District of Columbia

WASHINGTON – Seth Holmes, 25, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed for killing a man earlier this year in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Holmes pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of at least 10 years and up to 14 years in prison. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz set a hearing for Oct. 13, 2017 to determine whether to accept the plea and sentence.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON – Mandell L. Whitted, 50, of Capitol Heights, Md., pled guilty today to a felony charge stemming from the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl, which took place in 2005 while he was a janitor at an elementary school in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Whitted pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of attempted first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of five years in prison. Following his release, Whitted will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo scheduled sentencing for Nov. 16, 2017.

 

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

 

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

 

            In announcing the plea, 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 Victim/Witness Advocate Supervisor Dr. Lorraine Chase, Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart D. Allen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Kevin Thompson, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for forcing and abducting a woman off a street in Southwest Washington and sexually assaulting her, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Thompson was found guilty by a jury in May 2017 of first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree sexual abuse, and kidnapping. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo. Following his prison term, Thompson will be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 22, 2016, at approximately 11 p.m., the victim had just left work and was walking in the area of the 4800 block of 1st Street SW when Thompson walked up to her. Thompson, a stranger, approached and asked if she remembered him. She told him “no” and to leave her alone. She pulled out her phone in an attempt to deter him, but Thompson kept following her.

 

            As the woman continued down the street, Thompson grabbed her by the shirt and hair and dragged her into a wooded area and, ultimately, to the bottom of a trash-filled ditch. She repeatedly screamed, but, unfortunately, no one could hear her. Thompson then forcibly sexually assaulted her. As she testified at trial, as Thompson inflicted one assault after another on her, she thought that it was her “last day on earth.” But in a moment when Thompson was distracted, she ran away and made it to safety. The victim called 911. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) quickly located Thompson in the area and arrested him. 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. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Aziz; Paralegal Specialists Michelle Wicker, Angelina Slagle and T.J. McPhail; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia, and Victim/Witness Advocates Tracy Owusu and Tracey Hawkins. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Nguyen, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julianne Johnston and Kathleen “Katie” Kern, who investigated the case and prosecuted it at trial.

WASHINGTON - Ivan Lamont Robinson, a licensed nurse practitioner who was based in Southeast Washington, was found guilty by a jury today of 42 federal charges that he distributed oxycodone outside the legitimate scope of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose, and two counts of money laundering.

            The guilty verdicts were announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips; Karl C. Colder, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Division Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); 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.; Robert E. Craig, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Mid-Atlantic Field Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            The trial began July 10, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, in the courtroom of the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Following today’s verdict, Robinson, 46, of Washington, D.C., was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. His sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Robinson conducted a pain management practice from 2011 until 2013 in the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. His practice received numerous complaints from pharmacists who suspected that he was operating a “pill mill” rather than a medical pain management practice. “Pill mill” is a shorthand terminology for a medical practice which begins selling prescriptions to customers, usually for cash.

 

            Through his position as a nurse practitioner, under District of Columbia law, Robinson had authority to prescribe oxycodone to patients. Robinson sold prescriptions to customers in exchange for $370 in blank money orders. Customers came from outside the District of Columbia to purchase identical prescriptions, 60 tablets of 30 milligrams of oxycodone. Law enforcement executed numerous search warrants involving his practice on June 19, 2013. After a meeting with officials of the DEA, Robinson voluntarily relinquished his DEA license, which had authorized him to write prescriptions for controlled substances.

 

            During the trial, the government presented testimony from a medical expert who stated that Robinson provided no real medical treatment, and there was no medical basis to prescribe oxycodone. Further, the government’s evidence showed that Robinson deposited over $100,000 in money orders from customers during a four-month period in 2013. With these illegal proceeds, the government showed that Robinson purchased a brand new Volvo automobile and, during the execution of the search warrants, that he withdrew $108,000. After returning the guilty verdicts, the jury also voted to forfeit Robinson’s $108,000 and the Volvo automobile that he had gained from his illegal pill mill practice.

 

            The case was investigated by the U.S Drug Enforcement Administration, Metropolitan Police Department, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

 

            This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Dominguez and Dineen A. Baker. Assistance was provided by Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz and Rommel Pachoca and Legal Assistants Kate Abrey and Holly Crouse. Trial assistance was also provided by Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Scarpelli, Nancy Jackson, Kara Traster, Zia M. Faruqui, and Christopher B. Brown; Victim/ Witness Assistance Unit Specialist Tonya Jones, and Interns Cloyd Smith, Jennifer Newman, Maria Thompson and Leila Bartholet.

Virginia Beach, Virginia-based contractor ADS Inc. and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay the United States $16 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly conspiring with and causing purported small businesses to submit false claims for payment in connection with fraudulently obtained small business contracts, the Department of Justice announced today. The settlement further resolves allegations that ADS engaged in improper bid rigging relating to certain of the fraudulently obtained contracts. The settlement with ADS ranks as one of the largest recoveries involving alleged fraud in connection with small business contracting eligibility.

 

“Small or disadvantaged businesses serve as important engines of economic growth, and the United States utilizes small business set-aside contracts to aide those businesses in their development,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When ineligible companies improperly obtain set-aside contracts, they prevent the small business community from receiving the assistance that Congress intended.”

 

In order to qualify as a small business, companies must meet defined eligibility criteria, including requirements concerning size, ownership, and operational control. The settlement with ADS resolves allegations that ADS, together with several purported small businesses that it controlled, fraudulently induced the government to award certain small business set-aside contracts by misrepresenting eligibility requirements. The purported small businesses affiliated with ADS include Mythics Inc., London Bridge Trading Co. Ltd., as well as MJL Enterprises LLC, which falsely claimed to be an eligible service-disabled veteran-owned company, and SEK Solutions LLC and Karda Systems LLC, both of which falsely claimed to qualify as socially or economically disadvantaged businesses under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program. ADS and its affiliates allegedly concealed the companies’ affiliations with ADS and knowingly made misrepresentations concerning the size of the businesses and their eligibility as service-disabled or 8(a) qualified businesses. Finally, the settlement resolves allegations that ADS engaged in illegal bid rigging schemes that inflated or distorted prices charged to the government under certain contracts.

 

“This settlement reflects the government’s commitment to ensure that its business partners are truthful in their dealings with the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “Contractors who attempt to disguise or misrepresent themselves to obtain funds reserved to promote small and disadvantaged businesses will be held accountable for their fraud on the public fisc.”

 

“The actions of ADS and its affiliated entities deprived legitimate small businesses of valuable federal contracting opportunities.” said Acting Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware. “OIG will aggressively pursue companies that, through false statements, wrongfully benefit from small business set-aside contracts. I want to thank the Department of Justice for its leadership and dedication to serving justice in this case.”

 

“This case is yet another example of the tremendous results achieved through the joint efforts of the SBA, the Department of Justice, and other partner agencies, to uncover and forcefully respond to civil fraud committed by those participating in Federal Government contracting programs,” said SBA General Counsel Christopher M. Pilkerton. “This case involved fraud perpetrated in the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contracting Program and the 8(a) Program for disadvantaged individuals. Identifying and aggressively pursuing instances of civil fraud by participants in these procurement programs and other set aside contracting programs, is one of SBA’s top priorities.”

 

The settlement with ADS resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The civil lawsuit was filed in federal district court in the District of Columbia by Ameliorate Partners LLP. As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblower will receive approximately $2.9 million.

 

The settlement is the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General, and the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General.

 

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

WASHINGTON - Virginia Beach, Virginia-based contractor ADS Inc. and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay the United States $16 million to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly conspiring with and causing purported small businesses to submit false claims for payment in connection with fraudulently obtained small business contracts, the Department of Justice announced today. The settlement further resolves allegations that ADS engaged in improper bid rigging relating to certain of the fraudulently obtained contracts. The settlement with ADS ranks as one of the largest recoveries involving alleged fraud in connection with small business contracting eligibility.

 

            "Small or disadvantaged businesses serve as important engines of economic growth, and the United States utilizes small business set-aside contracts to aide those businesses in their development,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When ineligible companies improperly obtain set-aside contracts, they prevent the small business community from receiving the assistance that Congress intended.”

 

            “This settlement reflects the government’s commitment to ensure that its business partners are truthful in their dealings with the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips for the District of Columbia. “Contractors who attempt to disguise or misrepresent themselves to obtain funds reserved to promote small and disadvantaged businesses will be held accountable for their fraud on the public fisc.”

 

            In order to qualify as a small business, companies must meet defined eligibility criteria, including requirements concerning size, ownership, and operational control. The settlement with ADS resolves allegations that ADS, together with several purported small businesses that it controlled, fraudulently induced the government to award certain small business set-aside contracts by misrepresenting eligibility requirements. The purported small businesses affiliated with ADS include Mythics Inc., London Bridge Trading Co. Ltd., as well as MJL Enterprises LLC, which falsely claimed to be an eligible service-disabled veteran-owned company, and SEK Solutions LLC and Karda Systems LLC, both of which falsely claimed to qualify as socially or economically disadvantaged businesses under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program. ADS and its affiliates allegedly concealed the companies’ affiliations with ADS and knowingly made misrepresentations concerning the size of the businesses and their eligibility as service-disabled or 8(a) qualified businesses. Finally, the settlement resolves allegations that ADS engaged in illegal bid rigging schemes that inflated or distorted prices charged to the government under certain contracts.

 

            "The actions of ADS and its affiliated entities deprived legitimate small businesses of valuable federal contracting opportunities.” said Acting Inspector General Hannibal “Mike” Ware. “OIG will aggressively pursue companies that, through false statements, wrongfully benefit from small business set-aside contracts. I want to thank the Department of Justice for its leadership and dedication to serving justice in this case.”

 

            “This case is yet another example of the tremendous results achieved through the joint efforts of the SBA, the Department of Justice, and other partner agencies, to uncover and forcefully respond to civil fraud committed by those participating in Federal Government contracting programs,” said SBA General Counsel Christopher M. Pilkerton. “This case involved fraud perpetrated in the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contracting Program and the 8(a) Program for disadvantaged individuals. Identifying and aggressively pursuing instances of civil fraud by participants in these procurement programs and other set aside contracting programs, is one of SBA’s top priorities.”

 

            The settlement with ADS resolves a lawsuit filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act, which permits private parties to file suit on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in a portion of the government’s recovery. The civil lawsuit was filed in federal district court in the District of Columbia by Ameliorate Partners LLP. As part of today’s resolution, the whistleblower will receive approximately $2.9 million.

