District of Columbia
Press releases recorded for this federal judicial district.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Three Armed Robberies of Commercial Establishments in Washington, D.C.Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Anthony Burns, 23, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to federal conspiracy, robbery, and weapons offenses for a series of armed robberies in late 2015 that targeted commercial businesses, 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).
Burns pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery, three counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery, and one count of using, carrying, brandishing and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence. He is to be sentenced on July 25, 2017, by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and robbery charges, and a possible life prison term for the weapons offense. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 130 to 141 months in prison and a potential fine of $15,000 to $150,000. He also is subject to orders of restitution and forfeiture.
Burns remains held without bond pending sentencing. Three other defendants have pled guilty to federal charges related to their roles in the armed robberies, which targeted stores in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. They include Gregory Hull, 23, of Suitland, Md; Breyon Lee, 23, and Lee’s brother, Bradley Lee, 21, both of Washington, D.C. All are awaiting sentencing.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 27, 2015, at approximately 2 p.m., store surveillance video captured Burns, Hull, and an unidentified co-conspirator, who were masked and armed with handguns, as they robbed the City Beats shoe store, in the 3000 block of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE. The men ordered everyone in the store to get on the floor. Burns approached a store employee with his gun drawn and demanded that the employee open the cash register. Burns, Hull, and their accomplice fled with approximately $1,594 in stolen cash and several pairs of stolen shoes.
According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 13, 2015, at approximately 4:40 a.m., Burns and an unidentified co-conspirator entered the 7-Eleven convenience store in the 4600 block of South Capitol Street SW. Surveillance video showed that both men tried to conceal their identities using masks and hooded garments, and Burns was armed with a handgun. Burns pointed a gun at a store employee’s head, grabbed him behind the collar, and forced him behind the store counter. Burns demanded money from the cash register and a safe underneath the counter. When the employee was unable to open the register and safe, Burns struck him on the back of his head with the gun, causing a laceration. A second employee came out of the bathroom, and Burns’s accomplice forced the employee to open the cash registers. Burns and his accomplice grabbed an undetermined amount of cash from the registers and several packs of cigarettes and cigars.
About 40 minutes after the 7-Eleven robbery, government evidence shows, Burns and the accomplice entered another 7-Eleven store in the 900 block of Eastern Avenue NE, again wearing masks and hooded garments. Burns jumped over the counter and pointed the gun at the cashier, demanding money from the cash register. The employee opened both registers. Burns and his accomplice grabbed an undetermined amount of cash and fled.
Burns was arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant on December 29, 2015.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Acting Chief Newsham commended the actions of those who worked on the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Barr, Paralegal Specialist Catherine O’Neal, and Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamila Hodge, who is prosecuting the case.
District Man Sentenced to 47 Months in Prison for Federal Gun ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Antoine Miller, 35, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 47 months in prison for a federal weapons offense following his arrest last year by a gun recovery team from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Miller was found guilty on February 2, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. The verdict followed a bench trial before the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. In an earlier case, Miller was sentenced in 2004 to a prison term of 11 years and eight months, to be followed by three years of supervised release, following his conviction of drug and weapons offenses.
Following his prison term in the current case, Miller will be placed on two years of supervised release. In a separate proceeding, he also faces revocation of his probation in the earlier case.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 31, 2016, at approximately 9:50 pm, members of the MPD Narcotics and Special Investigation Division – Gun Recovery Unit were driving and operating a gray Ford Explorer. While the officers traveled northbound in the 4600 block of Livingston Road SE, they observed Miller walking with another person southbound on the sidewalk. The officers slowed the vehicle, greeted the two males, identified themselves as police, and asked if they had any guns on them. Miller immediately stated “no,” and turned around so that his back was facing the officers. He then lifted the back of his puffy vest jacket, deliberately not showing the officers the front of his waistband.
As Miller did this, the other male continued to walk, keeping his head down, and at this time walking faster and ahead of the defendant. Seeing these actions from both individuals, the officers exited their vehicle to talk to the two men. One officer approached Miller and again calmly asked the defendant, “Hey, man can I talk to you?”, whereupon Miller stopped walking and turned and faced the officer. Subsequently, he turned and faced the officer and stated, “I told you I have! I been telling you I have one! You can have it! Just take it! Just take it! You can have it!” Moreover, a passing pedestrian called out, “You good slim?,” at which time the defendant replied, “They got me with a gun and all that.” The firearm was identified as a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the actions of those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Teesha Tobias. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Veronica Jennings and Emory V. Cole, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Deputy Executive Director of USAID Contractor Pleads Guilty to Theft of More Than $200,000 in Grant FundsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eugene Sickle, the former deputy executive director of a South African research institute, pled guilty today to a scheme in which he stole more than $200,000 in grant funds originating with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The guilty plea was announced by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Jonathan Schofield, Special Agent in Charge for the USAID Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations.
Sickle, 47, a chemist and a citizen of South Africa, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of six months to 12 months and a day of incarceration. The plea agreement requires Sickle to pay $206,250 in restitution. He is to be deported upon completion of his sentence. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled a sentencing hearing for August 1, 2017.
“Eugene Sickle abused his position to steal more than $200,000 meant to promote safer childbirth practices in South Africa,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “His actions undercut efforts by the U.S. Agency for International Development to help those in need. His arrest and prosecution demonstrate our commitment to ensuring U.S. dollars are spent properly.”
“When individuals are entrusted by the United States to help implement its overseas development programs, nothing but the highest ethical and legal standards are demanded,” said Special Agent in Charge Schofield. “Theft from those who have nothing - from a program dedicated to safer childbirth no less - not only violates the law but is an affront to the very dignity of America's ideals and largess. Whether such egregious behavior transpires domestically or overseas, the OIG stands ready to ensure perpetrators are held to account.”
Based in Washington, D.C., USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies. It has regional offices in foreign countries to implement and administer USAID programs and funds. USAID South Africa is one such regional office that works with local organizations in that country.
According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Sickle was deputy executive director of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, a South African research institute focusing on sexual and reproductive health as well as vaccine-preventable diseases. Its primary source of funding is USAID, and Sickle administered grant funds for projects. One such project involved a mobile electronic device software application, in connection with the South African National Department of Health, which would help facilitate safer childbirth deliveries in South Africa.
On October 2, 2015, according to the statement of offense, Sickle and the institute’s chief executive officer signed a contract with a company called Alzar Consulting Services Ltd. to develop the childbirth app. Likewise, an individual named “Dr. Carla Das Neves” Alzar’s purported director, signed the contract. Pursuant to this contract, the institute made two payments to Alzar totaling $206,250. However, the childbirth app has never been developed.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Sickle created Alzar in the British Virgin Islands. Unbeknownst to anyone at the research institute, he was the sole owner of the company. Sickle also created e-mail accounts for Alzar and fake Alzar employees, including “Carla Das Neves.” He created a fake LinkedIn page for “Carla Das Neves,” which had a beach scene for a picture, and falsely claimed that “Carla Das Neves” was a trained expert in aid/relief work.
Sickle shepherded the research institute’s contract with Alzar through the approval and compliance process. He signed the contract both as himself and also as “Carla Das Neves.”
According to the statement of offense, Sickle did not perform any of the work required under the contract, nor did anyone else. None of the USAID money was used for its intended purpose to facilitate safer childbirth in South Africa. Instead, Sickle diverted the money to himself personally, and an associate.
Sickle resigned from his position last year. Agents with the USAID Inspector General’s Office arrested him in Washington, D.C., in February 2017. He has been in custody ever since.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Marston and Denise Simmonds and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vesna Harasic-Yaksic of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
District Man Sentenced for Trafficking in Counterfeit GoodsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Arthur Chan, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine months of home confinement and ordered to perform 180 hours of community service on a federal charge involving the sale of counterfeit designer apparel and accessories, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C., and Michael W. Sonntag, Special Agent in Charge, Eastern Field Office, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Inspector General.
Chan pled guilty in January 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to trafficking in counterfeit goods. The Honorable Rosemary M. Collyer also ordered him today to serve one day in jail, complete 18 months of supervised release, and pay a forfeiture money judgment of $37,246, which represents the amount of proceeds he generated through the crimes.
According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Chan is a resources analyst at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. Between November 2013 and March 2016, according to the statement of offense, he used two personal eBay accounts to complete approximately 610 sales of apparel and accessories bearing marks identical with, or substantially indistinguishable from, those registered to Hugo Boss. Among other things, Chan used his work computer at NASA to facilitate the counterfeit apparel sales scheme.
Chan imported all of these items from India to a mailbox he maintained at a UPS store in Lanham or his residence in Washington, D.C. According to the statement of offense, he netted a total of $37,246 from the sale of these items. During the investigation, law enforcement seized a variety of counterfeit items, including 113 counterfeit Hugo Boss wallets; 18 counterfeit Ralph Lauren Polo wallets; three counterfeit Fred Perry wallets; 23 counterfeit Hugo Boss Polo shirts; two counterfeit Fred Perry Polo shirts, and counterfeit Hugo Boss and Ralph Lauren packaging.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Washington, D.C., and the NASA Office of Inspector General. Hugo Boss AG, based in Metzingen, Germany, provided assistance to the investigative team. The matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Marando, with assistance on asset forfeiture issues from Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Duvall.
District Man Indicted on Federal Charges for Armed Robbery and Assault of Letter CarrierRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jerome A. Proctor, Jr., 23, of Washington, D.C., was indicted today on federal charges alleging that he robbed and assaulted a United States Postal Service letter carrier in Northeast Washington last fall.
The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Inspector in Charge Robert B. Wemyss of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The indictment charges Proctor with one count of robbery of United States mail, one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees, and two firearms offenses. Proctor, who is in custody in Maryland for an unrelated matter, will be arraigned at a date to be scheduled by the Court.
The indictment charges Proctor with taking part in an attack at about 6 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2016, in the 2300 block of Second Street NE. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement learned that a letter carrier was completing his route when he was approached by an individual later identified as Proctor and an accomplice. Proctor allegedly pistol-whipped the letter carrier and ordered his accomplice to rummage through the letter carrier’s pockets.
According to the government’s evidence, Proctor and his accomplice took the letter carrier’s mail satchel and personal property, as well as his pants and sneaker, before the letter carrier was able to get up off the ground to try to flag down a car for assistance. As the letter carrier approached the car for help, he saw a shot fired in the air to scare away the car. The driver, frightened by the gunshot, sped off, but the letter carrier was able to run after the car and ultimately flagged down officers of the Metropolitan Police Department just blocks away.
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 U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the case. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Crane.
District Woman Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges for Injuring Pedestrians and Ramming into CarsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donnie Bean, 48, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to 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 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 is subject to the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of five to seven years in prison. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson scheduled sentencing for July 28, 2017.
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 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 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.
District Man Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses Involving Illegal Purchase of Fully Automatic Assault RifleRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Clark Calloway, 38, of Washington, D.C., has been arrested and charged with two federal firearms offenses after allegedly seeking and illegally purchasing a fully automatic AK-rifle 47 and ammunition, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Calloway, who was arrested on May 4, 2017, in Washington, D.C., made his first appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He is charged in a criminal complaint with possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon and transportation of a firearm with the intent to commit a felony, assault with a deadly weapon. The Honorable Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey ordered Calloway held pending a hearing set for May 10, 2017.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Calloway previously served in the United States Marine Corps, where he received infantry and explosives training. As described in the affidavit, Calloway agreed on April 1, 2017, to pay $250 for a fully-automatic AK-47 weapon; at the time, he was the subject of an undercover FBI investigation.
According to the affidavit, Calloway made statements to the purported weapons provider about carrying out violence against law enforcement officers and others in places including a police station in Washington, D.C. The affidavit states that Calloway paid a first installment of $60 for the weapon and ammunition on April 7, 2017 and the remaining $190 on April 28, 2017. Calloway was arrested by the FBI when he took delivery of the AK-47. Law enforcement had disabled the AK-47 prior to its delivery.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for possession of a firearm or ammunition by a felon is 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty for transportation of a firearm with the intent to commit a felony is 10 years in prison.
The investigation into this matter is being conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal S. Chawla and Jeffrey Pearlman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Former Business Executive Indicted on Federal Charges, Accused of Engaging in Contract Kickbacks and Phony Billing SchemesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – John T. Fitzgerald, a former vice president of the Washington, D.C. office of an investment banking firm, was indicted today on federal charges stemming from a scheme in which he allegedly accepted kickbacks for construction management contracts he steered to another firm, as well as other allegedly fraudulent activities.
The indictment was announced by 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’s (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C. Field Office.
Fitzgerald, 48, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on 13 felony charges. They include three counts of wire fraud; one count of aggravated identity theft; two counts of tax evasion, and seven counts of money laundering. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking more than $700,000 in proceeds that can be traced to the alleged schemes.
A co-defendant, Bryan D. Wright, 54, of Laytonsville, Md., pled guilty in February 2016 to one count of conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to engage in money laundering. He is awaiting sentencing.
