incident happened on Aug. 28, 2017, at another establishment in the Tenleytown area; there, Gebreslassie attempted to engage in a sexual act with a client. Finally, on Sept. 17, 2017, also at the Tenleytown location, Gebreslassie sexually abused a client.

            Following the Sept. 17 incident, the victim contacted the Metropolitan Police Department. Gebreslassie was arrested later that day and has remained in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District and Sexual Assault Unit. They acknowledged the efforts of the Forensic Biology Unit of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, which provided assistance. They expressed appreciation for the 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. Attorneys Jocelyn Bond and J. Matt Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Antwon D. Green, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 48 years in prison for killing a man in 2014 at a Southeast Washington barber shop, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Green was found guilty by a jury in December 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of first-degree premeditated murder, attempted armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and related charges. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. This prison term is in addition to a six-year sentence that Green must serve for an armed robbery he committed just weeks after the murder.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2014, at about 11 a.m., Green walked by the front of the Kutt n’ Up barber shop in the 1400 block of Good Hope Road SE, and pointed at Breond Keys, a customer who was getting his hair cut inside. 

            Roughly 16 minutes later, Green, now wearing different clothing including a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and a mask, ran into the barber shop, holding a pistol in his hand.  Green immediately raised the pistol with both hands, pointed it at Mr. Keys as he sat in the barber chair getting his haircut, and opened fire, hitting Mr. Keys several times.  Other patrons and barbers scrambled to keep from being struck by Green’s bullets.  Once Mr. Keys fell to the floor, Green continued to fire at him, striking him several additional times.  As Mr. Keys lay dying on the barber shop floor, Green dug his ungloved-hand into Mr. Keys’ right, front pants pocket, stealing the contents therefrom.  Green then fled the barber shop.

            Mr. Keys, 38, was taken to a hospital, but pronounced dead a short time after the shooting.

            Several surveillance cameras mounted inside the barber shop caught the murder on video.  However, because Green successfully disguised his appearance with his hoodie and mask, none of the eyewitnesses were able to identify the gunman.  Upon examining the surveillance footage, the detectives saw that the gunman had reached into Mr. Keys’s pocket during the incident.  Accordingly, they submitted Mr. Keys’s pants for DNA examination and analysis.  DNA testing revealed that Green’s DNA (i.e., his skin cells) were found inside Mr. Keys’s right front pants pocket. 

            Following an investigation by MPD, Green was charged in the murder in July 2015. He has been in custody ever since.

            The armed robbery case stemmed from a crime carried out by Green on Oct. 28, 2014, at a liquor store about a block away from where he earlier had committed the murder. That day, at approximately 4:15 p.m., Green ran past a man with a sleeping infant strapped to his chest and robbed a store owner who was restocking an ATM machine. He fled with $12,000 in cash. Green pled guilty in 2015 to a charge of armed robbery for this offense.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner, the Glendale Verdugo Regional Crime Laboratory, and 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 Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Meridith McGarrity; Criminal Investigators John Marsh, William Hamann, and Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard DiZinno, Glenn Kirschner and Allessandra Stewart, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Yared Mekonnen, 24, a taxicab driver from Silver Spring, Md., was sentenced today to nine years in prison for sexually assaulting a passenger he picked up last spring in the U Street area of Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Mekonnen pled guilty in September 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of second-degree sexual abuse and attempted kidnapping. He was sentenced by the Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo. Upon completion of his prison term, Mekonnen will be placed on 20 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of May 28, 2017, Mekonnen was driving his taxicab and picked up the victim and her boyfriend in the vicinity of U Street NW. Both the victim and her boyfriend were intoxicated. At some point, the boyfriend exited the taxicab. Once Mekonnen was alone in the taxicab with the victim, he sexually assaulted her. She tried to get out of the taxicab, but he prevented it. She screamed as he continued driving. There was a struggle, and while attempting to convince the victim not to call for help, Mekonnen grabbed her cellphone and it fell out of the window.

            Finally, another driver pulled in front of the taxicab, forcing it to stop in the 4900 block of 16th Street NW. Shortly afterward, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived on the scene and Mekonnen was arrested. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen and Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted the case

WASHINGTON – Jasper Spires, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 35 years in prison for the July 4, 2015 slaying of Kevin Sutherland on a Metrorail train, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police.

            Spires pled guilty on Oct. 19, 2017, to first-degree murder while armed (premeditated). The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence in the range of 30 to 35 years. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly at a hearing today in in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Following his prison term, Spires will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            “Kevin Sutherland was on his way to a Fourth of July celebration when he was robbed and murdered in the middle of the day in the first killing ever to take place on a Metro train,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Other passengers were terrorized and remain traumatized to this day. Thanks to the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, Jasper Spires was arrested for this senseless crime. Today’s sentence will keep this predator off our streets for decades to come.”

            “This heinous crime shocked our entire community and deeply affected all of us at Metro,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Pavlik. “We continue to extend our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of Kevin Sutherland, and hope that today’s sentencing may give them some comfort. I want to extend our gratitude to the Metropolitan Police Department for their work in quickly bringing this case to closure, as well as the prosecutors who ensured that justice is served.”

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on July 4, 2015, at approximately 12:43 p.m., Spires was standing near the fare machines at the entrance to the Rhode Island Avenue – Brentwood Metro Station, in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE, when 24-year-old Kevin Sutherland entered the station.  Mr. Sutherland proceeded through the turnstiles and up the escalator to the platform, where he walked toward the front end of the platform to wait for a downtown-bound Red Line train.

            A short while later, Spires followed through the entrance and up the escalator.  As he stepped off the escalator and onto the platform, Metro digital surveillance cameras captured Spires putting gloves on his hands.  Spires also walked towards the front end of the platform.   

            When a downtown-bound Red Line train arrived, both Spires and Mr. Sutherland boarded the second car of the train.  Mr. Sutherland sat down near the middle of the car, in a seat facing inward, towards the center of the car.  As the train traveled between the Rhode Island Avenue and NOMA-Gallaudet University Metro stations, Spires approached Mr. Sutherland and snatched Mr. Sutherland’s cellphone from his hand.  Spires then began to attack Mr. Sutherland with a knife.  He stabbed Mr. Sutherland repeatedly in the abdomen, upper right back, left side, right side, left arm, and right arm.  As Spires stabbed him, Mr. Sutherland fell to the floor of the train.  Spires continued to stab Mr. Sutherland as he lay on the floor.  He also kicked Mr. Sutherland in the body and head.  At the end of the attack, Spires threw Mr. Sutherland’s cellphone at him, striking him in the head.

            Nine other passengers were on the train car at the time of the attack. As it unfolded, witnesses aboard the train attempted to notify the train’s operator.   Spires menaced one of these witnesses with his knife and told the witness to “Shut up.”  He also menaced two other witnesses on the train with a knife, one of whom was 76 years old, taking their property.  

            When the train pulled into the NOMA-Gallaudet station, Spires walked off the train and ran down the stairs leaving the platform.  He discarded the knife in a trashcan before continuing his flight.  As he hopped the exit turnstiles of the station, Spires dropped a backpack.  He hesitated for a moment, as though he would stop to pick up the backpack, but then continued his flight without retrieving the backpack. Metro employees and some civilians who had been on the train with Mr. Sutherland called 911, and some witnesses sat with Mr. Sutherland as they waited for emergency personnel to arrive.  By the time first responders got to the scene, Mr. Sutherland was unresponsive and emergency personnel pronounced Mr. Sutherland to be deceased.

            Spires was arrested on July 6, 2015, and has been in custody ever since.

            The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia conducted an autopsy on Mr. Sutherland. During the autopsy, the deputy medical examiner observed 19 stab wounds and 16 cutting wounds on Mr. Sutherland’s body.  Several of the stab wounds were very deep and caused damage to Mr. Sutherland’s internal organs. 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Newsham, and Chief Pavlik  commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Metro Transit Police. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Bode Cellmark Forensics.

            They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan, David Gorman, Michelle D. Jackson, Colleen M. Kennedy, Silvia Gonzalez-Roman, Mark Aziz, Kara Traster, and Anwar Graves; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Criminal Investigators Durand Odom and Mark Crawford; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney, Sandra Lane, Lashone Samuels, and Michelle Chambers; former Paralegal Specialists Karen Hansen and Vanessa Trent- Valentine; the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit, including Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Marcia Rinker and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington, and Administrative Services Specialist Sallie Rynas.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Macey and Kathryn Rakoczy, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Brandon Figures-Mormon, 24, of Disputanta, Virginia, was indicted today on felony charges accusing him of using his vehicle to assault two uniformed Metropolitan Police Department officers and one District of Columbia Department of Transportation worker, with the intent to kill, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Figures-Mormon was indicted by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, three counts of aggravated assault while armed, two counts of felony assault on a police officer while armed, and related charges.  He remains held pending trial and is expected to be arraigned on Feb. 16, 2018.  If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 90 years of incarceration.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 8, 2017, shortly before 9 p.m., Figures-Mormon entered a white Dodge Ram pickup truck parked on the 2300 block of 18th Street NW, near the intersection of 18th Street NW and Belmont Road NW.  Figures-Mormon allegedly drove at a high rate of speed up the median on 18th Street NW toward Columbia Road NW.  According to the government’s evidence, Figures-Mormon drove at and struck the three victims, who were working in the median.  As onlookers rushed to the victims’ aid, Figures-Mormon allegedly sped through the intersection with Columbia Road and proceeded onto Adams Mill Road NW before crashing into a parked sanitation truck.  Figures-Mormon was found in the driver’s seat of the truck and was later arrested on scene.

            The victims, who sustained serious injuries after being hit by the speeding truck, were rushed to local hospitals.  All three survived the assault.

            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 indictment, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, particularly the detectives of the Major Case/Cold Case Unit. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Computer Forensic Examiner John Marsh, Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan, and Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle.

            Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Smalky and John B. Timmer, who are investigating and prosecuting the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff.