 

            The settlement is the result of a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Columbia and the Eastern District of Virginia, the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General, and the General Services Administration’s Office of Inspector General.

 

            The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced today that there is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or District of Columbia charges against an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who fatally shot Terrence Sterling on Sept. 11, 2016, in Northwest Washington.

 

            The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) conducted a comprehensive review of the incident. This included law enforcement and civilian witness accounts, photographs, diagrams, physical evidence, recorded radio communications (911 calls and radio runs), District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) video, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) video, MPD photo radar footage, cellphone video, body-worn camera footage, law enforcement agency reports from MPD and the FBI, MPD General Orders, accident reconstruction reports, speed analysis data, reports from District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, and the autopsy report for Mr. Sterling.

 

            Following this review, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer violated Mr. Sterling’s civil rights by willfully using more force than was reasonably necessary, had the necessary criminal intent when he shot Mr. Sterling, or was not acting in self-defense.

 

            The evidence is consistent with the following chronology:

 

            The chain of events began at approximately 4:20 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2016, at the intersection of 15th and U Streets NW. The MPD officer and his partner were working on the Third District’s Crime Suppression Unit, a specialized crime patrol team. Both were in full uniform and in a marked cruiser. The officer was the passenger and his partner was the driver. The officers were stopped at a red light, westbound on U Street NW, when they observed a motorcyclist, later identified as Mr. Sterling, 31, drive his motorcycle alongside their cruiser. Mr. Sterling pulled in front of the cruiser and briefly stopped. Mr. Sterling looked over his shoulder in the direction of the officers and then accelerated at a high rate of speed through the red light.

 

            The officers activated their lights and siren and attempted to stop Mr. Sterling. Mr. Sterling did not stop. The officers attempted to follow Mr. Sterling, at times losing visual contact with him. During this period, several officer and civilian witnesses observed Mr. Sterling operating his motorcycle at excessive and dangerous speeds—sometimes estimated at 100 miles per hour or more. One MPD sergeant reported seeing the motorcycle in the area of 11th and U Streets, speeding through all of the red lights. The motorcycle was going so fast that it nearly hit another police cruiser in the area. In another instance, Mr. Sterling sped through an intersection at 16th and U Streets NW just moments after a bicyclist had ridden through it.

 

            The two officers, meanwhile, continued their attempt to follow Mr. Sterling, but lost sight of him again at Ninth and U Streets. As they kept looking for him, they heard the sound of a motorcycle’s revving engine. This time, they located Mr. Sterling on Third Street NW, where he was bypassing cars backed up because of a red light.

 

            According to the evidence, after Mr. Sterling stopped his motorcycle at the intersection of Third and M Streets NW, the officers pulled their cruiser into the intersection and partially blocked Mr. Sterling’s lane of travel. The officers intended to stop the motorcycle’s forward progress and arrest Mr. Sterling. With Mr. Sterling still on his motorcycle and generally facing the passenger side of the cruiser, the officer removed his firearm from the holster, put it into the tuck position (pointed downward and close to his body), and opened the cruiser’s passenger door to exit the cruiser.

 

            In this moment, according to the evidence, Mr. Sterling revved his motorcycle and then accelerated and turned it toward the cruiser’s exposed passenger side. The officer, who was partially out of the cruiser, never got a chance to fully exit the vehicle. He felt the impact of the motorcycle hitting the cruiser’s door. The impact caused by the advancing motorcycle caused a dent in the cruiser’s open door and a bruise to the officer’s knee. The officer reacted by immediately firing two rounds at Mr. Sterling through his front passenger window. The rounds struck Mr. Sterling in the right side and neck. The shooting was at approximately 4:27 a.m.

 

            Following the shooting, the officer made a radio transmission requesting assistance and an ambulance. He and his partner attempted to perform life-saving measures, but were unsuccessful. Emergency medical personnel transported Mr. Sterling to Howard University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

 

            Toxicology results determined that Mr. Sterling’s blood alcohol content was .16. Under District of Columbia law, that is approximately two times the legal limit. Mr. Sterling also tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

 

            The officers’ pursuit of Mr. Sterling lasted several minutes and covered approximately 25 city blocks. During that time, Mr. Sterling pulled in front of the officers’ marked cruiser, looked directly at them, and then sped through a red light; drove approximately 100 miles an hour in an urban environment while running several more red lights; narrowly averted collisions with another police cruiser and a civilian; and refused multiple times to surrender to the lawful authority of the police.

 

            After a careful, thorough, and independent review of the evidence, federal prosecutors have found insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer willfully used unreasonable force and/or was not acting in self-defense when he discharged his service weapon at Mr. Sterling.

 

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 Bureau investigates all police-involved fatalities in the District of Columbia.

            WASHINGTON –Branden Dixon, 24, who led police on a pursuit earlier this year with a one-year-old girl in his car, has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of pandering and first-degree cruelty to children, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

 

            Dixon, of Waldorf, Md., pled guilty in June 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo sentenced him on July 28, 2017 to three years in prison for pandering and an additional four years for the child cruelty charge. Following his prison term, Dixon will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, in October 2016, Dixon took pictures of a woman and posted her on a known prostitution site. He and the woman resided at a motel in Northeast Washington, where several of the commercial sex encounters occurred. Dixon directed the woman to provide commercial sex to customers and he kept all proceeds. Dixon was arrested on Nov. 3, 2016 and charged with pandering. He was released, but then failed to show up for a hearing set for Jan 4, 2017. A judge issued a bench warrant that day for his arrest.

 

            Later, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 4, 2017, Dixon picked up a man and the man’s one-year-old daughter from a restaurant in Maryland and drove them to the 1600 block of Morris Road SE. The father left Dixon with the girl in the car while he went inside an apartment building to retrieve some belongings. While the father was away, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) saw Dixon’s Audi and believed its out-of-state tag looked fake.

 

            The police officers pulled behind Dixon’s car, and at that point, Dixon began to drive away. The child was still in the car and not in a car seat. Officers followed Dixon a short distance, while trying to run the tags on the vehicle. Dixon pulled into the 1800 block of Gainesville Road SE, which is a dead-end street. An officer exited the marked police car to approach Dixon’s car, but Dixon slammed the Audi in reverse, ramming into two police cars and almost striking an officer before he managed to maneuver out of the block.

 

            The pursuit continued as it traversed into Maryland then into Virginia. During the pursuit, Dixon placed the little girl in the front seat with him and strapped her into the front passenger-side seat belt because she was crying. He crossed the Woodrow Wilson Bridge into Virginia, where he wrecked the vehicle near Exit 176 of I-495 in Fairfax County, Va.

 

            Dixon and the child were taken to a hospital. The girl was seriously injured, suffering a concussion and a fractured left femur that required multiple surgeries, an almost complete body cast, and weeks of physical therapy.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the cases from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Virginia State Police. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Alexandria, Va. Police Department, and Fairfax County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Marin Hoplamazian. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Tiffany Jones and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracy Owusu. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Price and Kenya Davis, who prosecuted the matters.

WASHINGTON – Eugene Sickle, the former deputy executive director of a South African research institute, was sentenced today to seven months of incarceration and ordered to pay $206,250 in restitution for a scheme in which he stole grant funds originating with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

            The sentencing, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 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 May 2017 to a charge of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of six months to 12 months and a day of incarceration. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson accepted the plea today and sentenced Sickle accordingly. In addition to the restitution order, the judge issued a forfeiture money judgment of $206,250. Following his release, Sickle will be subject to deportation proceedings.

 

            Based in Washington, D.C., USAID is a U.S. government agency that provides international development assistance and humanitarian aid worldwide. It implements and administers foreign assistance programs and funds, including those supporting global health, from dedicated offices (“missions”) around the world. USAID’s South Africa mission is one such office that works with local organizations in that country. USAID’s Office of Inspector General bases investigators in 11 countries outside the United States, including South Africa, and provides oversight of USAID programs and operations around the world.

 

            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 Oct. 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 was investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Inspector General. It was 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.

 

 

WASHINGTON – Reynaud Cook, 33, and Don Hancock, 33, both of Washington, D.C., have been found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder while armed for the July 2007 slaying of a man in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            The verdict was returned July 26, 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Oct. 20, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 17, 2007, Cook and Hancock, who were best friends and referred to each other as brothers, were in the Deanwood neighborhood of Northeast Washington. The victim, Nacarto Gladden, who was just three days shy of his 33rd birthday, was also in the neighborhood, in the back of a car parked behind a building in the 4900 block of Quarles Street NE. At about 4:30 a.m., Hancock, armed with a pistol, ripped Mr. Gladden from the back seat of the car and began assaulting him. Then, while Mr. Gladden struggled to disarm Hancock, Cook crept into the parking lot armed with a revolver and shot Mr. Gladden three times at close range.

 

            Although Cook and Hancock were identified as suspects early in the investigation, they were not charged until 2013, when previously reluctant witnesses provided additional information and identified them as the perpetrators of the murder. Ballistics evidence and DNA also identified Cook and Hancock as the perpetrators of this crime. Both defendants have remained in custody since their arrests in 2013.

 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines, Gary Wheeler, and Elizabeth Danello; Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Lead Paralegal Specialist Meredith McGarrity; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite, Stephanie Gilbert, and Sandra Lane; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Katina Adams-Washington and LaJune Thames; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Administrative Services Specialist Sallie Rynas; Supervisory Criminal Investigator Chris Brophy; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; former Investigative Analyst Larry Grasso, and Interns Raul Rojo and Courtney Lutz.

 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan and Kimberley C. Nielsen who prosecuted the case at trial.

A federal jury found two Mexican nationals guilty today of murder of a federal officer, attempted murder of a federal officer, and related offenses in the killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, 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, Acting Director Andrew McCabe of the FBI and Acting Director Thomas D. Homan of ICE made the announcement.

The defendants, Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, aka Juan Manuel Maldonado Amezcua, aka Zafado, 36, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, aka Loco, 29, of Matamoros, Mexico, are among seven Mexican nationals extradited to the U.S. on federal charges in this case.

“Drug cartels bring death and destruction across our Southern border and sell drugs that take lives all across America,” said Attorney General Sessions. “The work our ICE officers do every day to keep these criminals out of our country and secure our border is heroic and makes all of us safer. Today’s conviction of two cartel members in the horrific murder of ICE agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico is the next step in the Department of Justice’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the cartels and bring them to justice.”