According to the indictment, Fitzgerald began work at the investment banking firm in 2008 and oversaw its real estate development activities and investments. His responsibilities included oversight of a commercial development project in Hanover, Md., known as the Station Ridge development project. The investment banking firm was the managing investor-owner of the project, which ultimately included three buildings for use as offices by various tenants.
In or around mid-2011, according to the indictment, Fitzgerald began to invoice the general contractor on Station Ridge through a company Fitzgerald owned, and thereby obtained roughly $41,000 for himself on the project.
Later in 2011, according to the indictment, Fitzgerald installed Wright as construction manager on Station Ridge, and the two agreed to an invoicing and kickback scheme that lasted into 2013. Wright was president of P&E Services, LLC. Between 2011 and 2013, through their scheme, Wright and Fitzgerald allegedly took $769,000 from the investment banking firm employing Fitzgerald, and another $417,000 from the general contracting company (which was reimbursed by the investment banking firm), for a total of nearly $1.2 million. Wright, through P&E and other companies, paid Fitzgerald nearly $600,000 in proceeds from the Station Ridge project, roughly half of the total amount that P&E Services obtained, the indictment alleges.
In a related scheme involving purported projects on the Bridgewater office building in Fairfax, Va., which was another development project of the investment banking firm, Wright and Fitzgerald submitted invoices for work that was not completed, and obtained additional money from Fitzgerald’s employer. Once again, Fitzgerald and Wright split the proceeds between them, with Fitzgerald receiving approximately $70,000, the indictment alleges.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Special Agent in Charge Lappin commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. They acknowledged the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Last, Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris and C. Rosalind Pressley, and Legal Assistants Angela Lawrence and John Lowell. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Marston, Kendra D. Briggs, and Zia Faruqui, who are investigating and prosecuting the matter.
District Woman Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Attacking Ex-Boyfriend with Knife, Sulfuric AcidRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Linda Washington, 53, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison in connection with a pair of attacks she carried out last summer against her ex-boyfriend, including one with a knife and one with sulfuric acid, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Washington pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon (knife) and one count of aggravated assault while armed (chemical substance). She was sentenced by the Honorable Marisa Demeo. Following her prison term, she will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, late in the evening on July 24, 2016, Washington drove to the Northeast Washington home of her ex-boyfriend to retrieve hedge trimmers that she had loaned him. During a verbal confrontation in the alley behind his home, Washington pulled out a butcher’s knife and ran toward the victim with it. In fear, the victim ran away and jumped over a side fence into his neighbor’s yard. Washington then entered the victim’s house, where the victim’s daughter was sleeping, and took his house keys. She left with the knife. The victim’s home security camera captured the incident.
Early on September 1, 2016, Washington again approached her ex-boyfriend, this time in a parking lot outside Washington’s residence in Southeast Washington. As he attempted to enter his vehicle, Washington threw a plastic cup full of El Diablo drain cleaner on him, covering his face, neck, chest, and arm. An FBI chemist determined that the bulk of the liquid contained sulfuric acid. The victim suffered devastating injuries—including lifelong disfigurement—and spent nearly a month at The Burn Center at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Judge Demeo sentenced Washington to two years of incarceration for the July 24th knife attack, and a consecutive ten years for the September 1st sulfuric acid attack.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI Laboratory and The Burn Center at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Maltese, and Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Jones and D’Yvonne Key. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Timmer and J. Matt Williams, who prosecuted the case.
Two District Men Indicted on Federal Charges for Series of Armed Robberies of Convenience StoresRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Darrell Blackwell, 24, and Michael Kemp, 27, both of Washington, D.C., have been indicted on federal charges alleging that they conspired to commit a series of armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores in the District of Columbia and Maryland.
The indictment was announced today by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Blackwell was arrested on April 28, 2017 in the District of Columbia and made his first appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was ordered held pending a detention hearing set for May 4, 2017. Also, a status hearing in his case is set for May 9, 2017, before the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson.
Kemp will be presented at a future date. He will be brought to the District of Columbia, by writ, from Maryland where is serving a sentence on unrelated charges.
The indictment, filed last month, charges Blackwell with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery; two counts of armed robbery; two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle in a crime of violence, and 12 federal firearms offenses.
The indictment charges Kemp with one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; two counts of interference with interstate commerce by robbery; two counts of armed robbery; two counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle during a crime of violence, and five federal firearms offenses.
The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be traced to the firearms offenses.
According to the indictment, Blackwell and Kemp conspired to and executed the armed robberies of six 7-Eleven convenience stores, and individual patrons of those stores, in the District of Columbia and Maryland between January and June 2013. As alleged in the indictment, from January through June 2013, Blackwell, Kemp and others, engaged in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies of 7-Eleven convenience stores, businesses engaged in and affecting interstate commerce, obtaining cash and lottery tickets for their own benefit. According to the indictment, Blackwell, Kemp, and others, used firearms in the commission of these offenses and robbed individual patrons, present at some of the robberies. Lastly, the indictment alleges that Blackwell and Kemp used, without authorization, cars belonging to others in the execution of the armed robberies.
The robberies took place on the following dates and times:
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Jan. 5, 2013, approximately 5:20 a.m.: 4100 block of Kenilworth Avenue, Bladensburg, Md.
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Jan. 25, 2013, approximately 4:30 a.m.: 1900 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE.
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Jan. 27, 2013, approximately 8:10 p.m.: 7900 block of Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md.
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Jan. 31, 2013, approximately 11:40 p.m. 7400 block of Georgia Avenue NW.
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Feb. 16, 2013, approximately 3:05 p.m.: 8200 block of Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md.
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June 12, 2013, approximately 2:50 p.m.: 2500 block of Benning Road NE.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Chief Newsham expressed appreciation for the work performed by detectives and officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Montgomery County, Md. Police Department and the City of Bladensburg, Md. Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including, Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias, and Legal Assistants Peter Gaboton and Kate Abrey. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Kerkhoff and Kacie Weston, who are prosecuting the case.
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Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges for Activities in Inauguration Day RiotingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Dane Powell, 31, of Tampa, Fla., pled guilty today to charges of felony rioting and felony assault on a police officer for his role in the violence and destruction that took place in downtown Washington on Inauguration Day, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Powell was among more than 230 people arrested in the aftermath of various incidents on January 20, 2017; he was arrested the following day. He was among 212 defendants named in a superseding indictment returned on April 27, 2017, by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Powell is the first to plead guilty to felony charges.
In his guilty plea, Powell admitted to breaking windows and throwing a brick, large rock, or piece of concrete at uniformed law enforcement officers. He admitted being part of a group of rioters who moved approximately 16 blocks over a period of more than 30 minutes.
The charge of inciting or urging a riot (felony rioting) carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, or both. The charge of assaulting a police officer also carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, or both. Under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Powell faces an estimated range of 12 to 36 months in prison on each of the two charges. Powell, who remains free on personal recognizance, is to be sentenced on July 7, 2017 by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz.
According to a factual proffer signed by the defendant, on January 20, 2017, Powell joined together with more than 200 other people in and around Logan Circle in Washington, D.C. The group formed a “black bloc” in which individual defendants wore black or dark colored clothing, gloves, scarves, sunglasses, ski masks, gas masks, goggles, helmets, hoodies, and other face-concealing and face-protecting items to conceal their identities in an effort to prevent law enforcement from being able to identify the individual perpetrators of violence or property damage. Some of the members of the black bloc were armed with hammers, crowbars, wooden sticks, and other weapons. Powell was among those dressed in black, and had in his possession a gas mask. Powell also attempted to conceal his face with a mask. Powell was in possession of a hammer, and a heavy wooden stick with a flag attached to it.
At or about 10:19 a.m., according to the proffer, Powell and others in the black bloc moved south from Logan Circle on 13th Street NW. He marched with the group and saw that, within minutes of leaving Logan Circle, individuals participating in the black bloc began to vandalize and damage public and private property.
At approximately 10:35 a.m., Powell and other participants -- who armed themselves with hammers, crowbars, wooden sticks, and other weapons -- broke the windows of a Starbucks coffee shop in the 1200 block of I Street NW, the proffer states. He continued to move with the black bloc for several blocks when, at approximately 10:40 a.m., he broke the windows of a McDonalds restaurant near the intersection of New York Avenue NW and 13th Street NW, Washington, D.C. He then continued to move with the black bloc for multiple blocks.
At approximately 10:50 a.m., according to the proffer, Powell and more than 200 participants in the black bloc observed law enforcement forming a police line consisting of less than two dozen officers at the intersection of 12th and L Streets NW. At approximately 10:52 a.m., he and the other participants formed their own line, counted down, and charged the officers who formed the police line. Powell was one of approximately 50 or more individuals in the black bloc who broke the police line and was able to escape. Law enforcement was ultimately able to detain and to arrest more than 200 participants in the black bloc, and those individuals were held at the intersection of 12th and L Streets until they could be processed for arrest.
After Powell broke the police line and while law enforcement was detaining the more than 200 participants in the black bloc at the intersection of 12th and L Streets NW, he and others continued to engage in violence, the proffer states. Law enforcement formed another police line at 12th and K Streets NW. On at least three separate occasions, Powell threw a brick, large rock, or piece of concrete at uniformed law enforcement officers who had formed a line, the proffer states. Others also threw bricks, rocks, or pieces of concrete at uniformed law enforcement officers in the area. Multiple officers were transported to the hospital after being hit with bricks, rocks, or pieces of concrete, to include one officer who was knocked unconscious on the scene.
The investigation is continuing, and three defendants were added to the case in the superseding indictment returned on April 27. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has dismissed cases against 19 of the 230 individuals arrested on Inauguration Day. Two other defendants have pled guilty to a misdemeanor rioting charge.
This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer A. Kerkhoff and John W. Borchert.
District Man Sentenced to Seven-Year Prison Term on Federal Firearms ChargeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Chaka Al-Fatah, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for a federal firearms charge related to a narcotics conspiracy that operated in the District of Columbia and Maryland. He was among 16 people to plead guilty following an investigation that led to the seizure of kilograms of narcotics, firearms, and cash.
The announcement was made by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Stephen M. Schenning, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Henry P. Stawinski III, Chief of the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department; Robert D. MacLean, Chief of the United States Park Police, and Robert Turner, Acting U.S. Marshal for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Al-Fatah pled guilty in February 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics trafficking offense. The plea agreement, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of five to eight years in prison. The Honorable Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell accepted the plea agreement today and sentenced Al-Fatah accordingly. Following his prison term, Al-Fatah will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also must pay a forfeiture money judgment of $5,290.
Over the past 20 months, Chief Judge Howell has also accepted felony pleas from 15 others charged in the case. In March, she sentenced a leader of the conspiracy, Demetrius Muschetta, 33, of Washington, D.C., to a 13-year prison term. Last November, another leader of the group, Myron Williams, 40, of Oxon Hill, Md., was sentenced to a nine-year prison term.
As established through the defendants’ guilty pleas, in January 2015, the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force began a long-term investigation into a narcotics enterprise involving Muschetta and Williams, that primarily focused in the Barnaby Terrace area of Southeast Washington and extended into Maryland.
The investigation revealed that Williams and Muschetta were partners in a drug business and purchased kilogram amounts of cocaine and heroin from multiple sources, and then in turn supplied it to other co-defendants for eventual distribution. According to the government’s evidence, Al-Fatah had narcotics dealings with Muschetta and Williams, which included the selling of narcotics to customers referred to him by Muschetta. He also engaged in phone calls regarding the acquisition of firearms. At the time of his arrest, in June 2015, law enforcement recovered a firearm and narcotics at Al-Fatah’s residence.
The 16 defendants were arrested after months of investigation by the FBI/MPD Safe Streets Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, the United States Park Police, and the United States Marshals Service. The Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force sponsored and supported this complex investigation
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting U.S. Attorney Schenning, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, Acting Chief Newsham, Chief Stawinski, Chief MacLean, and Acting Marshal Turner commended the work of the D.C. Safe Streets Task Force.
They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli and Christopher Macchiaroli of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section; Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Han and Todd Gee; Paralegal Specialists Candace Battle, Mary Downing, Teesha Tobias, Catherine O’Neal, and Toni Anne Donato, and Legal Assistants Brendan Coyne, Diane Brashears, and Latoya Wade. They also commended those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland including Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Sullivan, who prosecuted the Maryland portion of Muschetta’s narcotics seizure prior to the charges being transferred to Washington, D.C. for resolution before Chief Judge Howell.