WASHINGTON – Montez Warren, 36, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a charge of second-degree murder while armed for killing a man in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            Warren pled guilty on Feb. 5, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence of 15 to 22 years. The Honorable Milton C. Lee scheduled sentencing for April 27, 2018.

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on the evening of Aug. 20, 2016, numerous people attended a cookout and fish fry in the 1200 block of 18th Place NE, including Warren and the victim, Dante Miller. In the early morning hours of Aug. 21, 2016, the party wore down, and an argument erupted between Mr. Miller and a woman who was with Warren. Warren tried to break up the fight, but the confrontation soon resumed. As the fighting continued to escalate, Warren fired several shots at Mr. Miller. He kept firing his weapon even as Mr. Miller tried to run away. Then, as Mr. Miller fell to the ground, Warren stood over top of him and fired several additional shots. He then rode off in a car. Mr. Miller, 24, died at the scene.  An autopsy identified eight gunshot wounds, including one to the chest and one to the abdomen.

            An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) led to Warren’s arrest on Oct. 12, 2016. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, and the U.S. Park Police. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman and Paralegal Specialist Lornce Applewhite. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Misler and Glenn Kirschner, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Two area men have been arrested in an investigation that led to the seizure of firearms, ammunition and narcotics at various locations in the District of Columbia and Maryland, including a barbershop and surrounding property in Southeast Washington.

            The charges 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), Daniel L. Board, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Baltimore Field Division, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Henry P. Stawinski III, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department.

            On Feb. 1, 2018, law enforcement agents from ATF, MPD and the Prince George’s County Police Department executed search warrants on three locations and five vehicles linked to a seven-month investigation into alleged drug trafficking from the Next Level Cuts barbershop and surrounding property in the 2400 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE, which led to the seizure of firearms, ammunition, and quantities of narcotics.

            The investigation established that drug traffickers would use the barbershop and adjoining property as a stash location for the trafficking of narcotics. A search at that location led to the seizure of more than $7,000 in cash, more than 800 grams of PCP, more than 300 grams of heroin, boxes of Suboxone strips, three firearms, and ammunition.

            As a result of the search warrants, Anthony Fields, 44, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with two drug trafficking offenses. Fields made his first court appearance today and was ordered held pending a detention hearing set for Feb. 7, 2018.

            As a result of a search warrant executed in Prince George’s County, James Venable, 46, of Fort Washington, Md., was arrested by Prince George’s County officers on narcotics and firearms charges.

            The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  

            In announcing the arrests and seizures, U.S. Attorney Liu, Special Agent in Charge Chittum, Special Agent in Charge Board, Chief Newsham, and Chief Stawinski commended the work of those who are investigating the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are handling the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli, and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Sykes.

WASHINGTON – Iray Turner, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison on one count of assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse and one count of kidnapping for his assault of a stranger in her home, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Turner pled guilty in September 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison sentence between 10 and 12 years. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted the plea and sentenced Turner accordingly. Following his prison term, Turner will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He also will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. .

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of Aug. 24, 2016, the victim arrived at her home in Northeast Washington in an intoxicated state. She does not remember how she got home. The first memory she has is of Turner, a stranger to her, on top of her in her bed, strangling her. She remembers screaming and calling for help. She remembers Turner telling her to be quiet and to calm down. Both of the victim’s neighbors called 911 to report the screams, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the location.

            When MPD officers arrived, they heard a woman screaming for help. They observed house keys hanging from the outdoor lock, and entered the home to locate the victim. Upon entering the home, the officers continued to hear the screams, coming from a bedroom on the second floor. Officers moved upstairs and continued to hear screaming for help. Officers also heard a male voice inside the bedroom, later determined to be the voice of Turner.

            Officers pleaded with Turner to open the door, and he refused to do so. Officers urged Turner to allow them to see that the victim was okay. Despite the continued screams, Turner told officers that she was okay. On two occasions, Turner cracked open the bedroom door. However, he refused to allow the victim to exit the bedroom. Officers breached the door and moved in.

            When officers entered the bedroom, Turner was sitting on the floor with his back against the door. He was wearing only boxer shorts and socks. The victim was seated on the bed, crying, unclothed from the waist down. She told officers that Turner did not rape her, but that he tried to rape her. Turner was arrested on the scene and has been in custody ever since.

            The victim was transported to Washington Hospital Center, where she was examined by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). The examination identified 49 different injuries on the victim’s body, including multiple abrasions on her face, hemorrhaging to both eyes, bruising all over her body, and red marks to her neck. An expert would have testified at trial that many of those observed injuries were consistent with strangulation, and that the injuries were acute. The expert would also have testified at trial that some of the scratches on the victim’s neck were consistent with defensive injuries that may resulted from the victim scratching her neck while trying to remove Turner’s hands from strangling her on her neck.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit, who investigated the case, the officers from the Fifth District of the Metropolitan Police Department who initially responded to the scene, crime scene technicians from the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, and toxicologists from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

            She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key, T.J. McPhail, and Michelle Wicker, Victim/Witness Advocates Tracey Hawkins and Veronica Vaughan, and Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown. Finally, she commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg, Jessica Brooks, and Julianne Johnston, who investigated and prosecuted this case. 

WASHINGTON – Jomo Dawes, 40, of San Diego, Calif., was sentenced today to 50 years in prison on charges stemming from a home invasion and armed robbery that took place in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.   

            Dawes was found guilty by a jury in November 2017 of a total of 27 charges, including multiple counts of kidnapping while armed, armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon, felony threats, and related weapons offenses. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa Demeo.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 14, 2016, at approximately 10 p.m., Dawes and two accomplices got into a home in the 4800 block of Illinois Avenue NW under the ruse of selling marijuana. They pulled out guns and began robbing all four of the victims, repeatedly threatening to kill them. They even stacked the victims’ bodies on top of one another, suggesting to any frightful or reasonable person that they were about to be executed. At one point, one of the victims’ friends showed up at the front door and tried to enter. Dawes opened the door and proceeded to pistol-whip him in the face. The robbers fled the scene.

            An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) led to the arrest of Dawes in July 2017 in Atlanta, Ga. He was extradited to the District of Columbia and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including detectives from the Fourth Police District. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Sanchez and Paralegal Specialist Donville Drummond. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Rosen and Michael McCarthy, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Daraya Marshall, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 25 years in prison on four federal charges of sex trafficking of children, one federal count of sexual exploitation of a minor, and one District of Columbia offense of first-degree child sexual abuse.   

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

            Marshall pled guilty on Oct. 16, 2017, the day that his trial was scheduled to begin in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  He had been charged by the grand jury in a 15-count indictment; the remaining counts were dismissed at sentencing pursuant to the plea agreement.  Marshall was sentenced by the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan.  Following his prison term, Marshall will be placed on 15 years of supervised release.  By law, he will also be required to register as a sex offender for a minimum period of 25 years. Judge Chutkan also ordered Marshall to pay $21,800 in restitution and an equal amount in a forfeiture money judgment.       

            According to the government’s evidence, Marshall and his co-defendant, Jarnese Harris, 31, ran a sex trafficking operation out of their apartment in Southeast Washington.  At times, Marshall had six or more women and girls prostituting for him, including Ms. Harris.  In 2014 and 2015, Marshall separately persuaded four girls - who were ages 14, 15, 15-16, and 17 years old - to prostitute for him by engaging in commercial sexual acts with strangers who responded to ads placed on Backpage.com.  These commercial sexual transactions would occur either in Marshall’s apartment, or Marshall or Harris would drive the victims to other locations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.  Marshall and Harris took pictures of the girls in sexually provocative poses, and paid for and placed advertisements on Backpage.com.

            The victims were vulnerable because of their youth and difficult life circumstances, and Marshall lured them with the promise of independence and a chance to make money.  He provided the victims with food and marijuana, let them stay in his apartment, and gave them rides to and from home or school so that they could work for him at night and on weekends.  Additionally, Marshall took photos and videos of one of the victims, which depicted child pornography, when the victim was 15 and 16 years old.  He also sexually abused one of the victims by engaging in intercourse with her when she was just 14 years old.

            Marshall and Harris came to the attention of law enforcement in May 2015, after the mother of the 14-year-old victim reported to police that she learned her daughter, who had run away and been reported missing, was being prostituted by a man living on South Capitol Street. After an initial investigation, Marshall was arrested and charged in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  During the investigation, additional victims and federal charges were identified and Marshall was charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Marshall has been in custody since his arrest on June 29, 2015.   

            “Daraya Marshall cold-heartedly exploited four teenage girls, including one who was in the eighth grade, and turned them into prostitutes,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “Time after time, he took advantage of vulnerable victims for his own financial gain. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his reprehensible actions. This case highlights our commitment to preventing and prosecuting those who engage in human trafficking. “

            “Child sex trafficking is a horrible crime that creates a cycle of victimization and must be stopped,” said Assistant Director in Charge Vale. “The FBI is committed to bringing child predators to justice and rescuing children from this heinous exploitation. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners to aggressively prevent and investigate crimes against children.”

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham expressed appreciation for the work performed by detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Division, and Special Agents and Analysts of the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. They also recognized the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Chrisellen Kolb; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Cook; former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marina Stevenson; Victim/Witness Advocates Lezlie Richardson and Veronica Vaughan; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Lesley Slade, Tanya Via, and Wanda Queen; Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Jones and Elena Buruncenco; Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez, and Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Mark Crawford.

            Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cassidy Kesler Pinegar, Kenya K. Davis, and Jason Park, who prosecuted the case. 

WASHINGTON – Mark Chuvala, 41, of Berlin, Md., has been found guilty by a jury of sexually abusing a former teenage piano student, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), announced today.