“Today’s guilty verdicts for those responsible for the murder of ICE Special Agent Jamie Zapata and attempted murder of Special Agent Victor Avila are an important step forward for law enforcement as we continue on the path for justice,” said Acting Director McCabe. “As I’ve said before, an attack against a federal agent serving his or her country remains a top priority for the FBI, and today’s verdict demonstrates that we will not rest until those responsible for this heinous attack and the loss of a colleague have been brought to justice.”

“I applaud today’s verdict and hope that it provides some measure of solace to the victims and their families,” said Acting Director Homan. “Six years after these defendants ambushed and murdered Special Agent Jaime Zapata and seriously wounded Special Agent Victor Avila in Mexico, ICE remains committed to ensuring all those responsible for this cowardly and brutal attack are brought to justice. To that end, we are deeply grateful to the Government of Mexico, the Department of Justice, and all our partners involved in the pursuit and prosecution of these criminals. This serves as a reminder that we will not relent in our mission to ensure the safety and security of Americans, and we are unwavering in our resolve to locate and apprehend those who target the brave men and women of law enforcement, wherever they are. We continue to honor the memory of Special Agent Zapata with our steadfast commitment to eradicate the transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety and security of our nation.”

Garcia Sota and Quezada Piña were found guilty of four federal offenses: murder of an officer or employee of the United States; attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States; attempted murder of an internationally protected person; and using, carrying and brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death. The verdicts followed a trial that began July 10, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, during which the government presented testimony from 22 witnesses, including Special Agent Avila. The Honorable Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled a status hearing for August 29. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The defendants both face mandatory life sentences for the murder conviction.

According to the government’s evidence at trial, Garcia Sota and Quezada Piña were members of two Los Zetas hit squads, or “estacas,” and were on a mission on the day of the shootings to steal vehicles for use in the cartel’s operations. On the afternoon of Feb. 15, 2011, Garcia Sota and Quezada Piña were among a group of cartel members who targeted an armored Chevrolet Suburban bearing diplomatic plates and driven by the Special Agents on a busy highway south of San Luis Potosi. Special Agent Zapata and Special Agent Avila were on official business, heading southbound to Mexico City, when the attack took place. During the ambush, the cartel members fired at and into the agents’ vehicle with handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons, including AK-47 and AR-15 type assault rifles. Special Agent Zapata, 32, was fatally shot, and Special Agent Avila then 38, was wounded. Investigators later found approximately 90 shell casings at the scene, according to the trial evidence.

Five other defendants, all Mexican nationals, previously pleaded guilty to federal charges in this case. Ruben Dario Venegas Rivera, aka Catracho, 29; Jose Ismael Nava Villagran, aka Cacho, 35; Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka Piolin, 36; and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, aka Camaron, 34, pleaded guilty to federal murder and attempted murder charges between August 2011 and October 2016. The fifth defendant, Francisco Carbajal Flores, aka Dalmata, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2012 to conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and to being an accessory after the fact to the murder and attempted murder of the ICE agents. All five defendants are awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Government of Mexico provided substantial assistance throughout the investigative and prosecution phases of the case.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. DiLorenzo and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys David Karpel and Karen Seifert of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. Former Assistant Deputy Chief Andrea Goldbarg of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine of the U.S. Attorney’s Office also served as members of the prosecution team at earlier stages of the litigation. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs has provided substantial assistance.

Assistance also was provided by Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, Paralegal Specialist Mac Caille Petursson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Paralegal Specialist Alejandra Arias of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.

WASHINGTON – A federal jury found two Mexican nationals guilty today of murder of a federal officer, attempted murder of a federal officer, and related offenses in the killing of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata and the attempted murder of ICE Special Agent Victor Avila on Feb. 15, 2011, in Mexico.

 

            Attorney General Jeff Sessions, 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, Acting Director Andrew McCabe of the FBI and Acting Director Thomas D. Homan of ICE made the announcement.

 

            The defendants, Jose Emanuel Garcia Sota, aka Juan Manuel Maldonado Amezcua, aka Zafado, 36, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and Jesus Ivan Quezada Piña, aka Loco, 29, of Matamoros, Mexico, are among seven Mexican nationals extradited to the U.S. on federal charges in this case.

 

            “Drug cartels bring death and destruction across our Southern border and sell drugs that take lives all across America,” said Attorney General Sessions. “The work our ICE officers do every day to keep these criminals out of our country and secure our border is heroic and makes all of us safer. Today’s conviction of two cartel members in the horrific murder of ICE agent Jaime Zapata in Mexico is the next step in the Department of Justice’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the cartels and bring them to justice.”

 

            “With today’s guilty verdicts, a total of seven members of the violent Mexican drug cartel, Los Zetas, have now been brought to justice for the ruthless ambush that took the life of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata and that injured and could have killed ICE Special Agent Victor Avila,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “The victims of this horrific assault were in Mexico on official business serving our country. The prosecution of these defendants is a testament to the enormous resources devoted to this investigation by law enforcement in the United States and Mexico.”

 

            “Today’s guilty verdicts for those responsible for the murder of ICE Special Agent Jamie Zapata and attempted murder of Special Agent Victor Avila are an important step forward for law enforcement as we continue on the path for justice,” said Acting Director McCabe. “As I’ve said before, an attack against a federal agent serving his or her country remains a top priority for the FBI, and today’s verdict demonstrates that we will not rest until those responsible for this heinous attack and the loss of a colleague have been brought to justice.”

 

            “I applaud today’s verdict and hope that it provides some measure of solace to the victims and their families,” said Acting Director Homan. “Six years after these defendants ambushed and murdered Special Agent Jaime Zapata and seriously wounded Special Agent Victor Avila in Mexico, ICE remains committed to ensuring all those responsible for this cowardly and brutal attack are brought to justice. To that end, we are deeply grateful to the Government of Mexico, the Department of Justice, and all our partners involved in the pursuit and prosecution of these criminals. This serves as a reminder that we will not relent in our mission to ensure the safety and security of Americans, and we are unwavering in our resolve to locate and apprehend those who target the brave men and women of law enforcement, wherever they are. We continue to honor the memory of Special Agent Zapata with our steadfast commitment to eradicate the transnational criminal organizations that threaten the safety and security of our nation.”

 

            Garcia Sota and Quezada Piña were found guilty of four federal offenses: murder of an officer or employee of the United States; attempted murder of an officer or employee of the United States; attempted murder of an internationally protected person; and using, carrying and brandishing and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence causing death. The verdicts followed a trial that began July 10, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, during which the government presented testimony from 22 witnesses, including Special Agent Avila. The Honorable Senior Judge Royce C. Lamberth scheduled a status hearing for August 29. A sentencing date has not yet been set. The defendants both face mandatory life sentences for the murder conviction.

 

            According to the government’s evidence at trial, Garcia Sota and Quezada Piña were members of two Los Zetas hit squads, or “estacas,” and were on a mission on the day of the shootings to steal vehicles for use in the cartel’s operations. On the afternoon of Feb. 15, 2011, Garcia Sota and Quezada Piña were among a group of cartel members who targeted an armored Chevrolet Suburban bearing diplomatic plates and driven by the Special Agents on a busy highway south of San Luis Potosi. Special Agent Zapata and Special Agent Avila were on official business, heading southbound to Mexico City, when the attack took place. During the ambush, the cartel members fired at and into the agents’ vehicle with handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons, including AK-47 and AR-15 type assault rifles.. Special Agent Zapata, 32, was fatally shot, and Special Agent Avila, then 38, was wounded. Investigators later found approximately 90 shell casings at the scene, according to the trial evidence.

 

            Five other defendants, all Mexican nationals, previously pleaded guilty to federal charges in this case. Ruben Dario Venegas Rivera, aka Catracho, 29; Jose Ismael Nava Villagran, aka Cacho, 35; Julian Zapata Espinoza, aka Piolin, 36; and Alfredo Gaston Mendoza Hernandez, aka Camaron, 34, pleaded guilty to federal murder and attempted murder charges between August 2011 and October 2016. The fifth defendant, Francisco Carbajal Flores, aka Dalmata, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2012 to conspiracy to conduct the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity and to being an accessory after the fact to the murder and attempted murder of the ICE agents. All five defendants are awaiting sentencing.

 

            This case was investigated by the FBI, with substantial assistance from ICE, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. The Government of Mexico provided substantial assistance throughout the investigative and prosecution phases of the case.

 

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael C. DiLorenzo and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorneys David Karpel and Karen Seifert of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. Former Assistant Deputy Chief Andrea Goldbarg of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine of the U.S. Attorney’s Office also served as members of the prosecution team at earlier stages of the litigation. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs has provided substantial assistance.

 

            Assistance also was provided by Victim/Witness Advocate Yvonne Bryant, Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones, Paralegal Specialist Mac Caille Petursson, and Intern Jake Yelin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Paralegal Specialist Alejandra Arias of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section.

 

WASHINGTON – A District of Columbia woman was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for her involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars in income tax refunds, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips; Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division; Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Lappin of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office; Inspector in Charge Robert B. Wemyss of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

 

            Tarkara Cooper, 34, was convicted by a jury on Feb. 17, 2017, for conspiring to commit theft of government funds and defraud the United States and theft of public money. Two of her co-defendants, Tony Bryant, 55, and his son, Brian Bryant, 29, both of Clinton, Md., were also convicted at trial and are awaiting sentencing.

 

            Cooper was part of a massive sophisticated stolen identity refund fraud scheme that involved a network of more than 130 people, many of whom were receiving public assistance. Conspirators fraudulently claimed refunds for tax years 2005 through 2012, often in the names of people whose identities had been stolen, including the elderly, people in assisted living facilities, drug addicts and incarcerated prisoners. Returns were also filed in the names of, and refunds were issued to, willing participants in the scheme. The returns filed listed more than 400 “taxpayer” addresses located in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. According to court documents, the overall case involved the filing of at least 12,000 fraudulent federal income tax returns that sought at least $42 million in refunds.

 

            Conspirators played various roles in the scheme: stealing identifying information; allowing their personal identifying information to be used; creating and mailing fraudulent federal tax returns; allowing their addresses to be used for receipt of the refund checks; cashing the refund checks; providing bank accounts into which the refund checks were deposited and forging endorsements of identity theft victims on the refund checks. The false returns typically reported inflated or fictitious income from a sole proprietorship and claimed phony dependents to generate an Earned Income Tax Credit, a refundable federal income tax credit for working families with low to moderate incomes. To date, approximately two dozen participants in this scheme have pleaded guilty.