District Man Sentenced to Prison Term for Sexually Assaulting Nieces and StepdaughterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A 45-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 30-month prison term for sexually assaulting two nieces and a stepdaughter, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victims, pled guilty in February 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of second-degree child sexual abuse and two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of 30 months in prison. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, the man is to be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
At his plea hearing, the man admitted that, on one occasion between Dec. 1 and Dec. 22, 2016, he sexually fondled two of his nieces, then aged eight and nine, on the same evening, while visiting their home in Northwest Washington. The girls told their mother – the man’s sister – who notified the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Further investigation by the police revealed that the man had been fondling his 15-year-old stepdaughter on various occasions throughout 2016. The man admitted his guilt at almost his earliest opportunity in the court proceedings.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of officers from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. He also expressed appreciation for the work of personnel from Safe Shores, who conducted forensic interviews of the three victims. 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 Elsa Maltese. Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter V. Taylor and Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
District Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Robbing and Assaulting Elderly Couple as They Were Walking in Northwest WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Milton Hood, 52, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 14 years in prison on charges of robbing and assaulting a senior citizen couple in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Hood was found guilty by a jury in January 2017 of one count of robbery of a senior citizen, and one count of assault with intent to commit robbery of a senior citizen. The verdict followed a two-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles. Upon completion of his prison term, Hood will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, at about 11:15 a.m. on May 29, 2015, a 75-year-old woman and her 81-year-old husband were walking south on 23rd Street NW, between Q and P Streets. Hood attacked the husband, knocking him to the ground, and forcibly removed his wallet from his back pocket. The female victim, afraid for her husband’s life, began striking Hood with her cane, hitting him repeatedly on the head and neck. Hood turned on her, striking back and knocking her head to the ground. Hood tried to grab her purse, but the female victim, bleeding from her head and her knees, did not let go. People in two cars driving by stopped to help the victims, and the defendant ran off. Based on descriptions provided by the victims and eyewitnesses, Hood was spotted by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) two hours later wearing the exact same clothing as he was at the time of the attack. The victim’s cane was swabbed for DNA, and subsequent testing revealed the presence of Hood’s DNA on it.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting 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 Forensic Science Laboratory and Crime Scene Sciences Division of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, as well as Bode Cellmark Forensics.
They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan, Michael Spence, Chrisellen Kolb, and Stephen Rickard ; Paralegal Specialists Crystal Waddy, Stephanie Siegerist, Stephanie Gilbert, Donville Drummond, Lynda Randolph, Debra McPherson, and Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Litigation Technology Specialists Claudia Gutierrez, Jeanie Latimore-Brown, and Paul Howell, and Jennifer Clark, Katina Adams-Washington and LaJune Thames, of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gilead Light, Michael Romano, and Allessandra Stewart, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Blood Testing Laboratory to Pay $6 Million to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks and Unnecessary TestingRead the Press Release
Quest Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to pay $6 million to resolve a lawsuit by the United States alleging that Berkeley HeartLab Inc., of Alameda, California, violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to physicians and patients to induce the use of Berkeley for blood testing services and by charging for medically unnecessary tests. Quest, which is headquartered in Madison, New Jersey, acquired Berkeley in 2011, and ended the conduct that gave rise to the settlement.
“We rely on doctors to provide honest, independent recommendations regarding clinical testing,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that pay kickbacks to referring doctors corrupt those doctors’ independence, leaving patients vulnerable to expensive and unnecessary testing.”
Physicians refer their patients to independent laboratories like Berkeley to conduct tests on blood samples. According to the government’s complaint, Berkeley paid kickbacks to referring physicians disguised as “process and handling” fees. The complaint also alleged that Berkeley paid kickbacks to patients by routinely waiving copayments owed by certain patients who were legally required to pay for part of their tests. Allegedly, Berkeley paid the kickbacks to induce both the physicians and patients who received them to choose Berkeley over other laboratories. The government’s complaint further alleged that these illegal practices resulted in medically unnecessary cardiovascular tests being charged to federal healthcare programs.
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by federally funded programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that a physician’s medical judgment is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is instead based on the best interests of the patient. The Anti-Kickback Statute also prohibits routinely waiving patient copayments to ensure that patients are appropriately incentivized to refuse unnecessary tests.
“The South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office has dedicated considerable resources to pursuing fraud cases that divert federal tax payer dollars from important programs, like health care and defense contracting,” said U.S. Attorney Beth Drake of the District of South Carolina. “The goal for our qui tam unit is to protect taxpayers, patients, and soldiers by ensuring that important decisions are made according to medical science and engineering, and not based on dollar signs.”
“This settlement is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to address conduct that allows medical decisions to be influenced by money rather than the best interests of patients,” said U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia. “Our office is pleased to defend the integrity of our healthcare system and to demand the return of ill-gotten gains.”
“We will not allow laboratories to provide financial incentives to induce physicians to steer patients their way,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) in Atlanta. “The Office of Inspector General will continue to work aggressively to eliminate this type of behavior which ultimately drives up healthcare costs and eliminates fair competition.”
The lawsuit was initially filed by Dr. Michael Mayes under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the government for false claims and share in any recovery. The act permits the United States to intervene in and take over a whistleblower suit. The United States partially intervened in this and two related actions on March 31, 2015, and is continuing to pursue claims against the remaining defendants: Latonya Mallory, the former CEO of Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc., and marketing company BlueWave Healthcare Consultants Inc. and its owners, Floyd Calhoun Dent III and Robert Bradford Johnson. Dr. Mayes’ share of the settlement with Quest has not been determined.
On April 9, 2015, the United States announced settlements with two other laboratories - Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc. of Richmond, Virginia, and Singulex Inc., of Alameda, California - for engaging in conduct similar to that resolved in the settlement with Quest.
The government’s intervention in this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
This matter was investigated by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of South Carolina and the District of Columbia, FBI’s Columbia Field Office and the FBI Healthcare Fraud Unit Major Provider Response Team (MPRT), HHS-OIG, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
The cases is captioned United States ex rel. Mayes v. Berkeley HeartLab Inc., et al., Case No. 9:11-CV-01593-RMG (D.S.C.). The claims settled by these agreements and asserted against these companies and individuals are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Blood Testing Laboratory to Pay $6 Million to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks and Unnecessary TestingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Quest Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to pay $6 million to resolve a lawsuit by the United States alleging that Berkeley HeartLab Inc., of Alameda, California, violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to physicians and patients to induce the use of Berkeley for blood testing services and by charging for medically unnecessary tests. Quest, which is headquartered in Madison, New Jersey, acquired Berkeley in 2011, and ended the conduct that gave rise to the settlement.
“We rely on doctors to provide honest, independent recommendations regarding clinical testing,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Companies that pay kickbacks to referring doctors corrupt those doctors’ independence, leaving patients vulnerable to expensive and unnecessary testing.”
“This settlement is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to address conduct that allows medical decisions to be influenced by money rather than the best interests of patients,” said U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia. “Our office is pleased to defend the integrity of our healthcare system and to demand the return of ill-gotten gains.”
Physicians refer their patients to independent laboratories like Berkeley to conduct tests on blood samples. According to the government’s complaint, Berkeley paid kickbacks to referring physicians disguised as “process and handling” fees. The complaint also alleged that Berkeley paid kickbacks to patients by routinely waiving copayments owed by certain patients who were legally required to pay for part of their tests. Allegedly, Berkeley paid the kickbacks to induce both the physicians and patients who received them to choose Berkeley over other laboratories. The government’s complaint further alleged that these illegal practices resulted in medically unnecessary cardiovascular tests being charged to federal healthcare programs.
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by federally funded programs. The Anti-Kickback Statute is intended to ensure that a physician’s medical judgment is not compromised by improper financial incentives and is instead based on the best interests of the patient. The Anti-Kickback Statute also prohibits routinely waiving patient copayments to ensure that patients are appropriately incentivized to refuse unnecessary tests.
“The South Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office has dedicated considerable resources to pursuing fraud cases that divert federal tax payer dollars from important programs, like health care and defense contracting,” said U.S. Attorney Beth Drake of the District of South Carolina. “The goal for our qui tam unit is to protect taxpayers, patients, and soldiers by ensuring that important decisions are made according to medical science and engineering, and not based on dollar signs.”
“We will not allow laboratories to provide financial incentives to induce physicians to steer patients their way,” said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) in Atlanta. “The Office of Inspector General will continue to work aggressively to eliminate this type of behavior which ultimately drives up healthcare costs and eliminates fair competition.”
The lawsuit was initially filed by Dr. Michael Mayes under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the government for false claims and share in any recovery. The act permits the United States to intervene in and take over a whistleblower suit. The United States partially intervened in this and two related actions on March 31, 2015, and is continuing to pursue claims against the remaining defendants: Latonya Mallory, the former CEO of Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc., and marketing company BlueWave Healthcare Consultants Inc. and its owners, Floyd Calhoun Dent III and Robert Bradford Johnson. Dr. Mayes’ share of the settlement with Quest has not been determined.
On April 9, 2015, the United States announced settlements with two other laboratories - Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc. of Richmond, Virginia, and Singulex Inc., of Alameda, California - for engaging in conduct similar to that resolved in the settlement with Quest.
The government’s intervention in this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services, at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
This matter was investigated by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of South Carolina and the District of Columbia, FBI’s Columbia Field Office and the FBI Healthcare Fraud Unit Major Provider Response Team (MPRT), HHS-OIG, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
The cases is captioned United States ex rel. Mayes v. Berkeley HeartLab Inc., et al., Case No. 9:11-CV-01593-RMG (D.S.C.). The claims settled by these agreements and asserted against these companies and individuals are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Singapore Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Plot Involving Exports to Iran of U.S. ComponentsRead the Press Release
Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 43, a citizen of Singapore, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the U.S. to Iran, at least 14 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Secretary of Export Enforcement Richard Majauskas for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Acting Director Thomas D. Homan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Assistant Director Bill Priestap of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The sentence was issued by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan.
Lim was extradited in 2016 from Indonesia, where he had been detained since October 2014 in connection with the U.S. request for extradition. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2016, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by dishonest means. Lim will be deported upon completion of his sentence.
Lim and others were indicted in the District of Columbia in June of 2010 on charges involving the shipment of radio frequency modules made by a Minnesota-based company. The modules have several commercial applications, including in wireless local area networks connecting printers and computers in office settings. These modules include encryption capabilities and have a range allowing them to transmit data wirelessly as far as 40 miles when configured with a high-gain antenna. These same modules also have potentially lethal applications. Notably, during 2008 and 2009, coalition forces in Iraq recovered numerous modules made by the Minnesota firm that had been utilized as part of the remote detonation system for IEDs. According to the plea documents filed in the case, between 2001 and 2007, IEDs were the major source of American combat casualties in Iraq.
In a statement of offense submitted at the time of the guilty plea, Lim admitted that between August 2007 and February 2008, he and others caused 6,000 modules to be purchased and illegally exported from the Minnesota-based company through Singapore, and later to Iran, in five shipments, knowing that the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran was a violation of U.S. law. In each transaction, Lim and others made misrepresentations and false statements to the Minnesota firm that Singapore was the final destination of the goods; at no point in the series of transactions did Lim or any of his co-conspirators inform the company that the modules were destined for Iran. Similarly, according to the statement of offense, Lim and others caused false documents to be filed with the U.S. government, in which they claimed that Singapore was the ultimate destination of the modules. Lim and his co-conspirators were directly aware of the restrictions on sending U.S.-origin goods to Iran.
Shortly after the modules arrived in Singapore, they were kept in storage at a freight forwarding company until being aggregated with other electronic components and shipped to Iran. There is no indication that Lim or any of his co-conspirators ever took physical possession of these modules before they reached Iran or that they were incorporated into another product before being re-exported to Iran.
According to the statement of offense, 14 of the 6,000 modules the defendants routed from Minnesota to Iran were later recovered in Iraq, where the modules were being used as part of IED remote detonation systems.
This investigation was jointly conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Boston and Los Angeles; FBI agents in Minneapolis; and Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security agents in Chicago and Boston. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, particularly the Justice Department Attaché in the Philippines, as well as the FBI and HSI Attachés in Singapore and Jakarta.
U.S. law enforcement authorities thanked the governments of Singapore and Indonesia for the substantial assistance that was provided in the investigation of this matter.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Singapore Man Sentenced to 40 Months in Prison for Plot Involving Exports to Iran of U.S. ComponentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Lim Yong Nam, aka Steven Lim, 43, a citizen of Singapore, was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy that caused thousands of radio frequency modules to be illegally exported from the U.S. to Iran, at least 14 of which were later found in unexploded improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq.
The announcement was made by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, Acting Assistant Secretary of Export Enforcement Richard Majauskas of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Acting Director Thomas D. Homan of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Assistant Director Bill Priestap of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. The sentence was issued by the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan.
Lim was extradited in 2016 from Indonesia, where he had been detained since October 2014 in connection with the U.S. request for extradition. He pleaded guilty on Dec. 15, 2016, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. by dishonest means. Lim will be deported upon completion of his sentence.
Lim and others were indicted in the District of Columbia in June of 2010 on charges involving the shipment of radio frequency modules made by a Minnesota-based company. The modules have several commercial applications, including in wireless local area networks connecting printers and computers in office settings. These modules include encryption capabilities and have a range allowing them to transmit data wirelessly as far as 40 miles when configured with a high-gain antenna. These same modules also have potentially lethal applications. Notably, during 2008 and 2009, coalition forces in Iraq recovered numerous modules made by the Minnesota firm that had been utilized as part of the remote detonation system for IEDs. According to the plea documents filed in the case, between 2001 and 2007, IEDs were the major source of American combat casualties in Iraq.