            Chuvala was found guilty on Jan. 30, 2018 of four counts of first-degree child sexual abuse, three counts of second-degree child sexual abuse, one count of indecent sexual proposal to a minor, one count of misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child, and one count of use of a minor in a sexual performance. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck scheduled sentencing for April 6, 2018. In addition to any sentence of imprisonment, Chuvala will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            According to the government’s evidence, Chuvala was the victim’s piano teacher in 2011 at Middle C Music in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Northwest Washington. At the time of the lessons, Chuvala was 34, and the student was 13 years old. When the lessons had concluded, Chuvala asked the girl to stay in touch, and they began a relationship over text communications.

            The two got together a few days later and walked to a park in Montgomery County, Maryland, where Chuvala kissed the girl and engaged in the first sexual contact with her. Chuvala has pled guilty in Montgomery County to three counts of third-degree sex offense for this conduct, and is pending sentencing there on Feb. 15, 2018.

            Shortly after that, Chuvala and the girl met on at least two occasions in the middle of the night in Washington, D.C. During those two incidents, Chuvala performed oral sex on the victim and had her perform oral sex on him, among other sexual conduct. After these sexual encounters, Chuvala and the victim continued to exchange numerous texts with each other at all hours of the day and night. When Chuvala moved from the Washington, D.C. area, he engaged in conversations with the girl over video Skype, in which he would ask her to undress, masturbating as he watched her, and would ask her to masturbate.

            In the spring of 2012, the victim first disclosed the abuse to a friend, and her friend told a school counselor. The counselor notified law enforcement, and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) opened an investigation. However, the victim was not ready to go forward with a police investigation at the time, and persuaded her parents not to provide the abuser’s name to police. Ultimately, in the fall of 2014, the victim decided that she was prepared to go forward with a police investigation. The investigation led to Chuvala’s arrest on June 24, 2015. Following the verdict, the judge ordered that he be placed in custody pending sentencing.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth and Family Services Division. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key and Brenda Williams, Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan, Investigative Analyst William Hamann, and Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Nicholas Miranda, who investigated and prosecuted this case. 

WASHINGTON - Bradley Cobbler, 35, of Hyattsville, Md., has been sentenced to 102 months in prison on a federal drug conspiracy charge stemming from his role in a drug trafficking ring that sold cocaine, marijuana, and other narcotics in the Washington, D.C. area.

            The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Andre R. Watson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Baltimore, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

           Cobbler pled guilty in March 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana. He was sentenced on Jan. 29, 2018, by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta. Following his prison term, Cobbler will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Cobbler and others participated in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of narcotics between 2009 and 2014.  This case represented the end result of a more than three-year investigation into illegal drug distribution and other criminal activity which, in various capacities, involved or occurred in the District of Columbia and the States of Maryland, California, and Virginia.  This drug trafficking group mainly involved itself with trafficking very large quantities of marijuana, but also involved itself with redistributing various and significant quantities of heroin and cocaine hydrochloride (powder cocaine).  In that regard, during the conspiracy, California suppliers frequently sent – or conspired to send – large quantities of marijuana, heroin, or cocaine to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, where the defendant and others participated in the illegal redistribution of one or more of the controlled substances to others in the Washington, D.C., area for profit.  

            Beginning sometime in 2011 and continuing until August 2014, Cobbler had an agreement to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana, and other narcotics, with various individuals in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, specifically including the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County, Md.

            Cobbler acknowledged that he and another co-defendant initially started pooling their money together to purchase marijuana from a California supplier and they traveled together on some occasions to California to facilitate drug deals. Cobbler also admitted that he gave quantities of narcotics to co-conspirator during 2014 for the purposes of redistribution to others. Other co-defendants then sold these narcotics.

            Cobbler was arrested on April 7, 2016 and has been in custody ever since. Several others previously pled guilty to charges in the investigation.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, Special Agent in Charge Watson, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which in this case involved work from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, and HSI.  They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth F. Whitted, Andrea G. Duvall, and Emory V. Cole, who indicted and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Paolo Aldorasi, 35, of London, was sentenced today to a prison term and now faces deportation for assaulting and attempting to rob a man who he forced into his sport utility vehicle in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

            Aldorasi pled guilty in November 2017 to assault with intent to commit robbery, a District of Columbia offense. The plea took place in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. As part of the plea agreement, a federal kidnapping charge was dismissed.

            Aldorasi was sentenced by the Honorable Richard J. Leon to 24 months in prison, with all but 11 months of that time suspended. Because Aldorasi already has been incarcerated for 11 months, he now faces deportation back to London. Judge Leon also ordered that Aldorasi be placed on five years of probation; during that time, the judge barred him from the United States.

            According to a factual proffer submitted at the plea hearing, on Jan. 26, 2017, at about 3:20 p.m., Aldorasi saw the victim walking eastbound in the 3400 block of O Street NW. Aldorasi, who was operating a sport utility vehicle, pulled alongside the victim and asked for directions to Washington Dulles International Airport. The victim, who speaks limited English, said he did not know the location. As the conversation continued, Aldorasi grabbed the victim and ordered him into the SUV. He then drove off with the victim, taking him to four ATMs in the District of Columbia, in unsuccessful attempts to withdraw money, as well as to two retail establishments in unsuccessful attempts to make purchases. After the last failed attempt, at a retail store in the 4500 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, he finally let the victim go.

            Aldorasi was arrested by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office on Feb. 24, 2017, in SeaTac, Washington, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz, Catherine O’Neal and Teesha Tobias; Legal Assistants Peter Gaboton and Holly Crouse, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kamilah O. House and Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Startwaune Anderson, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to five years in prison for hitting and critically injuring a transgender woman while driving a stolen car and on PCP, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Anderson pled guilty in November 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to aggravated assault while armed.  The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of five to six years in prison. The Honorable Anthony Epstein accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Anderson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to a proffer of facts filed at the time of the plea, in the early morning hours of July 5, 2017, Anderson found car keys to a 2014 Ford Focus hatchback in the 1200 block of Morse Street NE. He identified the vehicle that matched the keys and drove off without the owner’s permission. At approximately 3:15 a.m. on July 5, Anderson drove across the intersection of Fourth and K Streets NE, running over the victim, a transgender woman.

            Anderson fled the scene without checking on the well-being of the person he had struck. A couple of hours later, he was seen crashing into the fence at Gallaudet University. A witness reported seeing him exit the vehicle with a bottle of vodka in hand. He then fled the scene.

            On July 6, 2017, Anderson was interviewed by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and admitted to having been under the influence of PCP and Xanax. He also admitted having taken and driven the Ford Focus without the owner’s permission.

            The victim suffered critical injuries, including bleeding on the brain, multiple rib fractures, a lacerated spleen, and a punctured lung. She was sedated and on a respirator for a couple of weeks and still must undergo outpatient rehabilitation treatment.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle, Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff, and the Violent Repeat Offender Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Shelia Rogers, 62, also known as Sheila Rogers, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to six years of incarceration for robbing a man who was walking home from a trip to buy medicine for his sick children, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Rogers was found guilty by a jury in November 2017 of charges of robbery and felony threats. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was sentenced on Jan. 26, 2018, by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Judge Beck sentenced Rogers to a total of 15 years in prison, but suspended all but six years of that time. Upon completion of her prison term, Rogers will be required to successfully complete five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 1, 2016, at approximately 7:35 p.m., the victim had just walked to a grocery store to buy medicine for his two sick children.  While returning home, he encountered Rogers and an unidentified man on the sidewalk in the 1800 block of I Street NE. Rogers bumped into the man and demanded his money. When he tried to plead with her, she put her hand in her pocket, appeared to hold an item inside of it, and threatened to use that item to harm him.  Thinking that Rogers could have a gun or knife, the man complied, and Rogers took every dollar he had, a total of $15.

            After Rogers and the unidentified man, who took no part in the crime, walked away, the victim called police. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) quickly responded and located and apprehended Rogers a couple of blocks away.

            The case marked the sixth time that Rogers had been convicted of robbery and robbery-related offenses, dating to the late 1970s.

            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 Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Hansford and Kristina Wolf. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Palmer-Ball, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – James Rousseau, 23, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of burglarizing a house in Northwest Washington and then riding off in the family’s car, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Rousseau was found guilty of charges of first-degree burglary, first-degree theft, and unauthorized use of an automobile. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Rousseau remains held pending his sentencing on April 10, 2018, by the Honorable Robert A. Salerno.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Oct. 10, 2016, Rousseau was stalking the 5100 block of 7th Street NW, looking for a house to burglarize. After going up and down the block, he located an unlocked rear deck door. He entered this house, which was occupied only by a teenager and three small sleeping children. The teenager was getting ready for bed and showering in the basement bathroom. She heard footsteps upstairs, but mistakenly believed that it was the rest of the family returning to the house.

            Only later, when the teenager heard Rousseau peel off in the family’s MINI Cooper sedan, did she realize that a burglar had been inside. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) quickly responded to the scene and canvassed the neighborhood. An exterior fingerprint at the home helped lead to Rousseau’s identification. In addition, MPD was able to recover surveillance footage from security cameras belonging to neighbors on the block. The surveillance footage showed the same person, and the footage from the driveway showed that person driving off with the car.  Rousseau was arrested 10 days after the crime. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement recovered a cellphone from Rousseau’s house that included a picture of the defendant wearing the same outfit shown in the surveillance footage.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Monica Trigoso, Sonali D. Patel, Stephen Rickard, Veronica Sanchez, and Denise Cheung; Paralegal Specialists Donice Adams and Crystal Waddy; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh.

            Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Manzo, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Daeyon Ross, 16, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to five years in prison for robbing two people at knife-point last summer on a Metrorail train, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Ross, who was charged as an adult because of the nature of the crime, pled guilty in August 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of armed robbery. The plea called for an agreed-upon sentence of five to six years in prison. The Honorable Thomas J. Motley accepted the plea and sentenced Ross accordingly on Jan. 25, 2018. The judge sentenced Ross to a total of six years in prison, but suspended all but five years of that time. Following his prison term, Ross will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            In a separate case, Ross pled guilty on Jan. 25, 2018 to another robbery, this one of victims he followed off a Metrobus in Southeast Washington.