 

            According to the evidence presented at trial, from approximately April 2010 through June 2012, Cooper and the Bryants participated in claiming $4,959,310 in fraudulent refunds, of which the IRS paid out approximately $2,285,717. Cooper agreed to allow her residence to be used for the delivery of tax refund checks, and was paid by a co-conspirator when she provided the tax refund checks to him. The Bryants deposited refund checks fraudulently obtained by others into accounts that they controlled.

 

            In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer ordered Cooper to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $1,926,958 in restitution to the IRS. She also ordered a forfeiture money judgment of $16,750.

 

            U.S. Attorney Phillips, Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg, Special Agent in Charge Lappin, Inspector in Charge Wemyss, and Assistant Inspector General Phillips commended the special agents who conducted the investigation and acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Schornstein; Assistant U.S. Attorney Chrisellen Kolb; Paralegal Specialists Jessica Mundi, Aisha Keys, and Donna Galindo; former Paralegal Specialist Julie Dailey; Litigation Technology Specialist Ron Royal; Investigative Analysts William Hamann and Zachary McMenamin, and Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tonya Jones. They also expressed appreciation for the work of Trial Attorneys Jeffrey B. Bender, Thomas F. Koelbl, and Jessica Moran of the Tax Division, who worked on the case.

 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ellen Chubin Epstein and Michelle Bradford of the District of Columbia’s Fraud and Public Corruption Section and Trial Attorney Kimberly G. Ang of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who assisted with forfeiture issues.

 

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

WASHINGTON – Anthony Burns, 24, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine years in prison for a series of armed robberies targeting 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 May 2017, 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 was sentenced by the Honorable Amy Berman Jackson. Upon completion of his prison term, Burns will be placed on four years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay $3,194 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment.

 

            Three others have pled guilty and been sentenced on 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, 24, and Lee’s brother, Bradley Lee, 21, both of Washington, D.C. Hull and Breyon Lee were each sentenced to 51 months in prison, and Bradley Lee was sentenced to a 48-month prison term. All will be placed on three years of supervised release following completion of their prison terms, and all must pay restitution.

 

            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 eight pairs of stolen shoes, valued at $1,600.

 

            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 Dec. 29, 2015.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and 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 prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Kevin Aguilar, 24, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a federal bank robbery charge stemming from a hold-up he committed earlier this year at a bank in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Aguilar entered the plea in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Aguilar faces a likely range of 57 to 71 months in prison and a fine of up to $150,000. The plea agreement calls for him to pay $852 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. The Honorable Reggie B. Walton scheduled sentencing for Oct. 12, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 26, 2017, at approximately 11:15 a.m., Aguilar entered a Capital One Bank in the 1200 block of F Street NW. He gave the teller a note in which he threatened to shoot the teller unless he immediately was given $10,000. The teller handed over $852, and Aguilar fled. He later was identified through bank surveillance footage and other evidence. Aguilar was arrested on April 18, 2017, and has been in custody ever since.

 

            As part of the plea, Aguilar also admitted attempting to rob a BB & T bank in the 600 block of 13th Street NW on June 24, 2016. In that incident, he demanded money and stated, “I’m going to count to three and I’ll shoot … one.” The teller pressed an alarm and he fled without any cash. Aguilar was identified as the robber through surveillance videos and other evidence.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and MPD. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvind K. Lal, Chief of the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, and Paralegal Specialist Teesha Tobias. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Akhi Johnson and Lisa Walters, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jeffrey Neal, 25, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of charges stemming from the slayings of his two roommates, whose bodies were found at their residence in Northwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Neal was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder while armed, with aggravating circumstances, and related offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Chief Judge Robert E. Morin scheduled sentencing for Oct. 20, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on June 12, 2014, at approximately 11:35 a.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were dispatched to a house in the 1800 block of Eighth Street NW for a report of an unconscious person. The body of Leon Young, 22, was discovered in the attic, naked except for a black plastic bag tied around his head. Neal was arrested the following day and charged with Mr. Young’s murder.

 

            On June 16, 2014, police returned to the house and discovered the body of Delano Wingfield, 23, in a shallow grave in the backyard. He was naked except for a pair of socks.

 

            An investigation determined that both men were beaten multiple times in the head with a hammer. During the investigation, police learned that Mr. Young and Mr. Wingfield were childhood friends with the defendant. When the police interviewed Neal, he confessed to killing Mr. Young. He claimed he killed Mr. Young in self-defense, after Mr. Young allegedly confessed to killing Mr. Wingfield. Neal claimed he hit Mr. Young twice in the head with a hammer in self-defense. However, the autopsy of Mr. Young revealed that Mr. Young had been hammered in the head at least 26 times. Some of those blows were after the black plastic bag had been placed on Mr. Young’s head. Further, according to the government’s evidence, DNA evidence of Mr. Wingfield’s blood was found in various locations in Neal’s bedroom. Also, Neal told detectives that he left a pair of socks on Mr. Young’s body. However, Mr. Young was not discovered with socks. It was Mr. Wingfield’s body that had on a pair of socks.

 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences; the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team; the FBI’s DNA Casework Unit; the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; Bode Cellmark Forensics, and the New Smyrna Beach Police Department of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

 

            They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Donovan, Deputy Chief of the Homicide Section; Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Section; Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation; Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney; former Paralegal Specialists Fern Rhedrick, Amoret Vanterpool, and Vanessa Trent-Valentine; Marcia Rinker, David Foster, LaJune Thames, and Katina Adams-Washington, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Criminal Investigators John Marsh, Durand Odom, and Zachary McMenamin; Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie, Contract Specialist Sallie Rynas; Interns Hayley Poindexter and Simone Unwalla, and former intern Benjamin Symons.

 

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shana L. Fulton and Veronica Sanchez, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

A U.S. Postal Service (USPS) post office manager and two letter carriers were convicted Friday after a week-long jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery and conspiracy to distribute marijuana as a result of their roles in a scheme to use their positions at the USPS to deliver hundreds of pounds of marijuana to individuals in the District of Columbia in exchange for cash. Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

According to the evidence presented at trial, Deenvaughn Rowe, 48, of Odenton, Md., was the Acting Manager of the River Terrace Post Office. Rowe used his USPS computer to track packages containing marijuana mailed from the West Coast to the Lamond-Riggs Post Office in Washington, D.C. The packages were typically addressed to fictitious individuals or non-existent addresses. The evidence at trial revealed that once the packages arrived at the Lamond-Riggs Post Office, Rowe would coordinate the delivery of the packages with Lamond-Riggs Post Office Letter Carrier Kendra Brantley, 32, of Washington, D.C., and Carrier Technician Alicia Norman, 39, also of Washington, D.C., by cell phone and text message. The evidence presented at trial showed that once the packages of marijuana arrived at the Lamond-Riggs Post Office, Brantley and Norman would load the packages into their postal vehicles, and,, in coordination with Rowe, deliver them to individuals they met on the street in exchange for cash.

Norman will be sentenced September 12, Brantley on September 15 and Rowe on October 2, before the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia.

This case was investigated by the USPS Office of the Inspector General’s Capital Metro Field Office, and the Postal Inspection Service’s Washington Division. Trial Attorneys Mark J. Cipolletti, Shamiso Maswoswe, Molly Gaston and Nicholas Connor of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section are prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Thomasine Bennett, 67, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter for killing her 63-year-old boyfriend earlier this year at her apartment in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Bennett pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 10 years in prison. The Honorable José M. Lopez set a hearing for Sept. 22, 2017 to determine whether to accept the plea and sentence.

 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at today’s hearing, on Feb. 17, 2017, at approximately 12:55 p.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) received a call to investigate trouble at an apartment in the 700 block of 21st Street NE. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, Walter M. Clark, unconscious and unresponsive inside a hallway closet with multiple brises to the body. The District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported Mr. Clark to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later determined that Mr. Clark died from multiple blunt force trauma.

 

            Bennett met police officers when they arrived on the scene. According to the proffer, she stated that her boyfriend was in the back and that he made her smoke “Love Boat” the previous night. She directed officers to the hallway closet. Investigators quoted Bennett as saying that she beat Mr. Clark with a baseball bat over the last day and a half. She was arrested and has been in custody ever since.

 

            In announcing the plea, 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 Victim/Witness Advocate Marcey Rinker, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Earnest, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Mark Beasley, 44, of Laurel, Md., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related weapons offenses for a shooting in April 2015 in which one man was killed and another was injured, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Beasley was found guilty on July 19, 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable José M. Lopez scheduled sentencing for Oct. 13, 2017.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON – Bryan Montesino, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a total of 42 months in prison for two attacks he carried out last year at the Columbia Heights Metro station, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Ron Pavlik, Chief of the Metro Transit Police.

 

            For one of the attacks, a jury found Montesino guilty of assault with intent to commit robbery while armed, criminal street gang participation, felony threats, and a weapons offense. That verdict was returned on May 17, 2017. On the following day, Montesino pled guilty to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon for his role in the other offense.

 

            Montesino was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

 

            In the trial, the government’s evidence established that on Sept. 15, 2016, at about 5:45 p.m., a group of men approached the victim as he entered the Columbia Heights Metro station. The men, including Montesino, repeatedly told the victim that they were members of the 18th Street gang and accused him of being a member of MS-13, a rival gang.

 

            The group demanded the victim’s belongings and surrounded him as he tried to get away. When the victim refused to give the group his belongings, Montesino threatened to stab the victim and gestured as if he had a weapon. Another member of the group punched the victim in the face before the group dispersed and the victim was able to flee to safety.

 

            Montesino was apprehended 15 minutes later, within blocks of the Metro station. He had a switchblade knife and a shank on his person at the time of his arrest. After his arrest and detention at the District of Columbia Jail, Montesino made a number of recorded jail calls, in which he referenced his involvement and participation in the 18th Street gang, as well as the gang’s rivalry with MS-13.

