District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Mark Beasley, 45, of Laurel, Md., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for a shooting that killed one man and wounded another, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Beasley was found guilty by a jury in July 2017 of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related weapons offenses. The verdict followed  a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable José M. López. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, April 25, 2015, Darryn Conte, his older brother, and a close family friend went to the Takoma Station Tavern in Northwest Washington to support their friend, a percussionist in a band.  At the end of the night, at about 2 a.m. on April 26, 2015, the close family friend was driving Mr. Conte to his truck that was parked nearby when they were approached by Beasley. An argument ensued.  Mr. Conte and his close friend eventually drove into the next block, the 400 block of Butternut Street NW, where Mr. Conte’s vehicle was parked, to wait for Mr. Conte’s brother and the percussionist. 

 

            As they waited, Beasley approached their vehicle. While Mr. Conte’s brother and the percussionist looked on, Beasley opened fire on the vehicle.  Mr. Conte, 39, was shot multiple times and died. His friend was shot once and survived his injury. Beasley was arrested on April 30, 2015 and has been in custody ever since.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the 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 Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Coleman; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Diana Lim; Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Kimberly Smith; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal  Specialist Alesha Matthews-Yette, and Interns Sanjana Biswas, Alexandra Maher, and Simone Umwalla.

 

             Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Wheeler and Michelle D. Jackson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

A Pakistani citizen was sentenced today to 31 months in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle undocumented migrants from Pakistan into the United States. 

 

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York made the announcement.

 

Sharafat Ali Khan, 32, a Pakistani citizen and former resident of Brazil, pleaded guilty on April 12, to one count of conspiracy to smuggle undocumented migrants into the United States for profit before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of the District of Columbia.  Khan was extradited to the United States from Qatar on July 13, 2016.  Following his prison term, Khan will be deported back to Pakistan.

 

“Combatting human smuggling and illegal migration is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice, and we will continue to work with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to identify and disrupt smuggling networks operating across the globe,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco.  “This prosecution should serve as an example that whether at home or abroad, smugglers who facilitate illegal migration into the United States will be brought to justice and held accountable.”

 

“Sharafat Khan was at the center of a vast human smuggling network that preyed on the desperation of foreign nationals hoping to get into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “He was responsible for organizing, coordinating and controlling smugglers and lower-level associates of the operation. His actions put his clients – and the United States – at significant risk.  His arrest, conviction and sentence should deter others from engaging in this rapacious, dangerous conduct.”

 

“Sharafat Khan organized an intricate network that was open to the highest bidder to transport undocumented migrants, regardless of who they were, from Pakistan and elsewhere through Brazil and Central America and then into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Melendez. “He has admitted that the journey included severe conditions that caused a considerable risk of serious bodily harm or death. Today’s sentencing highlights our relentless law enforcement efforts, both foreign and domestic, to track down organizations who make a profit from smuggling undocumented migrants through U.S. borders without prejudice and with a clear disregard for those who may end paying the final price.”

 

According to admissions in the plea agreement, between March 2014 and May 2016, Khan and other co-conspirators organized and arranged the unlawful smuggling of large numbers of undocumented migrants to the United States.  For their smuggling operation, Khan admitted that he and his co-conspirators used a network of facilitators to transport undocumented migrants from Pakistan and elsewhere through Brazil and Central America and then into the United States by land, air or sea travel.  Khan further admitted that he was responsible for managing safe houses for the migrants and arranging a network of associates in other countries to serve as escorts during different legs of the smuggling route.  Khan also admitted that voyages included harsh conditions that caused a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death – including lengthy foot hikes with little food and water through the Darien Gap, a dangerous tropical forest area in Panama.  At sentencing, the court found that Khan was a primary organizer or leader of the conspiracy.

 

The investigation was conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI.  The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns.  ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources.  ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

 

HSI New York investigated this case with assistance from HSI Brazil, Mexico, Panama and Washington, D.C. field offices; the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force, FBI Miami Field Office; the Human Smuggling Cell; the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service in Brasilia, Brazil; the Brazilian Federal Police and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with the defendant’s extradition and foreign legal assistance requests.   The Justice Department thanks the Government of Qatar for their assistance with the extradition in this case.  Senior Trial Attorney Michael Sheckels of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Kohl and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard DiZinno of the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – A Pakistani citizen was sentenced today to 31 months in prison for his role in a scheme to smuggle undocumented migrants from Pakistan into the United States. 

 

            Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York made the announcement.

 

            Sharafat Ali Khan, 32, a Pakistani citizen and former resident of Brazil, pleaded guilty on April 12, to one count of conspiracy to smuggle undocumented migrants into the United States for profit before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton of the District of Columbia.  Khan was extradited to the United States from Qatar on July 13, 2016.  Following his prison term, Khan will be deported back to Pakistan.

 

            “Combatting human smuggling and illegal migration is one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice, and we will continue to work with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to identify and disrupt smuggling networks operating across the globe,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco.  “This prosecution should serve as an example that whether at home or abroad, smugglers who facilitate illegal migration into the United States will be brought to justice and held accountable.”

 

            “Sharafat Khan was at the center of a vast human smuggling network that preyed on the desperation of foreign nationals hoping to get into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “He was responsible for organizing, coordinating, and controlling smugglers and lower-level associates of the operation. His actions put his clients – and the United States – at significant risk. His arrest, conviction and sentence should deter others from engaging in this rapacious, dangerous conduct.”

 

            “Sharafat Khan organized an intricate network that was open to the highest bidder to transport undocumented migrants, regardless of who they were, from Pakistan and elsewhere through Brazil and Central America and then into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Melendez. “He has admitted that the journey included severe conditions that caused a considerable risk of serious bodily harm or death. Today’s sentencing highlights our relentless law enforcement efforts, both foreign and domestic, to track down organizations who make a profit from smuggling undocumented migrants through U.S. borders without prejudice and with a clear disregard for those who may end paying the final price.”

 

            According to admissions in the plea agreement, between March 2014 and May 2016, Khan and other co-conspirators organized and arranged the unlawful smuggling of large numbers of undocumented migrants to the United States.  For their smuggling operation, Khan admitted that he and his co-conspirators used a network of facilitators to transport undocumented migrants from Pakistan and elsewhere through Brazil and Central America and then into the United States by land, air or sea travel.  Khan further admitted that he was responsible for managing safe houses for the migrants and arranging a network of associates in other countries to serve as escorts during different legs of the smuggling route.  Khan also admitted that voyages included harsh conditions that caused a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death – including lengthy foot hikes with little food and water through the Darien Gap, a dangerous tropical forest area in Panama.  At sentencing, the court found that Khan was a primary organizer or leader of the conspiracy.

 

            The investigation was conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI.  The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns.  ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources.  ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

 

            HSI New York investigated this case with assistance from HSI Brazil, Mexico, Panama and Washington, D.C. field offices; the South Florida Joint Terrorism Task Force, FBI Miami Field Office; the Human Smuggling Cell; the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service in Brasilia, Brazil; the Brazilian Federal Police, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center.  The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support with the defendant’s extradition and foreign legal assistance requests.   The Justice Department thanks the Government of Qatar for their assistance with the extradition in this case.  Senior Trial Attorney Michael Sheckels of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Kohl and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard DiZinno of the District of Columbia prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Michael L. Rosebar, 54, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for defrauding customers of his home improvement business and personal creditors of hundreds of thousands of dollars, making false statements in bankruptcy proceedings, and defrauding a government program for needy families.

 

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Inspector in Charge Robert B. Wemyss of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division.

 

            A jury found Rosebar guilty on June 20, 2017, following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, of six federal counts of concealment of bankruptcy assets, three federal counts of false oaths and statements in bankruptcy, and three counts of wire fraud.  He also was found guilty of violating District of Columbia laws, including three counts of first-degree fraud related to his home contracting business and one count of first-degree fraud related to a scheme to defraud the District of Columbia’s public assistance (or welfare) program. The Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan sentenced him today.

 

            Judge Hogan stated that he will issue an order of restitution at a later date. Additionally, he ordered Rosebar to pay a $75,000 forfeiture money judgment. Following his prison term, Rosebar will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            “Michael Rosebar coldly took advantage of people who trusted him with home improvement work, stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from customers who paid him for projects that he half-started or didn’t start at all,” said U.S. Attorney Liu. “In some cases, he caused his victims, including senior citizens, to live in dangerous conditions for years. He also treated our court system as his personal weapon against victims, and repeated his fraud by lying to judges and creditors in fraudulent bankruptcy and other civil proceedings. Now he is being held accountable for these crimes.”

 

            “After being solicited through the mail, many unfortunate victims in this case were harmed twice.   Not only did they lose their original payments, they had to pay more money for additional repairs. Postal Inspectors will continue to protect consumers with our pursuit of criminals who misuse the mail to further their fraud schemes,” said Inspector in Charge Wemyss.

 

            Rosebar’s wife, Erin M. Rosebar, 41, pled guilty on Oct. 10, 2017, to a charge of first-degree fraud. She is to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2018.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Rosebar operated businesses under several names, including EMR Construction Contractors. From at least February 2008 through January 2015, according to the evidence, he misrepresented himself to clients as a licensed home-improvement, electrical and heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) contractor. However, at no time during that period did Rosebar have a business or professional license from the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

 

            Rosebar recruited customers at home improvement stores, through referrals, and by acting as a sub-contractor on projects. According to the government’s evidence, he negotiated contracts with customers for substantial home improvement or HVAC projects, which he could not, and did not intend to, complete. During the trial, the government presented evidence related to numerous home renovation projects and a project to install air conditioners at an apartment complex in Atlanta. According to the government’s evidence, Rosebar received more than $800,000 from 2008 through 2013 for these projects.  Rosebar not only abandoned these projects before completion, his demolition and other improper and unskilled work destroyed many residents’ homes.  One senior citizen victim paid Rosebar over $380,000, and her home was an uninhabitable disaster with no proper roof when Rosebar abandoned the job.  This woman lost her life savings to Rosebar, and was forced to live in a small portion of the home for seven years.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Rosebar’s fraud extended beyond the victims who testified at trial. All told, the government has estimated that victims lost more than $1.3 million as a result of Rosebar’s conduct from 2001 through 2016.

 

            While scamming numerous victims, Rosebar filed for bankruptcy protection three times in the period between 2008 and 2013. The jury found him guilty of charges related to false statements he made during these proceedings, in which he understated his income and overstated his expenses.

 

            The jury also found Rosebar guilty of receiving benefits to which he was not entitled from the District of Columbia’s Department of Human Services. From 2010 until 2014, Rosebar earned hundreds of thousands of dollars from his contracting fraud victims, and yet received benefits through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after falsely reporting that he had no income, was unemployed, and had no assets other than his family home.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Inspector in Charge Wemyss commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia’s Office of the Inspector General, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General.

 

            They acknowledged the efforts of  those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigators Nicole Hinson and Mark Fitzgerald; former Criminal Investigator Juan Juarez; Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Jessica Mundi; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen; Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Office’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Selden, now with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Marston and Anthony Saler, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Deangelo Paris Belton, 23, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a felony charge stemming from a shooting that occurred in June 2017 near a busy intersection in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

 

            Belton pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault while armed.  The plea, which is subject to the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentencing range of five to six years in prison.  The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Dec. 15, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 12, 2017, at approximately 6:20 p.m., the victim was walking near the intersection of Nannie Helen Burroughs and Minnesota Avenues NE when he passed Belton and two other males. The victim and Belton knew one another, and the victim is the father of Belton’s cousin’s child. Belton and the victim briefly exchanged words about whether Belton was still mad at the victim for a fistfight they had several months earlier.

 

            During this exchange, Belton pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at the victim, hitting him and causing him to fall in the street. Belton then fired several more shots at the victim before fleeing.  The victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen and waist, that required surgery, hospitalization, and ongoing rehabilitation and treatment.

 

            Following the shooting, Belton fled to Georgia. He was later apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service and brought back to the District of Columbia in August 2017 to face charges.

 

            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 expressed appreciation for the work of the U.S. Marshals Service. She 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 Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Dashayn James Slade, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for sexually assaulting a stranger who he grabbed while she walked to work near a Metro station in 2009 in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

 

            Slade pled guilty in July 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of attempted first-degree sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Following his prison term, Slade will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, early in the morning on Dec. 22, 2009, the victim was walking to work near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station in the 700 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. Slade, a stranger to her, grabbed her from the Rhode Island Avenue overpass and pulled her over a concrete wall. Slade then pulled her across railroad tracks and snow until they reached a pile of railroad timber. He then sexually assaulted her.