            The sentencing involved a robbery on June 21, 2017. According to the government’s evidence, at about 11:15 a.m., Ross and other individuals were on a Green line Metro train that was approaching the Georgia Avenue-Petworth station in Northwest Washington. Ross approached one victim, brandished a knife, and robbed him of his iPhone. The victim’s brother tried to help, and he was robbed of his iPhone, too. Metro Transit Police detectives reviewed surveillance footage and the investigation led to Ross’s arrest on June 29, 2017.

            The guilty plea involved a robbery on June 7, 2017. According to the government’s evidence, at about 3 p.m., Ross and three others followed three victims off a Metrobus in the area of 44th and H Streets SE. Ross brandished a handgun and stated, “Be quiet and empty your pockets!” The victims turned over their iPhones to Ross’s accomplices.

            Ross pled guilty to a robbery charge for the June 7 offense. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a two-year prison term. The Honorable Robert A. Salerno scheduled sentencing in that case for June 29, 2018. 

            In announcing the sentence and plea, U.S. Attorney Liu, Chief Pavlik, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the cases from the Metro Transit Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff and the Violent Repeat Offender Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Rizwan A. Qureshi, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Alan Wade Coleman, 47, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced today to three years in prison for sexually abusing one of his students during the 2004-2005 academic year, when Coleman was a teacher at the KIPP D.C. Key Academy middle school in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Coleman pled guilty in October 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea was part of a larger plea agreement in which he already pled guilty in Montgomery County, Md., where Coleman then lived and where most of the sexual activity with the student occurred.  The plea agreement in the District of Columbia called for an agreed-upon three-year prison term to run concurrently with the sentence to be imposed in Montgomery County. Coleman is to be sentenced there on Feb. 9, 2018; under sentencing guidelines there, he faces a possible four to seven years in prison.

            The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Once released from prison, Coleman will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years as a result of his plea in the District of Columbia, and for life as a result of his plea in Montgomery County.  He will also be on supervised release for five years as part of his sentence in the District of Columbia.

            According to the government’s evidence, during the 2004-2005 academic year, Coleman engaged in sexual acts with the female student, most of which occurred at his apartment in Takoma Park, Md.; at the time she was 14 and 15 years old.  On those occasions, Coleman would drive the girl to Maryland from a location either at, or near, the KIPP School.  However, on several occasions during that academic year, Coleman drove her to a location in the District, where he parked and engaged in sexual acts with her in his vehicle.  Coleman remained in a relationship with the girl until she was 19.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigation Division.  She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case. 

WASHINGTON - Rayvon Jamison, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine years in prison on charges stemming from a series of crimes, including one in which he shot a man in the leg in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Jamison pled guilty in November 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and attempted possession with intent to distribute synthetic cannabinoids. He was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa Demeo. Following his prison term, Jamison will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 27, 2017, at approximately 5:50 p.m., Jamison was stopped by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in the 4300 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE, driving a car that a robbery suspect was believed to have entered. A search of the car resulted in the recovery of approximately 270.5 grams of synthetic cannabinoids, some of which was packaged in 22 small portions individually wrapped in plastic bags, as well as dozens of empty clear plastic baggies and a small digital scale.

            While he was free on personal recognizance in that case, on April 19, 2017, at approximately 4:45 p.m., Jamison and two others approached a woman who had pulled into a gas station in the 3800 block of Minnesota Avenue NE. Jamison immediately threatened the victim, produced a black handgun, pointed it at her, and ordered her to move, threatening to shoot at her car. At one point, he showed the woman the inside of his backpack, which contained approximately three to four additional firearms. The victim then fled and reported the incident to a nearby police officer. Jamison was arrested within minutes, about a block away from the gas station. Officers discovered that he had a firearm in his front left pants pocket.

            Jamison absconded on July 10, 2017 from a halfway house where he had been placed while awaiting trial in the gun-related case. Then, on July 29, 2017, at approximately 10 p.m., MPD officers were dispatched to the sound of gunshots in the area of the 300 block of Anacostia Road SE. The victim was found on the ground with a gunshot wound to the leg. A subsequent investigation led to Jamison’s arrest on Sept. 15, 2017. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including detectives from the Sixth Police District. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff and the Violent Repeat Offender Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, they commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Rizwan A. Qureshi, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON - Joseph Ramsey, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 25-year prison term on charges stemming from two sexual assaults, including an armed attack on a 25-year-old woman in September 2012 and another assault on an 11-year-old girl in March 2015, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.  

             Ramsey pled guilty in November 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of first-degree sexual abuse while armed and first-degree child sexual abuse.  The plea, which was contingent on the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon prison term of 25 years.  The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Once released from prison, Ramsey will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. He also will be placed on 15 years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, the first attack took place on Sept. 6, 2012, at approximately 11:15 p.m.  The victim, 25, was walking home from the Deanwood Metro station.  Ramsey approached her as she turned onto 45th Place NE and as she walked into an alley leading to the rear of her home. He pulled out a black handgun as he ran towards her.  Ramsey then forced her onto her knees and sexually assaulted her at gunpoint.  The victim reported the assault immediately and was transported to Washington Hospital Center for a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination (SANE), which included collection of forensic evidence.

             In the second assault, in the early evening of March 1, 2015 an 11-year-old girl encountered Ramsey in the 3300 block of Stanton Road SE. She and the defendant went into a nearby apartment building, and he sexually assaulted the child on the basement landing. She immediately reported the assault and was transported to Children’s National Medical Center for an examination, which included collection of forensic evidence.

            Forensic analysis of the evidence collected following the two assaults revealed that the same unknown male DNA profile was found on the biological material in both cases.  Detectives with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit and Youth Investigation Division developed the defendant as a suspect in these assaults and obtained a warrant to collect a DNA sample from him.  Forensic analysis revealed that Ramsey’s DNA profile matched the unknown male DNA profile found in the sex kits collected following both assaults. Ramsey was charged in this case in February 2016 and has been in custody ever since.

             In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit and Youth Investigation Division.  She expressed appreciation to Deputy U.S. Marshals William Straw and Justin Bankert, of the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as to Bode Cellmark Forensics. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Contract Specialist Sallie Rynas; David Foster, LaJune Thames, and Katina Adams-Washington, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Paralegal Specialists D’Yvonne Key, Angelina Slagle, Tiffany Jones, Michelle Wicker, and Jason Manuel, and Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan.

             Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julianne Johnston, Sumit Mallick, and Jason Park, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON - The United States has filed an amended complaint to forfeit an additional $500,000, for an aggregate amount of $4,583,935, from Dandong Chengtai Trading Co. Ltd. also known as Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co., Ltd, and its owner Chi Yupeng, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.

            The original complaint, which sought to forfeit $4,083,935, was filed on Aug. 22, 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to the complaint, Dandong Chengtai is owned by a Chinese national, Chi Yupeng, and is based in Dandong, China. The investigation revealed that North Korea exports coal for the benefit of the North Korean government, and in particular, its military.  Coal generates over $1 billion in revenue per year for North Korea. 

            Also on Aug. 22, 2017, the Treasury Department designated Dandong Zhicheng for having sold coal from North Korea.  The designation noted that Dandong Zhicheng allegedly used the foreign exchange received from the end users of North Korean coal to purchase other items for North Korea, including nuclear and missile components.  Chi Yupeng was also designated, for having used a network of companies to engage in bulk purchases, wire transfers, and other transactions on behalf of North Korean interests.

            Today’s amended complaints adds $500,000 seized from an EB-5 visa investment account.  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. 

            From on or about Nov. 5, 2015, through Nov. 13, 2015, according to the amended complaint, Chi Yupeng and his wife directed 12 wire transfers by 12 different individuals for a combined total of approximately $568,405 into a bank account in the United States controlled by a family member.  These wires ranged in values between approximately $31,335 and $50,000, which the government alleges was part of a scheme to circumvent Chinese capital outflow rules.  On Nov. 13, 2015, the same day as the final transfer into the U.S. bank account, Chi Yupeng and his wife caused a wire for $550,100 to be sent to an EB-5 investment program account.

            The amended complaint states that those funds are subject to forfeiture as Chi Yupeng and Dandong Chengtai generated millions of dollars of revenue from the illegal sale of North Korean coal that benefitted sanctioned entities in North Korea.  The subsequent laundering of the proceeds of these transactions, including by attempting to invest in the EB-5 program is in violation of U.S. law.

            The claims made in the complaint are only allegations and do not constitute a determination of liability.

            The FBI’s Chicago Field Office, with support from the FBI Counterproliferation Center, is investigating the case. Assistant U.S Attorneys Arvind K. Lal, Zia M. Faruqui, Christopher B. Brown, Deborah Curtis, Ari Redbord, and Brian P. Hudak are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick.

WASHINGTON – Deavies Kelley, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a five-year prison term for robbing a food delivery driver of the man’s scooter last year in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Kelley pled guilty in October 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Thomas J. Motley. Upon completion of his prison term, Kelley will be placed on five years of supervised release. At the time he committed this crime, Kelley was on supervised release stemming from a 2013 robbery conviction. He could face additional prison term for violating terms of his release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 21, 2017, at approximately 9:20 p.m., the victim rode his motor scooter to the 300 block of O Street SW to make a food delivery. When he arrived, he saw a group of individuals and asked them if they had ordered food.  Kelley replied, “Yes” and gave his name as “Marcus.”  Because “Marcus” was not the name of the person who ordered the food, the victim drove around the block. When he returned, he asked the group the same questions. This time, an accomplice of Kelley’s placed a cold metal object to the victim’s head and told him to get on the ground. The victim got off his scooter and laid down on the pavement. Kelley drove off with the scooter. The victim walked away and called 911.