 

            In his guilty plea, Montesino admitted that on Sept. 12, 2016, shortly after 4 p.m., he and six other men surrounded two victims after the victims got off a Metrobus at the Columbia Heights Metro station. They surrounded the victims and identified themselves as members of the 18th Street gang. Both victims observed Montesino pull out and display a black handgun before placing it back inside of a backpack. Montesino then approached one of the victims and threatened to kill him while gesturing towards his waistband as if concealing a weapon. Montesino explained that he was retaliating for an incident a couple of weeks earlier when he felt threatened by someone whom he believed to be a member of the rival MS-13 gang. Meanwhile, another assailant approached the second victim and demanded his belongings. Both victims were able to flee from the scene and notify police.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Chief Newsham, and Chief Pavlik commended the work of those who investigated the case from Metropolitan Police Department and the Metro Transit Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Lenerz, Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez, Kathryn Rakoczy, and Jennifer Kerkhoff; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim; Paralegal Specialists Tiffany Fogle and Richard Cheatham; Criminal Investigators Mark Fitzgerald and Nelson Rhone, and Litigation Technology Specialist William Henderson.

 

            Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Baset, who prosecuted the case, and Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Scott Casoni, 47, of Alexandria, Va., was sentenced today to 66 months in prison for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor and tampering with documents or proceeding, 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).

 

            Casoni pled guilty in April 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Rudolph Contreras. Following his prison term, Casoni will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 15 years.

 

            According to the government's evidence, on June 6, 2016, Casoni contacted an undercover officer with the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, through a social network site. Over the next few weeks, Casoni engaged in text messaging with the undercover officer. During this period of time, Casoni arranged with the undercover officer to meet in Washington, D.C. for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with a female who was a minor. On June 30, 2016, Casoni traveled from Virginia to a pre-arranged meeting place in Washington, D.C. When he arrived at the meeting place, he was arrested. He has been in custody ever since.

 

            Additionally, on July 6, 2016, while Casoni was detained at the District of Columbia Department of Corrections, he contacted a family member in an effort to persuade the family member to change his password on all of his e-mail accounts, uninstall all of his messenger applications, and remove several electronic devices from the home.

 

            This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director Vale, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the MPD Detectives and Special Agents of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force. They also commended the efforts of Criminal Investigator John Marsh, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Suttenberg, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - William S. Wilson, 68, of Temple Hills, Md., was sentenced today to six months in jail, to be followed by six months of home detention, for initiating an identity theft and false tax refund scheme that illegally generated more than $600,000 in refunds.

 

            The sentencing was announced by U.S Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Kimberly Lappin of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington D.C. Field Office, and Assistant Inspector General for Investigations John L. Phillips of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

 

            Wilson pled guilty in October 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper. Following his jail term, Wilson will be placed on three years of supervised release, which is to include the period of home detention. Judge Cooper also ordered Wilson to pay $613,025 in restitution to the IRS.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, from approximately June 2010 through May 2012, Wilson prepared and electronically filed with the IRS federal income tax returns, in the names of various individuals, claiming tax refunds, knowing that these claims were false, fictitious, and fraudulent. Some of the people for whom Wilson prepared returns brought him lists of names and Social Security numbers, including stolen identifying information. Wilson was paid $50 for each fictitious Form W-2 and $100 for each fraudulent individual income tax return that he prepared by the person for whom he prepared it.

 

            Wilson used bank accounts under his control for the direct deposit of fraudulently obtained tax refunds. He also recruited another individual, Tamika Witherspoon, to permit the use of her bank accounts for the direct deposit of fraudulently obtained tax refunds and to negotiate fraudulently obtained U.S. Treasury refund checks. The two split a portion of the proceeds from the deposit of these tax refunds, each receiving approximately $500 to $1,000 per tax refund, with the remaining proceeds going to other co-conspirators.

 

            Wilson electronically filed approximately 186 individual income tax returns, claiming fraudulent refunds of $613,205. In court documents, the government estimated that Wilson personally received at least $151,050 to $212,050 for his participation in the scheme.

 

            Witherspoon, 31, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in June 2017 to a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States with respect to claims. She is to be sentenced on Sept. 11, 2017.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Special Agent in Charge Lappin, and Assistant Inspector General Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Office of Tax and Revenue and the U.S. Marshals Service. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan P. Hooks and Paralegal Specialist Jessica Mundi. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Ellen Chubin Epstein, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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

 

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

 

            Fonseca, of Coimbra, Portugal, pled guilty to conspiring to unlawfully export goods and technology to Iran and to defraud the United States. He entered the guilty plea before the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan, on the day his trial was to begin in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence of 20 months. Judge Sullivan accepted the plea today and scheduled sentencing for Sept. 7, 2017. Upon completion of his prison term, Fonseca faces deportation proceedings.

 

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

 

            Due to the investigation conducted by a Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations, the government prevented both machines from leaving the U.S. Fonseca traveled to the United States to receive training on how to use the optical lens equipment in October 2015. He returned to the United States in late March 2016 to be trained on how to use the inertial guidance system equipment at the company that manufactures it. After a week of training, Homeland Security Agents had gathered sufficient evidence to detain Fonseca before he could fly back to Portugal. Soon thereafter, criminal charges were brought against Fonseca. He has been in custody ever since.

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON – David Tyrone Johnson, 48, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison on federal charges arising from a real estate scheme involving forged mortgage satisfaction documents, 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 April 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to charges of bank fraud and making false statements. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Following his prison term, Johnson will be placed on two years of supervised release. He also must pay $337,105 in restitution to Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, as well as a forfeiture money judgment of $170,688.

 

            According to a statement of offense submitted at the time of the guilty plea, 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.

 

            In announcing the sentence, 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 assisted with forfeiture issues. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Stacie M. Williams, .a former employee of the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA), pled guilty today to a federal bribery charge stemming from a scheme in which she accepted cash in return for facilitating the issuance of construction permits.

 

            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 Daniel W. Lucas, Inspector General for the District of Columbia.

 

            Williams, 47, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of receipt of a bribe by a public official. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 15 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Williams faces a likely range of 12 to 18 months in prison and possible financial penalties. She is to be sentenced on Oct. 19, 2017, by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Williams worked from March 2004 until August 2016 as a contact representative in DCRA’s Business License Department. She was responsible for reviewing and processing applications for various permits. In two meetings at her workstation in April and June of 2012, Williams accepted a total of $700 in cash from a person who was actually participating in an undercover FBI investigation. In exchange for this money, Williams issued two air conditioning permits and one construction permit. In processing these permits, she did not require the person to take a number and wait in line at DCRA, which is the practice for all customers. She also falsified the requirement calling for the signature of a certified licensed tradesman who would oversee the construction. Instead, she inserted the name of a master licensed tradesman who she knew was not involved in the construction work.

 

            In her plea today, Williams admitted that she often partnered with a co-worker, Lucretia B. Barksdale, in the illegal scheme of issuing DCRA permits to customers. Barksdale, 52, of Oxon Hill, Md. pled guilty to a federal bribery charge in March 2016 and later was sentenced to three years of probation, including 180 days that was to be spent in home detention.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Inspector General Lucas commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General. They also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lionel André. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle N. Bradford, who is prosecuting the case.

WASHINGTON – Travon Carter, 18, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to nine years in prison for a pair of carjackings he committed last year in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

 

            Carter pled guilty in April 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of carjacking and two related firearms offenses. He was sentenced on July 13, 2017, by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the time of the plea, the first carjacking took place on Oct. 4, 2016, at about 4 a.m. Carter, along with three other individuals, approached a man in the 900 block of Quackenbos Street NW. The victim reported that all four assailants were wearing masks and armed with firearms. At least one of them knocked the victim to the ground. The group stole the victim’s car keys, cellular telephone, and wallet and took off in the victim’s car. The vehicle was found several hours later in the 700 block of Fairmont Street NW.

 

            The second carjacking took place on Oct. 6, 2016, at about 12:45 a.m., this time in the 1200 block of Sheridan Street NW. Carter and two other individuals approached a woman who had just parked her car. One of Carter’s accomplices was wearing a mask and armed with a firearm. The three demanded the victim’s cellular telephone and car keys and left in her car. They hid the vehicle in a parking lot in the 2500 block of Sherman Avenue NW and then got into another vehicle, driven by a fourth person. Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stopped the vehicle within 90 minutes of the carjacking and arrested all four men.

 

            Carter has been in custody since his arrest.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah McClellan, Chief of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Diana Lim, Karina Hernandez, LaJune Thames, M. Laverne Perry, and Katina Adams-Washington, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia, Jeanie Latimore-Brown, Kimberly Smith, and Paul Howell, and former Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia;

 

            Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Romano and Gregory Rosen, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Robert Lewis, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to nine years and three months in prison on charges stemming from an armed robbery and two burglaries in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Lewis pled guilty in March 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to robbery, second-degree burglary, and contempt. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of five years in prison. The Honorable Kimberley S. Knowles accepted the plea today and sentenced Lewis accordingly.

 

            In a separate case, also in March of 2017, a jury found Lewis guilty of second-degree burglary and second-degree theft, with a finding that the crimes were committed while Lewis was on pretrial release. In that case, the Honorable Juliet McKenna sentenced Lewis today to four years and three months in prison, to run consecutively to the other prison term.

 

            Following completion of his prison terms, Lewis will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            In the guilty plea, Lewis admitted taking part in an armed robbery on the afternoon of June 24, 2016, in the 600 block of Buchanan Street NW; a co-defendant, Donathan Taylor, 20, pled guilty to an armed robbery charge for that offense. Lewis also admitted to committing a residential burglary during the daytime hours of Oct. 16, 2015 in the 700 block of Taylor Street NW. Finally, Lewis pled guilty to a contempt charge for leaving a halfway house, where he was being held while awaiting trial, without authorization on June 22, 2016.

 

            The guilty verdict stemmed from a burglary on April 9, 2015 at a home in the unit block of Gallatin Street NW.

 

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the cases from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Latent Fingerprint Unit of the Forensic Science Laboratory of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.

 

            Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the cases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office involving Lewis and his co-defendant. They include Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Romano, Kamil E. Shields and C.B. Buente, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alyssa Kociuruba.