            Slade was identified using DNA evidence years after the offense and arrested in January 2016. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), including the Sexual Assault Cold Case 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 D’Yvonne Key and Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris. Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Seth Holmes, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 13 years in prison for killing a man earlier this year in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

 

            Holmes pled guilty in August 2017 to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of at least 10 years and up to 14 years in prison. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted the plea today in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and sentenced Holmes accordingly. Following his prison term, Holmes will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            The government’s evidence demonstrated that on May 9, 2017, at approximately 2:05 p.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) received a call to respond to a shooting that occurred in the 100 block of Irvington Street SW. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, Damonta Thompson, semi-conscious and unresponsive suffering from a gunshot wound to his body. The District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported Mr. Thompson to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later determined that Mr. Thompson, 25, died from a gunshot wound to the back.

 

            Further investigation by MPD officers revealed that just prior to the shooting, Holmes pulled his vehicle into the 100 block of Irvington Street SW, where he observed Mr. Thompson.  Holmes and Mr. Thompson exchanged words.  Holmes then pulled his vehicle down the street, got out, and shot his gun four times in the direction of Mr. Thompson, hitting him one time in his back.  Mr. Thompson died a short time later. 

 

            Approximately, three days after the shooting, Holmes fled the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to a relative’s residence in St. Petersburg, Fla.  On June 5, 2017, Holmes was located by the U.S. Marshals Service and arrested at the residence. He was then transported back to the District of Columbia and was formally charged.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. She also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Allen and Jennifer Clark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia M. Long, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Marcquise Smith, 27, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of four and a half years for robbing a man of his sport utility vehicle last summer, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

 

            Smith pled guilty to a robbery charge in August 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna. Upon completion of his prison term, Smith will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            According to a factual proffer submitted at the time of the plea hearing, on June 27, 2017, at approximately 11:25 p.m., Smith approached two men after they had just parked a black Nissan Pathfinder in the unit block of P Street NE. While pretending that he was armed, Smith demanded that the driver of the SUV give him everything that he had, including his car keys.  The victim gave his car keys to Smith, who then unlocked the vehicle and rode off.

 

            The victims provided a description of the suspect, including that he was wearing jeans and a black belt with a silver buckle, and that he covered the majority of his face with a yellow T-shirt. Law enforcement broadcast a lookout for the stolen black Nissan Pathfinder with Tennessee tags. Within minutes, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) observed the black Nissan Pathfinder heading eastbound in the 1300 block of New York Avenue NE. The officers attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle, but Smith refused to listen to the officers’ commands and fled southbound on West Virginia Avenue NE. 

 

            The officers pursued the black Nissan Pathfinder with full emergency equipment activated, until Smith crashed the stolen vehicle at 19th Street and Maryland Avenue NE.  Smith fled on foot, but officers quickly located him inside an apartment building. At the time he was arrested, Smith was wearing blue jeans, a brown belt with a golden buckle, red tennis shoes and was shirtless.  Law enforcement subsequently located an orange T-shirt in the road that Smith drove on during his flight from the police, and the victim who handed Smith his car keys identified him as the assailant. Smith has been in custody since his arrest.

 

            In 2008, Smith committed a series of robberies in the District of Columbia and he later pled guilty to armed robbery and other offenses. He was sentenced in October 2011 to more than five years of incarceration, and was eventually placed on supervised release on May 12, 2017.  Within six weeks of his release back into the community, Smith committed the robbery.

 

            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 Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – A former employee of the District of Columbia Public Schools and a business owner, her longtime friend, have been indicted on charges stemming from an alleged bid-rigging scheme involving contracts for administrative assistants valued at nearly $300,000.

 

            The indictments were announced today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

 

            Amber R. Crowder, 39, of Washington, D.C., the former schools employee, and Shauna Marie Brumfield, 39, of Sacramento, Calif., the business owner, were indicted on Oct. 10, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Both were indicted on five counts of mail fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of engaging in a money laundering conspiracy, three counts of money laundering, and one count of first-degree fraud.  The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds of the alleged crimes.

 

            Crowder was arrested today in Washington, D.C., and Brumfield was arrested today in Sacramento. Crowder pled not guilty at her first appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and was released on personal recognizance pending further court proceedings. Brumfield is expected to make her first appearance later today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

 

            According to the indictment, Crowder held various positions with the Office of Special Education (OSE), a part of the District of Columbia Public Schools.  The charges involve the school system’s awarding of two contracts for administrative assistants to a company called A Simple Solution.  Brumfield was identified as the firm’s registered agent and her residence, then in Northeast Washington, was listed as its principal place of business.  According to the indictment, Crowder and Brumfield were close personal friends since childhood.

 

            In the summer of 2012, according to the indictment, Crowder was tasked with identifying and recommending a company to provide temporary administrative assistants for the Office of Special Education to aid in the scheduling of meetings related to services being provided for special education students in the 2012-2013 school year.  The indictment alleges that she took a series of steps to steer two administrative assistant contracts to A Simple Solution, including falsely representing during the selection process that A Simple Solution had staff with educational experience and specialized in providing staff to educational institutions throughout the United States when in fact it had no staff and had never performed any work. 

 

            The indictment also alleges that Brumfield used Crowder’s knowledge of the estimated cost of the project to submit a price quote for A Simple Solution.  Additionally, the indictment alleges Brumfield used the alias “Marie Matthews” when communicating with the school system on behalf of A Simple Solution, and Crowder referred to “Marie Matthews” as the contact person for A Simple Solution, to conceal the fact that Crowder was recommending the awarding of the contracts to her close personal friend. 

 

            According to the indictment, from October 2012 until March 2014, the District of Columbia Public Schools mailed approximately $222,000 in checks to A Simple Solution.  From January 2013 until August 2013, the indictment alleges, Brumfield transferred approximately $19,164 from the bank account for A Simple Solution to Crowder’s own bank account.

 

            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.

 

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas and Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi, Kristy Penny, Joshua Fein, and Aisha Keys.

WASHINGTON – A congressional staffer was charged today with filing a false security clearance form, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

            According to the indictment, Issac Lanier Avant, a resident of Arlington, Va., was a staff member employed by the House of Representatives since approximately 2000.  Since 2002, Avant has been the Chief of Staff for a member of Congress.  In approximately December 2006, he began an additional position for the House Committee on Homeland Security, including Deputy Staff Director and Staff Director.  The indictment charges that from 2008 through 2012, Avant earned wages of approximately $170,000 and failed to file an individual income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during those years.  Avant allegedly had no federal income withheld during those years because in May 2005, he caused a form to be filed with his employer that falsely claimed he was exempt from federal income taxes.  According to the indictment, Avant did not have any federal tax withheld from his paycheck until the IRS mandated that his employer begin withholding in January 2013. 

 

            In 2008 and again in 2013, for his position with the Committee on Homeland Security, Avant allegedly completed a Standard Form 86, “Questionnaire for National Security Positions” (SF-86), in order to receive a Top Secret security clearance.  The indictment charges that on Sept. 18, 2013, Avant willfully made a false statement by responding “no” to the following question on a SF-86: “In the past seven (7) years have you failed to file or pay federal, state, or other taxes when required by law or ordinance?” 

 

            If convicted, Avant faces a statutory maximum prison term of five years, as well as a term of supervised release and monetary penalties. 

 

            An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

            Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Liu thanked special agents of the FBI, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marston and Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

 

            Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website. 

A congressional staffer was charged today with filing a false security clearance form, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu for the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

According to the indictment, Issac Lanier Avant, a resident of Arlington, Virginia, was a staff member employed by the House of Representatives since approximately 2000.  Since 2002, Avant has been the Chief of Staff for a member of Congress.  In approximately December 2006, he began an additional position for the House Committee on Homeland Security, including Deputy Staff Director and Staff Director.  The indictment charges that from 2008 through 2012, Avant earned wages of approximately $170,000 and failed to file an individual income tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) during those years.  Avant allegedly had no federal income withheld during those years because in May 2005, he caused a form to be filed with his employer that falsely claimed he was exempt from federal income taxes.  According to the indictment, Avant did not have any federal tax withheld from his paycheck until the IRS mandated that his employer begin withholding in January 2013. 

 

In 2008 and again in 2013, for his position with the Committee on Homeland Security, Avant allegedly completed a Standard Form 86, “Questionnaire for National Security Positions” (SF-86), in order to receive a Top Secret security clearance.  The indictment charges that on Sept. 18, 2013, Avant willfully made a false statement by responding “no” to the following question on a SF-86: “In the past seven (7) years have you failed to file or pay federal, state, or other taxes when required by law or ordinance?”  

 

If convicted, Avant faces a statutory maximum prison term of five years, as well as a term of supervised release and monetary penalties. 

 

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg and U.S. Attorney Liu thanked special agents of the FBI, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marston and Assistant Chief Todd Ellinwood of the Tax Division, who are prosecuting the case.

 

Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website. 

WASHINGTON – Jose Rodriguez-Cruz, 52, of Arlington, Va., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder for the 2009 strangulation murder of his girlfriend, Pamela Butler, at her home in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Rodriguez-Cruz has been in custody since his arrest on April 8, 2017. His guilty plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 12-year prison sentence, to be followed by five years of supervised release. The guilty plea also requires Rodriguez-Cruz to provide law enforcement with the location of Ms. Butler’s body, which was never found. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly.

 

            If Rodriguez-Cruz refuses to assist law enforcement in locating Ms. Butler’s body, or if he misleads police or otherwise does not make his best efforts to provide the location, the plea agreement is to be declared null and void, and he will face the original charge in the case of first-degree premeditated murder.

 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, Rodriguez-Cruz and Ms. Butler, 47, were involved in a romantic relationship. On Feb. 13, 2009, at approximately 8:20 p.m., Rodriguez-Cruz entered Ms. Butler’s home in the 5800 block of Fourth Street NW. He turned off her home security alarm system. A few hours after entering the house, while in the basement area, he and Ms. Butler had an argument concerning the defendant’s job and financial status, which Ms. Butler believed he was not doing enough to improve or elevate.

           

            During the argument, Rodriguez-Cruz punched Ms. Butler in the face with his fist. She then fell to the floor. At that point, as stated in the proffer, Rodriguez-Crus straddled Ms. Butler’s body and strangled her with his hands around her neck, until she died from asphyxia.

 

            Later that night and early the following morning, Rodriguez-Cruz turned off the outside motion sensor lights of Ms. Butler’s home security system. He then carried Ms. Butler’s body to the first floor area and lowered her body out of a window, the proffer states. He then carried the body to his car, which was parked on nearby Oglethorpe Street NW. Next he removed several objects from Ms. Butler’s home. Then, he drove away and disposed of the body.

 

            Over the next two days, according to the proffer, Rodriguez-Cruz came to Ms. Butler’s home and continued to take items out of the house. On Feb. 16, 2009, he disposed of Ms. Butler’s cellphone in an effort to avoid detection for this crime.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of the officers, detectives and other personnel who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Gillice, Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews-Yette, and Intelligence Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines and Glenn Kirschner, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – John Thomas Burch, 75, of Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced today to five months of incarceration, to be followed by five months of home detention, for embezzling at least $149,317 while he was the president of the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

            Burch pled guilty in June 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to wire fraud. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Following his jail term, Burch will be placed on two years of supervised release, with the first five months of that on home detention. He also was ordered to pay $75,000 in a forfeiture money judgment.

 

            According to a statement of offense submitted at the time of the plea, Burch was the president of the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, Inc. (“NVVF”), a nonprofit organization incorporated in Washington, D.C., until 2016 when it was disbanded.  NVVF solicited donations from the public, representing that their mission was “to provide help and support for American Veterans and their families through the generosity of the American people.” While the NVVF utilized some of its donated revenues to support the NVVF’s purported mission, Burch misappropriated portions of the donations to pay for food and lodging with no business purpose, and made repeated payments to women, who were personal acquaintances of Burch.

 

            Burch had unilateral control over the NVVF’s “Emergency Assistance Program,” which accounted for tens of thousands of dollars of the NVVF’s operating expenses annually during the years 2012 to 2016.  Burch represented to the NVVF’s Board of Directors the Emergency Assistance Program was a discretionary program that he ran as President of the NVVF, and that in fact, there was no oversight of Burch’s spending from the program in the distribution of smaller grants, generally between $100 to $300.  In spite of Burch’s representation to NVVF employees and the Board of Directors that individual grants generally ran from $100 to $250 with the intent of providing only a one-time payment to recipients who were “usually Veteran family members with small children who are in chronic destitute circumstances,” Burch used the Emergency Assistance Program to give money to women who often were engaged in personal relationships with him.  Burch also submitted expense reports claiming reimbursements for business lodging, travel, and meals, when in reality he spent the money on personal visits to clubs, restaurants, and hotels in Baltimore.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Burch spent at least $149,317 of the charity’s money on non-business related travel, clubs, restaurants, hotels, and women between the years 2012 and 2016.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Assistant Director in Charge Vale expressed appreciation for the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Washington Field Office of the FBI.  They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, who is assisting with forfeiture issues. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – The owner of a tutoring and mentoring business and a former employee of the District of Columbia Public Schools have been indicted on federal charges alleging that they conspired to fraudulently bill the school system more than $200,000 for services that they falsely claimed had been provided to students with special needs.