In a statement of offense submitted at the time of the guilty plea, Lim admitted that between August 2007 and February 2008, he and others caused 6,000 modules to be purchased and illegally exported from the Minnesota-based company through Singapore, and later to Iran, in five shipments, knowing that the export of U.S.-origin goods to Iran was a violation of U.S. law. each transaction, Lim and others made misrepresentations and false statements to the Minnesota firm that Singapore was the final destination of the goods; at no point in the series of transactions did Lim or any of his co-conspirators inform the company that the modules were destined for Iran. Similarly, according to the statement of offense, Lim and others caused false documents to be filed with the U.S. government, in which they claimed that Singapore was the ultimate destination of the modules. Lim and his co-conspirators were directly aware of the restrictions on sending U.S.-origin goods to Iran.
Shortly after the modules arrived in Singapore, they were kept in storage at a freight forwarding company until being aggregated with other electronic components and shipped to Iran. There is no indication that Lim or any of his co-conspirators ever took physical possession of these modules before they reached Iran or that they were incorporated into another product before being re-exported to Iran.
According to the statement of offense, 14 of the 6,000 modules the defendants routed from Minnesota to Iran were later recovered in Iraq, where the modules were being used as part of IED remote detonation systems.
This investigation was jointly conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Boston and Los Angeles; FBI agents in Minneapolis; and Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security agents in Chicago and Boston. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Office of International Affairs in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, particularly the Justice Department Attaché in the Philippines, as well as the FBI and HSI Attachés in Singapore and Jakarta.
U.S. law enforcement authorities thanked the governments of Singapore and Indonesia for the substantial assistance that was provided in the investigation of this matter.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ari Redbord of the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation and Its Principal Agree to Settle False Claims Act Allegations for More Than $150,000Read the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation and its principal, Dr. Alan Curtis, have agreed to a settlement worth more than $150,000 to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims for payments of grant funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement was announced today by Channing D. Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and Michael E. Horowitz, Inspector General for the Department of Justice.
The Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs awarded federal grants to the Washington, D.C.-based foundation, a non-profit that specializes in issues involving inner cities and the disadvantaged. The settlement resolves disputed claims that the foundation and Dr. Curtis misused grant funds in violation of the federal False Claims Act.
Specifically, the foundation and Dr. Curtis are settling civil liabilities stemming from allegations that they improperly used grant funds to rent office space in Dr. Curtis’s own home; make sub-grants to organizations affiliated with the foundation’s trustees; engage in projects outside the scope of the foundation’s grant budgets; retain a lobbyist; and retain a foundation trustee to provide consulting services.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice jointly investigated this matter.
“This settlement reflects the United States’ commitment to ensure that its grant funds are being used as intended to further the important policy objectives of the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The government expects that those receiving grant funds will adhere to the rules and requirements controlling their use and not knowingly expend such funds on clearly prohibited items.”
“Grantees should understand that the United States will vigorously investigate allegations that they have failed to adhere to applicable rules, regulations, or award conditions,” said Kenneth R. Dieffenbach, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General’s Fraud Detection Office. “It is imperative for the United States to protect taxpayers by seeking the recovery of grant funds, wherever and whenever it is appropriate.”
Recipients of grant funds are required to adhere to applicable rules and regulations, and the terms of the applicable agreements, regarding their use. These authorities generally prohibit recipients from engaging in self-dealing or activities giving rise to conflicts of interest without appropriate approvals. The United States also expressly prohibits recipients from using grant funds to lobby Congress. The settlement resolves claims that the foundation, at the direction of Curtis, knowingly violated these proscriptions.
This settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combatting grant fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since fiscal year 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $31.3 billion through False Claims Act cases.
The settlement agreement is neither an admission of liability by the foundation or Dr. Curtis nor a concession by the United States that the claims are not well-founded. The parties agreed to resolve the matter without litigation.
In announcing the agreement, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Inspector General Horowitz commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice. They also acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian P. Hudak, who handled the matter.
Construction Company Officer Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Defraud GovernnmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Michelle Cho, an officer of Far East Construction Corporation (Far East) and other construction companies, was sentenced today to six months in prison and 24 months of supervised release on a federal charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud. Cho was also ordered to pay forfeiture in the amount of $169,166 and pay a criminal fine in the amount of $35,000.
The sentencing was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Andrew Finch of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Acting Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Inspector General Carol Fortine Ochoa of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Special Agent in Charge Brian J. Reihms of the Central Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and Director Frank Robey of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU).
According to court documents, Cho was an initiator and mastermind of a scheme lasting more than five years to defraud a disadvantaged persons’ business assistance program of tens of millions of dollars. Cho utilized two straw companies, including Far East, to conspire with MCC Construction Company (MCC) and others to defraud the SBA. Cho’s two companies were eligible to receive federal government contracts that had been set aside for small, disadvantaged businesses under the SBA 8(a) program. Cho and MCC understood that MCC would illegally perform all of the work on these contracts and pay three percent of the proceeds to Cho’s companies rather than have Cho’s companies perform at least 15 percent of the work as required by the SBA 8(a) program. In so doing, MCC was able to win 27 government contracts worth over $70 million from 2008 to 2011. The scope and duration of the scheme resulted in a significant number of opportunities lost to legitimate small, disadvantaged businesses.
The court documents also state that Cho and MCC violated the provisions of the SBA 8(a) program, which is designed to award contracts to businesses that are owned by “one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.” To qualify for the 8(a) program, a business must be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by a U.S. citizen (or citizens) of good character who meets the SBA’s definition of socially and economically disadvantaged. The firm must also be a small business (as defined by the SBA) and show a reasonable potential for success. Participants in the 8(a) program are subject to regulatory and contractual limits. Also, under the program, the disadvantaged business is required to perform a certain percentage of the work. For the types of contracts under investigation here, the SBA 8(a)-certified companies were required to perform 15 percent or more of the work with its own employees.
Cho, 45, of Downers Grove, Illinois, was charged on Oct.12, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud. She pleaded guilty on Nov. 15, 2016, and was sentenced today by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson.
MCC pleaded guilty on Feb. 2, 2016, to conspiring to commit fraud on the United States by illegally obtaining government contracts that were intended for small, disadvantaged businesses and agreed to pay $1,769,924 in criminal penalties and forfeiture. Thomas Harper, another former officer and owner of MCC, pleaded guilty on June 22, 2016, to conspiring to obstruct proceedings before a department or agency. He is to be sentenced on May 15, 2017. Walter Crummy, another former officer and owner of MCC, pleaded guilty on Aug. 23, 2016, to conspiring to commit wire fraud and was sentenced earlier this month to a year of probation and forfeiture in the amount of $105,618.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Inspector General for the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Inspector General of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the Central Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit (MPFU).
The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marston and Trial Attorneys Kevin B. Hart and Justin P. Murphy of the Antitrust Division.
Virginia Man Sentenced to 88 Months in Prison for Distribution of Heroin and CocaineRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert Apperson, 35, of Reva, Virginia, was sentenced today to 88 months of imprisonment on a federal drug trafficking charge relating to the distribution of heroin and cocaine in Culpeper County, Virginia. He is among 14 people charged with federal crimes following an investigation by a law enforcement task force of a narcotics trafficking ring that operated in places including New York, N.Y., Washington, D.C., and Virginia.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips; Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
All told, the investigation led to the seizure of 2.8 kilograms of powder cocaine, 248 grams of crack cocaine, 700 grams of heroin, more than $100,000 in cash, and a firearm.
Apperson pled guilty in January 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine. He was sentenced by the Honorable John D. Bates. Upon completion of his prison term, Apperson will be placed on four years of supervised release. Apperson also was ordered to pay $130,000 in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to plea documents, the investigation revealed that co-conspirators in the narcotics trafficking ring transported heroin and cocaine from New York to a supplier, based in Washington, D.C. In turn, the drugs were supplied to numerous other co-conspirators for distribution in Washington, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.
According to the plea documents, Apperson and/or one of the co-conspirators traveled to Washington, D.C., to obtain between 100 grams and one-kilogram quantities of cocaine and heroin from the supplier. Apperson and the co-conspirator then worked to distribute cocaine (as both powder and as crack cocaine) and heroin throughout the Culpeper County area.
Between September 2015, and January 7, 2016, according to the government’s evidence, Apperson and the co-conspirator purchased between 100 grams and one kilogram of cocaine and heroin approximately every seven to 10 days. In total, according to the government’s evidence, Apperson and the co-conspirator obtained approximately five kilograms of cocaine and four kilograms of heroin from the Washington, D.C. supplier, which they divided 50/50 between the two of them. Apperson then sold his half of the cocaine and heroin to customers throughout the Culpeper area. Apperson was arrested on August 25, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.
During the course of his arrest, law enforcement seized $3,750 from Apperson’s vehicle and $40,000 from a nightstand drawer at his newly leased residence in Fredericksburg, Va.
The drug sales took place at a time when the nation is experiencing a rise in opioid overdoses. In Culpeper County, Va. and the town of Culpeper, the Virginia State Police responded to more than 80 overdoses in 2016, including nine that resulted in deaths.
This prosecution was the result of an investigation initiated in the fall of 2014 by the FBI/MPD Cross Border Task Force, with assistance from the DEA and the Blue Ridge Narcotics and Gang Task Force. The Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in the investigation. The Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force sponsored and supported this complex investigation.
Those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia include Legal Assistant Peter Gaboton, former Legal Assistant Brendan Coyne, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kara Traster and Nihar Mohanty, of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Section, who prosecuted the matter.
Two District Men Found Guilty of Robbing and Assaulting Women in Separate Attacks Within 35-Minute PeriodRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Terrez Crocker, 20, and Andre Walker, 28, both of Washington, D.C., have been found guilty by a jury on charges of robbing and assaulting two women in separate attacks in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.
The jury found Crocker guilty of one count each of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, robbery, assault with intent to commit robbery, fleeing from law enforcement, reckless driving, destruction of property, and receipt of stolen property, as well as three counts of unauthorized use of a vehicle during a crime of violence. The jury found Walker guilty of one count each of conspiracy to commit a crime of violence, robbery, assault with intent to commit robbery, and fleeing from law enforcement.
The verdicts, on April 20, 2017, followed a one-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Ronna L. Beck scheduled sentencing for June 23, 2017.
According to the government’s evidence at trial, at about 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 30, 2015, a young woman was walking by herself on 61st Street NE at the intersection of Eads Street NE. She was walking home after work when she noticed a white Volkswagen Jetta parked in the intersection. Unbeknownst to her, Crocker and Walker were waiting in that vehicle, which had been stolen in Maryland approximately three weeks earlier. GPS evidence placed Crocker at the scene of the car theft during the time-frame in which the vehicle was stolen.
As they sat in the stolen Jetta, Crocker and Walker directed their two female accomplices to jump out of the vehicle to steal the woman’s purse and cell phone. The two female accomplices followed Walker and Crocker’s directive, jumped out of the vehicle, and snatched the woman’s purse and cell phone, and then returned to the vehicle where Crocker and Walker were waiting. The four assailants then fled the scene.
Shortly thereafter, at approximately 7:20 p.m., Crocker, Walker, and their two female accomplices spotted their second victim, another young woman walking near the intersection of Southern Avenue and Bass Place SE on her way home from church. The woman also noticed the white Volkswagen Jetta. Unbeknownst to her, as she walked, Crocker and Walker again directed their two female accomplices to jump out of the car to rob her. At the direction of Crocker and Walker, the two female accomplices again jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to take the woman’s purse. However, the woman fought back, fending off her attackers and thwarting the robbery. The two female accomplices then ran back to the Volkswagen Jetta, where Crocker and Walker were waiting.
Both victims were able to provide information to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), including the make and model of the vehicle used during the commission of the robberies and a partial license plate tag number.
Members of MPD’s Fifth and Sixth Districts canvased the area in search of the suspects’ vehicle, which was spotted at East Capitol Street and Benning Road NE. Officers attempted to pull over the vehicle. However, Crocker and Walker ignored the directive of the police and sped away. Crocker, the driver, fled from the police, driving at a high rate of speed, driving erratically, and committing multiple traffic violations during the pursuit. Eventually, Crocker crashed the Volkswagen Jetta near the intersection of 57th Place and A Street SE. All four assailants then fled on foot and were apprehended within blocks of the crash site. The two female accomplices, an adult and a juvenile, pled guilty to charges in the case.
In announcing the guilty verdicts, 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 worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff, Paralegal Specialists Richard Cheatham, Lashone Samuels, and Donville Drummond, and Intelligence Research Specialist Zachary McMenamin. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long and Laura Crane, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Payroll Specialist Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Embezzling from Global Consulting FirmRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – KaShaun Perkins, 43, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was sentenced today to 21 months in prison on a federal charge of wire fraud for embezzling from his employer, causing a loss in excess of $275,000, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Perkins pled guilty to the charge in February 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper. Following his prison term, Perkins will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also is required to pay $249,096 in restitution, and a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.