WASHINGTON – A 37-year-old man was sentenced today to a 9½-year prison term for sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            The man, of Washington, D.C., is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim. He pled guilty in May 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea, which was subject to the Court’s approval, called for a 9½-year prison term. The Honorable Zoe Bush accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Upon completion of his prison term, the man will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, between late Sept. 30, 2016 and early Oct. 1, 2016, the defendant anally raped his son’s 12-year-old friend, who was at their residence in Southeast Washington for a sleepover. The victim disclosed the assault and an investigation led to the man’s arrest.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also expressed appreciation for the work of the Children’s Advocacy Center, Children’s National Medical Center, and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. Finally, he acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson, Forensic Interviewer Tracy Owusu, Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elana Suttenberg and Marisa West, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Two former staff employees of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives have been indicted following an investigation into the circulation of private, nude images and videos of the member and the member’s spouse, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Matthew R. Verderosa, Chief of the United States Capitol Police.

 

            Juan R. McCullum, 35, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of cyberstalking, and a co-worker, Dorene Browne-Louis, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice. The indictment, which was unsealed today, was returned on July 11, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

 

            According to the indictment, McCullum worked from April 2015 until June 2016 in the House member’s legislative office in Washington, D.C. Browne-Louis worked in the same office from January 2015 until April 2016.

 

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

 

            As alleged in the indictment, in July 2016, after McCullum left the House member’s staff, he engaged in a course of conduct that included creating a Hotmail account and a Facebook social media account, using a fictitious name, to distribute and post the private images and videos. Further, according to the indictment, he encouraged others on social media to redistribute the images and videos in the member’s congressional district. The indictment alleges that McCullum also sent text messages to Browne-Louis alerting her to his activities as early as July 2, 2016, as well as e-mail messages containing several of the images and videos.

 

            On July 6, 2016, federal law enforcement initiated a criminal investigation into the unauthorized distribution and publication of the images and videos. The charges against Browne-Louis involve text messages from McCullum that she allegedly deleted from her cellular phone, as well as false, incomplete, and misleading statements that she allegedly made to law enforcement and a federal grand jury regarding her knowledge of the activities.

 

            Browne-Louis made her first appearance today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She pled not guilty to the charges and was released on personal recognizance pending a status hearing scheduled for July 19, 2017. McCullum’s first court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

 

            The charge of cyberstalking carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and potential financial penalties. The charge of obstruction of justice carries a statutory maximum of 20 years of incarceration and potential financial penalties.

 

            An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

 

            This case is being investigated by the United States Capitol Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Veronica Jennings and Tejpal S. Chawla of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistance was provided by former Assistant U.S. Attorney Natalia Medina, Criminal Investigator John Marsh, Paralegal Specialists Bianca Evans and Matthew Ruggiero, and Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Thomas Royal and Paul Howell, all of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

WASHINGTON - Eugene Burns, 25, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and related weapons offenses for killing a man in a Southeast Washington apartment, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced today.

 

            Burns was found guilty by a jury on July 12, 2017, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo scheduled sentencing for Sept. 29, 2017. Burns faces a potential sentence of life in prison for the crimes.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Burns had been in a drug-related dispute with the victim, Onyekachi Emmanuel Osuchukwu III, of Woodland Hills, Calif., and began planning to kill him. On Nov. 14, 2015, Mr. Osuchukwu flew into the Washington, D.C. area. That day, Burns lured Mr. Osuchukwu to Burns’s mother’s apartment in the 2900 block of Second Street SE. He confronted Mr. Osuchukwu and shot and killed him before fleeing the scene.

 

            The next day, the defendant, along with two relatives, returned to the apartment and Burns supposedly “discovered” that his best friend had been killed. After a call to 911, Mr. Osuchuwku, 24, was found on the living room floor with multiple gunshot wounds. An investigation led to Burns’s arrest in December 2015, and he has been in custody ever since.

 

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives, officers, and mobile crime technicians who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division, the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. He 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; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Lashone Samuels; Diana Lim, David Foster; M. Laverne Perry, Tanya Via and Debra Cannon, all of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, and William Henderson; former Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia; Forensic Operations/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Computer Forensics Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Law Clerk Alexandra Maher.

 

            Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Willoughby, Jr. and Kevin Flynn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Jonathan Tran, 27, of Milpitas, Calif., pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from an incident earlier this year in which he illegally entered the grounds of the White House, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge, Washington Field Office, U.S. Secret Service.

 

            Tran pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to a charge of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds. The charge carries a statutory maximum of a year in prison and a potential fine. The parties agreed to recommend to the Court that any period of supervised release or probation include conditions, including a prohibition barring Tran from entering the District of Columbia while he is under supervision, except for court appearances and meetings with his lawyer. He also would be required to participate in interviews with the Secret Service to assist in determining potential current and future risks.

 

            The Honorable James E. Boasberg scheduled sentencing for Sept. 25, 2017. Tran remains free on personal recognizance pending the sentencing.

 

            “This guilty plea holds Jonathan Tran accountable for illegally entering the grounds of the White House and putting himself and others at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Phillips. “Thanks to the Secret Service, he was arrested and no one was hurt in this defendant’s reckless and potentially dangerous act.”

 

            “The safety and security of the President, the First Family and all staff and visitors to the White House complex is the Secret Service’s first priority,” said Special Agent in Charge Ebert. “Any attempt to breach security and gain unauthorized access is a serious criminal offense and will be dealt with as such. The Secret Service continuously strives to improve and adapt our protective methodologies and security features to meet the ever growing and evolving threat.”

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 10, 2017, at about 11:35 p.m., an officer with the U.S. Secret Service’s Uniform Division saw Tran walking from the east side of the south grounds of the White House complex. Tran, who was wearing a hooded sweater or jacket and carrying a backpack, was approaching the South Portico entrance to the White House. When Tran saw the officer, he altered course and began heading toward the South Lawn. The officer confronted Tran, who claimed to be “a friend of the President.” In a search incident to arrest, two cans of pepper spray were found on Tran, including one inside his jacket pocket.

 

            This case was investigated by the Secret Service’s Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Mudd of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

WASHINGTON – James Durrette, 45, of Clinton, Md., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison on a federal drug charge stemming from his role in a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Washington, D.C. area.

 

            The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Andre R. Watson, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Baltimore, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Durrette was found guilty by a jury in March 2017 of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams of heroin. The verdict followed a trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. With his prior conviction for a similar drug offense, Durrette faced a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. He was sentenced by the Honorable Amit P. Mehta. Following his prison term, Durrette will be placed on eight years of supervised release. The judge also ordered Durrette to pay a $5,000 forfeiture money judgment.

 

            The government’s evidence established that Durrette and others participated in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of narcotics between 2009 and 2014. This drug trafficking group mainly involved itself with trafficking very large quantities of marijuana, but also involved itself with redistributing various and significant quantities of heroin and cocaine. In that regard, during the conspiracy, California suppliers frequently sent – or conspired to send – large quantities of marijuana, heroin, or cocaine to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, where Durrette and others participated in the illegal redistribution of one or more of the controlled substances to others in the Washington, D.C., area for profit.

 

            Several others previously pled guilty to charges in the investigation.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, Special Agent in Charge Watson, and Chief Newsham praised the work of the FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force, which in this case involved work from the FBI, the Metropolitan Police Department, and HSI. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Prince George’s County, Md. Police Department. In addition, they commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Jeannette Litz, Candace Battle, Rommel Pachoca, Mary Downing, and Teesha Tobias; Legal Assistants Holly Crouse and Peter Gaboton; Intern Zachary Kaplan, and Litigation Technology Specialist Kimberly Smith. Finally, they commended the work of Trial Attorney Andrea G. Duvall of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth F. Whitted and Emory V. Cole, who indicted and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Deborah A. Morrison, a former executive at Providence Hospital, pled guilty today to a federal charge stemming from her theft of $391,600 from an association of medical professionals, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

            Morrison, of Bethesda, Md., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to transportation of money taken by fraud. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties. Under federal sentencing guidelines, she faces a likely range of 24 to 30 months in prison and a fine of up to $95,000. As part of her plea, Morrison has agreed to pay $391,600 in restitution and an identical amount in a forfeiture money judgment. She is to be sentenced on Oct. 2, 2017, by the Honorable James E. Boasberg.

 

            According to a statement of offense submitted as part of the guilty plea, Morrison worked for Providence Hospital from 1978 until 2016, with much of her career in executive positions. Apart from her official work duties, since at least 2001, Morrison oversaw the bank accounts of the Providence Hospital Medical Staff, an association comprised of medical professionals at the facility. In that role, she had access to the checkbooks and reviewed the account statements.

 

            From December 2009 until December 2015, according to the statement of offense, Morrison wrote approximately 140 checks, totaling $391,600, from one of the association’s bank accounts containing dues payments. She endorsed the front of the checks with a signature stamp of a former President of the Medical Staff who no longer worked at Providence Hospital. She deposited all of the checks into her personal bank account.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Assistant Director in Charge Vale commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kristy Penny and Joshua Fein. Finally, they expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Saler, who is prosecuting the case.

 

WASHINGTON - Dane Powell, 31, of Tampa, Fla., was sentenced today to four months of incarceration for his role in the violence and destruction that took place in downtown Washington on Inauguration Day, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

 

            Powell pled guilty on April 28, 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of felony rioting and felony assault on a police officer. Powell was among 234 people arrested in the aftermath of various incidents on January 20, 2017. He was arrested the following day. Powell was the first defendant to plead guilty to felony charges; 15 others have pled guilty to misdemeanor rioting offenses, and charges against 20 other defendants have been dismissed.

 

            The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz sentenced Powell to a total of 36 months in prison, but suspended all but four months of that time on the condition that he successfully complete two years of supervised probation. In sentencing the defendant, Judge Leibovitz said that she credited his early acceptance of responsibility, but at the same time was compelled to take into account the seriousness of his individual acts and choices during the disturbances. Powell was taken into custody immediately after the hearing today to begin serving his prison sentence.

 

            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. In addition, Powell was in possession of a hammer, and a heavy wooden stick with a flag attached to it. As part of the proffer, he admitted being part of a group of rioters who moved approximately 16 blocks over a period of more than 30 minutes. He also admitted that he participated in breaking windows at two businesses and throwing a brick, large rock, or piece of concrete at uniformed law enforcement officers during the riot.

 

            The rioting cases are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer A. Kerkhoff and John W. Borchert.

WASHINGTON – Sergio Velasquez Cardozo, 35, formerly of Falls Church, Va., was sentenced today to a 5 ½ year-prison term on 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 in April 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. Velasquez Cardozo was sentenced by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz. Upon completion of his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for 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 sentence, 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 Specialists 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.