 

            The indictment was announced today by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

 

            John A. Faulkner, Jr., 39, the business owner, and Isaiah Johnson, 37, the former D.C. Public Schools employee, were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft; nine counts of mail fraud; five counts of wire fraud; seven counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of first-degree fraud. Faulkner also was indicted on two counts of money laundering, and Johnson also was indicted on one count alleging that he engaged in official acts affecting a personal financial interest. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds of the alleged crimes.

 

            The indictment was returned on Sept. 14, 2017, and unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Faulkner and Johnson, both of Baltimore, Md., pled not guilty today at their first appearances in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. They remain free on personal recognizance pending a status hearing set for Oct. 30, 2017.

 

            The indictment alleges that the men carried out a scheme from at least July of 2012 through at least July of 2014 involving fraudulent invoices submitted to the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) for services performed under the Compensatory Education Program.

 

            The Compensatory Education Program awards services to eligible students to assist with their educational needs and development. Students awarded compensatory education services have learning, mental, and/or behavioral disabilities that create an educational barrier that prevents them from reaping the full benefits of education. Services consist of tutoring, individualized education, monitoring, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral and psychological analysis. Once DCPS approves specific services, parents or guardians receive letters specifying the services that can be provided. They also receive a list of independent providers, or vendors.

 

            According to the indictment, Faulkner owned a company that in 2011 became eligible to be paid by DCPS as a vendor for tutoring and mentoring services. Johnson was a DCPS compliance case manager who was responsible for notifying parents or guardians, via letters, that their children were entitled to obtain the services of the independent providers. In that role, according to the indictment, Johnson had access to students’ names as well as compensatory education letters and the forms used to create those letters.

 

            The indictment alleges that Faulkner and Johnson created or caused to be created false and fraudulent timesheets purporting to reflect compensatory education services provided to students that had, in fact, not been performed. These documents allegedly included the names and, in some instances, the signatures of individuals who purportedly provided services, the DCPS students and the students’ parents or guardians. Faulkner, Johnson and others used these means of identification without the knowledge or permission of the individuals, the indictment alleges. According to the indictment, Faulkner attached these timesheets to invoices to DCPS. He received payments and distributed a portion of the proceeds to Johnson, the indictment alleges.

 

            According to the indictment, DCPS sent at least $217,366 in payments for services that never were performed.

 

            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.

 

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General are investigating the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrienne Dedjinou and Peter C. Lallas, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who is handling forfeiture issues, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris, and Paralegal Specialists Joshua Fein, Aisha Keys, and Jessica Mundi.

WASHINGTON – Jarod Ingram, 17, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a 14-year prison term for a series of armed robberies he committed earlier this year against people responding to sales notices on “OfferUp, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

 

            Ingram was charged as an adult given the serious nature of his crimes. He pled guilty in April 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to armed robbery and firearms offenses. He was sentenced on Sept. 29, 2017, by the Honorable Thomas J. Motley. Following his prison term, Ingram will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Ingram committed four robberies in less than three weeks of victims who set up meetings by using the digital application “OfferUp,” which permits users to buy or sell items. The victims were planning to purchase iPhones or a laptop computer that were listed on the site.

 

            The first armed robbery took place at about 7:15 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2017, in the 300 block of Taylor Street NE. The victim was robbed of $300 that he had brought for an iPhone. The second crime took place at about 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2017, in the 400 block of Taylor Street NE, with another victim likewise surrendering $300 at gunpoint.

 

            Two more armed robberies took place on the following day, Feb. 5, 2017. The first occurred at noon in the 600 block of Riggs Road NE; in this instance, Ingram robbed a woman of $500 and took an iPhone out of her pre-school son’s hands. Finally, at 3:50 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2017, Ingram robbed a man of $250 in the 4900 block of Third Street NW. An investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) led to Ingram’s arrest the following day.

 

            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 efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Donville Drummond, Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Davon Rashad Wood, 26, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree child sexual abuse for groping a 12-year old girl as she was walking into a community aquatic center, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu. 

 

            Wood pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and is to be sentenced Dec. 12, 2017 by the Honorable José M. López.  Following his prison term, Wood will be placed on a period of supervised release.  He will must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. 

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 26, 2017, at about 10:45 a.m., the victim was walking into the William H. Rumsey Aquatic Center in the 600 block of North Carolina Avenue SE. Wood held the door for the girl as she entered the aquatic center, then grabbed her buttocks as she walked past him.  His actions were captured on the aquatic center’s security cameras.  The girl did not know Wood. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) provided clips from security footage to the local media in hopes of getting the public’s assistance. Several people then called MPD to identify the man as Wood. Wood was arrested at his home in Southeast Washington on July 2, 2017.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Liu praised detectives from MPD’s Youth Division, the aquatic center employees who provided MPD with footage from the center’s security cameras, and members of the public, who helped identify Wood as the perpetrator. 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, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case. 

 

WASHINGTON – A former bank teller pled guilty today to stealing more than $185,000 from a longtime customer of the bank, a homeless man, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

            Phelon Davis, 29, of District Heights, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to interstate transportation of stolen property. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Davis faces a likely range of 18 to 30 months in prison and a potential fine. The plea agreement calls for Davis to pay $185,440 in restitution and an equal amount in a forfeiture money judgment. Davis will be sentenced at a later date by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan.

 

            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, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.

 

            In announcing the plea, 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 Criminal Investigator Shannon Alexis, Paralegal Specialist Jessica Mundi, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman, who is prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON - Anthony Williams, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a six-year prison term after earlier pleading guilty to robbing a man at gunpoint in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

 

            Williams pled guilty in July 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of armed robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early evening of Jan. 4, 2017, Williams and an accomplice approached the victim, who was walking in the 2300 block of Lincoln Road NE. Williams pointed a firearm at the victim’s head and said, “If you want your life, don’t move.”  The victim raised his hands above his head, but Williams nonetheless struck him on the right side of his face with either the handgun or a fist.  At the direction of Williams, the accomplice removed items from the victim’s pockets, including his cellphone and wallet, containing cash and credit cards. Williams and his accomplice then fled the area. 

 

            Subsequent investigation determined that Williams had been at the location of the armed robbery.  In addition, the victim later reported that one of his stolen credit cards had been used fraudulently at fast-food restaurants and 7-Eleven stores, and the 7-Eleven video surveillance footage depicted an individual matching Williams’s description.

 

            On Jan. 9, 2017, two witnesses identified Williams as the person recorded in the 7-Eleven video surveillance footage.  In addition, one of the witnesses stated that Williams had a dark-colored firearm.  That same day, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to a residence in the 1300 block of W Street SE in an attempt to locate Williams. Police found him in one of the bedrooms, underneath a bed.  In the same room, police also located a green jacket with fur around the collar that appeared to be the same jacket worn by the person in the 7-Eleven video.  In the pocket of the green jacket, law enforcement located a fully loaded Glock .45-caliber magazine that Williams acknowledged belonged to him. Williams was arrested 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 assistance provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Goodwin. Finally, she commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Vivien Cockburn, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Randy Sparrow, 31, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from two separate shootings that occurred in Southeast Washington within a 48-hour period last summer, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

 

            Sparrow pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm based on a prior conviction for a crime of violence and one count of felony assault on a police officer while armed.  The plea, which is subject to the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of eight years in prison, consisting of two consecutive statutory mandatory minimum terms in prison.  The Honorable Marisa Demeo scheduled sentencing for Dec. 14, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, the first of the two shootings took place on July 8, 2017. At approximately 2:35 a.m., Sparrow, who was driving a green and black Ford Crown Victoria, chased the victim, who was driving a separate car, through various locations in Southeast Washington.  As Sparrow pursued the victim, he shot at him multiple times with a firearm, striking him once in the left arm. Sparrow and the victim had met in jail approximately six or seven years ago and were with two different groups inside the jail that did not get along. Sparrow was convicted of armed robbery in 2004.

 

            The second shooting took place on July 10, 2017. At approximately 2:05 a.m., in the 1900 block of Savannah Street SE, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) came into contact with Sparrow during the stop and subsequent arrest of an individual that Sparrow referred to as his “little brother.”  After Sparrow became upset and tried to interfere, MPD officers placed him in handcuffs, which were later removed.  At approximately 2:20 a.m., four of the MPD officers left the location in an unmarked police vehicle and drove eastbound on Savannah Street SE.  Sparrow followed them in a green and black Ford Crown Victoria and fired multiple shots at the officers with a firearm, striking their vehicle at least once. Sparrow then made a U-turn and fled in the opposite direction.  He ran a red light, hit another vehicle at the intersection of Stanton Road SE and Alabama Avenue SE, and crashed into a tree in front of a school in the 3200 block of Stanton Road SE.  Sparrow fled the vehicle and block on foot, leaving behind a Glock 19, 9mm handgun. He was arrested later that morning.

 

            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, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Witness Security Specialists Debra Cannon and Tanya Via.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jessie K. Liu has taken office as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. She succeeds Channing D. Phillips, who had been serving in the position since Oct. 19, 2015.

 

            President Trump nominated Ms. Liu on June 12, 2017 to serve as U.S. Attorney, and the Senate confirmed the nomination on Sept. 14, 2017. She was sworn in by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein. She formally took office at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24.   

 

            Ms. Liu, 44, had been Deputy General Counsel for the United States Department of the Treasury. She previously was a partner at the law firms of Morrison & Foerster LLP and Jenner & Block LLP, where her practice focused on litigation, investigations, and compliance.

 

            In addition to her work in private practice, U.S. Attorney Liu has extensive experience with the Department of Justice. From 2002 until 2006, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, handling criminal and appellate cases. She then moved to the Department of Justice, where she served in a series of positions until 2009, including Deputy Chief of Staff for the National Security Division, Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division.

 

            “I am honored to return to the United States Attorney’s Office and looking forward to working with the people here, our many law enforcement partners, and the community,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.

 

            U.S. Attorney Liu graduated with honors from Harvard University in 1995 and obtained her juris doctorate from Yale Law School in 1998.

 

            Because of its size and varied responsibilities, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia is unique among the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the nation. It is the largest of the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, with more than 300 attorneys and a similar number of support employees. The Office is responsible for the prosecution of all federal crimes, including terrorism, public corruption, firearms, and other offenses, as well as the prosecution of all serious local crime committed by adults in the District of Columbia. The Office also represents the United States and its departments and agencies in civil proceedings filed in federal court in the District of Columbia.

 

            As she took on her new responsibilities, U.S. Attorney Liu thanked Mr. Phillips for his many years of public service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.

WASHINGTON - Jamil Betts, 26, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for a pair of violent attacks in Southeast Washington, including a murder, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced today.

 

            Betts pled guilty in December 2015, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of second-degree murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.  The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison term of 20 years on both charges.

The Honorable Michael Ryan accepted the plea and sentenced Betts on Sept. 22, 2017. Following his prison term, Betts will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, the murder victim, Andre McConnell, 26, was with friends in the 3100 block of Buena Vista Terrace SE on April 27, 2015.  At around 8:30 that night, Mr. McConnell engaged in a brief verbal argument with an unidentified individual.  Shortly thereafter, Betts approached Mr. McConnell and the group with whom Mr. McConnell was gathered.  Betts took out a gun, aimed and fired it at Mr. McConnell, and struck Mr. McConnell twice in the lower back.  A second individual also was hit with one gunshot wound to the leg.  Mr. McConnell was transported to Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

 

            In the second case, the government’s evidence showed, on the afternoon of May 29, 2015, Betts and another individual approached a woman and her daughter at gunpoint in the area of the 3400 block of A Street SE.  Betts, holding the gun, and the other individual attempted to force their way into the woman’s apartment, which was occupied by other individuals.  After realizing that the victims called 911, Betts and the other individual attempted to leave the area by car.  In the process of driving away from the scene, Betts, who was seated in the front passenger side of the vehicle, aimed his gun at one of the victims outside the apartment building and fired one shot, nearly hitting the victim.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the detectives of the Criminal Investigations Division, crime scene officers, and the Sixth and Seventh Police District of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).  She also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant, Jennifer Clark, and Shawn Slade; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Program Specialists Lesley Slade, Laverne Forest, and Wanda Queen; Criminal Investigators Durand Odom, Mark Crawford, and Nelson Rhone, and Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels. Finally, she acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julianne Johnston and Sumit Mallick, who investigated and prosecuted the assault case, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard DiZinno and Robert Eckert, who investigated and prosecuted the homicide case.