According to a statement of the offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Perkins worked as a payroll specialist from December 2014 to July 2015 at a global consulting firm. As a payroll specialist, he managed external payroll provider services in order to ensure salaries were accurately and timely processed for payments. Perkins also updated the payroll and human resources information systems with bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses, and names of employees and maintained these employee records.
From January to July 2015, according to the statement of offense, Perkins caused his employer to pay out approximately $275,000 in bogus salary and tax withholding payments for “ghost” employees. Perkins altered a terminated employee’s payroll profile, repeatedly changing entries such as name, Social Security number, bank account number, address, and salary payments. In fact, none of the altered data corresponded to an actual employee. Through these changes to the payroll system, Perkins caused the unauthorized salary payments to be directly deposited into accounts in his name, accounts with his joint ownership, and accounts under his control. By directing the payroll provider service to make these payments, Perkins obtained “salary” payments of “ghost” employees totaling $249,096. The employer paid an additional $26,092 in tax withholdings, for a total loss of $275,188.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips expressed appreciation for the work performed by Forensic Accountant Jean Luc Guerrier of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Stalking, Threatening and Posting Sexual Images of VictimRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Lamont Delrico Roberts, 46, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to approximately nine years in prison for stalking, threatening, and assaulting a woman, and unlawfully disclosing graphic, sexual images of her, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case marked the first trial involving the new “Criminalization of Non-Consensual Pornography Act of 2014” (22 D.C.C. 3052), which became effective on May 7, 2015. The law codifies the offense of “unlawful disclosure” and prohibits the publication or disclosure of naked photos without the consent of the person depicted in them, even if the photos were taken or given to the defendant consensually by the victim.
A jury found Roberts guilty in November 2016 of five counts of unlawful disclosure, one count of stalking, three counts of making felony threats, and one count of simple assault. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Juliet McKenna sentenced Roberts this morning to a total of 30 months in prison on the unlawful disclosure charges; 12 months on the stalking charge; 66 months on the threats offenses, and one month on the assault charge. Upon completion of his prison term, Roberts will be placed on three years of supervised release. While on supervised release, Roberts will be required to get counseling for domestic violence issues and must stay away from the victim and her family.
“Lamont Roberts subjected the victim in this case – his ex-girlfriend – to months of threats and harassment. As a result, the victim’s entire life was altered and she felt like she always had to look over her shoulder,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “He humiliated the victim by displaying sexually explicit photos of her in public places. This case demonstrates the benefit of a District of Columbia law that expressly prohibits such unlawful disclosures. The law provided our Office with an additional valuable tool to hold Lamont Roberts accountable for his reprehensible acts.”
According to the government’s evidence, Roberts and the victim were romantically involved for about four years. During the course of their relationship, Roberts became controlling, often dictating to the victim what she could wear and with whom she could spend time. The victim finally ended the relationship in May 2015.
However, Roberts refused to accept that the relationship was over. He telephoned and texted the victim hundreds of times a day and showed up unannounced and uninvited at her job and home countless times. At a certain point, Roberts learned that the victim was romantically involved with someone new and consequently, his behavior escalated dramatically. Roberts began leaving threatening voicemails and texts on the victim’s phone in which he threatened to kill or hurt the victim and her family, he tattooed the victim’s face on his back, and he persistently followed the victim, often holding up graphic, sexual images of the victim that the two had taken during their relationship.
When the victim changed her phone numbers so that Roberts could no longer text her, he emailed her, threatening to share the graphic images with her children, mother, and the rest of the world. Roberts followed through on these threats over the course of October 2015, and posted these images, along with the victim’s name, on her car, her front door, and throughout her neighborhood. Roberts also continued to stalk the victim with these photos in hand. The victim managed to photograph Roberts holding up the graphic images in public places, such as at her workplace and on the street. In fact, the victim photographed Roberts in one instance, when he stood in front of her car holding the image up and in another instance, as he drove by her with the graphic photo hanging out the window of his car.
In an unrelated case, Roberts was sentenced in November 2016 to six years in prison on a drug distribution charge. Roberts pled guilty in August 2016 to distribution of cocaine in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. According to the government’s evidence in that case, Roberts repeatedly sold crack cocaine in quantities that suggested it would be re-distributed. His sentence in this federal case will run consecutively to the sentence imposed today.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Patricia A. Riley and Renata Cooper, Special Counsels to the U.S. Attorney; Paralegal Specialists Donhue Troy Griffith, T. J. McPhail, and Angelina Slagle; David Foster, La June Thames, Tracey Hawkins, Tracy Owuso, and Meshall Thomas, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Litigation Technology Specialists Ron Royal and Aneela Bhatia, and former Interns Molly Lovell and Wendy Acquazzino. They also commended the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar Mohanty, who prosecuted the narcotics case in the U.S. District Court.
Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Brooks and Youli Lee, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Falls Church Man Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting College Student Who Was Walking on Northwest Washington StreetRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Sergio Velasquez Cardozo, 35, formerly of Falls Church, Va., has been found guilty by a jury of charges stemming from an incident in which he snuck up on a college student and grabbed and groped her, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
A jury found Velasquez Cardozo guilty on April 17, 2017, of kidnapping, third-degree sexual abuse, fourth-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor sexual abuse. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on June 9, 2017, by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Velasquez Cardozo faces a likely range of three to seven years in prison. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a 10-year period following his release from prison.
According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2016, the victim was walking home to her apartment on the Georgetown University campus. While walking in the 3400 block of Prospect Street NW, Velasquez Cardozo snuck up behind her, grabbed her in a bear hug and fondled her breast and buttocks.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) happened to be driving slowly right behind, and next to, Velasquez Cardozo when he attacked the woman. They immediately stopped and arrested him. He has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of officers from MPD’s Second District and from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the Georgetown University Police Department, which arrived on the scene shortly after Velasquez Cardozo was apprehended, and assisted both the victim and the MPD officers. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams, former Paralegal Specialist Joyce Arthur, Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan, and Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia and Anisha Bhatia. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen “Katie” Kern and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
Maryland Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for CarjackingRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jesse Green III, 41, of Germantown, Md., was sentenced today to seven years in prison for a carjacking earlier this year in Southeast Washington in which he drove off with a woman and her 2-year-old granddaughter, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Green pled guilty in February 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of carjacking. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of his prison term, Green will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 8, 2017, at approximately 12:10 p.m., the woman, her husband, and their 2-year-old granddaughter were driving in a GMC Yukon sports utility vehicle. The husband pulled over and got out of the vehicle for a stop in the 5000 block of Kimi Gray Court SE. Green came out of a neighboring house and went to the vehicle. Then, without permission, he got into the driver’s seat and sped off, with the woman and child still in the vehicle. The child was in a car seat in the rear.
The woman demanded that Green let them out and attempted to grab the steering wheel. Green, however, kept driving fast, passing through stop signs. He crashed into a parked vehicle near 51st Street and Central Avenue SE, traveled up an embankment, and then crashed backward into a telephone pole. He attempted to flee, but was soon apprehended and has been in custody ever since. The victims were taken to a hospital by ambulance for examination and treatment.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting 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 handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Rakoczy, Paralegal Specialist Richard Cheatham, and Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Smalky, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Assaulting Hotel HousekeeperRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - Ernesto A. Mendoza, 18, who had no fixed address, was sentenced today to three years in prison for assaulting a housekeeper with a knife last fall at a downtown Washington hotel, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Mendoza pled guilty on Feb. 1, 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of three years in prison. The Honorable José M. Lopez accepted the plea and sentenced Mendoza accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, Mendoza will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 26, 2016, Mendoza entered an 11th-floor room at the Grand Hyatt Washington hotel, in the 1000 block of H Street NW. The victim, a housekeeper, entered the room to clean it. When she came out of the bathroom, Mendoza was standing in the room. At first, the victim thought he was a guest who was occupying the room, and so she walked past him. However, Mendoza brandished a silverware knife, threatened her with it, and demanded that she go back to the bedroom.
Mendoza threatened the victim with the weapon and ordered her to take off her clothes. He then pulled his pants down. The victim attempted to grab the knife from him, and a struggle ensured. She screamed for help, and Mendoza tried to cover her mouth with a towel or cloth to prevent her from yelling. Eventually, after further struggles, she was able to escape.
Mendoza was identified based on surveillance video and was arrested on Dec. 29, 2016. He has been in custody ever since.
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 expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Metro Transit Police and Prince George’s County, Md. Police Departments. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson and Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Former Benefits Manager Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Embezzling More Than $400,000 from University PlanRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A former manager of an employee benefit plan at Howard University was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison for embezzling more than $420,000, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Michael Schloss, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Philadelphia Region.
Crystal Duncan Baker, 38, of Silver Spring, Md., pled guilty in February 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of theft or embezzlement from an employee benefit plan. She was sentenced by the Honorable James E. Boasberg. Following her prison term, she will be placed on three years of supervised release. She also is required to pay $420,128 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to the government’s evidence, Baker worked for Howard University’s Benefit and Pension Administration from August 2010 through May 2015. The office administers benefits to the university’s administration, faculty, staff, and retirees. Baker began work as a temporary employee, but became full-time in September 2010, taking on the role of benefit supervisor. In December 2011, she became manager of benefits and pension. In both positions, she could make unilateral changes to the benefits plan without anyone’s approval.
Baker made unauthorized changes to six former Howard University employee’s pension accounts, one retired and five deceased. The changes included updated bank information that coincided with Baker’s personal checking account, routing number, and mailing address. Between April 2012 through August 2015, Baker fraudulently embezzled $420,128 by directing banks to make fraudulent pension disbursements to her checking account and home address instead of to the six victims’ accounts. She used this money for her own expenses and benefit.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Regional Director Schloss commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vesna Harasic-Yaksic, who assisted with forfeiture issues, Criminal Investigator Nicole S. Hinson, and Paralegal Specialist Aisha Keys. Finally, they acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kendra D. Briggs and Derrick Williams, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Break-Ins of Two Elementary Schools and a Barber ShopRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tyree Irving, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to two years in prison for breaking into two elementary schools and a barber shop within a matter of hours last year, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Irving pled guilty in November 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and three counts of second-degree burglary. He was sentenced by the Honorable Neal E. Kravitz. Following his prison term, Irving will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning of April 2, 2016, officers from the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to break-ins at two different schools.
First, officers responded to Barnard Elementary School, in the 400 block of Decatur Street NW. Individuals had broken a window to get into the school and removed a multi-unit Apple Macbook / iPad charging unit and wheeled it outside. These individuals also stole 14 D.C. Public School iPads, two iMac computers, two keyboards, and two mice. Video surveillance showed four young males wearing masks walking throughout the empty school at approximately 1:40 a.m., carrying varying pieces of electronic equipment, including the charging unit.
Officers then responded to Houston Elementary School, in the 1100 block of 50th Place NE. Individuals had broken a window to get into the school and stole a personal laptop from a teacher, as well as a laptop and iPad that belonged to D.C. Public Schools. Video surveillance showed three young males wearing masks walking and running throughout the empty school at approximately 2:50 a.m., carrying varying pieces of electronic equipment. The individuals on the video surveillance in Barnard Elementary and the individuals on the video surveillance in Houston Elementary appear, with the exception of one missing person, to be the same.
Outside of Houston Elementary School, police discovered a van that was still running with its ignition punched out. Inside the van, police located a revolver, as well as multiple pieces of equipment stolen from Barnard Elementary, including two iMac computers, four keyboards, four mice, and multiple iPads. Police learned that the van was stolen the previous night.
In a separate investigation, police learned of another break-in early April 2, 2016 at a barber shop in the 800 block of Rhode Island Avenue NW. Burglars there took two Apple keyboards and two Apple mice. This burglary took place at 2:07 a.m.
Police and members of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) processed the crime scenes and the van. DFS collected latent fingerprints from the items recovered inside of the van. Irving later was linked to several items, including an Apple iMac monitor stolen from Barnard Elementary School, a computer mouse, and an apple keyboard with number pad stolen from Barnard Elementary School.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance of the District of Columbia Public Schools and the Latent Fingerprint Unit of 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 Gregory Rosen and Jillian Willis, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Role in Killing of Man After Home InvasionRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Eugene Sherman, 54, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for his role in the killing of a man following a break-in of the victim’s condominium in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Sherman pled guilty in January 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of second-degree murder. He was sentenced by the Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo. Following his prison term, Sherman will be placed on five years of supervised release. A co-defendant, Joseph Jennings, Jr., 36, was sentenced in December 2016 to a 24-year prison term after earlier pleading guilty to a charge of second-degree murder while armed.
According to the government’s evidence, on the morning of Jan. 22, 2016, Sherman enlisted the assistance of Jennings and another man in a plan to break into a condominium in the 400 block of M Street NW and steal marijuana. Jennings and the other man both were armed. At about 9:48 a.m., Jennings used an object to forcibly pry open the locked front door to the building. Sherman waited nearby, while Jennings and the other man continued inside the building. As they attempted to gain entry to the unit through a sliding glass balcony door, the victim, Matthew Shevlin, fled out of the front door and began screaming for help.