            WASHINGTON –Timothy Allen, 20, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to six years and eight months in prison for beating and maltreating a four-year-old boy who was in his care last summer, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Allen’s mother, Suzette Nicole Allen, 45, is to be sentenced on Sept. 15, 2017 in the case. Both defendants pled guilty in April 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree cruelty to children. The pleas, which are contingent upon the Court’s approval, call for prison sentences of 18 months to seven years. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz accepted Timothy Allen’s guilty plea today and sentenced him accordingly. Following completion of his prison term, Timothy Allen will be placed on three years of supervised release; during that time, he is to have no contact with children under the age of 18.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON – Devone Foote, 35, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a felony charge stemming from an incident last spring in which he sexually accosted a 14-year-old girl who was on a school trip at a museum, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Foote pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of attempted second-degree child sexual abuse. The charge carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 18 months in prison. Following his prison term, Foote would be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Sept. 15, 2017.

 

            Foote was arrested on April 4, 2017 after he allegedly touched seven girls, ages 13 and 14, on the buttocks, while they were visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. He has been in custody ever since. The guilty plea involved one of those offenses.

 

            According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, on April 4, 2017, at approximately 5 p.m., a volunteer at the insect exhibit noticed Foote leering at a group of teenage girls from a few feet away. Foote approached the group and took several pictures. He then touched a 14-year-old girl on the buttocks with his hand and held her hair. He then walked away. He was identified shortly afterward outside the museum and arrested. In his guilty plea, Foote admitted that he acted voluntarily and on purpose, and not by mistake or accident.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services and from the U.S. Park Police. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins, Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Urlick Evans, 41, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 102 months for sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl, 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).

 

            Evans pled guilty in March 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon 102-month prison term. The Honorable Reggie B. Walton accepted the plea today and sentenced Evans accordingly. Following his prison term, Evans will be placed on 10 years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years.

 

            According to a statement of offense submitted during the plea proceedings, at the end of July 2015, the 15-year-old victim ran away from her residence in Baltimore. Once in Washington, D.C., she made contact with her estranged father, and stayed with him for approximately one week until she met Evans.

 

            Evans, who was 39 at the time, asked the girl how old she was and she initially told him that she was 18. He invited her to his apartment in Southeast Washington. Once there, he sexually abused the girl. Shortly thereafter, he was contacted by members of the girl’s family and informed that she was only 15. Specifically, on Aug. 20, 2015, the girl’s parents contacted Evans to inquire about the whereabouts of their daughter. The father requested that Evans return the girl to him. Evans, however, told the parents that she no longer was living with him and that he did not know where they could find her.

 

            After this conversation, the girl continued to live with Evans at his apartment in Washington, D.C. Also, according to the statement of offense, over the course of the next several weeks and up until Evans’s arrest on Sept. 22, 2015, he continued to sexually abuse the girl.

 

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from MPD’s Youth Division and the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Criminal Investigator John Marsh and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea L. Hertzfeld and Lindsay J. Suttenberg, who prosecuted the matter.

WASHINGTON – Two men, both from Washington, D.C., have been sentenced to 47-year prison terms for their roles in a gun battle in Northeast Washington in which two people were killed, including a 15-year-old innocent bystander, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Sequarn Tibbs, 25, and Earl Jackson, 24, were found guilty by a jury in November 2016 of two counts of second-degree murder while armed, three counts of assault with intent to kill, two counts of aggravated assault, and related weapons offenses. The verdicts followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They were sentenced on June 30, 2017, by the Honorable Michael Ryan.

 

            Tibbs and Jackson had pled guilty in 2013 to voluntary manslaughter and other charges, but the pleas were subsequently reversed by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. That led to the trial and the jury’s verdict. Additionally, a third co-defendant, Antonio Barnes, 25, pled guilty in September 2016 to voluntary manslaughter and other charges. He was sentenced in November 2016 to a 13-year prison term, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, Tibbs and Jackson were part of a group, known as “Young Savage,” associated with the 37th Street/37th Place neighborhood of Southeast Washington. The violence came after the discovery on Oct. 12, 2009 that a burglary took place in the home of Jackson’s mother, located in the Clay Terrace area of Northeast Washington. A .38-caliber revolver, belonging to a juvenile co-conspirator, was stolen during the burglary.

 

            Late Oct. 12, 2009 and early Oct. 13, 2009, Jackson and others, including Tibbs’s brother, Daquan Tibbs, 18, decided that Clay Terrace residents were responsible for the burglary. The group decided to travel to the home of Jackson’s mother in Clay Terrace to identify and find the people responsible and get the property back - with force, if necessary.

 

            They rode to Clay Terrace in a taxicab, while armed with a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol, a .40-caliber pistol and a .9-mm pistol. Once there, they decided to confront Clay Terrace individuals who were outside in the neighborhood. They demanded the .38-caliber revolver, and, although it remains unclear if money was taken in the burglary as well, also asked for cash.

 

            A male from the Clay Terrace group advised that they did not know who was responsible for the theft, but opined that it was probably a “young’un.” Later, an older Clay Terrace resident came to the Jacksons’ house, and asked about the situation. This person also speculated it was probably “one of the little young’uns,” and left. The older man later came back and returned the gun, not saying where he got it. He said that he did not know anything about the missing money.

 

            Sequarn Tibbs, meanwhile, joined the group in Clay Terrace. Throughout the day, several members of the group smoked marijuana. At one point, Jackson and the juvenile co-conspirator discussed whether they should wait until school was over to see if they could find the “young’uns” responsible for the theft/burglary.

 

            Shortly before 4 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2009, the defendants and others in the group left the house. The group took their guns with them, which included a .45-caliber pistol, a .40-caliber pistol, a .38-caliber revolver, and a .9-mm pistol. They headed to a courtyard known in Clay Terrace as “Briscoe Court,” in the 300 block of 53rd Street NE. A gun battle soon began, with Sequarn Tibbs firing the first shot. During the gunfire, Daquan Tibbs was shot to death by a weapon fired by the juvenile co-conspirator. A 15-year-old boy, Davonta Artis – an innocent bystander – was shot and also killed. Three others were wounded.

 

            In August of 2010, Tibbs and Jackson learned that warrants had been issued for their arrests, and they fled the Washington, D.C. area to avoid being apprehended. Tibbs was captured on Sept. 21, 2010 in New York, and Jackson was captured on Jan. 13, 2012, in North Carolina.

 

            In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Chief Newsham commended the work of the detectives, officers and mobile crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Park Police. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah Sines; former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reagan Taylor, Sean Tonolli, J.P. Cooney, Sharad Khandelwal and Heather Carlton; Liaison and Operations Manager Linda McDonald; Paralegal Specialists Zekiah Wright, Debra Joyner, Kendra Johnson, Alesha Matthews-Yette, Kwasi Fields, Kelly Blakeney, Sharon Newman, Fern Rhedrick, and Marian Russell; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, William Henderson, and Joshua Ellen; Victim/Witness Advocates Marcia Rinker and Katina Adams-Washington, former Investigative Analyst Larry Grasso, and Investigative Analysts Zachary McMenamin, Durand Odom, and John Marsh. Finally, they praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura Bach and Nebiyu Feleke and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Noonan, of the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General, who prosecuted the case.

 

 

            WASHINGTON – Paul Hagans Jr., 37, of Waldorf, Maryland, pled guilty today to a charge stemming from his role in the killing of a man during an altercation earlier this year in Northeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.

 

            Hagans pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for him to be sentenced to five years in prison. The Honorable Zoe Bush scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on March 2, 2017, at about 3:40 p.m., Hagans was working as a flagger near the 200 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE. Around the same time, the victim, Desmond Joseph, had driven his work truck into the 200 block of Rhode Island Avenue to a building in which he had been doing repair work. At some point, Mr. Joseph exited his truck to move traffic cones out of the way, so that he could drive his truck into a parking lot.

 

            When Hagans noticed that Mr. Joseph had moved the traffic cones, Hagans approached him and began arguing with him. Witnesses were present when the argument took place. One heard Hagans say to Mr. Joseph: “he was a gangsta up there . . . he was a big man up there” (or words to that effect). That witness then observed Hagans throw a single punch, contacting Mr. Joseph’s head, causing Mr. Joseph backwards and hit his head on the street. According to witnesses, as soon as Hagans delivered the punch, Mr. Joseph was “knocked out” and fell backwards off the curb and onto the street. Another witness said that while Mr. Joseph and Hagans were arguing, Mr. Joseph had a cell phone in his hand and appeared to be making a phone call. Witnesses also said that while the two men were arguing, Mr. Joseph never had anything in his hands.

 

            Mr. Joseph, 41, was taken to the hospital with a hematoma to the back, right portion of his head with no brain activity. On or about he died from injuries caused by the defendant.

 

            In announcing the pleas, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen and Paralegal Specialist Alesha Matthews. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Damien Diggs, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

 

WASHINGTON – Jonathan Taylor, 26, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of first-degree murder while armed and other charges in a shooting that killed one man and wounded another in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            The jury returned the verdict on June 28, 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In addition to the murder charge, the jury found Taylor guilty of assault with intent to kill while armed and two related firearms offenses. The Honorable José M. Lόpez scheduled sentencing for Aug. 25, 2017. Taylor, who has been held without bond, remains in custody.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the D.C. Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force, and a wide variety of law enforcement and community partners are coming together once again to sponsor their 7th annual “Breaking the Silence on Youth Violence” Youth Summit on Friday, June 30, 2017, at Friendship Collegiate Academy.

 

            At a time when the District of Columbia has been particularly devastated by a nationwide opioid epidemic, and consistent with the Justice Department’s focus on opioid abuse prevention, this year’s summit will focus on this important subject. Expert speakers will explain that heroin and other opioids are highly addictive and dangerous drugs that can lead to death. Other topics at this year’s summit include steps to prevent human trafficking and runaways, and ways in which youth can engage in peaceful protest when responding to issues in their communities.

 

            The event will be filled with dynamic speakers, entertainment, and invaluable information and resources for our youth.

 

            Youths from throughout the District of Columbia are invited to the free program, which will start at 10 a.m. and run until 3 p.m. Friendship Collegiate Academy, 4095 Minnesota Avenue NE, is conveniently located directly across the street from the Minnesota Avenue Metro station in order to provide accessibility for students to attend.

 

            The summit is one of the largest events sponsored by the U.S. Attorney’s Office each year, and has drawn hundreds of youths from throughout the city. The program assembles young people from under-served neighborhoods in the District of Columbia to discuss the most pressing public safety challenges facing their communities. The goal of the program is to reach out to area youth on current public safety topics in an informative and inspiring way.