WASHINGTON – Adeniyi Joseph Omilana, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for sexually assaulting a co-worker at a group home for individuals with disabilities in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

 

            Omilana pled guilty in June 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of attempted second-degree sexual abuse before the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Following his prison term, Omilana will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, early on March 26, 2017, Omilana and the victim were working the midnight shift at the group home operated by Lifeline Inc. in the 3900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW. At about 1:30 a.m., the victim became tired and fell asleep on a sofa in the living room. About 30 minutes later, the victim awoke and noticed her underwear and pants were down to her ankles and one leg was removed from her clothing. Omilana was on the floor, kneeling beside the victim, and his hand was on her leg as he was attempting to pull up her pants and underwear. The victim confronted him as he was attempting to pull up her pants. Omilana admitted to engaging in sexual acts with the victim.

            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, Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Iray Turner, 40, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to 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 the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence between 10 and 12 years. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz set a hearing for Dec. 1, 2017 to determine whether to accept the plea and sentence. Following his prison term, Turner will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and faces up to a lifetime of supervised release.

 

            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 plea, 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 Advocate Tracey Hawkins, and Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown. Finally, she commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg, Jessi Brooks, and Julianne Johnston, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – Jonathan Taylor, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for his role in a shooting that killed one man and wounded another in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Taylor was found guilty by a jury in June 2017 of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and two related firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable José M. Lόpez. Following his prison term, Taylor will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 13, 2014, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Taylor and three unidentified associates drove together in a gold Honda Accord, looking to kill their target, 25-year-old Dexter Motley. They found Mr. Motley standing on a corner near the unit block of 46th Place NE, talking casually to his friends and their neighbors. Taylor and his associates then drove around the block and approached Mr. Motley on foot. One of the four men—the triggerman—walked by Mr. Motley, as if walking leisurely down the sidewalk.  The triggerman then pulled out a revolver and fired five shots at close range, including a fatal shot into Mr. Motley’s forehead. Another shot hit one of Mr. Motley’s friends. The friend was able to flee into an alley and survived the attack. The defendants fled. Taylor later was linked to the crime through information tying him to the Honda Accord and other evidence. 

 

            In a separate case, Taylor is awaiting trial on second-degree murder while armed and other charges in the July 4, 2015 slaying of Dwayne Dillard. Mr. Dillard, 23, was fatally shot at about 11 p.m. in the 2600 block of Douglass Place SE. Taylor has pled not guilty.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Park Police. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Bradford, Magdalena Acevedo, Christian Natiello, and Michael Spence; Paralegal Specialists Lashone Samuels and Debra Joyner; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators M. Laverne Perry and Tanya Via; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcey Rinker; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown, and Intern Reed Stadler.

 

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas N. Saunders and Jin Park, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Eric Aguilar-Gamez, 20, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today to 16 ½ years in prison for assaulting and attempting to rob three young victims at gunpoint, as well as a separate gun offense, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Gamez was found guilty by a jury in July 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of assault with intent to commit robbery while armed, and five counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  After the trial, Gamez pled guilty to a separate gun offense for unlawful possession of a firearm, which occurred in April of 2016. 

 

            In sentencing Gamez, the Honorable Juliet McKenna noted that in just two years, he had been convicted of five separate offenses, three involving firearms.  She also cited the young age of the victims in this case and the seriousness of the offense. Following his prison term, Gamez will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, in the early evening of May 19, 2016, two sisters, ages 16 and 12, were walking in Northwest Washington to a store to meet the 16-year-old’s boyfriend, who was 19 years old. While heading to the store, they noticed a group of men, including Gamez, near the tennis courts of the Fort Stevens Recreation Center.  Feeling uncomfortable with the fact that people in this group appeared to be staring at her phone, the 16-year-old asked her boyfriend to walk back home with them.

 

            Just as they were turning onto Whittier Place NW, they heard tires screech behind them and saw a black two-door Honda chasing after them. The three ran as fast as they could, nearly making it to the girls’ home, but Gamez jumped out of the front passenger seat, pulling a black handgun from under his seat.  Gamez then lifted the gun, pointing it at the three victims and yelling what appeared to be a gang-related threat. The 19-year-old hopped a fence and ran off. Gamez then looked directly at the girls and demanded their belongings. The 16-year-old threw herself between the gun and her sister and refused to comply with Gamez’s demands.  The girls’ mother heard her daughters screaming and opened the door of their home, confronting Gamez before he hopped back in the black two-door Honda and drove away.

 

            Gamez was arrested May 22, 2016.

 

            Unfortunately, this wasn’t the last time the 16-year-old saw Gamez.  On Nov. 28, 2016, she was in the basement of the courthouse when she saw Gamez seated across from her.  She told him how what he had done had affected her sister.  In response, he laughed and said he should have pulled the trigger.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney, Troy Griffith, Tamaya Reid, and Sharon Newman. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allessandra Stewart, Marisa West, and Ethan Carroll who investigated and prosecuted the cases.

WASHINGTON – Derek Cook, 52, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder while armed in the killing last month of his 81-year-old mother, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Cook entered the guilty plea 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 20 years in prison. The Honorable Zoe Bush scheduled sentencing for Dec. 1, 2017.

 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at today’s hearing, on the night of Aug. 12, 2017, Cook was having a conversation with his mother, Ann Alfredia Cook, in the bedroom of their apartment in the 5000 block of Fourth Street NE. Cook began to repeatedly strike his mother with a closed first, and she yelled for help. Cook also struck his mother repeatedly with a wooden stick and an iron, hitting her on various parts of her face and body. At the time of the beating, his mother was unarmed and in bed.

 

            The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrived at the apartment at about 10:45 p.m., and Cook let them into the apartment building. However, he would not let police into the apartment. To gain entry, the police had to ram down the apartment door. After doing so, the police found Ms. Cook, who was severely injured. She was taken to a hospital, where she died later that night. Derek Cook was arrested and has remained in custody ever since.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S Attorney Thomas N. Saunders, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Charles Smoot, 47, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to carrying out a broad-daylight robbery of a bank in the Brentwood neighborhood of Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew 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 on Sept. 20, 2017, before the Honorable Amit P. Mehta in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of bank robbery.  Smoot faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison.  Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 63 to 78 months in prison and potential financial penalties.  He also is subject to an order of restitution and a forfeiture money judgment. Judge Mehta scheduled sentencing for Jan. 19, 2018.

 

            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 black 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 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 plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, 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 – Emeka H. Chijioke, 40, formerly of Atlanta, Ga., and Nigeria, pled guilty today to a federal charge of health care fraud stemming from a scheme in which he defrauded the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program out of more than $500,000.

 

            The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Nicholas DiGiulio, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), for the region that includes Washington, D.C.

 

             Chijioke pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Chijioke faces a likely range of 24 to 30 months in prison and a fine of up to $95,000. The plea agreement calls for Chijioke to pay $552,343 in restitution to the D.C. Medicaid program and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman scheduled sentencing for Dec. 13, 2017.

 

            Chijioke was arrested in December 2016 in Germany and extradited to the United States in April 2017 to face charges in an indictment returned in the District of Columbia.

 

            According to a statement of offense submitted to the Court, Chijioke was the majority owner, registered agent, and chief executive officer of Mead Medical Group, LLC, a durable medical equipment company organized in Maryland. Mead Medical provided medical equipment supplies, including incontinence supplies and garments, to District of Columbia Medicaid recipients.

 

            Beginning in 2007 and continuing through 2012, Chijioke engaged in a scheme to defraud D.C. Medicaid by billing for incontinence supplies that were not provided, as detailed in the statement of offense. Chijioke instructed his office staff to complete doctor prescriptions calling for beneficiaries to receive the maximum amount of incontinence supplies allowed by D.C. Medicaid. At the same time, he had his office staff contact the Medicaid recipients to determine from them the actual amount of incontinence supplies they needed, and to provide them with those supplies. Chijioke hired a billing company to submit claims to the Medicaid contractor as if the maximum amount of supplies were provided to the recipients rather than the actual amount supplied. By arranging for the maximum amount of incontinence supplies to be billed, rather than the amount actually provided, Chijioke obtained approximately $580,000 that he was not entitled to receive from Medicaid.

 

            During the investigation, $28,600 in funds generated through the scheme was administratively forfeited.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Special Agent in Charge DiGiulio expressed appreciation for the work performed by Special Agents from the FBI and HHS OIG. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lionel André; Paralegal Specialists Christopher Toms and Jessica Mundi; former Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman and Kaitlyn Kruger, and Litigation Technology Specialist Claudia Gutierrez. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Virginia Cheatham and Kondi Kleinman, of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section, who are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Marquese Kelsey, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to four years in prison for a bank robbery in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Kelsey pled guilty in June 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of bank robbery. He was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Upon completion of his prison term, Kelsey will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $1,734 in restitution to the bank and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

 

            The government’s evidence established that on June 1, 2017, at approximately 3:15 p.m., Kelsey entered a PNC bank in the 800 block of Seventh Street NW and handed a note to a bank teller that stated, “I need you to give me all big bills, no dye packs. I’m carrying a loaded weapon. Any quick movements and someone is going to get hurt!!!”

 

            In response, the bank teller gave Kelsey approximately $1,734. After handing over the money, the bank teller alerted a bank employee that a robbery was occurring, and the bank’s silent alarm was activated. In response, members of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force, which includes MPD detectives, as well as First District MPD officers, responded to the bank.

 

            Based on information given to MPD’s Crime Solvers Tip Line, law enforcement learned that an individual who frequented Franklin Square Park had discussed participating in the bank robbery and was in possession of a large sum of money. Law enforcement also learned that the suspect had been arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer for prostitution services hours after having committed the bank robbery. Based on this information, law enforcement was able to identify the suspect as Kelsey, who matched the bank surveillance video. After soliciting an undercover officer, Kelsey ran from Third District MPD officers and in the process, hid an amount of cash on private property. The owner of the property subsequently alerted law enforcement to the presence of the money. After law enforcement officers retrieved the money, it was determined that at least some of the bills could be traced to the bank robbery.

 

            Kelsey was arrested on June 3, 2017 and has been in custody ever since. At the time of his arrest, Kelsey was on supervised release for attempted robbery and attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine and had been released from incarceration less than 30 days earlier on those charges. Kelsey now faces formal revocation of his supervised release and additional incarceration, separate from the above-referenced sentence, from the U.S. Parole Commission.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and First and Third District MPD officers in quickly investigating and arresting Kelsey. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section, Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle and Teesha Tobias, and Legal Assistant Latoya Wade.

            WASHINGTON –Suzette Nicole Allen, 45, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of six and one half years for beating and maltreating a four-year-old boy who was in her care last summer, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Allen’s son, Timothy Allen, 20, was sentenced in July 2017 to six years and eight months in prison for his role in the crimes. Both defendants pled guilty in April 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree cruelty to children. The pleas, which were contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for prison sentences of 18 months to seven years. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted Suzette Allen’s guilty plea today and sentenced her accordingly. Following completion of her prison term, she will be placed on three years of supervised release; during that time, she is to have no contact with children under 18.

 

            Timothy Allen also will be placed on three years of supervised release following his prison term; during that time, he is to have no contact with children under the age of 18.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, the child’s mother put the boy and his older brother in the care of the Allen family, who she knew, during the summer of 2016. Over the summer, the Allens beat the child with their hands and with drumsticks. The child’s health deteriorated as a result of these beatings, and by early August, he was having trouble walking. Over the next couple of weeks, the boy grew lethargic and his balance faltered. In text messages, the defendants discussed what was happening. Yet they never sought medical attention.

 

            The boy’s mother received the children back from the Allen family on Aug. 16, 2016, immediately recognized that something was wrong, and rushed him to Children’s National Medical Center. He was found to be suffering from multiple brain contusions, two lacerations to his liver, a hemorrhage in his abdominal cavity, two rib fractures, a fractured finger, a missing tooth, patterned scars to his spine, abdomen, chest and inner thighs, and healing injuries to his forehead, eye, nose, jaw, and chest. The boy was kept at the hospital for 17 days and then spent another 55 days in rehabilitation at another facility.