Jennings chased Mr. Shevlin, and a struggle ensued. During this struggle, Jennings shot Mr. Shevlin, 37, who later died of multiple gunshot wounds.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Acting Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates James Brennan and Jennifer Clark, and Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Misler, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.
District Man Sentenced to 15-Year Prison Term for Assault, Weapons, and Other OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Robert Horne, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 15-year prison term for assaulting the victim, his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, with a firearm, discharging the gun in public to threaten the victim, and then trying to cover up the crime by asking the victim to lie, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Horne was found guilty by a jury in February 2017 of assault with a dangerous weapon, felony threats, obstruction of justice, contempt of court, and related firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson. Following his prison term, Horne will be placed on eight years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, early on April 13, 2016, Horne’s ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, the victim, found Horne in a drunken state, passed out in his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in Southwest Washington. The victim, anticipating a fight between Horne and Horne’s ex-girlfriend, walked out of the apartment to de-escalate the situation. The victim thereafter waited in the lobby, charging his phone, waiting for Horne to leave.
However, after leaving the apartment, Horne found the victim and began to scream at him for interfering with his family. The victim once again tried to calm Horne, to no avail. Instead, Horne brandished a weapon, pistol-whipped the victim in the face, and then dragged the victim outside. Once outside, Horne continued to threaten the victim as the victim held his hands up in surrender. Horne then shot the gun into the air and fled the scene.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stopped Horne shortly after the gunshot and found him with the weapon. He was arrested and later ordered by the Court to stay away from and have no contact with the victim. Regardless, Horne began to violate these stay-away conditions and tried to contact the victim through his ex-girlfriend. He wrote letters and begged his ex-girlfriend to convince the victim to drop the charges, recant his testimony, and lie in court. He even offered to pay the victim $2,000 to avoid any involvement in the case.
The victim refused these offers. His testimony at trial helped to convict the defendant, along with other evidence, including video footage from the apartment complex, ShotSpotter evidence, and police officer testimony.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Gorman, Christopher Bruckmann, and Kamil E. Shields; Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail; Litigation Technology Specialists Aneela Bhatia and Anisha Bhatia; Victim/Witness Advocate Lu Lan; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Wanda Queen, and Intern A.J. Carvalho. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Brooks and Louis Manzo, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Two Terrorists Charged in Connection with the 2010 Murder of a U.S. National in IsraelRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A criminal complaint was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging Ayad Fatafta and Kifah Ghanimat, both approximately 39 years of age and from areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, in connection with the Dec. 18, 2010, murder of Kristine Luken, a U.S. citizen, in Israel.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The complaint charges Fatafta and Ghanimat with murder of a U.S. National Outside the U.S., in violation of Title 18 United States Code sections 2332(a)(1) and 2. Arrest warrants were also issued today for both defendants.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint and arrest warrants, Fatafta and Ghanimat stabbed to death Ms. Luken, a 44-year old U.S. national who was hiking near an archaeological site while visiting Israel. She died at the scene. Another individual who was with Ms. Luken, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Israel, was seriously wounded in the attack but survived. The affidavit states that in 2012, Fatafta and Ghanimat each were convicted in an Israeli court of murder and other offenses in connection with the abduction and stabbing of both women. Fatafta was sentenced to one life term of incarceration plus 20 years, while Ghanimat was sentenced to two life terms of incarceration plus 60 years, for this and another crime.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for a person convicted of murdering a U.S. national outside the U.S. is a lifetime term of incarceration or death. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
Two Terrorists Charged in Connection with the 2010 Murder of a U.S. National in IsraelRead the Press Release
A criminal complaint was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia charging Ayad Fatafta and Kifah Ghanimat, both approximately 39 years of age and from areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, in connection with the Dec. 18, 2010, murder of Kristine Luken, a U.S. citizen, in Israel.
Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement.
The complaint charges Fatafta and Ghanimat with murder of a U.S. National Outside the U.S., in violation of Title 18 United States Code sections 2332(a)(1) and 2. Arrest warrants were also issued today for both defendants.
According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint and arrest warrants, Fatafta and Ghanimat stabbed to death Ms. Luken, a 44-year old U.S. national who was hiking near an archaeological site while visiting Israel. She died at the scene. Another individual who was with Ms. Luken, a citizen of the United Kingdom and Israel, was seriously wounded in the attack but survived. The affidavit states that in 2012, Fatafta and Ghanimat each were convicted in an Israeli court of murder and other offenses in connection with the abduction and stabbing of both women. Fatafta was sentenced to one life term of incarceration plus 20 years, while Ghanimat was sentenced to two life terms of incarceration plus 60 years, for this and another crime.
The charges in criminal complaints are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The maximum penalty for a person convicted of murdering a U.S. national outside the U.S. is a lifetime term of incarceration or death. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The investigation into this matter was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division provided significant assistance. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
2017 04 13 Fatafta Ghanimat Complaint AffidavitOwner of Durable Medical Equipment Company Indicted for Health Care Fraud and Related OffensesRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Emeka H. Chijioke, 40, formerly of Atlanta, Ga., and Nigeria, has been indicted on charges alleging that he schemed to defraud the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program out of more than $2 million.
The indictment 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.
The indictment was unsealed on April 7, 2017, and Chijioke pled not guilty at his arraignment last week. A status hearing in the case has been set for April 19 before the Honorable Senior Judge Paul L. Friedman.
Chijioke was arrested in December 2016 in Germany and extradited to the United States last week. The 21-count indictment charges him with one count of health care fraud, nine counts of making false statements related to health care matters, seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of engaging in a monetary transaction with proceeds of specified unlawful activity in an amount greater than $10,000, and one count of first-degree theft. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation seeking all proceeds that can be traced to the fraud scheme.
According to the indictment, 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.
As alleged in the indictment, from 2008 through 2012, Chijioke engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid out of more than $2 million and unjustly enriched himself by billing Medicaid for incontinence supplies that were not provided. The indictment alleges that Chijioke used some of the proceeds from his fraudulent scheme to purchase vehicles. According to the indictment, Chijioke instructed his office staff to contact the Medicaid recipients to determine from them the actual amount of incontinence supplies they needed, and to provide them with those supplies. At the same time, the indictment alleges, 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 money which he was not entitled to receive from Medicaid.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney 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 are working 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; Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman of the Fraud and Public Corruption 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. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who investigated the case and obtained the indictment.
Foreign National Extradited and Pleads Guilty to Human Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
A Pakistani citizen pleaded guilty today 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 Channing D. Phillips 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 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. Judge Walton scheduled Khan’s sentencing hearing for July 6, 2017.
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 voyage 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.
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, the Human Smuggling Cell, 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 Richard DiZinno of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
Foreign National Extradited and Pleads Guilty to Human Smuggling ConspiracyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A Pakistani citizen pleaded guilty today 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 Channing D. Phillips 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 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. Judge Walton scheduled Khan’s sentencing hearing for July 6, 2017.
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 voyage 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.
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, 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 Richard DiZinno of the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Bank Fraud SchemeRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – David Tyrone Johnson, 48, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to federal charges of bank fraud and making false statements, arising from a real estate scheme involving a forged mortgage satisfaction document, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Johnson pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Johnson faces an estimated range of 24 to 30 months in prison as well as a fine of up to $95,000. Under the plea agreement, Johnson also must pay more than $337,000 in restitution to SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. He also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment of $170,688. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for July 13, 2017.
According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, signed by the defendant as well as the government, SunTrust Mortgage, Inc. loaned a friend of Johnson’s approximately $470,000 in 2008 to purchase residential real estate in the 100 block of 57th Street SE. By 2009, the friend had failed to repay the mortgage loans, and in 2010, SunTrust Mortgage filed a notice of foreclosure with the District of Columbia’s Recorder of Deeds. In April 2013, SunTrust Mortgage began the process of foreclosing on the mortgage and taking possession of the property, due to the friend’s failure to make good and timely payments on the mortgage loans.
Sometime before Oct. 2, 2013, Johnson caused the creation of two phony and forged certificates of satisfaction, which falsely represented that the SunTrust Mortgage loans at the property on 57th Street SE had been paid and that his friend owned the property “free and clear.” According to the statement of offense, on Oct. 2, 2013, Johnson filed these two phony certificates of satisfaction with the Recorder of Deeds.
In or about December 2013, after the fake certificates of satisfaction allowed the friend to sell the property without paying the outstanding mortgages, the title and escrow company wired out the sales proceeds of $337,105, of which approximately $170,688 was obtained by Johnson.
In addition, in 2015, Johnson was required to submit a financial disclosure form to his government agency employer; however, on that form, Johnson failed to disclose the money he obtained from the sales proceeds of the property, knowing that he had obtained the money. This failure to inform his government agency employer was material or important to his employer, and one that resulted in a false statement on his financial disclosure form.
Johnson was indicted in August 2016 and had been due to stand trial next month.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Vale expressed appreciation for the work performed by those who investigated the case and assisted in preparing it for trial from the FBI, including the Washington Field Office and the FBI Laboratory. They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms; former Paralegal Specialists Corinne Kleinman and Kaitlyn Krueger; Litigation Tech Specialist Ron Royal, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Swanton, who is assisting with forfeiture issues. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham who is prosecuting the case.
Crime Victims, Survivors, Good Samaritans and Community Members Honored at Event Marking National Crime Victims' Rights WeekRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia paid tribute today to crime victims, their families, witnesses, community members, and Good Samaritans for their bravery, compassion, and dedication to the pursuit of justice.
The honorees were recognized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office during an event at the Ceremonial Courtroom of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The ceremony was timed with the annual observance of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. This year’s national theme, “Strength, Resilience, Justice,” reflects a vision for the future in which victims grow stronger from the response they receive, organizations show resilience in response to challenges, and communities are able to seek collective justice and healing.
“All of us are inspired by the strength and resilience shown by victims and witnesses in their pursuit for justice,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The people being honored today include men, women, and children who have shown incredible courage and perseverance throughout the criminal justice process. They represent the remarkable commitment that we see every day from victims, witnesses, and the members of the community who respond to their needs.”
The featured speakers were Gerfa Lunsmann and her son, Kevin, of Virginia, who were kidnapped by armed gunmen in July of 2011 from a beach cottage where they were vacationing in the Philippines. The kidnappers forced Ms. Lunsmann and Kevin, then 14, into a boat and took them to another island, where they held them for ransom and threatened them with death. Throughout the ordeal, in the United States, Heiko Lunsmann worked with law enforcement in hopes of getting his wife and son back home safely.
The kidnappers held Ms. Lunsmann for 82 days before her release. Kevin remained a hostage until he managed to escape after a total of 151 days in captivity. As he described it in his remarks today, “Every day was just a struggle to survive.” Both talked about the physical, mental and emotional traumas they suffered and the power of resilience and recovery.
In addition to the Lunsmann family, the U.S. Attorney’s Office today honored other individual victims, survivors, and Good Samaritans whose efforts furthered the cause of justice. For example, the honorees included a robbery victim whose powerful statement at sentencing brought one of his assailants to tears; a child who witnessed his mother’s murder and advocated on her behalf throughout the court process, and three citizens who came to a woman’s rescue as she was about to be raped on a weekday morning in downtown Washington.
The honorees also included an off-duty police officer from Georgia who stepped into action after he saw someone robbing a homeless man in July 2014 near an abandoned building at Fourth and G Streets NW. The officer, who was in town for the week, flagged down police officers, provided comfort to the victim, and positively identified the assailant, who was in possession of the victim’s coins. The officer returned to the District of Columbia to be a witness at the defendant’s trial. Once the defendant saw him in the courtroom, he pled guilty to the crime; he later was sentenced to three years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also paid special recognition to two interpreters who assist victims and witnesses, as well as two people who help child victims with the challenges of going back to school after undergoing a trauma.
Today’s event was developed and organized by the Victim Witness Assistance Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Members of the Unit provide essential services and support to victims and witnesses, such as making referrals for counseling and other services, addressing safety concerns, arranging travel, and accompanying victims to court proceedings. The Unit also notifies victims of their rights and provides information regarding significant case events, such as the filing of charges, plea hearings, trials and sentencing hearings.
Additional information about the Victim Witness Assistance Unit is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/victim-witness-assistance
Further information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is available at http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/ncvrw/.
Former Organization Director Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Theft of Nearly $250,000 from EmployerRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Tamara Kukla, who worked as the “Director of Membership” for a Washington based non-profit organization, has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for embezzling nearly $250,000 from her employer, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service.
Kukla, 47, of Plano, Texas, pled guilty in November 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to interstate transportation of stolen property. The Honorable James E. Boasberg sentenced her on April 4, 2017. Kukla will be placed on three years of supervised release following completion of her prison term. She also must pay $248,755 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.