 

            Numerous partners will be coming together to present the day’s programs. They include the U.S. Attorney’s Office; the D.C. Project Safe Neighborhood Task Force; Friendship Collegiate Academy; the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD); Foundation for a Drug Free World; Amazing Gospel Souls, Inc.; Mayor Barry Youth Leadership Institute; Hillcrest Children and Family Center; Collaborative Solutions for Communities; East of the River Family Support Collaborative; the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation; the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health; Exodus Project; Black and Missing, Inc.; Go Go Fitness, Inc.; Healing Broken Wings, Inc., and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

 

              People with questions or interest in bringing a youth group to the Youth Summit may contact External Affairs Specialist Melanie Howard at the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (202)-252-6930 or [email protected].

            WASHINGTON –Jay Crowder, 33, and Trishelle Jabore, 26, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to charges stemming from the starvation-related death of their seven-week-old daughter, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            Both defendants pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to charges of voluntary manslaughter, first-degree cruelty to children, and welfare fraud-unlawful food stamp usage. Crowder also pled guilty to a charge of attempted distribution of a controlled substance (synthetic cannabinoid or K2). Crowder’s plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of 10 to 12 years in prison. Under the Court’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, Jabore could face a range of six to 15 years in prison. The Honorable José M. Lόpez scheduled sentencing for Sept. 8, 2017.

 

            According to a proffer of facts presented at the plea hearing, on Nov. 6, 2016, Jabore gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Trinity. The infant weighed 4 pounds, 14.5 ounces, but was considered at term and healthy. At the time of her birth, both the mother and child tested positive for THC, an active ingredient in marijuana. Both parents had prior experience parenting newborn children. They received approximately $995 in welfare funds, including food stamps. They paid $9.80 in rent and $50 for Internet service, and they spent money on cigarettes and marijuana; according to Jabore, she and Crowder smoked marijuana most days. Around Thanksgiving, they sold some of their food stamps to a family member for $150.

 

            On the evening of Dec. 24, 2016, the baby was put to bed in her car seat with a bottle at 7 p.m. At approximately 9 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2016, Crowder entered his and Jabore’s bedroom, where the baby was still in her car seat. Crowder picked up the child and felt that her body was limp. Crowder attempted to feed her a bottle but she would not take it. The baby’s breathing appeared labored at that time, and Jabore said that her lips were yellow. Jabore and Crowder monitored the baby’s condition for about three hours. At noon, Jabore called 911 and stated that the baby was unconscious and not breathing. Jabore and Crowder reported that she had no signs of illness or any falls or trauma and had not been involved in any accidents.

 

            The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were dispatched to the defendants’ home in Southwest Washington. The baby was taken to the Emergency Department at Children’s National Medical Center. Hospital staff attempted advanced life-saving measures, but the child was pronounced dead at 12:26 p.m. A doctor reported that she appeared cachectic and had what appeared to be blood in her diaper.

 

            According to the evidence, the baby did not get adequate food or nutrition. She lost over 10 ounces in weight from the time she was born. Additionally, the infant suffered 13 rib fractures and clavicle fracture at various stages of healing and severe diaper rash. Neither parent had taken her for medical treatment or care. She was in the exclusive care of Jabore and Crowder.

 

            Even though Jabore and Crowder had money and their home had plenty of food for older children and adults, their baby starved to death. The parents were providing a fraction of the recommended amount of formula in an effort to make it go further. Alternatively, when not giving formula, they were giving their newborn cow’s milk (powdered milk or evaporated milk), which is harmful to an infant’s digestive tract. Chemists with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested a bottle found on the scene. Their testing revealed the bottle contained mostly water and had very little nutritional value.

 

            The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia determined that the baby’s death was caused by malnutrition and hyponatremia[1], that the fractured ribs and clavicle fracture were contributing factors, and that the manner of death was homicide.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the detectives, officers, and others who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, analysts from the Food and Drug Administration, and medical personnel from Children’s National Medical Center. He also expressed appreciation to the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences for assistance in the investigation. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Kelly Blakeney and Stephanie Gilbert; Criminal Investigators Tommy Miller, Durand Odom, Nelson Rhone, Sharon Johnson, Shannon Alexis, and Chris Brophy; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kahn, and Intern Emily Yu. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia G. Wright, who is prosecuting the case.

 

 

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[1] Hyponatremia is a condition that occurs when the level of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. Mayo Clinic Staff, Diseases and Conditions Hyponatremia, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hyponatremia/basics/definition/con-20031445 (last updated May 28, 2014).

WASHINGTON – Marquese Kelsey, 30, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to carrying out a broad-daylight robbery of a bank in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Kelsey pled guilty before the Honorable James E. Boasberg in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to one count of bank robbery. Kelsey faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely range of 63 to 78 months in prison and potential financial penalties. He also is subject to an order of restitution and a forfeiture money judgment. Judge Boasberg scheduled sentencing for Sept. 18, 2017.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON – Delonte Wynn, 36, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of first-degree premeditated murder while armed for the fatal stabbing of a woman in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Zoe Bush scheduled sentencing for Sept. 11, 2017.

 

            According to the government’s evidence, on May 13, 2015, at about 6:30 p.m., the masked defendant stabbed Darlene Bryant once in the back of the neck inside the stairwell of a building in the 4300 block of Wheeler Road SE. He then fled the scene. Ms. Bryant, 46, made her way down the stairs, stumbled across the street, and banged on a neighbor’s door until he came and called 911. Ms. Bryant was too injured to talk. Within seconds of the 911 call being placed, she slumped down and died on the neighbor’s front steps.

 

            In announcing the verdict, 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 Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Tanya Via; Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia; Criminal Investigator John Marsh, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Bruckmann and Deborah Sines, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON – Terrez Crocker, 21, was sentenced today to seven years in prison, and Andre Walker, 28, was sentenced to a five-year prison term on charges of robbing and assaulting two women in separate attacks, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

 

            In April 2017, a 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 defendants, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced by the Honorable Ronna Lee Beck in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Following completion of their prison terms, each will be placed on three years of supervised release.

 

            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 sentences, 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.

WASHINGTON – Edgar Maddison Welch, 29, of Salisbury, N.C., was sentenced today to four years in prison on 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 sentencing 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, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

 

            Welch pled guilty on March 24, 2017, 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. He was sentenced by the Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson. Following his prison term, Welch will be placed on three years of supervised release. While on supervised release, Welch is to receive a mental health assessment; he also was ordered to stay away from the restaurant while on release. Additionally, he must pay $5,744 in restitution for property damage he caused during the incident.

 

            In sentencing the defendant, the judge declared that “the extent of the recklessness in this case is breathtaking,” adding that it was only through “sheer luck” that no one was injured.

 

            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, in the 5000 block of Connecticut Avenue NW. 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 and has remained in custody ever since. No one was injured.

 

            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 sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips, Assistant Director in Charge Vale, and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the FBI’s Charlotte Division, which executed search warrants, seized evidence, and conducted interviews. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Yvonne Bryant and Karina Hernandez, Paralegal Specialists Chela Okonji and Bianca Evans, 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 prosecuted the case.

WASHINGTON - Michael L. Rosebar, 53, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of defrauding customers of his home improvement business and personal creditors, making false statements in bankruptcy proceedings, and defrauding a government program for needy families, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Inspector in Charge Robert B. Wemyss of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Washington Division.

 

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

 

            The Honorable Senior Judge Thomas F. Hogan scheduled sentencing for Sept. 14, 2017. Rosebar, who was first indicted in this case in February 2016, was held pending sentencing.

 

            Rosebar’s wife, Erin M. Rosebar, 40, is scheduled to stand trial on Nov. 6, 2017 on related charges in the case. She has pled not guilty.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

WASHINGTON - Christopher Newton, 22, a former U.S. Postal Service employee, pled guilty today to a federal charge for dumping more than 15,000 pieces of mail that he was supposed to deliver, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Paul L. Bowman of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

 

            Newton, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to obstruction of mails. The charge carries a statutory maximum of six months in prison and potential financial penalties. He is to be sentenced on Sept. 6, 2017, by the Honorable Senior Judge Ellen S. Huvelle.

 

            According to a statement of offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Newton worked from December 2015 until May 16, 2016 as a city carrier assistant. He was ultimately assigned to the River Terrace Post Office in Northeast Washington, and his responsibilities included collecting, sorting, and delivering mail to postal customers on routes he was assigned.

 

            On May 16, 2016, a local television news station informed the Postal Service that mail had been found in a catch basin in an area serviced by the River Terrace Post Office. According to the statement of offense, managers went to the intersection of Douglas Street and Anacostia Avenue NE, where they recovered 74 pieces of mail that had been protruding from the catch basin. On the following day, postal investigators returned to the scene. A manhole cover near the catch basin was removed, and from the sewer, investigators recovered 17 large trash bags of mail – an estimated 15,000 pieces. The mail was soaking wet and clumped together, and it shredded to pieces as it was picked up. This mail was unsalvageable due to sewer contamination.

 

            The catch basin was located on a route serviced by Newton. On May 16, 2016, after a supervisor confronted him about the first batch of dumped mail, Newton announced that he was quitting his job immediately. In his guilty plea, Newton admitted that he alone dumped the mail that was recovered on May 16 and May 17, 2016.

 

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Special Agent in Charge Bowman commended the work of those who investigated the case from the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, including Special Agent Michael Wu. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Aisha Keys and Brittany Phillips, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Miller, who is prosecuting the matter.

WASHINGTON – John Thomas Burch, 75, of Alexandria, Virginia, pled guilty today to a federal charge of wire fraud, arising from his embezzlement while he was the president of the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Andrew Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

 

            Burch pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Under federal sentencing guidelines, he faces an estimated range of 12 to 18 months in prison, as well as a fine of up to $55,000. He also is subject to a forfeiture money judgment of $75,000. The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson scheduled sentencing for Oct. 5, 2017.

 

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

 

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

 

            The amount of the charity’s money spent by Burch on non-business related travel, clubs, restaurants, hotels, and women between the years 2012 and 2016 was at least $149,317.

 

            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 from the Washington Field Office of the FBI. They also acknowledged the efforts of those working on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, who is assisting with forfeiture issues. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who is prosecuting the case.