            The scooter was recovered the next day. Kelley, who was wearing a GPS monitoring device at the time of the crime, was linked to the robbery and arrested on June 13, 2017. No others have been arrested in the investigation.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). She also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Manzo, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Two former staff employees of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives pled guilty today to charges stemming from the circulation of private, nude images and videos of the member and the member’s spouse, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu  and Matthew R. Verderosa, Chief of the United States Capitol Police.

            Juan R. McCullum, 36, of Washington, D.C., and Dorene Browne-Louis, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Md., entered the guilty pleas in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. McCullum pled guilty to two federal cyber-related charges and two District of Columbia offenses, including conspiracy to disclose sexual images and attempted first-degree unlawful publication of a sexual image. Browne-Louis pled guilty to one federal cyber charge and the District of Columbia offense of conspiracy to disclose sexual images. The Honorable John D. Bates scheduled McCullum’s sentencing for March 8, 2018 and scheduled Browne-Louis’s sentencing for April 23, 2018. Each of the federal charges carries a statutory maximum of a year in prison and each District of Columbia offense carries up to 180 days in jail.

            McCullum’s plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of one year and 361 days of incarceration, with all but one year and a day suspended on the condition that he successfully completes two years of supervised probation. During his probation, McCullum would be required to perform 100 hours of community service.

            Both defendants were indicted in July 2017 following an investigation by the United States Capitol Police.

            According to statements of offense filed as part of the guilty plea, McCullum worked from April 2015 until June 2016 in the House member’s legislative office in Washington, D.C. Browne-Louis worked in the same office from January 2015 until April 2016.

            According to the documents, during the course of his employment, McCullum offered in March 2016 to assist the House member in repairing the member’s malfunctioning, password-protected iPhone by taking the device to a local Apple store. The House member provided McCullum with the device solely to have it repaired. The House member later provided the password so that the device could be unlocked by the Apple store solely for the purpose of having the iPhone repaired. McCullum was not given permission to take, copy, or distribute any of the contents of the iPhone. The iPhone contained the private, nude images and videos.

            In July 2016, the documents state, after McCullum left the House member’s staff, he engaged in a course of conduct that included creating a Hotmail account and a Facebook social media account, using a fictitious name, to distribute and post the private, nude images and videos. In addition, he made Browne-Louis aware that he was in possession of the images from the iPhone. Further, McCullum encouraged others on social media to redistribute the private, nude images and videos in the member’s congressional district. Browne-Louis assisted by providing McCullum with e-mail addresses and other contact information to distribute the images. Browne-Louis also distributed one of the private, nude images to a person who was working on the campaign of a challenger to the member’s primary election.  McCullum and Browne-Louis understood their actions did cause, and were likely to cause, emotional harm to the House member and spouse, as well as the member’s re-election, the plea documents state.

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Verderosa commended the work of those who investigated the case from the United States Capitol Police. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who assisted with the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalia Medina, Criminal Investigator John Marsh, Paralegal Specialists Bianca Evans, Diane Brashears, and Matthew Ruggiero, and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Thomas Royal, and Paul Howell. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal S. Chawla, Youli Lee, and Veronica Jennings, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Avery Kinney, 25, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 14 ½ years in prison for three armed robberies that he committed in one weekend, in which he robbed two separate transgender women and also robbed a young man whose phone he had arranged to buy through the website OfferUp, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Kinney was found guilty by a jury in August 2017 of two counts each of armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and one count of felony fleeing. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  Kinney subsequently pled guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a third incident that same weekend.  He was sentenced on Jan. 19, 2018, by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, Kinney will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at about 5 a.m., the victim, a transgender woman, was standing in the unit block of K Street NW when she asked Kinney for a ride.  Kinney drove around with her for about five minutes and then pulled the car over.  The moment the victim turned her head, Kinney pulled out an imitation firearm and pointed it at her head while demanding her purse.  The victim tried to get out of the car with her purse.  Kinney then ripped the purse out of her hand, breaking two of her fingernails in the process.  Kinney then fled the scene. 

            Two days later, on Sept. 11, 2016, Kinney again went to K Street and offered a ride to another victim, also a transgender woman.  He again drove around with this victim for about five minutes and pulled the car over.  Kinney distracted the victim and got her to look out the window, at which point he pulled out an imitation firearm and threatened to shoot her in the head unless she gave him her purse.  Kinney again sped off. 

            Several officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the scene and Kinney’s vehicle was soon spotted a few blocks away. A brief car chase ensued, where Kinney ran stop signs and weaved through traffic at a high rate of speed.  Kinney fled the scene. 

            Kinney also pled guilty in September 2017 to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon involving a third crime that he committed that same weekend.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sept. 11, 2016, at about 3 p.m., Kinney arranged to meet the third victim for the purpose of completing a transaction that began on the OfferUp website.  When he arrived at the meeting place, in the 500 block of 59th Street NE, Kinney pointed an imitation firearm at the victim, demanded his phone, and threatened to shoot him.  Kinney then fled the scene. 

            Kinney’s car was found weeks later and both the imitation firearm used in all three incidents and the second victim’s metro card were found during the execution of a search warrant. He was arrested on Sept. 27, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Danello; Liaison and Operations Manager Linda McDonald; Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle and Debra McPherson; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Lynda Randolph; Criminal Investigators John Marsh and Nelson Rhone, and Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Allen and Jennifer Clark. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jackson and Jillian Willis, who investigated, prosecuted, and tried the cases.

WASHINGTON – John Abner Caudle, 40, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a federal escape charge following his arrest last summer by the U.S. Marshals Service after failing to return to a halfway house where he had been placed, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Robert Turner, United States Marshal for the District of Columbia.

            Caudle pled guilty on Jan. 22, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on Feb. 26, 2018, by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta.

            According to the government’s evidence, Caudle had pled guilty in March 2013 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a drug offense. In February 2015, upon a finding that Caudle violated the terms of his supervised release, the Honorable Reggie B. Walton sentenced him to a year of imprisonment. The latter part of that sentence was to be served in a halfway house in Southeast Washington. On Sept. 1, 2015, Caudle started his halfway house placement. As a resident of the facility, he was allowed to leave the center in order to go to work. On Nov. 7, 2015, Caudle left the facility, purportedly for work, and did not return.

            Per protocol, halfway house staff members contacted area hospitals, law enforcement authorities and the emergency contact number that the defendant provided at the time of his administrative processing into the facility. They determined that he had not been hospitalized or arrested, or was otherwise unable to return to the halfway house. All such checks returned negative, and so Caudle was placed on escape status and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

            In August of 2017, members of the U.S. Marshals Service learned that Caudle was involved in a motor vehicle accident. That information led to Caudle being tracked to a hotel in the 1700 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW, in downtown Washington. He was arrested there on Aug. 17, 2017, and has remained in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Marshal Turner commended the work of those who captured Caudle after his escape. They expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked in the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Walters for their valuable efforts in the prosecution of this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emory V. Cole, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Vincenzo Lomax, 22, of Temple Hills, Md., pled guilty today to 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 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 is to be sentenced on May 31, 2018 by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper. He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years of incarceration.

            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 plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the MPD officers who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Macchiaroli, Kondi Kleinman, and Jason Feldman, and Paralegal Specialist Candace Battle.

WASHINGTON – A former bank teller was sentenced today to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay full restitution for stealing more than $185,000 from a longtime customer of the bank, a homeless man, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

            Phelon Davis, 30, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty in September 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to interstate transportation of stolen property. He was sentenced by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Following his prison term, Davis will be placed on two years of supervised release; the first six months of that time is to be spent on home confinement. Davis already has paid $6,000 in restitution, and the judge today ordered him to pay an additional $179,440. Judge Sullivan also ordered Davis to pay a forfeiture money judgment of $179,440 and to perform 100 hours of community service.

            According to a statement of offense submitted at the plea hearing, Davis worked in 2014 as a teller at a national bank in Washington, D.C. One of the bank’s longtime customers, who was homeless and earned money as a street vendor, maintained more than one account with the bank. However, by October 2014, his accounts had gone dormant due to a lack of activity.

            In October 2014, the customer attempted to deposit thousands of dollars into one of his accounts. Because he lacked identification and the accounts had gone into dormant status, Davis instructed the customer where to go to obtain identification documents and a Social Security card. In reviewing the customer’s accounts, Davis noticed that the customer had a surprisingly large balance. As a result, Davis devised a scheme to fraudulently obtain the customer’s money.

            Later that month, Davis used the identification means of the customer to fraudulently open a new account in the customer’s name. He forged the customer’s signature on the application and had an ATM card issued for the newly opened account. Over the next two years, without the customer’s knowledge, Davis logged into the customer’s accounts online and transferred money between the accounts. All told, from approximately Oct. 22, 2014 through Oct. 26, 2016, Davis used ATMs on 144 occasions to withdraw $185,440 from the customer’s accounts. The customer, meanwhile, did not receive bank statements during this time, did not use e-mail, and did not have access to a computer.

            Davis used the stolen money for his personal benefit, including funding a down payment on his residence, paying off personal debt, and paying for vacations in Jamaica, Aruba, and Mexico.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge Vale 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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia M. Faruqui and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kendrack D. Lewis, who handled forfeiture issues; Criminal Investigator Shannon Alexis, and Paralegal Specialist Jessica Mundi.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Charles Smoot, 47, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight years in prison for a broad-daylight robbery of a bank in the Brentwood neighborhood of Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Smoot pled guilty to bank robbery in September 2017. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Following his prison term, Smoot will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $5,121 in restitution.

            The government’s evidence established that on July 5, 2017, at approximately 9:45 a.m., Smoot entered a TD Bank in the 900 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE and handed two notes to the bank tellers that stated, “No Die pack, No police, All your money.”  With a bank full of customers, Smoot threatened the tellers with words to the effect of: “Give me all the money or I’ll kill everyone in here.”

            In response, the bank tellers – with their hands raised in fear for their lives – gave Smoot approximately $5,121.  Smoot put the money in a black gym bag and walked out of the bank.  The bank tellers immediately advised law enforcement of the robbery and members of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes MPD detectives, responded to the bank.