 

            The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was alerted by medical professionals and began an investigation that led to the defendants’ arrests last fall. Timothy Allen has been in custody since his arrest. Until today, Suzette Nicole Allen had been free on personal recognizance, with a condition that she have no contact with children under age 18.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Child Forensic Interview Specialist Tracy Owusu, Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughn, and Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis Manzo and Melissa Price, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Dominick Simons, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 26 ½ years in prison for three separate crimes against victims he accosted at or near Metro stations within a two-day span, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Simons pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of first-degree sexual abuse, robbery, and attempted robbery. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence within the range of 22 to 30 years in prison. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea today and sentenced Simons accordingly. Following his prison term, Simons will be placed on 15 years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Simons approached a 26-year-old male victim on May 21, 2016, at approximately 4:40 p.m., while both were exiting the L’Enfant Metro station in Southwest Washington. As they approached the 400 block of 7th Street SW, Simons asked the victim whether he knew of anyone interested in buying a gun that the defendant currently had in his possession. The victim answered, “No.” Simons then told the victim that he needed money and did not want to have to shoot the victim. Simons took his right hand and placed it inside of his sweatshirt to suggest that he was reaching for a firearm. The victim said that he did not have any money. Simons then directed the victim to walk to the nearest ATM, which was at a CVS store on 4th Street SW. There, the victim withdrew $100 and gave it to the defendant. Simons also took the victim’s cell phone before separating from the victim.

 

            Two days later, at approximately 3 p.m. on May 23, 2016, Simons approached a 17-year-old male victim while walking into the Bethesda Metro station in Montgomery County, Maryland. As they approached the mezzanine level of the station, Simons asked the victim if he could use the victim’s cellular telephone. The victim said, “Yes.” The victim then gave his phone to the defendant to use, at which point Simons immediately began to walk away.

 

            The victim followed Simons and told him to return the phone. Simons turned towards the victim and told him he was keeping the phone, that he had a “.38,” and that if the victim made any “noise” about the phone, the defendant would “blow [his] [expletive] brains out over the Metro station.” Simons opened his sweatshirt and brandished an object that the victim perceived to be the butt of a handgun. Simons then returned the phone to the victim after learning that the victim was only 17 years old. Simons, however, ordered the minor to board a train traveling to the District. He and the victim exited the train at Friendship Heights and entered the Chevy Chase Pavilion in Northwest Washington. Simons then ordered the victim to enter a bathroom and stand against the wall of a stall, at which point the defendant sexually assaulted him.

 

            After a few moments, the victim told Simons, “No, I have to go. Let me go.” The victim pushed Simons to get out of the stall, at which point the victim patted the area of his jacket where the victim had seen the butt of a handgun. The victim said, “No. I’m done. I have to go. Let me leave.” Simons directed the victim to keep his voice down, but the minor replied, “I’ll scream if you don’t let me go now.” Simons allowed the victim to exit the bathroom.

 

            Simons eventually walked back to the Friendship Heights Metro station, where he boarded a train towards downtown Washington. He exited the train at the Van Ness station. At approximately 5:20 p.m., he approached a 14-year-old boy in the mezzanine level of the train station and told the victim, “I have a gun on me. I don’t want to have to use it. Do you have any money or jewelry on you?” Simons then took his right hand and placed it inside of his sweatshirt to suggest that he was reaching for a firearm. The victim responded, “No.” Simons then asked the victim if he was in possession of a cellular telephone and a fare card. The victim removed his phone and fare card from his pocket and handed it to the defendant. Simons used the card to open the fare gates and left the victim behind. After the victim lost sight of Simons, he went to the station kiosk and reported the incident to a manager.

 

            Simons was ultimately arrested at approximately 7 p.m., at the Gallery Place Metro station, where he admitted that he had the child’s phone in his pocket. 

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Chief Pavlik, and Chief Newsham commended the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division and Metropolitan Police Department’s First District. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Angelina Slagle and Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Danny Nguyen and L’Shauntee Robertson, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

 

            WASHINGTON –Joao Pereira da Fonseca, 55, a citizen of Portugal, was sentenced today to 20 months in prison on a federal charge stemming from a scheme in which he conspired to help an Iranian company unlawfully obtain sophisticated equipment from two companies in the United States.

 

            The announcement was made by Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and David Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, in San Diego, Calif.

 

            Fonseca, of Coimbra, Portugal, pled guilty on July 17, 2017, to conspiring to unlawfully export goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States. He entered the guilty plea before the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, on the day his trial was to begin in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a prison sentence of 20 months. Judge Sullivan accepted the plea and sentenced Fonseca accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, Fonseca faces deportation proceedings.

 

            “Joao da Fonseca disregarded U.S. law by participating in a scheme to export goods, technology, and services to Iran,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “His conviction and prison sentence show there will be serious consequences for those who circumvent and violate laws meant to safeguard the national security, foreign policy and economy of the United States.”

 

            “Today’s sentencing is a result of the great investigative work of our Special Agents in conjunction with other law enforcement and government partners locally and abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge Shaw. “The illegal export of U.S.-origin items to prohibited countries is harmful to U.S. national security and will not be tolerated. HSI will continue to aggressively pursue those that seek to violate these laws and jeopardize our safety.”

 

            At the time he entered his guilty plea, Fonseca admitted to taking part in the scheme between October 2014 and April 2016. One of the companies in the United States manufactures machines that help produce sophisticated optical lenses that have both commercial and military uses. The other company manufactures machinery that tests components of inertial guidance systems that have both commercial and military uses. Fonseca was a contractor for a Portuguese engineering company that served as a front company to purchase the machines on behalf of their Iranian client. The Portuguese company claimed that it was purchasing the machines for its own use, but planned to have the machines shipped to Iran. Fonseca is a mechanical engineer whose role in the conspiracy was to travel to the U.S. to approve the machinery and learn how to install and maintain the machinery once it was shipped to its final destination in Iran.

 

            Due to the investigation conducted by a Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations, the government prevented both machines from leaving the U.S. Fonseca traveled to the United States to receive training on how to use the optical lens equipment in October 2015. He returned to the United States in late March 2016 to be trained on how to use the inertial guidance system equipment at the company that manufactures it. When Fonseca was returning to Portugal in early April 2016, he was detained for violating certain immigration laws. Soon thereafter, Homeland Security Agents had gathered sufficient evidence that he had also violated U.S. export laws and criminal charges were brought against him. He has been in custody ever since.

 

            In announcing the sentence, Acting Assistant Attorney General Boente, U.S. Attorney Phillips, and Special Agent in Charge Shaw expressed appreciation for the work of those who investigated the case from the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Elena Buruncenco and Jorge Casillas; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia; former Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia; Legal Assistant Matthew Ruggierio, and Summer Law Clerks Tessa Tilton, Michael Collins, Jessie Michelin, James Murray, Alison Perry, Anthony Ricci, Jared Schwalb and Elizabeth Ulan.

 

            Finally, they commended the work of the attorneys who investigated and prosecuted the case, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frederick W. Yette, Erik Kenerson and Thomas Swanton, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorneys Robert E. Wallace and Amy Larson of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

WASHINGTON – Yared Mekonnen, a taxicab driver from Silver Spring, Md., pled guilty today to sexually assaulting a passenger he picked up last spring in the U Street area of Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Mekonnen, 24, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of second-degree sexual abuse and attempted kidnapping. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo scheduled sentencing for Dec. 1, 2017. Under the Court’s Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Mekonnen faces a likely sentence of between 42 and 108 months. Following his prison term, Mekonnen 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 plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Sexual Assault Unit, which investigated the case. He 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, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart D. Allen and Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Pacific Architects and Engineers, LLC (“PAE”) has agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly failed to follow vetting requirements for personnel working in Afghanistan under a State Department contract for labor services. PAE is a Virginia-based contractor that provides personnel and other support to various federal government agencies.

 

            The settlement was announced today by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Steve A. Linick, Inspector General for the U.S. Department of State.

 

            The agreement resolves claims relating to PAE’s Civilian Police “CIVPOL” contract in support of State Department missions in Afghanistan, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, South Sudan, and elsewhere. In 2007, the State Department awarded PAE a task order under the CIVPOL contract to provide training and mentoring personnel to counter-narcotics and drug interdiction police and investigators in Afghanistan. The task order required PAE to conduct extensive background checks on U.S. personnel that were in high risk or armed positions, including independently developed reference checks. For local, national, and third party national employees working on the task order, PAE was obligated to submit their names to the State Department’s Regional Security Office in Afghanistan for additional security clearance. According to the government’s evidence, PAE was aware of these contractual requirements but did not comply with them for extended periods. The United States asserts that invoices PAE submitted to the State Department for the labor services of improperly vetted personnel were false.

 

            “This settlement affirms our commitment to hold government contractors accountable for properly screening employees, particularly those who work alongside our government’s personnel in fragile areas of the world,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “In this particular matter, it is alleged that PAE failed to conduct the appropriate vetting for personnel working in Afghanistan under a State Department contract for labor services for which invoices were later submitted. Our Office will continue to investigate and seek appropriate recoveries from contractors who do not meet their obligations.”

 

            “The OIG special agents and staff assigned to this case should be commended for their excellent investigative work,” said Inspector General Linick. “Rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse is at the heart of any OIG mission, as is ensuring that contractors are accountable for every taxpayer dollar they receive.”

 

            The settlement also resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by former PAE manager Robert J. Palombo under the qui tam, or whistleblower provisions, of the False Claims Act. Under the False Claims Act, private citizens may bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government. Mr. Palombo will receive $875,000 as his share of the government’s recovery. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Robert J. Palombo v. PAE, Inc., et al.

 

            The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

 

            This settlement was the result of an investigation into Mr. Palombo’s allegations by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of State, Office of Inspector General.

WASHINGTON – Duane Johnson, also known as Adrian Duane Johnson, pled guilty today to a charge of first-degree felony murder in the Christmas day slaying last year of Tricia McCauley, a stranger who he also sexually assaulted, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.

 

            Johnson, 30, formerly of Washington, D.C., 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 30 years in prison. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo scheduled sentencing for Nov. 17, 2017. Following his prison term, Johnson will be placed on a period of supervised release and he will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on Dec. 25, 2016, at about 5:30 p.m., Ms. McCauley, 46, left her home in the 2000 block of North Capitol Street NW and got into her two-door Toyota Scion to drive to a holiday party at a friend’s home in Washington, D.C. On the drive to her friend’s home, Ms. McCauley encountered Johnson. He entered her vehicle and, shortly thereafter, sexually assaulted her. He attempted to restrain her and she attempted to fight him off by kicking and punching him. During this struggle, Ms. McCauley’s clothing was ripped and she suffered a fractured nose. Johnson, meanwhile, took the scarf that Ms. McCauley was wearing and used it as a ligature, tightening it around her neck muscles and causing her death. After Ms. McCauley died, Johnson took her body and put it in the back seat.

 

            Ms. McCauley was reported missing and a widespread search was launched to find her. The following night, Dec. 26, 2016, at about 11:20 p.m., Ms. McCauley’s car was discovered, found parked in front of a pharmacy in the 2200 block of M Street NW. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) went inside the store and found Johnson. He had the key to Ms. McCauley’s car in his pocket. A check of the car led to the discovery of Ms. McCauley’s body. Johnson was arrested and has remained in custody ever since. In a search, police recovered several of Ms. McCauley’s credit cards in Johnson’s pocket.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of the officers, detectives and others from the Metropolitan Police Department who investigated the case. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Park Police and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Donovan; Paralegal Specialists Sharon Newman and Lornce Applewhite; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, and Litigation Technology Specialist William Henderson. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Michael Williams, 24, of Washington, D.C., has pled guilty to a charge of third-degree sexual abuse for groping a stranger after knocking her to the sidewalk in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

 

            The victim was eight months pregnant at the time. Fortunately, both the victim and her baby sustained no serious injuries.

 

            Williams pled guilty on Sept. 8, 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Zoe Bush scheduled sentencing for Nov. 17, 2017. Once released from prison, Williams will be placed on a period of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a 10-year period.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 5, 2017, at about 3:30 p.m., Williams approached the victim just outside the U.S. Tax Court in the 400 block of 3rd Street NW. He was stark naked. When the victim saw Williams approaching, she tried to flee, but Williams caught her, grabbed her, and tackled her to the sidewalk, where he groped her. A guard inside the Tax Court saw the assault and ran outside to try to intervene, but Williams fled. By happenstance, a homicide detective with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) was driving by and saw a naked man running up 3rd Street. He jumped out of his car, pursued, caught and arrested Williams. Williams has been in custody since his arrest.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the quick action of the homicide detective and the security officers at the U.S. Tax Court who helped pursue the defendant. He 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 Phillips commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – Brian Hess, of Hustontown, Pa., has been sentenced to five years in prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), announced.