According to the government’s evidence, Kukla’s employer provided her with a credit card to assist her with her duties and responsibilities as the “Director of Membership.” Kukla’s duties and responsibilities included, among others, formulating and executing marketing plans designed to maintain and increase her employer’s membership rolls. Beginning around October 2009 and continuing through about December 2011, Kukla devised and carried out a scheme to defraud her employer by embezzling funds through her corporate credit card. Kukla used the credit card for both legitimate and personal purchases, but provided false descriptions of the personal purchases as work-related expenses so that her employer would pay for them. These unauthorized purchases and expenses included, among others, personal expenses related to travel, transportation, hotel lodgings, retail purchases, meals, food, and entertainment. Kukla also devised a scheme whereby she caused her employer to pay for thousands of dollars in expenses for personal services from two different private companies.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Ebert commended the work of those who investigated the case from the National Capitol Region Fraud Task Force of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the matter for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vesna Harasic-Yaksic and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zia Faruqui, who handled forfeiture issues; Paralegal Specialists Krishawn Graham and Angela Lawrence; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Loyaan A. Egal, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Broad Daylight Attack of Woman in Southeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Christopher Galloway, 49, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to five years in prison for attacking a woman last year in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced. The assault was stopped by officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who were driving by the scene and heard the victim’s screams.
Galloway was found guilty by a jury in December 2016 of a charge of assault with intent to commit robbery while armed. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on March 30, 2017, by the Honorable Neal E. Kravitz. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 23, 2016, at approximately 9:40 a.m., two MPD Officers were driving along the 1900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE, on truancy duty, with the windows of their van cracked. They heard a woman’s cries for help and spotted, in the space between two nearby buildings, a man standing over a woman who was on the ground, on her back.
The officers stopped the van and ran to the woman’s assistance, interrupting Galloway as he stood with a knife in his hand over the victim. The knife was recovered on the scene.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura R. Bach; Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan; Paralegal Specialist Richard Cheatham, and the staff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Litigation Technology Department. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys William E. Schurmann and John B. Timmer, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault in Court CellblockRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Jerome M. Holliway, 37, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of first-degree sexual abuse for attacking another defendant last fall while they were in a courthouse cellblock, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Hollliway 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 17 ½ years in prison. The Honorable José M. Lopez set a hearing for June 9, 2017 to determine whether to accept the plea and sentence. Holliway remains in custody pending his sentencing.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 11, 2016, Holliway and the victim were held in the same cellblock at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Both had finished their court hearings and were awaiting transport back to the District of Columbia Jail. At approximately 11:35 a.m., Holliway began attacking the victim -- beating, biting, kicking, and sexually assaulting him, mostly in the toilet area behind a metal divider.
After the attack, Holliway pulled the naked victim up by his chains and stated, “Don’t tell anyone that I did this, tell them a ghost did it or the devil did it or something.”
In a separate matter, Holliway pled guilty today to a charge of attempted threats stemming from another incident that took place last fall. The plea agreement calls for the sentence imposed in this case to run concurrently with the 17 ½ years for the sexual assault. In this matter, Holliway admitted calling his estranged wife’s telephone and leaving a voicemail on Oct. 5, 2016, in which he threatened to beat her and kill anyone she loved.
In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the cases from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for 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 Shawn Slade. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the sexual assault, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Poulin, who investigated and prosecuted the threats matter.
State Department Employee Arrested and Charged with Concealing Extensive Contacts with Foreign AgentsRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – A federal complaint was unsealed today charging Candace Marie Claiborne, an employee of the U.S. Department of State, with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI, both felony offenses, for allegedly concealing numerous contacts that she had over a period of years with foreign intelligence agents.
The charges were announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The FBI arrested Claiborne, 60, of Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2017. She made her first appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”
“Candace Claiborne is charged with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements in connection with her alleged concealment and failure to report her improper connections to foreign contacts along with the tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits they provided, “ said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “As a State Department employee with a Top Secret clearance, she received training and briefing about the need for caution and transparency. This case demonstrates that U.S. government employees will be held accountable for failing to honor the trust placed in them when they take on such sensitive assignments”
“Candace Claiborne is accused of violating her oath of office as a State Department employee, who was entrusted with Top Secret information when she purposefully mislead federal investigators about her significant and repeated interactions with foreign contacts," said Assistant Director in Charge Vale. "The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who, though required by law, fail to report foreign contacts, which is a key indicator of potential insider threats posed by those in positions of public trust.”
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint and arrest warrant, which was unsealed today, Claiborne began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999. She has served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China. As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintains a TOP SECRET security clearance. Claiborne also is required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency.
Despite such a requirement, the affidavit alleges, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years. According to the affidavit, the gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, an Apple iPhone and laptop computer, Chinese New Year’s gifts, meals, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, and a monthly stipend. Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, the affidavit alleges, while others were provided through a co-conspirator.
According to the affidavit, Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents, who, shortly after wiring $2,480 to Claiborne, tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.
Claiborne, who allegedly confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the affidavit states. After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents, the affidavit alleges.
Charges contained in a criminal complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The maximum penalty for a person convicted of obstructing an official proceeding is 20 years in prison. The maximum penalty for making false statements to the FBI is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
At her court appearance today, Claiborne pleaded not guilty before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather. A preliminary hearing was set for April 18, 2017.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office is leading the investigation into this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John L. Hill and Thomas A. Gillice of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
State Department Employee Arrested and Charged with Concealing Extensive Contacts with Foreign AgentsRead the Press Release
A federal complaint was unsealed today charging Candace Marie Claiborne, 60, of Washington, D.C., and an employee of the U.S. Department of State, with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI, both felony offenses, for allegedly concealing numerous contacts that she had over a period of years with foreign intelligence agents.
The charges were announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord for National Security, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia and Assistant Director in Charge Andrew W. Vale of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
“Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord. “Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.”
“Candace Claiborne is charged with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements in connection with her alleged concealment and failure to report her improper connections to foreign contacts along with the tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits they provided,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “As a State Department employee with a Top Secret clearance, she received training and briefing about the need for caution and transparency. This case demonstrates that U.S. government employees will be held accountable for failing to honor the trust placed in them when they take on such sensitive assignments”
“Candace Claiborne is accused of violating her oath of office as a State Department employee, who was entrusted with Top Secret information when she purposefully mislead federal investigators about her significant and repeated interactions with foreign contacts," said Assistant Director in Charge Vale. "The FBI will continue to investigate individuals who, though required by law, fail to report foreign contacts, which is a key indicator of potential insider threats posed by those in positions of public trust.”
The FBI arrested Claiborne on March 28. She made her first appearance this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the affidavit in support of the complaint and arrest warrant, which was unsealed today, Claiborne began working as an Office Management Specialist for the Department of State in 1999. She has served overseas at a number of posts, including embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Iraq, Khartoum, Sudan, and Beijing and Shanghai, China. As a condition of her employment, Claiborne maintains a Top Secret security clearance. Claiborne also is required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency.
Despite such a requirement, the affidavit alleges, Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years. According to the affidavit, the gifts and benefits included cash wired to Claiborne’s USAA account, an Apple iPhone and laptop computer, Chinese New Year’s gifts, meals, international travel and vacations, tuition at a Chinese fashion school, a fully furnished apartment, and a monthly stipend. Some of these gifts and benefits were provided directly to Claiborne, the affidavit alleges, while others were provided through a co-conspirator.
According to the affidavit, Claiborne noted in her journal that she could “Generate 20k in 1 year” working with one of the PRC agents, who, shortly after wiring $2,480 to Claiborne, tasked her with providing internal U.S. Government analyses on a U.S.-Sino Strategic Economic Dialogue that had just concluded.
Claiborne, who allegedly confided to a co-conspirator that the PRC agents were “spies,” willfully misled State Department background investigators and FBI investigators about her contacts with those agents, the affidavit states. After the State Department and FBI investigators contacted her, Claiborne also instructed her co-conspirators to delete evidence connecting her to the PRC agents, the affidavit alleges.
Charges contained in a criminal complaint are merely allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The maximum penalty for a person convicted of obstructing an official proceeding is 20 years in prison. The maximum penalty for making false statements to the FBI is five years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
At her court appearance today, Claiborne pleaded not guilty before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather. A preliminary hearing was set for April 18.
The FBI’s Washington Field Office is leading the investigation into this matter. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John L. Hill and Thomas A. Gillice for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Julie Edelstein of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
2017 03 29 Claiborne Complaint and Redacted AffidavitU.S. Attorney's Office Concludes Investigation into Fatal Shooting in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that it has completed its review of the June 27, 2016, fatal shooting of Sherman Evans, Sr., by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers in the 100 block of Varnum Street NE. After a careful review of all of the evidence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Mr. Evans.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included interviews of civilian and law enforcement witnesses, as well as a review of autopsy and toxicology reports; Mobile Crime and District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences reports, photographs, and diagrams; body worn camera footage; audio transmissions; and physical evidence collected on the scene, including a BB pistol that is virtually identical in appearance to a real firearm.
According to the evidence, on June 27, 2016, at approximately 10:22 p.m., Mr. Evans called 911 and told the dispatcher, “yes, miss, look, uh, uh, it's a man out in front of the building brandishing a gun” in front of 109 Varnum Street NE. When the dispatcher asked for additional information, Mr. Evans, whose cellphone was used to make the 911 call and whose voice on the 911 call was authenticated, repeated, “It’s a man out in front of the building brandishing a gun.” Mr. Evans then disconnected the call.
Several officers responded to the 100 block of Varnum Street NE, for the report of a “man with a gun.” When they arrived, Mr. Evans was standing outside on the sidewalk with a weapon, later identified as a Marksman Repeater .177 caliber BB gun, in his right hand. As shown on the body worn camera footage and as reported by witnesses, although Mr. Evans initially had the barrel of his weapon pointed towards the ground, on several occasions, he raised the barrel up, pointing the weapon in the officers’ direction. The officers did not initially fire their weapons. Rather, over a period of several minutes, they repeatedly ordered Mr. Evans to “drop the gun,” and “come on, sir, put it down. We’ll talk, we’ll talk.” Mr. Evans, however, did not comply. After several minutes, Mr. Evans again pointed his weapon at the officers, but this time he started to move in the officers’ direction. At that point, the officers started shooting.
An autopsy revealed that Mr. Evans, 63, was shot two to three times, including once in the right forearm, once in the right buttock, and once in the chest, which was possibly a reentry wound from the gunshot wound to the right forearm. The Toxicology Report further indicated the presence of narcotics in Mr. Evans’s blood and urine.
After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers used excessive force under the circumstances. To the contrary, there is sufficient evidence to corroborate the officers’ account that they were acting in self-defense 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 typically 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.
Maryland Man Found Guilty of Assaulting Man with Metal Pipe in Dispute at Northeast Washington Towing CompanyRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Dominic White, 30, of Lanham, Md., has been found guilty by a jury of charges for assaulting a man with a metal pole at a towing establishment in Northeast Washington. In addition, White and a co-defendant, Phanessa Haynes, 29, of Washington, D.C. were found guilty of charges of insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.
The verdicts, which were returned March 24, 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, were announced today by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips. Both defendants are to be sentenced on May 24, 2017, by the Honorable Juliet McKenna.
According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 4, 2014, at approximately 5 p.m., Haynes arrived at a towing company in the 1000 block of Kenilworth Avenue NE to pick up her car, which was getting its rims and tires replaced. She quickly noticed that the job wasn’t completed to her standards and became angry at the man who was doing the work. She called her boyfriend – White - multiple times expressing her frustrations.
White raced over and once arriving, picked up a metal pipe. Haynes pointed to the victim, and said, “That’s him, that’s the one.” White rushed to the victim and struck him with the metal pipe a couple of times, hitting and injuring him. He then dropped the pipe and fled. The victim’s head injuries required 18 staples and resulted in debilitating migraines for approximately a year. Following the attack, other employees at the towing shop called 911 and one gave a partial license tag of White’s car. White was later identified as the owner of a car with the same make and color described by witnesses, with a similar tag.
Further investigation showed that Haynes and White were involved with an insurance policy that was purchased by Haynes, which led to her car being at the towing establishment on the day of the assault. Soon after purchasing the policy, and making sure it covered tires and rims, Haynes filed a claim with the insurer for “stolen” rims.
White was arrested on March 30, 2015, and Haynes was arrested at the scene on Nov. 4, 2014.
In announcing the verdicts, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team and the U.S. Marshals Service. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Rickard, Daniel Lenerz, Jocelyn Ballantine, Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez, Kathryn Rakoczy, and Opher Shweiki; Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan; Paralegal Specialists Richard Cheatham, Debra McPherson, Crystal Waddy, and Tiffany Fogle; Criminal Investigator, Melissa Matthews; Litigation Technology Specialists, Josh Ellen and Leif Hickling; Investigative Analyst, Zachary McMenamin, and Computer Forensic Examiner; John Marsh.
Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Seifert and David Misler, who investigated and indicted the case, and Monica Trigoso and Alysa Kociuruba, who prosecuted the case.
North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Armed Assault at Northwest Washington Pizza RestaurantRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, of Salisbury, N.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from an incident in which he carried a loaded AR-15 assault rifle and a revolver into a Northwest Washington pizza restaurant, scattering employees and customers, and fired his assault rifle into a door.