            Law enforcement tracked Smoot to a residence on 60th Street NE, and immediately began conducting surveillance outside of the residence.  Although Smoot had changed some of his clothing, he could be seen wearing the same watch and light grey shoes that could be seen on the TD Bank surveillance video.  A search warrant was executed at the residence and the gym bag and pants worn by Smoot in the bank surveillance video were also recovered.  Law enforcement also later recovered property taken from the bank from a storm drain in front of the residence. 

            The bank was processed by crime scene investigators and additional evidence was recovered that ultimately linked Smoot to the bank robbery.  Specifically, an expert identified four fingerprints that were left by Smoot on a magazine that was left on the teller’s counter with the notes demanding the money.  Additionally, a handwriting expert compared the handwriting on the two demand notes to known handwriting samples authored by Smoot and concluded that Smoot had authored the two notes that were left behind at the scene.

            Smoot was arrested on July 7, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.  At the time of his arrest, Smoot was on supervised release for unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.  Smoot now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration, separate from the above-referenced sentence.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and MPD officers in the Fifth and Sixth Districts in quickly investigating and arresting Smoot.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kara Traster, Laura Crane, and Anthony Scarpelli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Marina Stevenson, Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle and Rommel Pachoca, and Legal Assistants Kate Abrey and Peter Gaboton.

WASHINGTON – Harold Luckett, 50, of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on felony charges accusing him of sexually assaulting a woman during a home invasion burglary in the Woodley Park area of Northwest Washington in November 2006, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Luckett was indicted on Jan. 17, 2017, by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, one count of first-degree burglary, and related charges. He pled not guilty at his arraignment today and remains held pending a detention hearing on Feb. 2, 2018. If convicted of the charges, he faces a maximum sentence of life without possibility of release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 10, 2006, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Luckett entered an apartment in the 3000 block of Connecticut Avenue NW, where the victim was home alone. According to the evidence, Luckett was a stranger to the victim and did not have permission to enter the apartment. He allegedly attacked her in the bathroom and sexually assaulted her by force. The victim fought back during the assault, and her attacker ultimately fled the scene. The victim immediately ran out of her apartment into the hallway to get help.

            The victim made an immediate report to the police, who responded promptly. Evidence was collected during the investigation that was later sent for forensic testing. That testing revealed an unknown male DNA profile developed from the evidence. That unknown male DNA profile was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a web of state and national databases containing DNA profiles from convicted offenders and crime scenes that is used as an investigative tool. According to the government’s evidence, the profile from the assailant matched the DNA profile of Luckett.

            Luckett was arrested on Jan. 18, 2018.

            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 indictment, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit and Second Police District. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Executive Assistant Shelia Miller.

            Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Zubrensky, who is investigating and prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Cesar Morales, 23, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of charges stemming from a shooting that took place last summer at the Columbia Heights Metro station in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Morales was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and related firearm offenses. The verdict followed a one-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Jennifer A. Di Toro scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2018.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 25, 2017 at approximately 12:20 p.m., Morales chased the victim around the Columbia Heights Metro station. As they reached the top of the escalators on the west entrance, Morales fired one shot with a .22-caliber Ruger towards the victim. Luckily, the victim was able to run away and get through the station unharmed. At the time of the shooting, dozens of people were in and around the station.

            Morales fled westbound on Irving Street NW, making a right on Hyatt Place and then a left onto Park Road NW. Within minutes, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were able to contact and attempted to stop the defendant and another individual. When officers asked to see Morales’s hands, the defendant reached in his waistband and fled from the officers. Officers observed Morales toss a firearm. Morales was able to get away.

            Video surveillance captured the shooting outside the Metro station and the victim running inside the station. Body-worn camera of the officers captured the stop minutes after the shooting. MPD released video and an investigation led to Morales’s arrest on Aug. 31, 2017. He has been in custody ever since. A casing was recovered from the Metro station stairs that was determined to have been fired by the firearm recovered in defendant’s flight path.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from Metropolitan Police Department and Metro Transit Police Department. She expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Forensic Science Laboratory of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Fogle, Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff. Finally, she acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Ronald H. Furman, 34, of Philadelphia, and Juan R. Zenil, 31, of Donna, Texas, have been sentenced to 70-month prison terms on federal drug distribution charges, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Neil Trugman, Chief of the Amtrak Police Department, and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

            Furman and Zenil earlier pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of unlawful possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. They were sentenced on Jan. 11, 2018, by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Following his prison term, Furman will be placed on four years of supervised release. After his prison term, Zenil is subject to deportation to Mexico.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Dec. 1, 2016, Furman and Zenil together boarded an Amtrak train in Atlanta. They were travelling together to Philadelphia on tickets that Furman had purchased. On Dec. 2, 2016, the Amtrak train arrived at Union Station in Washington, D.C. for a stopover.

            At that time, law enforcement officers approached Furman and Zenil.  Zenil, consented to a search of his bag and officers discovered approximately two kilograms of cocaine inside, wrapped in plastic and duct tape. After a drug dog alerted to the presence of a controlled substance in Furman’s bag, officers obtained a search warrant. In a search of the bag, officers discovered approximately three kilograms of cocaine wrapped in plastic and duct tape.

            Furman and Zenil were both placed under arrest. According to the government’s evidence, Furman and Zenil possessed this cocaine jointly with the intent to distribute it to others.  Both men have been in custody since their arrests.

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Liu, Amtrak Chief Trugman, and Special Agent in Charge Colder commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Amtrak Police Department and the DEA. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle T. Bateman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole, who indicted and prosecuted the case.

            WASHINGTON – Randy Koontz, 39, of Baltimore, Md., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison on federal charges of distribution of child pornography and traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Chief of the Fairfax County, Va. Police Department, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Koontz pled guilty to the charges in March 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan. Following completion of his prison term, he will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            Prior to his arrest in this case, Koontz was convicted in 2008 of shipment/transportation of child pornography and in 2001 of possession of child pornography. He served prison terms for those offenses and was required to register as a sex offender. He was out of prison and on supervised release for only two years before he committed the crimes in this case.

            According to the government's evidence, beginning on March 8, 2015, Koontz engaged in communications with an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. During the course of communications over a nearly month-long period, Koontz provided the undercover officer with videos of child pornography. Koontz also expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with a purported female minor. During this period, Koontz arranged with the undercover officer to meet in the District of Columbia for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with that child. On April 2, 2015, Koontz traveled from Baltimore to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C.  When he arrived at the meeting place, he was arrested. He has remained in custody ever since.

            A laptop computer and two cellular phones were taken by law enforcement from Koontz at the time of his arrest. Additionally, law enforcement executed a search warrant of Koontz’s room at a boarding house in Baltimore and seized additional electronic devices. The FBI forensically examined the items seized from the defendant and discovered several thousand images and videos of child pornography.

            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, MPD, and the Fairfax County Police Department.  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 Vale, Chief Roessler, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the MPD Detectives, Fairfax County, Va. Police, and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigator John Marsh, Paralegal Specialists Donhue Troy Griffith and Michelle Wicker, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON - Robert Wilson Leach, 33, of Silver Spring, Md., has been extradited from the United Kingdom on charges alleging that he sexually abused his female middle school students while working as a math teacher at a public charter school in Northwest Washington.

            The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Michael Hughes, U.S. Marshal for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

            Leach was arrested in July 2015 in the United Kingdom, and has been incarcerated since that time while he contested extradition to the United States for 2 ½ years.  Leach was brought to the United States on Jan. 5, 2018, and made his first appearance in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was ordered detained pending a detention hearing set for Jan. 10, 2018, before the Honorable Judge Milton C. Lee.

            The indictment charges Leach with multiple sexual offenses against two children: two counts of first-degree sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, one count of second-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, four counts of enticing a child with aggravating circumstances, and sexual performance of a minor.  The indictment also charged Leach with assault as to a third child victim, but that charge was not extraditable.

            According to the government’s evidence, the sexual abuse of Leach’s students began in 2011, when his first victim was 12 years old and in the defendant’s seventh-grade math class at Meridian Public Charter School.  The abuse allegedly continued until Dec. 31, 2013, when another victim’s mother discovered the abuse and threatened to report Leach to the police.  The defendant, a United States citizen, departed the Washington, D.C. area the same day and flew to the Grand Cayman Islands.  He never returned to work at the middle school, and subsequently moved to the United Arab Emirates to work as a teacher.

            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 Metropolitan Police Department.  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 United States Marshals Service, INTERPOL Washington, the United States Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, and the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John L. Hill and Julianne Johnston of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with assistance from Paralegal Specialists Angelina Slagle and Jessica Moffatt and Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Maltese.

WASHINGTON – Francis Lyles, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 45 years in prison on charges of felony murder and first-degree cruelty to children in the beating death of her three-year-old son in June 2014, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Lyles was found guilty by a jury in November 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Zoe Bush. Following her prison term, Lyles will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 18, 2014, Lyles beat her three-year-old son, Xavier, for upsetting her newborn’s bouncer seat.  On June 23, 2014, at about 8:30 p.m., Lyles became upset again with her son, who had been running through their apartment in Southeast Washington. She repeatedly beat him with her hands and/or fists, causing multiple bruises and a lacerated liver. She used so much force that the child’s kidney avulsed from the urethral casing. Xavier lost approximately one third of his blood from internal bleeding. He vomited and was left unattended without food, water or medical treatment for about 15 hours.

            At about 11 a.m. on June 24, 2014, Lyles entered the child’s room and tried to wake him. He was not moving or breathing. Lyles first called her cousin and then called 911 for an ambulance. The District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services came to the residence, and Xavier was pronounced dead in the ambulance. The District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Xavier died from multiple blunt force injuries and the cause of death was homicide.