 

            Hess pled guilty in April 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on Sept. 6, 2017, by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Upon completion of his prison term, Hess will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years following his release from prison.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, from Sept. 28, 2016 through Oct. 4, 2016, Hess communicated online with a man he believed was a child sex offender with an under-aged daughter. Hess communicated with the man over the course of several days and distributed to the man numerous images of child pornography, claiming that some of the images he sent were images of his own under-aged daughter. Unbeknownst to Hess, the man he was communicating with was an undercover detective working as part of a task force.

 

            Law enforcement subsequently confirmed with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that the child Hess purported to be his daughter in the images was actually another victim of child exploitation who had previously been identified by the center as part of another, unrelated case. At the time of his arrest in November 2016, Hess also was found to be in possession of hundreds of additional images of child pornography. Hess has been in custody since he entered his guilty plea in the case.

 

            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 Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD’s Youth Investigations Division. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Michelle Wicker. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea L. Hertzfeld, who prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who was involved in the fatal shooting on Dec. 25, 2016, of Gerald Hall in Northeast Washington.

 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included interviews of civilian and law enforcement witnesses; physical evidence recovered on the scene, including three knives; body-worn camera footage; recorded audio transmissions; autopsy, toxicology, and DNA reports; and MPD and District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences reports, diagrams, and photographs.

 

            According to the evidence, the events unfolded in this manner:

 

            On Dec. 25, 2016, at approximately 10:30 a.m., Mr. Hall was in the home of his girlfriend in the 3200 block of Walnut Street NE, when they started to argue and she told him to leave. When his girlfriend walked away, Mr. Hall turned on all of the burners on the stove and set fire to a paper towel. Shortly after 11 a.m., a 911 caller requested that police go to the house because “my neighbor’s getting beat up over there” and that she was “screaming for help.” The MPD officer and his partner arrived moments later. Mr. Hall’s girlfriend, who had no visible injuries, told police that a physical fight had not occurred and that she had called her sister and would leave with her. The MPD officer and his partner left the scene.

 

            When the sister arrived, the two women attempted to get into the house, but Mr. Hall pushed on the door to keep it closed. When the women were finally able to get in, Mr. Hall was holding a large knife with a grey handle and he started walking towards his girlfriend’s sister, who then picked up a large knife with a black handle to defend herself. The girlfriend stepped in between the two and started tussling with Mr. Hall so that the sister could get out of the house.

 

            As the sister left the house, Mr. Hall locked the door behind her. He then slammed down the knife with the grey handle, breaking the tip, and picked up a large carving knife with a brown handle. Immediately after being locked out, the sister dropped the knife she was holding on the landing outside the door, and called 911 at 11:22 a.m. and stated that, “my sister is locked in the house. Her boyfriend is crazy. He got a knife. He turned on the gas and I’m locked out.” At the same time, a neighbor also called 911 and reported that, “he is beating her up!” The neighbor’s son went over to the house just as Mr. Hall’s girlfriend opened the door and dropped the knife with the grey handle onto the landing.

 

            The dispatcher sent the MPD officer and his partner back to the residence “Code 1” (lights and sirens) for the “man with a knife,” and they arrived less than five minutes later. Both officers had already activated their body-worn cameras while driving to the scene, and they kept them on throughout the duration of the incident. When the officers walked up the stairs, there were already two large knives on the landing – the one with the grey handle, once held by Mr. Hall, and the one with the black handle, once held by the girlfriend’s sister. The neighbor’s son, who was leaving the house, told the officer that Mr. Hall “got a knife on him.” The MPD officer looked through the door and saw Mr. Hall standing near his girlfriend, holding a large knife. The officer ordered Mr. Hall to “put the knife down, put the knife down, put the knife down!” as the girlfriend moved quickly towards the door saying, “he’s all right, he’s all right.” Mr. Hall then pushed his girlfriend out of the door and closed it. As the girlfriend sat down on the door stoop, a large cut was visible on her arm.

 

            The officers yelled for the girlfriend and the neighbor to get out, and get off the door stoop. As the girlfriend stood up with her back towards the door, the door suddenly opened and Mr. Hall stood in the threshold behind her with the large knife in his right hand. The officer immediately fired his weapon four times and Mr. Hall fell to the floor just inside the door. From the time that the MPD officer first started going up the stairs until the time that Mr. Hall fell to the floor after being shot, 35 seconds elapsed.

 

            Mr. Hall, 29, was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he was later pronounced dead. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia determined that Mr. Hall was shot four times, including twice in the chest.

 

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer used excessive force under the circumstances. To the contrary, there is sufficient evidence that the officer was acting in self-defense and defense of others at the time of the shooting.

 

Use-of-force investigations generally

 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office reviews all police-involved fatalities to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to conclude that any officers violated either federal criminal civil rights laws or District of Columbia law. To prove such violations, prosecutors must be able to prove that the involved officers willfully used more force than was reasonably necessary. Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden. Prosecutors must not only prove that the force used was excessive, but must also prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids. A conclusion that “there is insufficient evidence” is not meant to suggest anything further about what evidence, if any, exists.

 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office remains committed to investigating allegations of excessive force by law enforcement officers and will continue to devote the resources necessary to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are investigated fully and completely. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON – A former financial advisor, who provided services and investment advice to current and former professional athletes, was sentenced today to 33 months in prison for stealing more than $1 million from his clients, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

           Brian J. Ourand, 56, now of Chicago, admitted stealing from four athletes, including boxing champion Mike Tyson and former National Basketball Association All-Star Glen Rice. At the time of the offense, Ourand was an executive for a Washington, D.C.-based company.

 

            Ourand pled guilty in February 2017 to a charge of wire fraud in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan ordered Ourand to pay $1,002,390 in restitution and an identical amount as a forfeiture money judgment. Following his prison term, Ourand will be placed on three years of supervised release. During that time, the judge ordered, he must provide financial disclosure statements and perform 100 hours of community service.

 

            “Brian Ourand’s greed came at a cost to the people who trusted him with their money,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Instead of wisely managing his clients’ funds, as he had promised to do, he used the money for hotels, health care memberships, rental cars and other personal expenses. Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his larcenous acts.”

 

            “Brian Ourand concocted a series of lies with one goal in mind – to enrich himself and others by stealing approximately $1 million and deceiving those who put their trust in him,” said Assistant Director in Charge Vale. “Financial fraud is and continues to be, a high priority for the FBI and we will continue to work closely with our partners to bring these white-collar criminals to justice”

 

            In his plea, Ourand admitted that he embezzled the funds through various means, including numerous fraudulent checks that he made payable in his own name and to cash, which he later deposited into his personal accounts. Ourand also admitted to stealing his clients’ money for the benefit of others, including his girlfriend and another individual identified in court documents as “Person B.” In one such instance, Ourand obtained a cashier’s check using funds from the bank account of Mr. Rice in the amount of $10,000 in order to pay the registration fee of “Person B” to participate in the 2009 World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas. Ourand also used client funds to send numerous wire transfers to his girlfriend and “Person B” via Western Union, at least some of which money was used to pay off Ourand’s gambling debts.

 

            According to a statement of offense submitted as part of the plea, the criminal activities began as early as 2006 and continued through July 2011. Ourand’s employer, identified in court documents as “Company A,” terminated his employment in August of 2011, after the scheme was uncovered. The company reimbursed the athletes for their losses.

 

            In his work for the firm, Ourand and the company provided advisory and financial management services to high net-worth individuals, most of whom were current or former professional athletes. For example, Ourand and the company paid invoices and bills, coordinated tax preparation, and provided estate planning on behalf of clients. In that capacity, Ourand managed his clients’ personal and business bank accounts and credit cards, among other financial-related services.

 

            The criminal charges involved Ourand’s work for Mr. Tyson, Mr. Rice, and two other athletes, identified in court documents as “Athlete C” and “Athlete D.” As part of the plea agreement, Ourand agreed that he abused a position of trust in committing the offense.

 

            According to the statement of offense, Ourand deposited nearly 100 checks, drawn on the accounts of the four athletes, into a personal bank account, even though he was not authorized to do so. He also initiated numerous wire transfers, drawn on the bank accounts of Mr. Tyson, Mr. Rice and “Athlete C,” for which he had no authorization. As part of his scheme, Ourand also made numerous unauthorized ATM withdrawals and debit card transactions using funds belonging to Mr. Tyson, and obtained credit cards in his own name on the accounts of Mr. Rice and a foundation formed by “Athlete C,” which Ourand used to make unauthorized purchases.

 

            Ourand sought to conceal his activities by generating documentation falsely claiming the money was used for business-related or otherwise authorized expenses, such as “personal expenses” for the client. His actions caused $546,168 in losses for Mr. Rice; $265,124 for Mr. Tyson; $182,957 for “Athlete C,” and $8,141 for “Athlete D.”

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Ourand used the money for personal expenses, including to pay ordinary, everyday costs such as groceries and gas stations and to cover more expensive purchases, such as stays at high-end hotels, rental cars, health club membership fees, department store purchases, golf course fees, tanning salons, and fancy restaurants.

 

            The Securities and Exchange Commission previously announced charges against Ourand, who was later found to have misappropriated funds from client accounts in violation of securities laws. Ourand has been ordered to pay disgorgement of $671,367 plus prejudgment interest and a $300,000 penalty, and he was barred from the securities industry.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Vale commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who are working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vesna Harasic-Yaksic, also of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Tasha Harris; and former Paralegal Specialists Heather Sales and Angela Lawrence.

 

            Finally, they commended the work of Special Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Last and Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter C. Lallas, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Novo Nordisk Inc. will pay $58.65 million to resolve allegations that the company failed to comply with the FDA-mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for its Type II diabetes medication Victoza, the Justice Department announced today. The resolution includes disgorgement of $12.15 million for alleged violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) from 2010 to 2012 and a payment of $46.5 million for alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA) from 2010 to 2014. Novo Nordisk is a subsidiary of Novo Nordisk U.S. Holdings Inc., which is a subsidiary of Novo Nordisk A/S of Denmark. Novo Nordisk’s U.S. headquarters is in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

 

            “Today’s resolution demonstrates the Department of Justice’s continued commitment to ensuring that drug manufacturers comply with the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When a drug manufacturer fails to share accurate risk information with doctors and patients, it deprives physicians of information vital to medical decision-making.”

 

            “Novo Nordisk’s actions unnecessarily put vulnerable patients at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “We are committed to holding companies accountable for violating the integrity of the FDA’s efforts to ensure that doctors and patients have accurate information that allows them to make appropriate decisions about which drugs to use in their care. Working with the FDA and other law enforcement partners, we have sent a strong signal to the drug industry today.”

 

            In a civil complaint filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asserting claims under the FDCA, the government alleged that, at the time of Victoza’s approval in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required a REMS to mitigate the potential risk in humans of a rare form of cancer called Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC) associated with the drug. The REMS required Novo Nordisk to provide information regarding Victoza’s potential risk of MTC to physicians. A manufacturer that fails to comply with the requirements of the REMS, including requirements to communicate accurate risk information, renders the drug misbranded under the law.

 

            As alleged in the complaint, some Novo Nordisk sales representatives gave information to physicians that created the false or misleading impression that the Victoza REMS-required message was erroneous, irrelevant, or unimportant. The complaint further alleges that Novo Nordisk failed to comply with the REMS by creating the false or misleading impression about the Victoza REMS-required risk message that violated provisions of the FDCA and led some physicians to be unaware of the potential risks when prescribing Victoza.

 

            As alleged in the government’s complaint, after a survey in 2011 showed that half of primary care doctors polled were unaware of the potential risk of MTC associated with the drug, the FDA required a modification to the REMS to increase awareness of the potential risk. Rather than appropriately implementing the modification, the complaint alleges that Novo Nordisk instructed its sales force to provide statements to doctors that obscured the risk information and failed to comply with the REMS modification. Novo Nordisk has agreed to disgorge $12.15 million in profits derived from its unlawful conduct in violation of the FDCA.

 

            “Novo Nordisk Inc. sales representatives misled physicians by failing to accurately disclose a potential life threatening side effect of a prescription drug, and needlessly increased risks to patients being treated with this drug,” said Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI is committed to ensuring that the private industry provides honest and accurate risk information to the public and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate companies who do not comply with FDA-mandated policies.”

 

            “We need to trust that pharmaceutical companies truthfully represent their products’ potential risks,” said Special Agent in Charge Nick DiGiulio for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We will continue to work with our partners to ensure federal health care dollars are spent only on drugs that are marketed honestly.”

 

            Novo Nordisk will pay an additional $46.5 million to the federal government and the states to resolve claims under the FCA and state false claims acts. This portion of the settlement resolves allegations that Novo Nordisk caused the submission of false claims from 2010 to 2014 to federal health care programs for Victoza by arming its sales force with messages that could create a false or misleading impression with physicians that the Victoza REMS-required message about the potential risk of MTC associated with Victoza was erroneous, irrelevant, or unimportant and by encouraging the sale to and use of Victoza by adult patients who did not have Type II diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved Victoza as safe and effective for use by adult patients who do not have Type II diabetes.