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 Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Welch pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a federal charge of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, and a District of Columbia charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. The federal charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and the District of Columbia charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years. Under sentencing guidelines, the parties have agreed that Welch faces a likely range of 18 to 24 months in prison for the federal charge, and 18 to 60 months for the District of Columbia charge.
The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for June 22, 2017. Welch has been in custody since his arrest on the day of the incident.
According to the government’s evidence, on Sunday, December 4, 2016, Welch transported three loaded firearms, together with ammunition, from North Carolina to Washington, D.C. The firearms included a 9mm AR-15 assault rifle loaded with approximately 29 rounds of ammunition, a fully-loaded, six-shot, .38-caliber revolver, and a loaded shotgun with additional shotgun shells. He drove directly to the Comet Ping Pong restaurant on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest Washington. According to the government’s evidence, Welch was motivated, at least in part, by unfounded rumors concerning a child sex-trafficking ring that supposedly was being perpetrated at the establishment.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Welch parked his car and armed himself. At about 3 p.m., he marched inside the restaurant, which was occupied by employees and customers, including children. He was carrying the AR-15 assault rifle and the revolver. He was carrying the AR-15 openly, with one hand on the pistol grip, and the other hand on the hand guard around the barrel, such that anyone with an unobstructed view could see the gun.
The customers and employees fled the building. At one point, Welch encountered a locked room and attempted to force open the door, first using a butter knife and then discharging his assault rifle multiple times into the door.
A few minutes later, an unaware employee entered the restaurant, carrying pizza dough. Welch saw the employee and turned toward the worker with the assault rifle, causing the worker to immediately fear he would be shot. The worker fled. Welch was left alone in the restaurant. After spending more than 20 minutes inside, he left his firearms and exited the restaurant unarmed. He was then arrested. The assault rifle and revolver were recovered inside the restaurant. A shotgun also was recovered from the defendant’s car, along with a box of shotgun ammunition.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Acting Chief Newsham commended the work of those who responded to the scene and those who investigated the case. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, Paralegal Specialist Chela Okonji, and Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, who assisted with forfeiture issues. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Demian S. Ahn and Sonali D. Patel, who are prosecuting the case.
Lebanese Businessman Tied to Hizballah Arrested for Violating IEEPA and Defrauding the U.S. GovernmentRead the Press Release
Kassim Tajideen, a prominent financial supporter of the Hizballah terror organization, has been arrested and charged with evading U.S. sanctions imposed on him because of his financial support of Hizballah.
Tajideen, 62, of Beirut, Lebanon, was arrested overseas on March 12, 2017, based on an 11-count indictment unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia following his arrival to the United States. Tajideen made his initial court appearance today before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather.
The arrest and indictment are the result of a two-year investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and assisted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The effort is part of DEA’s Project Cassandra, which targets Hizballah’s global criminal support network – dubbed by the DEA as the Business Affairs Component (BAC) that operates as a logistics, procurement and financing arm for Hizaballah.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, DEA Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan of the Special Operations Division, and CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan made the announcement.
“Because of his support for Hizballah, a major international terrorist group, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Kassim Tajideen in 2009 that barred him from doing business with U.S. individuals and companies,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco. “Those sanctions are a powerful tool in our efforts to combat terrorists and those who would support them. Indeed, the sanctions posed such a significant threat to Tajideen’s extensive business interests that he allegedly went to great lengths to evade them by hiding his identity from the U.S. entities he did business with, and from the government agencies responsible for enforcing the sanctions. Thanks to the diligent work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, we broke through the web of intermediaries Tajideen allegedly used to conceal his involvement, and he has been brought to the United States to face justice.”
“Kassim Tajideen is alleged to have willfully flouted U.S. sanctions that were based on his prior support for Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security McCord. “Those sanctions are designed to protect our national security and public safety by limiting terrorists’ access to resources, and this extradition sends a clear message that we are resolved to find and hold accountable those who violate these laws.”
“The investigation of this case and the arrest and extradition of this defendant demonstrates our commitment to enforcing vitally important sanctions laws that are in place to protect our national security and foreign policy interests,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Because of the hard work of law enforcement here and abroad, Kassim Tajideen will now face charges in an American courtroom.”
“Kassim Tajideen posed a direct threat to safety and stability around the world,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Donovan. “A prominent money man for Hizballah, Tajideen acted as a key source of funds for their global terror network. DEA and our partners are unrelenting in our pursuit of the world’s most dangerous terror and criminal networks and their many facilitators who threaten the rule of law and innocent lives.”
The indictment charges Tajideen with one count of willfully conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, seven counts of unlawful transactions with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The indictment also indicates that the government will seek a forfeiture money judgment against the defendants equal to the value of any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to these offenses.
According to the indictment, Tajideen allegedly presided over a multi-billion-dollar commodity distribution business that operates primarily in the Middle East and Africa through a web of vertically integrated companies, partnerships and trade names. The indictment further alleges that Tajideen and others engaged in an elaborate scheme to engage in business with U.S. companies while concealing Tajideen’s involvement in those transactions.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control named Tajideen a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on May 27, 2009. This designation prohibits U.S. companies from transacting unlicensed business with Tajideen or any companies which are operated for his benefit – in essence stripping Tajideen’s global business empire of its ability to legally acquire goods from, or wire money into, the U.S. However, the indictment alleges that Tajideen restructured his business empire after the designation in order to evade the sanctions and continue conducting transactions with U.S. entities. Tajideen and others are alleged to have created new trade names and to have misrepresented his ownership in certain entities in order to conceal Tajideen’s association. The scheme allowed Tajideen’s companies to continue to illegally transact business directly with unwitting U.S. vendors, as well as to continue utilizing the U.S. financial and freight transportation systems to conduct wire transfers and move shipping containers despite the sanctions against Tajideen.
According to the indictment, between approximately July of 2013 until the present day, the conspirators illegally completed at least 47 individual wire transfers, totaling over approximately $27 million, to parties in the U.S. During the same time period, the conspirators caused dozens of illegal shipments of goods to leave U.S. ports for the benefit of Tajideen, without obtaining the proper licenses from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Tajideen pleaded not guilty and was ordered held pending a detention hearing set for March 29.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This investigation was carried out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the DEA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center Counter Network Division, with assistance from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice and Deborah Curtis and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline L. Barkett of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Joseph Palazzo from the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
Participating investigative agencies in DEA’s Project Cassandra include the DEA’s New Jersey Field Division and Special Operations Division and various DEA country offices, as well as the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
2017 03 24 Tajideen IndictmentLebanese Businessman Tied to Hizballah Arrested for Violating IEEPA and Defrauding the U.S. GovernmentRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Kassim Tajideen, a prominent financial supporter of the Hizballah terror organization, has been arrested and charged with evading U.S. sanctions imposed on him because of his financial support of Hizballah.
Tajideen, 62, of Beirut, Lebanon, was arrested overseas on March 12, 2017, based on an 11-count indictment unsealed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia following his arrival to the United States. Tajideen made his initial court appearance today before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather.
The arrest and indictment are the result of a two-year investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and assisted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The effort is part of DEA’s Project Cassandra, which targets Hizballah’s global criminal support network – dubbed by the DEA as the Business Affairs Component (BAC) that operates as a logistics, procurement and financing arm for Hizaballah.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary B. McCord of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips of the District of Columbia, DEA Special Agent in Charge Raymond Donovan of the Special Operations Division, and CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan made the announcement.
“Because of his support for Hizballah, a major international terrorist group, the U.S. government imposed sanctions on Kassim Tajideen in 2009 that barred him from doing business with U.S. individuals and companies,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco. “Those sanctions are a powerful tool in our efforts to combat terrorists and those who would support them. Indeed, the sanctions posed such a significant threat to Tajideen’s extensive business interests that he allegedly went to great lengths to evade them by hiding his identity from the U.S. entities he did business with, and from the government agencies responsible for enforcing the sanctions. Thanks to the diligent work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, we broke through the web of intermediaries Tajideen allegedly used to conceal his involvement, and he has been brought to the United States to face justice.”
“Kassim Tajideen is alleged to have willfully flouted U.S. sanctions that were based on his prior support for Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security McCord. “Those sanctions are designed to protect our national security and public safety by limiting terrorists’ access to resources, and this extradition sends a clear message that we are resolved to find and hold accountable those who violate these laws.”
“The investigation of this case and the arrest and extradition of this defendant demonstrates our commitment to enforcing vitally important sanctions laws that are in place to protect our national security and foreign policy interests,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Because of the hard work of law enforcement here and abroad, Kassim Tajideen will now face charges in an American courtroom.”
“Kassim Tajideen posed a direct threat to safety and stability around the world,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Donovan. “A prominent money man for Hizballah, Tajideen acted as a key source of funds for their global terror network. DEA and our partners are unrelenting in our pursuit of the world’s most dangerous terror and criminal networks and their many facilitators who threaten the rule of law and innocent lives.”
The indictment charges Tajideen with one count of willfully conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, seven counts of unlawful transactions with a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The indictment also indicates that the government will seek a forfeiture money judgment against the defendants equal to the value of any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to these offenses.
According to the indictment, Tajideen allegedly presided over a multi-billion-dollar commodity distribution business that operates primarily in the Middle East and Africa through a web of vertically integrated companies, partnerships and trade names. The indictment further alleges that Tajideen and others engaged in an elaborate scheme to engage in business with U.S. companies while concealing Tajideen’s involvement in those transactions.
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control named Tajideen a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on May 27, 2009. This designation prohibits U.S. companies from transacting unlicensed business with Tajideen or any companies which are operated for his benefit – in essence stripping Tajideen’s global business empire of its ability to legally acquire goods from, or wire money into, the U.S. However, the indictment alleges that Tajideen restructured his business empire after the designation in order to evade the sanctions and continue conducting transactions with U.S. entities. Tajideen and others are alleged to have created new trade names and to have misrepresented his ownership in certain entities in order to conceal Tajideen’s association. The scheme allowed Tajideen’s companies to continue to illegally transact business directly with unwitting U.S. vendors, as well as to continue utilizing the U.S. financial and freight transportation systems to conduct wire transfers and move shipping containers despite the sanctions against Tajideen.
According to the indictment, between approximately July of 2013 until the present day, the conspirators illegally completed at least 47 individual wire transfers, totaling over approximately $27 million, to parties in the U.S. During the same time period, the conspirators caused dozens of illegal shipments of goods to leave U.S. ports for the benefit of Tajideen, without obtaining the proper licenses from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Tajideen pleaded not guilty and was ordered held pending a detention hearing set for March 29.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.
This investigation was carried out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, the DEA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center Counter Network Division, with assistance from the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas A. Gillice and Deborah Curtis and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacqueline L. Barkett of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Joseph Palazzo from the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.
Participating investigative agencies in DEA’s Project Cassandra include the DEA’s New Jersey Field Division and Special Operations Division and various DEA country offices, as well as the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
District Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Stabbing Man Outside Emergency ShelterRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – George Maurice Brooks, 54, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years in prison for stabbing a man last fall outside an emergency shelter in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Brooks pled guilty in January 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of aggravated assault. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of six years in prison. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff accepted the plea today and sentenced Brooks accordingly. Following his prison term, Brooks will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, the assault took place at about 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2016. Brooks and the victim had been in line together outside an emergency shelter in the 2200 block of Adams Place NE and had begun arguing. The argument turned physical, and a security guard separated the men. Minutes later, the argument resumed. Brooks became angry and stabbed the victim numerous times. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment of stab wounds to the face, ribcage area, and back. Brooks turned himself in a day after the stabbing.
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 work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Barker and Vivien Cockburn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
District Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Carjacking in Northeast WashingtonRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON – Donald Thompson, 23, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a seven-year prison term on charges stemming from a carjacking in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
Thompson pled guilty in December 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of carjacking, armed robbery, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of seven years in prison. The Honorable Zoe Bush accepted the plea today and sentenced Thompson accordingly. Following his prison term, Thompson will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on March 26, 2016, at approximately 11 p.m., Thompson and an accomplice approached the victim in the area of 16th and Gales Streets NE. The victim was waiting for a friend just outside a 2016 Dodge Ram truck that he rented earlier that day. The victim’s dirt bike was strapped into the back of truck. Thompson and his accomplice asked about the dirt bike and then walked away.
Moments later, however, Thompson and his accomplice returned to the scene. The accomplice pointed what appeared to be a dark-colored semiautomatic handgun at the victim, and Thompson snatched an iPhone from the victim’s hands. Thompson then entered the Dodge Ram and drove away, making a right onto Gales Street. The accomplice stayed with the victim, holding him at gunpoint and robbing him of approximately $1,000.
Minutes after the robbery and carjacking, Thompson and his accomplice met up in the 2000 block of D Street NE, where they attempted to remove the dirt bike from the Dodge Ram, leaving their fingerprints on the truck’s tailgate. After attempting, unsuccessfully, to remove the dirt bike, Thompson and his accomplice abandoned the Dodge Ram and the dirt bike.
Thompson was arrested on July 12, 2016 after his fingerprints were found on the Dodge Ram. He has remained in custody ever since.
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 work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard Barker and Vivien Cockburn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.