            Initially, Lyles led law enforcement to believe that her boyfriend had beaten the child when she left Xavier in his care. The boyfriend lived with Lyles and her children in the apartment. For weeks, law enforcement followed her information and leads. As the investigation continued, however, the prosecution learned that, contrary to her statements, Lyles was responsible for the death of her son. Lyles’s cousin had an app which recorded all of their incoming and outgoing phone calls.  Several calls were found in which the defendant admitted to having “whooped “her son on several occasions.  According to the medical examiner’s office, the child had more than 70 injuries.

            Lyles was arrested on Sept. 16, 2014, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu expressed appreciation for the work the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and the U.S. Secret Service. She also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Office of the Medical Examiner and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.

            U.S. Attorney Liu acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura R. Bach,  Michelle D. Jackson, Lindsey Merikas, Chrisellen Kolb, and John Mannarino; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Victim/Witness Advocates Marcia Rinker, Jennifer Clark, Karen Giannakoulias, and Tracy Owusu; Liaison and Operations Manager Linda McDonald; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney, Mia Beamon, Alesha Matthews, Meridith McGarrity, Stephanie Gilbert, and Lornce Applewhite; Criminal Investigators Durand Odom, Tommy Miller, John Marsh, Melissa Matthew, Nelson Rhone, Mark Crawford, Shannon Alexis, Sharon Johnson, and Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia, Paul Howell, Jeannie Latimore-Brown, Joshua Ellen, and Leif Hickling. 

             Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Malik Hough, 22, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 29 years in prison on murder and narcotics charges, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Hough pled guilty in November 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of second-degree murder while armed with a firearm and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance while armed with a firearm. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence between 17 and 29 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant to the upper end of the agreed range, in accordance with the Government’s recommendation.

            In imposing the sentence, Judge Bartnoff called Hough’s actions “inexplicable” and noted that he was on pretrial release for the drug case when he committed the murder. She also noted that there was no justification for the defendant’s actions and that the victim was shot in the back. She added: “What we can’t have in this city is people who have a beef with each other shooting each other. There has to be another way.”

            According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 19, 2016, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Hough took off in unprovoked flight, on foot, from several officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) near the 900 block of Varney Street SE. The officers apprehended him in the rear alley of the 900 block of Varney Street SE a few minutes later.  Officers canvassed the area and found two items on the ground nearby: a 9mm firearm, loaded with a single round, and a 9mm magazine loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition. DNA testing on the firearm showed that Hough’s DNA was on the firearm. Officers also recovered from Hough’s person on the scene numerous, empty, small baggies. A subsequent search at the Seventh District Station, and testing by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, revealed that Hough had 6.8 grams of cocaine on him as well. During his plea, Hough acknowledged possessing the firearm, the empty zips, and the cocaine at the same time, and admitted that he intended to distribute the cocaine.

            After being arrested for those offenses on Nov. 19, 2016, and charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hough was released by the Court on Nov. 23, 2016, with conditions including that he wear a GPS tracking anklet and not possess any firearms.

            The murder took place roughly a month later. At approximately 1:20 p.m. on Dec. 27, 2016, Herbert Dowtin, 22, was walking in the 800 block of Xenia Street SE. Hough, who knew Mr. Dowtin and had previously argued with him, walked up behind Mr. Dowtin and fired 10 shots at him, hitting him eight times. These gunshot wounds caused the death of Mr. Dowtin later that day. Hough then fled, discarding the 9mm firearm under some black fabric fencing approximately two blocks away. The firearm was recovered with the assistance of a gun dog and later was ballistically matched to the shell casings found at the scene. DNA testing on the firearm showed that the defendant was one of the people whose DNA was on the firearm. Hough was wearing his pretrial GPS anklet at the time of the murder, but later cut that anklet off in an attempt to evade prosecution. Hough was arrested on Jan. 6, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.

            During his plea, Hough acknowledged that Mr. Dowtin was unarmed when he shot him and that Hough was not acting in self-defense.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch, crime scene officers, the Seventh Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.  She also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen and Witness Security Specialist Debra Cannon of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; and former Intern Julia Banegas.  Finally, she commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bruckmann and Marybeth Manfreda, who investigated and prosecuted the cases.

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Jeff Sessions has selected the District of Columbia to receive additional resources for the fight against violent crime.  The district will receive an additional Assistant U.S. Attorney to focus exclusively on violent crime, one of 40 new federal prosecutors in 27 selected locations throughout the United States.

            “Led by our 94 United States Attorney’s Offices, Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) task forces are hitting the streets across America to apprehend and bring violent criminals to justice.  I have asked Congress for additional PSN funding because I believe nothing will be more effective at reducing violent crime,” said Attorney General Sessions. "Under this program, I am asking a great deal of our United States Attorneys.  I am both empowering them and holding them accountable for results.  To put them in the best position to impact and reduce violent crime, it is my privilege to announce that through a re-allocation of resources, we will be enlisting and deploying 40 additional violent crime prosecutors across the United States."

            “These extra resources will help us focus on the most violent areas and offenders in the District of Columbia while still meeting our many other responsibilities,” said U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. “We are grateful for the Attorney General’s support and look forward to getting our reinforcements to work on behalf of the citizens of the District of Columbia.”

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office is working with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and other law enforcement partners on a Justice Department initiative called Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) that is expected to generate additional cases focusing on violent crime. Under Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to a coordinated law enforcement approach and identifying and addressing the most violent locations in the District of Columbia and the offenders.

            Although the violent crime rate in the District of Columbia has generally declined since 2015, law enforcement continues to identify specific groups of violent offenders and “hot spot” areas within the city that correlate with significant violent crime. The hiring of an additional prosecutor will enable the U.S. Attorney’s Office to sharpen its focus on offenders in those hot spots and investigate and charge a wide range of offenses, including federal firearm offenses, Hobbs Act robberies, homicides, and racketeering conspiracies. The prosecutor will work with the Office’s Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section.

            In addition to the District of Columbia, Attorney General Sessions has announced that each of these jurisdictions will receive additional prosecutors:

            Northern District of Alabama - 1
            Eastern District of Arkansas - 1
            Northern District of California - 2
            Southern District of California - 1
            District of Connecticut - 1
            Central District of Illinois - 1
            Northern District of Illinois - 3
            Southern District of Indiana - 1
            Eastern District of Louisiana - 1
            District of Maryland - 3
            Western District of Michigan - 1
            Eastern District of Missouri - 2
            Western District of Missouri - 1
            District of Nevada - 2
            District of New Mexico - 1
            Eastern District of New York - 2
            Western District of New York - 1
            Northern District of Ohio - 2
            Eastern District of Pennsylvania - 1
            Middle District of Tennessee - 2
            Western District of Tennessee - 2
            Eastern District of Texas - 1
            Northern District of Texas - 1
            Southern District of Texas - 2
            Western District of Texas - 1
            Eastern District of Wisconsin – 2

WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint and arrest warrants were unsealed today charging two Romanian nationals with a conspiracy to illegally access approximately 123 computers associated with Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) surveillance cameras and to use those computers in connection with a scheme to distribute ransomware in January 2017.

            U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service, made the announcement.

            Mihai Alexandru Isvanca, 25, and Eveline Cismaru, 28, of Romania, were arrested on Dec. 15, 2017, at the Otopeni airport in Bucharest, Romania. The complaint was filed under seal on Dec. 11, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Both defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit various forms of computer fraud. Isvanca remains in custody in Romania and Cismaru is on house arrest there pending further legal proceedings.

            As described in the affidavit in support of the complaint, on Jan. 12, 2017, the Secret Service was notified that a number of MPD surveillance cameras had been compromised.  Agents from the Washington Field Office immediately launched an investigation.  The investigation uncovered information that the MPD surveillance camera computers were compromised between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12, 2017, and that ransomware variants called “cerber” and “dharma” had been stored on the computers.  Other evidence in the investigation revealed a scheme to distribute ransomware by email to at least 179,000 email addresses. 

            According to the complaint, further investigation showed that the two defendants, Isvanca and Cismaru, participated in the ransomware scheme using the compromised MPD surveillance camera computers, among others.  The investigation also identified certain victims who had received the ransomware or whose servers had been accessed during the scheme.

            This case was of the highest priority due to its impact on the Secret Service’s protective mission and its potential effect on the security plan for the 2017 Presidential Inauguration. In partnership with MPD’s Chief Technology Office, the Secret Service and MPD quickly ensured that the surveillance camera system was secure and operational prior to the Inauguration and continued to investigate the criminal offenses charged. 

            The investigation revealed no evidence that any person’s physical security was threatened or harmed due to the disruption of the MPD surveillance cameras.

            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 a conspiracy to commit wire fraud is 20 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 Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. Assistance was provided by law enforcement partners in the National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom, The Netherland’s National High Tech Crimes Unit, the Romanian National Police (Service for Combating Cybercrime), MPD, and the FBI’s Washington, D.C. and Houston Field Offices. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance.  

           The case is being prosecuted by the Cyber Crime Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – Marcellus Freeman, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 110 months in prison on a federal firearms charge, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Freeman pled guilty in October 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on Dec. 21, 2017, by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. The sentence is to run consecutively to a 308-month sentence that Freeman is serving in a federal armed carjacking and armored car robbery case prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Oct. 26, 2012, Freeman and three other men were involved in an armed robbery of an armored car, a carjacking, and shooting in Takoma Park, Md. The men shot at the armored car driver and a bystander who was the victim of the armed carjacking. The armored car driver was not injured. The bystander, however, was shot in the neck and arm, and required multiple surgeries.  Freeman’s fingerprints were found on the armored car’s moneybag and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

            On Feb. 18, 2013, Freeman was driving an automobile owned by his girlfriend when he was pulled over by police in the District of Columbia. He provided a false identification card and gave an address in Southeast Washington. Once officers realized the identification card was fake, Freeman provided yet another false name. Officers placed Freeman under arrest when they could not verify his information.  Freeman told officers he lived with his girlfriend and asked the officers to call her to retrieve the car and his personal belongings.  The girlfriend responded and retrieved the items. She provided the same Southeast Washington address as her place of residence. The FBI learned of Freeman’s arrest, confirmed the girlfriend’s address, and obtained a search warrant for the apartment in connection with the Maryland armored car investigation.