 

            As a result of today’s FCA settlement, the federal government will receive $43,129,026 and state Medicaid programs will receive $3,320,963. The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments.

 

            The FCA settlement resolves seven lawsuits filed under the whistleblower provision of the federal FCA, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The civil lawsuits are captioned as follows: United States, et al. ex rel. Kennedy, v. Novo A/S, et al., No. 13-cv-01529 (D.D.C.), United States, et al. ex rel. Dastous, et al. v. Novo Nordisk, No. 11-cv-01662 (D.D.C), United States, et al., ex rel. Ferrara and Kelling v Novo Nordisk, Inc., et al., No. 1:11-cv-00074 (D.D.C.), United States, et al., ex rel. Myers v. Novo Nordisk, Inc., No. 11-cv-1596 (D.D.C.), United States, et al. ex rel Stepe v. Novo Nordisk, Inc., No. 13-cv-221 (D.D.C.), United States et al. ex rel Doe, et al. v. Novo Nordisk, Inc., et al., No. 1:17-00791 (D.D.C.), and United States ex rel. Smith, et al. v. Novo Nordisk, Inc., Civ. Action No. 16-1605 (D.D.C.). The amount to be recovered by the private parties has not been determined.

 

            The settlements were the result of a coordinated effort among the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Commercial Litigation Branch, with assistance from the FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel. The investigation was conducted by the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the FBI, HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Office of Personnel Management, Office of the Inspector General.

 

            For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at http://www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. For more information on the Commercial Litigation Branch’s Fraud Section, visit https://www.justice.gov/civil/fraud-section. For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc.

WASHINGTON – Keith D. Forney, 58, of Clinton, Md., was arraigned today on charges of engaging in corrupt election practices, second-degree fraud, perjury, making campaign contributions in excess of legal limits, and making campaign contributions through other persons, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Kimberly Lappin, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office.

 

            Forney pled not guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and remains free on personal recognizance. He also recently pled not guilty at his arraignments in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges in two indictments returned against him there. In the federal cases, Forney is accused of participating in a contract fraud scheme against the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts and filing fraudulent federal tax returns.

 

            In the Superior Court case, Forney was indicted on Aug. 16, 2017, on two counts of engaging in corrupt election practices; three counts of second-degree fraud; two counts of perjury, three counts of exceeding campaign contribution limitations, and eight counts of making campaign contributions through other persons.

 

            According to the Superior Court indictment, Forney claimed for years that a rental property he owned in the District of Columbia was his sole primary residence, when he actually was residing in Clinton, Md. Forney also filed federal and District of Columbia tax returns using the D.C. address. Additionally, he obtained a District of Columbia driver’s license and registered as a D.C. voter while having a license and being registered to vote in Maryland. By documenting that he resided in the District of Columbia, Forney’s construction business, Forney Enterprises, Inc., (FEI) could qualify as a resident owned business in the District of Columbia and receive preferences in bidding on District of Columbia government contracts. The company got those designations in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.

 

            Additionally, under District of Columbia law, individuals may not contribute more than $1,000 in support of a candidate for an at-Large seat on the Council of the District of Columbia and may not contribute more than $500 for a candidate seeking a ward seat. Individuals also may not make or cause contributions to made in the name of others. According to the indictment, Forney violated those laws with contributions to three candidates in the 2012 election.

 

            Both of the federal indictments were returned on Aug. 10, 2017.

 

            In one federal case, Forney and a co-defendant, Riad M. Sleit, were indicted on two counts of fraud stemming from an alleged scheme involving Forney’s company, FEI, and payments it received as a minority business enterprise. Forney was also charged with two counts of money laundering.

 

            The scheme allegedly involved a series of contracts awarded by the Maryland Administrative Office of the Courts to Sharp Business Systems (SBS) for work on copiers throughout the state’s court system. Under contracts issued in 2009, 2010, and 2011, SBS was to meet a requirement that 20 percent of its sub-contracting work be performed by a minority business enterprise, which, in this case, was to be FEI. Sleit was the president of the metropolitan Washington, D.C. branch of SBS and was involved in the contract, the indictment alleges.

 

            However, according to the indictment, FEI never performed any work or provided any services. Forney, Sleit, and an SBS consultant, John N. Vassos, caused SBS to pay $689,800 to FEI from 2009 to 2013 for its purported work. Forney then turned over the money that FEI received from SBS to Vassos.

 

            In addition to his work at FEI, Forney and a business partner owned Stadium Club, an establishment in Southeast Washington. In May 2010, according to the indictment, Vassos provided approximately $2 million to Forney and his partner to finance the purchase of the property where Stadium Club was located. Additionally, from 2011 until 2014, Vassos loaned hundreds of thousands of dollars to Forney and his partner.

 

            Sleit, 60, of Sarasota, Fla., has entered a not guilty plea. Vassos, 55, of Bethesda, Md., pled guilty in June 2017 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of tax fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He is awaiting sentencing.

 

            In the other federal case, Forney was indicted on two counts of tax fraud for allegedly under-reporting his income on federal income tax returns for the 2009 and 2010 calendar years.

 

            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.

 

            The FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office are investigating the cases. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Saler and Michael Marando. Assistance has been provided by Paralegal Specialists C. Rosalind Pressley, Toni Anne Donato, Aisha Keys, and Jessica Mundi; Financial Analyst Bryan J. Snitselaar; Litigation Technology Specialist Kimberly Smith; and former Criminal Investigators Juan Juarez and Stephen Cohen, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

WASHINGTON – A fishing vessel company that operated in and around American Samoa was convicted and sentenced today for maintaining false and incomplete records relating to the discharge of oil and garbage, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey H. Wood of the Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips. The company, Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., owned the Fishing Vessel (“F/V”) Yuh Fa No. 201, the vessel that was responsible for the pollution.

 

            Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., admitted that its engineers failed to document the illegal dumping of oily bilge water into the waters of the South Pacific Ocean without the use of required pollution prevention equipment. The Chief Engineer onboard the F/V Yuh Fa No. 201 acknowledged that there had been discharge of oil to the sea that caused a visible sheen upon the water and that he did not log this discharge in the vessel’s Oil Record Book, as required by law. The company also admitted that its engineers made several modifications using flexible hoses to the vessel’s piping system, which allowed oily bilge water and oil sludge to be discharged directly overboard.

 

            The company further admitted that between June 2013 and June 2016, senior engineers regularly failed to accurately record the transfer and disposal of oil waste in the vessel’s Oil Record Book. The vessel’s captains also failed to properly maintain a Garbage Record Book, and Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., was unable to accurately account for the storing, sorting, and disposal of garbage during the vessel’s extended fishing trips. The Coast Guard relies on such records to determine whether vessels are illegally dumping oil and garbage at sea. As a result, tons of oil sludge, waste oil, oily bilge water, and garbage produced by the vessel remain unaccounted for.

 

            The company pleaded guilty to two felony violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, 33 U.S.C. § 1908(a), for failing to accurately maintain an Oil Record Book and a Garbage Record Book. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the company will pay a total fine of $2.5 million, which includes a community service payment of $625,000 for use in the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., will also serve a five-year period of probation.

 

            The case against Yuh Fa Fishery (Vanuatu) Co. Ltd., was investigated by U.S. Coast Guard personnel in American Samoa and Honolulu, Hawaii. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Stephen Da Ponte of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederick W. Yette of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON - Tracy Medina-Winfield, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 28 ½-year prison term for his role in an armed home invasion that took place last year in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Medina-Winfield was found guilty by a jury in June 2017 of first-degree burglary while armed, armed kidnapping, armed robbery, and other offenses. A co-defendant, Jamal Hill, 25, of Laurel, Md., was found guilty of fleeing a law enforcement officer and destruction of property for his role as the getaway driver in the crime. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson sentenced Medina-Winfield today. Following his prison term, Medina-Winfield will be placed on a period of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 3, 2016, at approximately 3:30 p.m., Medina-Winfield, while armed with a handgun and wearing a mask, entered a private home in the 4200 block of Hildreth Street SE while a man and woman were inside. Medina-Winfield pointed the gun in their faces and said, “You know what time it is.” He then asked for the keys to the Audi that was parked outside. While doing this, an unknown suspect entered the home and began looking around for items. Medina-Winfield and his accomplice then asked for the keys to the car that was parked outside, but the victims responded that the car did not belong to them.

 

            At this point, Medina-Winfield escorted the victims to the upstairs bathroom and made them kneel in the bathtub. One victim told the jury that he believed he was going to die in that moment. They were subsequently asked for the location of their phones. The unknown suspect then found the phones, yelled “got them” to Medina-Winfield, and they left. The male victim followed them outside. According to the government’s evidence, Jamal Hill was in the drivers’ seat of a waiting car. Medina-Winfield, who was seated in the passenger seat, saw the victim, pointed his gun at him and ordered him to get back inside. He and the others then drove off.

 

            Hill, who had been free on personal recognizance, did not return to court midway through the trial and a bench warrant has been issued for his arrest.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Daphne Nelson and Antoinette Sakamsa; Litigation Technology Specialists William Henderson, Paul Howell, and Anisha Bhatia, and Summer Law Clerk William Omorogieva. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anwar Graves and Rizwan Qureshi, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Timothy Dugger, 30, of Landover, Md., was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for repeatedly shooting a man in a mid-day attack nearly two years ago in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

 

            Dugger was found guilty by a jury in June 2017 of a total of 14 charges, including assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, fleeing law enforcement, reckless driving, and various firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Following his prison term, Dugger will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, in the early afternoon of Sept. 11, 2015, Dugger picked up the victim and his family and drove them to the 2900 block of Southern Avenue SE. The victim left his family there and made his way back to Dugger’s car, where Dugger was in the driver’s seat. As the victim approached the car, Dugger fired multiple shots at him, striking him in the back, chest, and arm. Dugger then made a U-turn on Southern Avenue, fired more shots, and drove off. He led the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on a chase before crashing the vehicle into a retaining wall the 2300 block of R Street SE. While fleeing, Dugger had tossed the gun from the car, and it was recovered and found to have his fingerprints on it.

 

            According to medical testimony, the victim, then 30, could have died if the bullets entered his body at different trajectories. Dugger and the victim had been friends since childhood. Dugger has been in custody since his arrest.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah C. Santiago and Kathleen “Katie” Kern, who both assisted in investigating and indicting the case; Paralegal Specialist Tamaya Reid; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling and William Henderson. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen D’Angelo and Maryam Adeyola, who investigated the case and prosecuted it at trial.

WASHINGTON – Clifton Johnson, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 21 years in prison on charges stemming from the slaying of a man in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Johnson was found guilty by a jury in May 2017 of second-degree murder while armed and a related weapons offense. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Following his prison term, Johnson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Nov. 23, 2015, the victim, Dewayne Grandson, and his girlfriend stopped at a Chinese restaurant in the 2500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE, where Mr. Grandson ran into the defendant by happenstance. After a brief exchange, Johnson motioned for Mr. Grandson to come outside. Once outside, Johnson shot Mr. Grandson multiple times. Mr. Grandson, who was also armed, was able to fire one shot and hit Johnson in the torso. Mr. Grandson, 24, died from his injuries.

 

            Following the shooting, Johnson fled the scene. An off-duty officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stopped him shortly thereafter. The murder weapon was found in the defendant’s flight path.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Liaison and Operations Manager Linda McDonald; Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Anisha Bhatia, and Joshua Ellen; former Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators M. Laverne Perry and Katina Adams-Washington, and Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan.

 

            Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nebiyu Feleke and Richard Barker, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Saul Castillo, 20, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to kidnapping and sexually abusing an intoxicated stranger in the stairwell of his apartment building in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

 

            Castillo pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of kidnapping and second-degree sexual abuse. After completing any term of incarceration imposed by the court, Castillo will be subject to deportation proceedings, lifetime registration as a sex offender, and a period of supervised release. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff ordered that Castillo be detained pending sentencing on Nov. 3, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Castillo found the victim in the early morning hours of May 7, 2017 on a sidewalk near Lafayette Square in downtown Washington. She was extremely intoxicated, unable to walk, and told Castillo that she wanted to go to her home. Castillo hailed a passing taxi and brought her back to his apartment building in the 1700 block of Seventh Street NW.