            The FBI executed a search of the apartment on Feb. 20, 2013. During the search, the FBI recovered crack cocaine as well as a 50-round ammunition box that contained 42 rounds of .380 caliber ammunition.  The agents then recovered a Smith & Wesson .380 caliber pistol that was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition, matching those found in the ammunition box, between the mattress and the box spring in the bedroom.  

            Forensic testing subsequently revealed Freeman’s fingerprints on the ammunition box that contained 42 rounds of ammunition. Freeman acknowledged, as part of his plea in this case, that he possessed the firearm in connection with his possession with the intent to distribute the crack cocaine.

            In Maryland, Freeman previously pled guilty to robbery, discharging a gun during the robbery, and carjacking for his role in the crimes that took place in Takoma Park.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. 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 Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Mary Downing; Legal Assistants Kate Abrey, Holly Crouse, and Latoya Wade; Clerk Antonia Jackson, and Interns Jeslin Panicker and Max Ruocco. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Eliopoulos and Akhi Johnson, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Blair Wynkoop, 59, the former executive director of a non-profit organization, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison on a charge stemming from the theft of more than $400,000 from the charity, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Norbert E. Vint, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

            Wynkoop, of Portland, Oregon, pled guilty in December 2016 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of interstate transportation of stolen property. He was sentenced by the Honorable Reggie B. Walton. Following his prison term, Wynkoop will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $385,564 in restitution to a number of charitable organizations and $443,996 in a forfeiture money judgment. While on supervised release, Wynkoop is barred from having a job that gives him unmonitored access to financial accounts. He also can establish no new credit accounts while he is on release.

            According to a statement of offense submitted at the time of the guilty plea, Wynkoop became executive director of the charity, identified in court documents as “Company A,” in 2008. The non-profit sought to address the needs of people with HIV or AIDS. It operated as a consortium of independent charities and received charitable donations itself and functioned as a pass-through for donations to its member charities.

            At the outset of his tenure as executive director, Wynkoop caused “Company A” to make many of the required distributions of contributions to the member charities. However, from 2010 through 2012, he did not distribute all of the money and used funds for his own benefit.

            While he was executive director, Wynkoop wrote checks and made wire transfers from the bank accounts of “Company A” to himself. For some, but not all, of these payments, he provided the non-profit’s part-time bookkeeper with justifications for expenses; many of these justifications were fabricated and designed to conceal the fraud. In the course of the scheme, Wynkoop defrauded the non-profit of more than $400,000.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Acting Inspector General Vint expressed appreciation for the work of Special Agent Christopher Sulhoff and others who assisted with investigating the case from the OPM Inspector General’s Office. They also commended the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Document Management Analyst John Lowell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton, who handled forfeiture issues. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Steven Talmadge Jones, 65, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a felony charge stemming from the shooting of his neighbor, which occurred in October 2017 on their block in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            Jones pled guilty on Dec. 15, 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of aggravated assault while armed.  The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for April 20, 2018.  The charge carries a mandatory minimum term in prison of five years and a potential maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

             According to the government’s evidence, Jones and the victim are neighbors and have known each other for several years.  The two men had prior arguments related to the Homeowner Association rules for their gated community.

             On Friday, Oct. 20, 2017, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the victim was waxing his car in the driveway outside his home in the 2200 block of Retta Gilliam Court SE. Jones was at his own home on the same street. Jones opened a window and shot the victim once in the chest. The victim fell to the ground bleeding.  After the shooting, Jones took his dog, got into his car, and drove away.  He was arrested on Nov. 1, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.

            The gunshot entered the victim’s back, exited his chest, and pierced his heart.  As a result of the shooting, the victim sustained serious bodily injuries that required surgery and hospitalization, including at least nine days intubated in an intensive care unit. He is in ongoing rehabilitation and treatment.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from 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 Tiffany Fogle, Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Canaan King, 18, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a four-year prison term for a robbery that occurred near the Fort Totten Metro Station in April 2017, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

            King pled guilty in August 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of robbery.  The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of three to five years in prison.  The Honorable Juliet McKenna accepted the plea and sentenced King on Dec. 15, 2017, to four years in prison.  Following the prison term, King will be placed on three years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Monday, April 24, 2017, at approximately 6:10 p.m., the victim was walking from the Fort Totten Metro Station near the 700 block of Gallatin Street NE. King approached the victim from behind and placed her in a chokehold. A struggle ensued, and King demanded the victim’s iPhone 6S and told her to “be quiet” and “delete your iCloud.”  He choked the victim tighter as she tried unsuccessfully to access her iCloud. He then took the iPhone and fled.  

            The victim’s iPhone 6S was recovered during the execution of a search warrant on King’s residence in Northeast Washington. Following his arrest on April 28, 2017, King admitted robbing the victim, indicating that he grabbed her from behind and took her phone before fleeing.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from 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 Tiffany Fogle.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Smalky and Rizwan Qureshi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Joseph Brown, 49, of North Franklin, Conn., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Brown pled guilty to the charge in February 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan. Following completion of his prison term, Brown will be placed on 15 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government's evidence, beginning on Aug. 31, 2015, Brown engaged in communications with an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. During the course of the communications, Brown provided the undercover officer with video and images of child pornography. Brown also expressed interest in engaging in sexual acts with a purported female minor.

            In order to confirm the identity of the defendant, the undercover officer, together with other FBI agents, initiated an investigation that led them to Brown. Brown was registered as a sex offender as a result of a 2005 conviction in Connecticut for distribution of child pornography for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. Brown was arrested in Connecticut on Sept. 17, 2015, and was brought to the District of Columbia to face charges, and has remained in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement seized a cellular phone and tablet. These were submitted for forensic analysis. Law enforcement located thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography on the two 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 Vale, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Criminal Investigator John Marsh and Paralegal Specialist Michelle Wicker, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Mandell L. Whitted, 50, of Capitol Heights, Md., was sentenced today to five years in prison on a felony charge stemming from the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl, which took place in 2005 while he was a janitor at an elementary school in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Whitted pled guilty in August 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of attempted first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of five years in prison. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, Whitted will be placed on six years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, Whitted worked in 2005 as a janitor at J.C. Nalle Elementary School, in the 200 block of 50th Street SE. During the summer between her fifth grade at that school and her sixth grade at another school, the 12-year-old girl worked at J.C. Nalle Elementary on a cleaning crew. Then, in the fall of 2005, she returned to the school to work at an after-school program. In the period between May 2005 through November 2005, according to the proffer, Whitted sexually assaulted the girl on numerous occasions at various locations, including the janitor’s office.

            Whitted was arrested in February 2017, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Supervisor Dr. Lorraine Chase, Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Bilal Ahmed, 45, a former dentist who practiced in Northwest Washington, was sentenced today to 16 ½ years in prison for sexually assaulting five former dental patients and one former employee and improperly touching another former employee. The victims, all males, were attacked in separate incidents between 2010 and 2014.

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

            Ahmed, of Rockville, Md., pled guilty in May 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to five felony charges, including one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a patient with aggravating circumstances and four counts of second-degree sexual abuse of a patient with aggravating circumstances. He also pled guilty to three misdemeanor charges, including two counts of sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances, and one count of simple assault.

            Ahmed was sentenced by the Honorable Zoe Bush. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

             "Bilal Ahmed used his dental practice and his position of authority to sexually abuse vulnerable victims, some of whom were his own patients and staff,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “His victims included people who came to him for treatment and employment, caught off guard by his outrageous conduct. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for this criminal breach of trust.”

             According to the government’s evidence, Ahmed was practicing as a dentist at Universal Smiles DC, in the 2300 block of M Street NW. The practice was originally called Bilal Ahmed DDS PC dba Universal Smiles DC. Ahmed is the owner of these dental practices, which are now closed.

            The offenses against the dental patient victims took place at Universal Smiles and followed a typical pattern in which Ahmed would take patients into the procedure room, close the door, administer nitrous oxide through a facemask, and then sexually assault the victims while they were sedated. The attacks on patients took place on April 27, 2010, Aug. 30, 2012, April 24, 2013, April 25, 2013, and May 21, 2014. The incidents involving employees took place in July 2013 and January 2014.

            Ahmed’s D.C. dental license was suspended on Nov. 3, 2014, and his Maryland dental license was suspended on April 6, 2016. Ahmed was arrested on Jan. 7, 2016.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Sexual Assault Unit of the MPD and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Miranda and Patricia A. Riley; Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Specialist LaJune Thames; Librarian Lisa Kosow; Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel and Michelle Wicker; Criminal Investigator Nicole Hinson, and Financial Analyst Bryan Snitselaar. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Marcus-Kurn and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Ty’Juan Beynum, 17, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight years in prison for a pair of armed robberies that took place earlier this year at 7-Eleven stores in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Beynum, who was charged as an adult because of the nature of the crimes, pled guilty in September 2017 to two counts of armed robbery. He was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Honorable Anthony C. Epstein. Following his prison term, Beynum will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, the first robbery took place on June 20, 2017. Shortly before 5 a.m., Beynum entered a 7-Eleven store in the 700 block of H Street NE, armed with a semiautomatic handgun. He ordered an employee to open the cash register and hand over money. The employee complied, and Beynum fled with about $250.

            The second robbery took place on July 8, 2017, shortly before 4 a.m.at a 7-Eleven store in the 1300 block of Second Street NE.  Beynum pointed a handgun at two employees and once again ordered that the cash register be opened. This time, he left with a plastic bag containing about $170. A detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) happened to be in a back office at the store to review surveillance footage in an unrelated case. He saw the robbery unfolding on a security monitor and alerted other officers, who apprehended Beynum nearby.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. She also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Rizwan Qureshi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.