 

            Once inside, the victim refused to enter Castillo’s fourth-floor apartment and repeated that she wanted to go home. On multiple occasions, she fell and laid down on the hallway floor due to her intoxication. She tried to push Castillo away and return to the elevator to leave the building, but Castillo blocked her and pulled her back toward his apartment. Because of the commotion this was causing in the hallway, Castillo lifted her and carried her to the fourth- floor staircase, where Castillo sexually assaulted her. His conduct inside the building was captured on building surveillance cameras, and Castillo was arrested on May 12, 2017.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris and Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa West and J. Matt Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – The United States filed two complaints today seeking imposition of a civil money laundering penalty and to civilly forfeit more than $11 million from companies that allegedly acted as financial facilitators for North Korea, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Michael DeLeon, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, and Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.

 

            The actions, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, represent two of the largest seizures of North Korean funds by the Department of Justice. One complaint seeks $6,999,925 associated with Velmur Management Pte Ltd., a Singapore-based company. The other seeks $4,083,935 from Dandong Chengtai Trading Co. Ltd., also known as Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co., Ltd., a company in Dandong, China.

 

            The lawsuits follow a similar complaint, filed in June 2017, seeking more than $1.9 million from Mingzheng International Trading Limited, a company based in Shenyang, China.

 

            The complaints allege that the companies have participated in schemes to launder U.S. dollars on behalf of sanctioned North Korean entities. According to the complaints, the companies participated in financial transactions in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the North Korean Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, and federal conspiracy and money laundering statutes. Today’s complaints are the first filed actions based on the 2016 North Korean Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act.

 

            “These complaints show our determination to stop North Korean sanctioned banks and their foreign financial facilitators from aiding North Korea in illegally accessing the United States financial system to obtain goods and services in the global market place,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “According to the complaints, these front companies are supporting sanctioned North Korean entities, including North Korean military and North Korean weapons programs. Working with our law enforcement partners, we will vigorously enforce vital sanctions laws.”

 

            “The complaints allege that these companies are assisting North Korea in evading sanctions, which is in direct conflict with our national security interests,” said Special Agent in Charge DeLeon, of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Division. “We will continue to use the necessary resources to expose these types of actions and investigate those who utilize the U.S. banking systems for illegal activities.”

 

**

 

U.S. v. Velmur Management Pte., Ltd. (Velmur) and Transatlantic Partners Pte. Ltd. (Transatlantic)

 

            This complaint alleges that Velmur and Transatlantic Partners Pte. Ltd. (Transatlantic) laundered United States dollars on behalf of sanctioned North Korean banks that were seeking to procure petroleum products from JSC Independent Petroleum Company (IPC), a designated entity. The complaint also seeks a civil monetary penalty against Velmur and Transatlantic for prior sanctions and money laundering violations related to this scheme.

 

            According to the complaint, designated North Korean banks use front companies, including Transatlantic, to make U.S. dollar payments to Velmur. The complaint relates to funds that were transferred through four different companies and remitted to Velmur to wire funds to JSC Independent Petroleum Company (IPC), a Russian petroleum products supplier. On June 1, 2017, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) designated IPC. The designation noted that IPC had a contract to provide oil to North Korea and reportedly shipped over $1 million worth of petroleum products to North Korea.

 

            The United Nations Panel of Experts reported in 2017 on the methods used by North Korean banks to evade sanctions and continue to access the international banking system. Specifically, despite strengthened financial sanctions, North Korean networks are adapting by using greater ingenuity in accessing formal banking channels. This includes maintaining correspondent bank accounts and representative offices abroad which are staffed by foreign nationals making use of front companies. These broad interwoven networks allow the North Korean banks to conduct illicit procurement and banking activity.

 

            An FBI investigation revealed that Velmur’s and Transatlantic’s activities mirror this money laundering paradigm. Specifically, companies identified in the complaint and Transatlantic act as front companies for designated North Korean banks.

 

            The government is seeking to forfeit $6,999,925 that was wired to Velmur in May 2017. The U.S. dollar payments, which cleared through the U.S., are alleged to violate U.S. law, because the entities were surreptitiously making them on behalf of the designated North Korean Banks, whose designation precluded such U.S. dollar transactions. The government also is seeking imposition of a monetary penalty commensurate with the millions of dollars allegedly laundered by Velmur and Transatlantic.

 

**

 

U.S. v. Dandong Chengtai Trading Co., Ltd. (Dandong Chengtai), also known as Dandong Zhicheng Metallic Material Co., Ltd.

 

            This complaint alleges that Dandong Chengtai and associated front companies controlled by Chi Yupeng, a Chinese national, comprise one of the largest financial facilitators for North Korea. According to the complaint, Dandong Chengtai conspired to evade U.S. economic sanctions by facilitating prohibited U.S. dollar transactions through the United States on behalf of the North Korean Workers’ Party, a sanctioned entity.

 

            The complaint further alleges that the North Korean government relies on exports of coal as its primary means of obtaining access to foreign currency, and that the North Korean military controls the amount of coal produced and its subsequent export. The North Korean government uses proceeds of coal sales to fund its weapons of mass destruction program and missile programs. Coal generates more than $1 billion in revenue per year for North Korea. The investigation revealed that Dandong Chengtai is one of the largest importers of North Korean coal in China, and has continued to engage in illicit U.S. dollar transactions related to its coal sales to benefit North Korea.

 

            The complaint alleges that Dandong Chengtai facilitated wire transfers denominated in U.S. dollars for purchases of goods that are well outside the scope of a mineral trading company. Financial records reveal that purchases of bulk commodities such as sugar, rubber, petroleum products, and soybean oil, among others, were in fact destined for North Korea.

 

            As reported in findings by the Treasury Department and the United Nations Panel of Experts, North Korean financial facilitators frequently establish and maintain offshore U.S. dollar accounts for the purposes of remitting wire transfers denominated in U.S. dollars on behalf of sanctioned North Korean entities. These broad interwoven networks allow sanctioned North Korean entities to conduct illicit procurement and banking activity.

 

            The government is seeking to forfeit $4,083,935 that Dandong Chengtai wired on June 21, 2017 to Maison Trading, using their Chinese bank accounts. The investigation revealed that Maison Trading is a front company operated by a Dandong Chengtai employee. These U.S. dollar payments, which cleared through the United States, are alleged to violate U.S. law, because the recent North Korean sanctions law specifically barred U.S. dollar transactions involving North Korean coal and the proceeds of these transactions were for the benefit of the North Korea Worker’s Party, whose designation precluded such U.S. dollar transactions.

 

            This case relates to a previously unsealed opinion from Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which found that probable cause existed to seize funds belonging to Dandong Chengtai.

 

**

 

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

 

            The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office is investigating the case involving Velmur Management Pte Ltd. and Transatlantic Partners Pte., Ltd. The FBI’s Chicago Field Office is investigating the case involving Dandong Chengtai Trading Co. Ltd. Both investigations are being supported by the FBI Counterproliferation Center.

 

            Assistant U.S Attorneys Arvind K. Lal, Zia M. Faruqui, Christopher B. Brown, Deborah Curtis, Ari Redbord, and Brian P. Hudak, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, are prosecuting both cases. Paralegal Specialist Toni Anne Donato and Legal Assistant Jessica McCormick are providing assistance.

dandong_chengtai_trading_-_complaint_-_august_2017.pdf

velmur_management_-_complaint_-_august_2017_4.pdf

WASHINGTON – Hector Martinez, a former compliance officer with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), pled guilty today to federal charges stemming from a scheme in which he stole more than $400,000 from the agency.

 

            The guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and David P. Berry, Inspector General for the National Labor Relations Board.

 

            Martinez, 53, of Pico Rivera, Calif., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 33 to 41 months in prison for wire fraud and an additional mandatory two-year prison term for aggravated identity theft. He also has agreed to pay $434,823 in restitution to the NLRB and is subject to a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Randolph D. Moss scheduled sentencing for Nov. 6, 2017.

 

            The NLRB is an independent federal agency. Among its responsibilities, the NLRB acts to prevent and remedy unfair labor practices committed by private sector employers and unions. Employees, union representatives, and employers who believe that their rights under the National Labor Relations Act have been violated may file charges alleging unfair labor practices at their nearest NLRB regional office. When the NLRB successfully litigates or settles a case on behalf of aggrieved workers (litigants known as “discriminatees”), monetary damages are paid by the employer or union, or through the NLRB. The NLRB refers to such payments as “back pay.”

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Martinez carried out his scheme from December 2010 and continued it through October 2015, when he was placed on administrative leave by the agency and ultimately discharged. During that time, he was a compliance officer at the NLRB’s Region 21 office in downtown Los Angeles. In that role, his responsibilities included disbursing back pay to discriminatees in the Los Angeles area.

 

            As part of the scheme, Martinez created fictitious discriminatees in real cases in which back pay was owed. He invented names for the discriminatees and paired the fabricated names with real Social Security numbers for other people. Then he created fictitious amounts of back pay and diverted this money to his own personal bank accounts. In order to generate the money, Martinez diverted the full amount of money due to legitimate discriminatees, who received nothing, or skimmed money from legitimate discriminatees, reducing the amount paid to them.

 

            All told, in his guilty plea, Martinez admitted that he diverted back pay funds that nine employers paid to the NLRB and that he should have paid to victims. The NLRB has since engaged in remedial efforts.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Inspector General Berry commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the NLRB’s Office of the Inspector General. 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 Diane Lucas, who handled forfeiture issues, and Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi and Christopher Toms. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise A. Simmonds, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Darnell Franklin, 27, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of third-degree sexual abuse for groping a stranger after pushing her into the back seat of a car, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

 

            Franklin pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia under what is known as the Alford doctrine. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo scheduled sentencing for Oct. 27, 2017. Once released from prison, Franklin will be required to register as a sex offender for a 10-year period and will be on supervised release for three years.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on April 22, 2017, at about 7 p.m., Franklin approached the victim – a total stranger – inside a store at 35th and Clay Streets NE, where he tried to engage her in small talk and told her that she was pretty. The victim told Franklin that she had a boyfriend, concluded her business in the store, and left.

 

            Franklin then followed the victim outside, to a car-for-hire that was waiting to drive her home. As the victim was getting into the back seat of that car, Franklin pushed her in, got in beside her and began fondling her as she tried to fight him off. The driver saw what was going on and got out of the car to come to the victim’s aid. As the driver neared the back door of his car, Franklin fled down the street. The driver and the victim saw some nearby officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and told them what had happened.

 

            The MPD officers spotted Franklin, and with other officers, chased and caught him.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of officers from MPD’s Sixth District and from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. He 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 Veronica Vaughan. Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

WASHINGTON – Donnie Bean, 49, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison on charges stemming from incidents over a 90-minute period in which she struck numerous cars and pedestrians, including a police vehicle, while driving under the influence of alcohol and cannabinoids in downtown Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Under what is known as the Alford doctrine, Bean pled guilty in May 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of felony assault on a police officer. Under an Alford plea, the defendant does not admit the allegations but agrees that the government has enough evidence to secure a conviction.

 

            The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of five to seven years in prison. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea today and sentenced Bean accordingly. Following her prison term, Bean will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            The plea involved a series of incidents that took place on Saturday, May 7, 2016, from approximately 5:45 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. According to the government’s evidence, Bean was under the influence of alcohol and cannabinoids, as well as suffering from unmedicated mental health conditions, that day when she drove a black Honda Civic in downtown Washington.

 

            At approximately 6 p.m., according to the government’s evidence, she ran a red light at the intersection of Seventh Street and Florida Avenue NW. She struck a bicyclist and continued through the intersection, then striking and knocking to the ground a 9-year-old girl who was crossing the street with her family. The child was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

 

            At about 6:10 p.m., Bean nearly hit two other people who were in a crosswalk at Fifth and H Streets NW. After one of the pedestrians yelled at her, Bean replied with words to the effect of “You wanna make it real?” and made a U-turn and then drove back at them. They escaped harm by dodging behind a traffic signal pole.

 

            Shortly thereafter, according to the government’s evidence, Bean rear-ended a car at Fifth Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW. The driver of that car got out of his vehicle, tapped on Bean’s window, and told her not to leave. Bean backed up and accelerated toward him, hitting him and flipping him over her car into the middle of Massachusetts Avenue NW. The man was treated on the scene by paramedics and later went to the hospital with minor injuries.

 

            Bean continued to flee. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) saw Bean driving erratically and attempted to stop her. An officer, who was in full uniform and driving a marked police car, saw her in the 1200 block of V Street NW and attempted to stop her. She tried to leave the scene, rammed her vehicle into the police car, and fled westbound into the 1300 block of V Street NW. The officer pulled alongside Bean’s car, trying to stop her, and she rammed her car into the side of his police vehicle several times. He eventually was able to stop Bean. Several officers removed her from the vehicle and placed her in handcuffs.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Diana Lim, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Smalky, C.B. Buente, and Vanessa Goodwin, who investigated and prosecuted the case.